Nigerian Leadership: Introducing The Realistic President
For 2011
26 November 2009By
Saka Raji Audu
He was born some fifty five years ago to a humble and
God fearing family in the ancient city of the Pyramid
State. His parent sent him to school to acquire both
western and Islamic education so that he could be
useful to himself and the society. He tried as much as
possible to be of good behavior through out the
duration of his studies. He came out in flying colours,
both in knowledge and character, having attended and
graduated from Aminu Kano Community College and Ahmadu
Bello University.
It was then time for him to serve the society and
system that produced him. He started as a teacher so
that he can also impart the same knowledge he got to
the people for the growth of the community. He did
this successfully for many years and his contribution
to the growth of knowledge was highly acknowledged by
the people. He had also served diligently in various
rank and file of the civil service.
As a result of the bad government we had that produced
so many crises in the society, he was called upon to
take the mantle of a higher leadership responsibility
through the popular vote of the people called
"democracy". He became the governor of his state. He
rolled out his action plan and did his best to give
the people purposeful leadership, which was highly
cheered. His people became satisfied with the level of
achievements he recorded for them.
They are particularly grateful and noted with
nostalgia the reduction in the crime rate and social
convulsions. He put checks on the bastardisation of
the society values that are fast being eroded by alien
culture. He knows what it means to be educated. So, he
invested heavily and paid high premium on education by
providing enabling environment for learning. Health,
as we know, is wealth. To enable the people have
access to basic health care, he abolished hospital
cards and employed qualified medical personnel. Drugs
were provided for both in and out patients. There was
relative stability in power supplies as some villages
in the pyramid state were provided with electricity
and connected to the national grid. Electricity
transformers were also distributed among the villages
and towns. Teachers in the state came to realize that
their reward is not only in heaven but also on earth
because they are well treated.
Road rehabilitations and construction of link roads to
decongest the ever increasing traffic are other areas
of his achievements. He ensured high level of
accountability and transparency through the
establishment of anti-corruption agency. His
administration, on monthly basis publishes all incomes
and expenditures of the government to give room for
public checks and balances. As a detribalized man of
impeccable substance, he accommodates people of
divergent ethno-religious affiliations in his
administration. His unprecedented achievements have
attracted and greeted with public acceptance through
awards and conferment of prestigious titles across the
country.
In the areas of stability and peaceful co-habitation,
there has been relative peace in the state and this in
particular gave impetus to the various progress and
developments that have been taking place in the
pyramid state for the past six years. As a democrat,
he knows the dynamics of power and what democracy
stands to achieve. It is in this retrospect that his
people and the progressive people of Nigeria want this
man to be entrusted with the leadership of the
country, having tested and trusted his capabilities.
They are calling on him to contest for the 2011
Presidential election because they know that he will
be in position to move the country from her present
baggage of hopelessness to development, progress and
sanity. This man is no other personality than MALAM
(DR) IBRAHIM SHEKARAU, the Sardaunan Kano and the man,
who in spite of all odds, broke the Kano political
jinx by being the first governor to administer Kano
twice, which most people of the state had baselessly
thought it was a taboo.
Some political pundits would like to argue that
Shekarau's performance credential qualifies him to
contest for the 2011 presidential election, the
opposition party that may present him is not strong
enough to make him win the election unless he
cross-carpets to the so called big party of PDP. In
the valid belief of Governor Shekarau, it amounts to
betrayal of trust for a politician to be given mandate
in one political party and later jump to another party
with other party's mandate. This type of action, he
says, has a serious moral burden on the politician,
and therefore, he, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau would not be
part of such bandwagon device. This explains why he
has remained the only man standing in his north-west
geo-political zone.
At a time when politics has become a 'do or die'
affair, where desperation to win election at all costs
becomes the dominant paradigm, only an extremely few
politicians would assume the posture of not joining
the bandwagon device. This is one reason why some
politicians leave their party in search of greener
pasture in another party. It therefore beholds that if
the Nigerian electorates really believe in what the
Sardaunan Kano can offer to them in terms of
socio-economic advancement of the country, it does not
really matter what platform of the political parties
he seeks the people's mandate. It happened in the
north-central of the former Kwara State in 1983 when a
certain Pious Lasisi won the House of Assembly Seat on
the banner of GNPP, a place where NPN and UPN were the
bandwagon and domineering parties before the military
junta rudely intervened.
In any case, there is no state of the federation where
ANPP has not got base, no matter how weak or powerful.
If for instance, Shekarau gets the nod of his party to
fly her flag for 2011 presidential election, the 774
chapters in each local government including ANPP
members and well wishers in the Diaspora should be
able to effectively coordinate and mobile the local
people in support of Shekarau's candidature for 2011
contest. One is also convinced that from the good
record of Governor Shekarau, there are many lovers of
Shekarau across the breadth and wide of the country
that are in other political parties and who are ever
ready to cast their precious votes for Shekarau as
President of Nigeria by 2011.
Having done with the above, the next issue the
political pundits would raise is the issue of whether
or not Shekarau has the money to win the 2011
presidential election in view of the fact that
"Nigerian politics" has been seriously monetized, in
which only the highest bidder carries the day.
Although, money politics has really eaten down the
fibre of our national political psyche, this factor
alone contributed immensely to the endemic corrupt
practices that have invaded our society and has in
turn caused serious havoc and disaster to the
country's progress and development. We must however
and in all sincerity of purpose try to stop this ugly
political trend that has caused us more harm than
good. It is in realization of this fact that no one
should expect money from Shekarau or his agents to
exercise his civic responsibility. This is because any
thing built on corruption would certainly crumble and
does not last. This is particularly why our ten years
of democracy has been in a state of rancor,
hopelessness and disaster. We should therefore be able
to make change by casting our powerful votes for
Governor Shekarau because of his ability, strength of
character, goodwill and integrity.
It is by exercising this civic responsibility that our
leaders can be responsible enough to give the country
the desired dividends of democracy, progress and
advancement. It is also by doing so that the
electorate can honestly assess and evaluate their
leaders and in the event of none performance, they
would have the moral rectitude to condemn and use the
same powerful votes to remove such none performing
leader.
But if we continue to think in line with how much one
gets to be able to exercise one's voting right, then
we should not expect our leaders to live up to our
expectations because we could not simply had our cake
and would still want to eat it. One is however not
unmindful of the fact that as a result of the chronic
poverty pervading the nation, there is the implication
of people being susceptible to money- politics. It was
in realization of the high level of poverty among the
people due to diversion of public fund meant for
development that made the national Chairman of PDP,
Prince Vincent Ogbulafor to feel that PDP would rule
for 60 years or take over Kano and Lagos in 2011 at
all costs, knowing full well how much of public fund
his party has diverted to purchase the electorates
preparatory to 2011 election.
Essentially, what PDP leadership requires from the
masses is just votes and not their welfare. This is
why we must not allow this type of anti-masses show of
shame to happen again as the 2011 beckons. As a matter
of fact, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau is a good example of
how absence of money-politics can spur a leader to
perform creditably for the interest of the masses. In
2003, PDP deployed and distributed huge sums of money
so that Shekarau could be defeated. This was in
addition to deployment of the federal might against
the humble man, but all these went in vain as the Kano
people massively voted and defended such votes in
favour of Shekarau. In 2007, similar thing happened.
There was internal conspiracy by some powerful party
men who were jealous and envious of Shekarau's
marvelous mass oriented achievements. They jacked up
the cost of the governorship form, believing that
Shekarau being a transparent and God-fearing leader
who deprive them of the desire to loot the public
fund, would not get money to purchase his second term
governorship form.
As a result of the many good things Shekarau did for
the Kano masses, the Kano Pensioners in particular
contributed money to purchase the second term
governorship form for Shekarau to contest. In spite of
all sorts of blackmails by some of his party caucus
and the PDP to cripple the second term ambition of
Shekarau, he went, saw and conquered at the poll. This
was how he broke the Kano political jinx.
In conclusion, therefore, no one can pull down any
person God has exalted. Whether or not Shekarau can
win the presidency of this country is a matter of
divine decision. Should ANPP decide to choose Shekarau
as her flag bearer for 2011and heaven backs it up, no
mortal can do otherwise. As a Nigerian and a humble
servant to his people, Shekarau has the track record
that qualifies him for any political position in this
country. No individual or group of people, no mater
how highly placed and powerful they are, should not
think that they can take decision(s) against the wish
and desire of the entire populace. In view of this,
Shekarau stands a good chance of winning the election
of 2011 as the President if his party nominates him
since he is healthy, energetic, project and human
oriented, and prudent in financial management as well
as enviably transparent in all his dealings. Nigerians
need nothing less than these qualities.
Saka Raji Audu writes from Kano and can be reached on
his email: sakaraj@yahoo.com
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