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Silence is Golden: Why Shekarau Shouldn't Talk Now By Saka Raji Audu
It is often said that silence is the best answer to a fool. This popular saying is very apt and perhaps, answers the desperation of the Publisher of the Desert Herald, Tukur Manu wanting the Kano State Government or the Governor to respond to the false allegation and blatant lies orchestrated by Sahara reporters under the active connivance of the same Desert herald against Malam (Dr) Ibrahim Shekarau and his government, Perhaps, the surprise one expects the Publisher of Desert herald to have expressed was why contrary to his expectation, the Almajirai and wayward people had not jumped into the streets to cause mayhem and perhaps get killed in the process after the misguided and fake stories about the so called sponsors of the late Islamic scholar, Sheikh Ja'afar.
The reason is not fat fetched. One, the two media outfits of Sahara reporters and Desert Herald might be regarded as jesters and so people do not take them for granted. Two, the filthy stories published by the two media outfits are figment of their imaginations. Three, the people have since realised the wayo-wayo way of extorting money from the government by publishers that are desirous to make money or impact at all costs through false publications, indictments, threats and imaginative journalism. Four and most importantly, Abraham Lincoln, America’s 16th President had once said, “I never read malicious, hostile letters that were sent to me. I never open the envelopes and never bother responding to them. If I were to become busy in dealing with such matters, I would have no time left to do things for my people.” So, the best thing one could do in the face of wrongful persecution is to do what is right, and then turn our back to every vulgar criticism. One is counseled not to respond to an injurious statement that is made about one. That, if defamatory remarks are published about us, we should know that half of those that read such things quickly forget them while the other half are uninterested in the first place. It is better we do not create further noise and fuse by refuting what has been said.
It is in realization of the foregoing that the Publisher of the Desert herald and his fellow travelers should see why, perhaps, the Government of Kano State and the general public are not bothered about the crooked stories of the purported sponsors of the killers of the late Islamic Cleric. It was not because people do not have access to the Sahara reporters' defamatory website as encapsulated by the Publisher of the Desert herald.
In my article titled, "Where Desert and Sahara goofed" published in the Daily Triumph of 22nd April 2009, page 19 and Weekly Trust of 25th April 2009, page 41; I looked at the bedroom presentations of the American based website Publishers that conspired against the people and government of Kano State. It is very clear, even to a layman that from the various use of adjectival phrases and participatory manner of the writer of the filthy report, it does not take anyone a breadth to know that the so called report is meant to settle scores against a perceived foe with the sole aim of embarrassing or joining issues with him. It however beats readers' imaginations what the introduction of the Hisbah and societal re-orientation programme (Adaidaita Sahu) by the state government got to do with the American based publishers that they had to also criticize the programme in their fabricated, falsified and fraudulent story?
Ironically, the two media outfits, knowing full well about their 419 report, claim at the end of their filthy analysis, that their story does not reflect the opinion of their papers. This is not true and if they want the readers to believe such thing, they should have given the readers an in-dept investigative report rather than the imaginative but half – baked stories being made to the people aimed at causing disaffection, hatred and animosity. Alhamidulillahi, this self-centred aim has not been achieved because people are no longer vulnerable to allow themselves to be used by misguided but self-serving media that believe in causing confusion to feed fat. As I said in my earlier publication about this matter, the tragic death of Sheikh Ja'afar is painful and the perpetrator of the heinous act must face the wrath of God. Still, as Muslims, we believe that nothing happens in the Universe except through Allah's Knowledge, Permission, and Divine Plan. "And certainly, we shall test you with something of fear, hunger, loss of wealth, lives and fruits, but give glad tidings to the patient ones."(Qur'an 2:155).
Therefore, the Sahara reporters' report on Sheikh Ja'afar killers is nothing but figment of their imagination. The report is a make-belief and a bunch of contradiction because the contents of the report sharply contradict the so called confessional statement. According to the dubious report of Sahara reporters, they said Governor Shekarau only came to realise the fake confessional statement after 12.6.2007. As at this date, the election had already been conducted and won two months before the falsified confessional statement. The question is which election was Obasanjo demanding Shekarau to win for Yar'adua, whereas the 2007 presidential election had already been conducted on 21.4.2007 and Buhari, not Yar'adua won squarely in Kano? Indeed, when a fool talks, he thinks that only a fool listens. Still, there was just no way would Shekarau have abandoned his own campaign posters for that of Yar'adua, as contained in the Sahara's harassment. All these are merely invention to illustrate false story, so that people can believe it willy-nilly. .
In March 2007, the same Sahara reporters posted a fake article on its web-page, which claim that certain money was laundered by Shekarau's 'foreign account.' Today, it's saying again that the money was "on its way to be deposited when it was intercepted". Who knows what they will say when next they go for another fictional presentation? More over, ten million pounds is not a small amount that can be taken to overseas bank account just like that. There are other loopholes in the Sahara reporters' report, which make their report fake and unbelievable statement that cannot stand the test of time.
If all of the above lies and concoction are true, what is the sense in expecting people's governor to respond to a story that is widely known to be concocted and falsified? This is why the advice of the 16th President of America, Abraham Lincoln is very apt and should be adopted in the face of any wrongful accusation. It's therefore believed that Shekarau's or his government's silence over the Sahara's satanic publication is in the right direction because silence, they say, is the best answer to a fool.
Saka Raji Audu writes from sakaraj@yahoo.com
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