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Kano: Democrats vs. Sycophants By Kabiru Inuwa Tsakuwa
“Who should remain alive and praised, who should stay dead without renown-depend upon criteria that powerful sycophants lay down”… Boris Pasternak (1890-1960) Russian poet and novelist.
It is inherent in human nature to enjoy what is said well about us and certainly not, the unhealthy comments or remarks of conscientious critics meant to point out lapses and areas that require meticulous and urgent improvements. Yes, we only listen to what we want hear regardless of the consequences to the promises made to the electorates and the vital components of democracy which guaranteed freedoms of expressions and respects for collective and individual liberties.
However, this is hardly surprising to all students of history, because life is replete with many such instances where many world leaders end up deceived by the glamour and allure of power into believing that all is well with their subjects while in reality the reverse is absolutely the case. This negative phenomenon is unfortunately playing itself in Kano under a supposedly democratic dispensation with the hoi-polloi of course paying the ultimate prices.
Such weakness are however exploited by professional sycophants in order to curry undue favour from those in positions of authorities by telling them many concocted stories, using excessive flattery and servile behaviour. And defending on the shades, texture or colours of the practitioners of the lucrative trades which may assume the toga of religion as the recent distributions of anti middle-of the-road and liberal northern newspaper with a robust platform in Kano metropolis shown; it may also be purely secular or a hybrid of the two. But the manners or rather the means of approach usually adopted are very much the same; differing only in some minor aspects so far the rewards justifies the dubious end.
The professional liars bereft of any semblance of honour and sense of shame often mesmerised their victims with their general body language, modulations and emotions with a promise of a hypocritical love all in a bid to be in their good books.
Other well known characteristics of the experts in the business of sycophancy who are in reality nothing but a bunch of hypocrites and leeches are their uncanny ability to render their victims unaware of their true intentions through the use of surreptitious, sugar-coated and emotionally laden sophistries. However, whoever gullibly allows himself to be surrounded by such armies of never-do-wells, does so at his own peril. Because by so doing, one has wittingly and effectively drawn a battle line and will certainly live to regrets his mistakes in the court of public opinions.
Tragically and unfortunately, the troubles with such reprehensible characters are their seeming lack of self esteem, decency and decorum which often led to over indulgence in self glorifications and shameful claims to superior intellects as typified by their warped characterisations of others with contrary progressive views as inferior in intellectual capacities to their reactionary balderdash. And in their grand delusion, these flattering sycophants often refers to those whom they chose to called arm chair critics as enemies of the state, for simply taking the pains to draw the attentions of leaders to respect the oath of office they have solemnly sworn to uphold in accordance with world-wide democratic ethos.
In reality however, what the conscientious critics want to achieve by their objective and constant criticism of government policies and programmes, is nothing more than to help the incumbents at what ever levels to succeed in their assignments for the overall benefits of the societies. No more, no less. But instead of rewards by way of appreciations what follows in return were relentless abuses, name calling, arbitrary arrest, threats and casting of spells through witchcraft and the occult practices and even outright assassinations with derogatory terms such as cynics, enemies of progress and sponsored hirelings being the more popular phrase and adjectives.
Indeed, such negative traits is all the more reason why the behaviours of these enemies of the peoples who can go to any length and even faked crocodile tears of deceptions must be condemned without equivocations by all genuine democrats and lovers of progress; because they represented the most despicable set of human beings who have out of sadism elevated the interest of self against that of the greater but nevertheless silent majorities. GYARA KAYANKA, BAZAI ZAMA SAUKE MU RAB A BA.
And in their frenzy to defend the indefensible in the ever complicated political permutations of Kano and elsewhere, a more daring sycophant of the worst kind, a certain student of Goebbeles whom, if I had intended to washes his dirty linens in the market square, by exposing a very despicable and well known dossier among many erstwhile students on his terrible past antecedents in a certain northern university; he couldn’t have had the temerity and audacity to subject innocent people to his venomous tantrum again.
But that is by the way. I must however acknowledge my admirations for his rare survival instincts, as someone who’s unwholesome and dubious past antecedents had led to his current free fall from grace to grass, in this crunching period when employments in the unskilled categories for hack and inebriated people like him is increasingly becoming rarer.
Finally and for the records, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau is like a father to us and all the numerous students of the famous Rumfa College Kano, that are up and doing in many fields of human endeavours owes a quantum of gratitude to him for his untiring efforts. And for that we shall forever remains grateful Sir.
However, as some of his numerous disciples, we felt duty bound and eminently qualified more than any other latter day self appointed town criers, to help him succeed in his current multi-tasking assignments by telling him the most honest-bitter truth. And contrary to what had been peddled by the political jobbers (‘yan bani na iya), we hold no grudges against the person of our teacher and mentor who has over the years helps to mould our thinking on moral rectitude, honesty, dedications and hard work.
Furthermore, we considered his success as ours and likewise his inadvertent failures. We were together with him through thick and thin when he was relatively unknown in the Kano’s murky political terrain and will certainly remain together when the current deepening ovations by the professional sycophants and hangers-on, finally ebbed as it must in due course. Mark my word!!! |