In Celebration of Mediocrity

By

Mukhtar Ahmad

mukhtardatti@yahoo.co.uk

It had almost become a given - that no elected governor would serve two terms in Nigeria’s most popular and arguably most politically enlightened state. Along came Ibrahim Shekarau, an unassuming civil servant who was taunted into politics by his predecessor as Governor and erstwhile boss. I was too far away to vote in the 2003 elections but followed them closely and was excited by the outcome. There was never a time I was more proud of my origins from this historic place. Kano set an example for the rest of Nigeria and indeed the world of what it meant to defend the vote. 

The people of Kano had very high hopes and rightly so of this new government - after all it had campaigned on the mantra of clean God-fearing governance. There was a lot of inertia at the beginning which we were told was the planning stage as this was going to be a prudent, focussed government. Then came key cabinet appointments and most of my hopes were dashed. I have always believed that time spent selecting the best people for key positions is well spent as this is the mortar with which the foundations of good governance are laid. For people to be effective in government, they need to have self confidence, honesty, integrity and most importantly vision- that often understated ability to see the larger picture.

Though the one-term jinx was broken, the relative voter apathy in the 2007 elections gave away the disappointment of the populace in the performance of this administration so far. It lacked focus and direction and became obsessed very early in the first term with re-election. This obviously poisoned the atmosphere early on allowing sycophancy to replace performance as the yard stick for assessing public officials. Nothing could be heard above the chants of Allah ya maimaita mana (May God give us success like the last time). This in itself is an irony since in the Islamic faith, leadership though considered God-given should not ideally be sought but bestowed on deserving citizens. The government’s record should have campaigned on its behalf but rather most people have been gutted by the flagrant display of obviously ill-gotten wealth by many prominent members of the government.

It would be fair to start my analysis with the education sector given that this is our Governor’s background. He was an educationist and had risen to the level of permanent secretary in the state’s civil service. It was quite logically assumed that this would be his favourite cause as governor. The task ahead was enormous no doubt with widespread dilapidation of schools, demoralised teachers and a populace that had concluded that the hassle of sending their children to school was no longer worth it. I don’t think anyone expected miracles- it would take much more than one man and four years to reverse the shameful rot in our educational sector. It wasn’t too much to ask though that there would be some march towards progress- tangible efforts at improving the lot of teachers and providing basic facilities in schools such as classrooms, and furniture.

The health sector has suffered unforgivable neglect in spite of Kano and Northern Nigeria as a whole having among the highest maternal mortality rates in the whole world. It is heart-rending paying a visit to any of the general hospitals- long queues of patients, too few or in some cases no doctors on duty, lack of basic equipment even for the simplest of tests. Again, this sector has suffered immeasurable neglect and one expects it will take a while to turn around. A good place to start would be improving the conditions of service of our doctors, nurses and allied healthcare workers. Instead we are busy investing in Egypt’s health sector. Millions of US dollars have been poured in by the state government and private individuals to pay for healthcare in our fellow third world country. Egypt Air now operates daily flights from Kano to Cairo – I witnessed the arrival of one such flight with many of the passengers emerging on wheelchairs. There is no doubt Egypt has a better run, more reliable health service than ours but it can be argued that these resources would have been better spent improving our hospitals so that the need to go abroad would be obviated in most cases. Egypt’s doctors are hardly better trained than ours – the difference is the level of investment by their government in the health sector.

Motherhood has become a curse in Northern Nigeria and its most populous state boasts a maternal mortality rate above 2000/ 100,000. This is likely to explain why Nigeria accounts for 11% of the world’s maternal mortality but only 2% of its population. Nigeria is reputed to be second only to India in maternal mortality (India has nearly 10 times our population). Most of these deaths are from preventable causes such as anaemia, haemorrhage, ecclampsia and prolonged/ obstructed labour. The interventions required are not as expensive as sending thousands of people to Egypt for minor ailments like backache and minor operations like hernia repairs. It is largely health education and provision of basic antenatal services that will crack the problem. Investment in training traditional birth attendants and making obstetric services free up to the highest level are essential and affordable. You need a heart of stone to visit the maternity hospitals in the city of Kano and witness the degrading treatment that women suffer only because they have fulfilled their duty to procreate. They are left unattended for long periods and scolded when they seek help. All the materials required have to be bought by the woman or her relatives.

Ironically, it is in the area of social engineering which the leadership in the state claims is its primary motive that the failure is most evident. Under the watchful eye of ‘A daidaita sahu’, divorce rates have sky-rocketed; street-begging has increased, prostitution has returned to previous levels. Not to mention the menace of Yan Achaba, the motorcycle cabbies that currently pose the greatest risk to life and well-being on our roads. The thick smoke that emanates from their exhaust poses a serious risk to health with an increase in respiratory conditions such as asthma. Our people seem to be like sheep without a shepherd- anything goes at the moment as long as it is not in opposition to the status quo.

Franklin Roosevelt stated quite aptly during the Great Depression that poverty denudes a man of integrity and any sense of self-worth for as he said ‘you cannot expect an empty sack to stand upright’. My point exactly – unless the vicious cycle of poverty, disease and illiteracy is broken, all resources spent in so-called ‘re-orientation’ might as well be poured down the drain. Our people have been subjugated to the depths of despair such that they are unable to see beyond the next meal talk less of holding their leaders to task.

It is against this backdrop, that the awkward announcement came of the conferment of the previously non-existent title of Sardaunan Kano on Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau. In the press release the Emir of Kano explained the rationale behind his decision - since the demise of the Sardauna of Sokoto, Sir Ahmadu Bello, he had not come across any deserving son of Kano who exuded the late Sardauna’s sterling qualities until now. What were these qualities? I think we can all agree on honesty, integrity and selfless visionary leadership. I will withhold my judgement on the first two counts as these are subjective qualities. On the third count however, I feel free to do so. I find it challenging to use the word visionary to describe a leader who defends people that refuse to use seatbelts and whose suggested solution to refuse collection in the alleyways of the old city is to use donkeys. On all counts, considering the unprecedented funds that have reached the state’s coffers in the last six years, the current administration can comfortably be pronounced a failure.

I accept that traditional titles are in the gift of the Emir. However, the Emirs are no longer the absolute rulers they once were. They are revered by their subjects because they stay above the fray and do not dabble in partisan politics. I dare say that by conferring a high traditional title on a serving Governor who belongs to a political party, the Emirate has taken sides. The consequences of this decision has will last long after the current administration and Emir. In times of political turmoil, the calming voice of the Emir could be relied upon to bring peace literally instantly. Would the other side now trust his non-partisanship? I have nothing against rewarding excellence but it could have waited till he had stepped down from office if it was genuine.     

Kano has everything it takes to be the engine of growth it once was. Long before colonial times it was an important stop on the Trans-Saharan trade route. It is rich in history, culture and innovation. I have been to many places in the world but am yet to find a more receptive and accommodating people. Politically, people look to Kano to feel the pulse of the nation. All over the North, Kano’s pre-eminence in setting the pace has long been accepted but is being currently eroded by poor leadership.

If Kano is to make progress and be on the ascendancy again, we must stop celebrating mediocrity. We must elect leaders who are visionary and can rise above sycophancy and be comfortable in the company of advisers that are more versed in state matters than themselves. Such leaders would not play to the gallery but have the confidence to make unpopular decisions that they believe to be in the best interest of their people. Above all, we need to hold them to task and stop viewing government projects as favours instead of duties.

This responsibility however is too heavy for one man. The whole political class must share in this failure - the myriad of assemblymen and National Representatives who seem so detached from reality that some are advocating sanctions on journalists who suggest Nigeria is failing. I listened with disbelief as a member from Kano raised a motion on the floor of the House asking for a panel to be set up to look into what constitutes a failed nation. If anyone was looking for proof that our legislators live on another planet this is it. They do not need a panel for there are standard indicators for failing states. The US Fund for Peace which produces a respected ranking of all countries ranked Nigeria 15^th worst performing country in 2009. The key indicators are inability to provide basic amenities for its people, loss of control over parts of its territory and widespread corruption. I do not think these points bear argument. They are barking at the wrong tree – they ought to consider this grave warning and get to work to disprove this ranking. It is not the journalists that are unpatriotic. It is our elected leaders who should face this charge for failing in their most basic responsibilities.