Re-Jigawa:
Keeping Faith With The Electorate - Nigerian Politics
18 February 2010
By Saka Raji Audu
I read an interesting article titled, "Jigawa: Keeping
faith with the electorate" by one Sanusi Abubakar, a
columnist with the Daily trust. Sanusi's piece
was published at the back page of the Tuesday Column
of February 9, 2010. The synopsis of the piece was the
result of the writer's invitation by the Jigawa State
Government to see what Governor Sule Lamido has done
and is still doing for his state, which the writer
describes as "keeping faith with the electorate."
Incidentally, both the State Governor and his Media
person, Mr. Adagbo Onoja are friends of the writer, as
revealed in the article. So, it is not a surprise to
any one the imaginative image-laundering result of the
writer's visit to Jigawa State. Sanusi Abubakar tries
unimpressively to sell to the reading public his own
version of keeping faith with the electorate just to
create impression of 'good work' for his dear friends
in Jigawa State. What do you expect of a friend
visiting friend on the invitation of the friend,
knowing full well what friend can do to favour
friend.
This is not even the matter that informs this
response. Sanusi's attempt to thumb up his friends
'good work' in Jigawa State, one believes, is a mere
smokescreen to launch attack against some of the
states that had not bothered to invite the writer for
the type of 1990s Jerry Gana media tours of the states
in Nigeria. One of the states that perhaps, were
targeted for undue criticism in just a sentence is the
Pyramid State of Kano which Sanusi claims to love
"with all its refuse, lack of water, dare-devil
achaba riders, as well as arrogant and incompetent
leaders who have little or no idea where they are
taking us (sic)."I really cherish the writer for
expressing his opinion at any point in time, no matter
how biased and unsubstantiated, using his most valued
tool that is dear to him. Still, it is also my valid
opinion that every opinion expressed can only be
plausible if supported with factual evidence.
It is however a fact and I stand to be corrected, that
no state in Nigeria that is not without refuse. This
explains the establishment of refuse disposal agency
by some states to tackle the menace, which Kano is not
an exception. Consequently, in order to combat the
reckless refuse disposal in a highly populated but
cosmopolitan city as Kano, caring and purposeful state
government like that of the present one we have in
state would embark on environmental cleansing. The
activities of the refuse disposal management Board in
the state cannot be far from being commended in this
direction. If this is the case and which every one
that is sincere with one's conscience is in the good
picture of it, then what is Sanusi Abubakar trying to
portray of Kano, which perhaps, he has not been
invited by the Governor and his Media person to see
how the governor is also keeping faith with the
electorate?
The little knowledge I have teaches me that "lack of
any thing" implies a "total absence of that thing." If
this is also the case, what does Sanusi mean by
referring to Kano as "lacking Water" knowing full well
that water is very crucial to people's life and an
absence of it or lack of it will definitely spell doom
for every leaving creature in the state? If in
Sanusi's opinion, there is no water in Kano, how the
Kano people have been surviving in the state without
water? At least, Sanusi has not confirmed to have seen
Kanawas migrating to Jigawa State in search of
water. Haba Sanusi Abubakar!
Again, in Kano, there are many leaders that hold sway
in the state. In short, every registered political
party in the state has its own leaders. There are one
thousand and one leaders in Kano State just as in any
other state of the federation. Who then are the
"arrogant and incompetent leaders who have little or
no idea where they are taking us (sic)?"What makes
them arrogant and incompetent? Methinks an unbiased
writer that mean well for himself and his people
should always avoid making such type of sweeping but
generalized statement that is highly ambiguous. These
are where Sanusi's choice of words in his deliberate
negative description of Kano, should be seen, thrown
to the dogs and regarded as mere ranting of the ants.
It is true that Kano has dare-devil achaba
riders. This is the price the state government pays
for accommodating the achaba riders that were
driven away from her neighbouring states including the
Federal Capital Territory, Abuja but find their way to
Kano. I have heard some time ago that the Kano State
Government was taking the census of achaba
riders in the state. I urge the government to ensure
that the exercise is carried to its logical conclusion
and far reaching decision on how to avoid the menace
cause by Achaba riders in the state is taken.
This would avoid the type of Sanusi Abubakar from
using it as a way of making some outrageous but
insidious comments on Kano in favour of Jigawa State
that is just a drop in the Ocean of Kano in terms of
developments.
Sincerely speaking, I support the stance of Sanusi
Abubakar on the issue of defaming public building and
structure with posters, political or otherwise. But it
is not only Lamido government that has made law
against such practices. I am sure that in Kano,
Shekarau government is also doing something to
checkmate the practice. Perhaps Sanusi would dispute
it because he has not been invited to Kano to see the
good thing that is also happening to the state just as
her Jigawa counterpart extended visit to him. However,
I have seen how the Kano State government painted some
public buildings that were carelessly littered with
political posters, especially before the presence of
the large visitors that witnessed the turban of the
first ever Sardaunan Kano. In this case, I want to
personally invite the writer, Sanusi Abubakar, to Kano
to see how the Kano has also kept and is still keeping
faith with the electorate, if he thinks that he really
love Kano from the bottom of his heart.
Most importantly, I would like to draw the attention
of the writer, Sanusi Abubakar to an article I read in
recent past which stands the chance to debunk all his
beautiful claims about Jigawa's keeping faith with the
electorate. In its edition of 5th May- 12th
May 2009, the popular Desert HeraldWeekly
Newspaper carried a three page paid advert on what it
described as "transforming of Jigawa through a
visionary leadership of people's governor." The
message of this advert was later diluted by the same
Desert Herald on page 41 of its edition of 2nd
June – 9th June 2009 through a well
positioned article titled, "Re: the political brouhaha
in Jigawa State" in which the author claims on
paragraph 12 that "Lamido deceived the entire Talakawa
of Jigawa State by giving more than N400
million to his Press Director to do Talakawa summit,
which up till today the Talaka in Jigawa is not aware
of what is happening to his life." Perhaps, I do not
know if the government or her spokesperson has refuted
this claim. If none of the two has refuted this
unverified claim, the issue of keeping faith with the
electorate in Jigawa as espoused by Sanusi Abubakar is
a farce.
Above all, I do not see any comparative achievements
of any governor in the northwest political region that
outshine that of Malam (Dr) Ibrahim Shekarau. For
instance, his Adaidaita Sahu (societal reorientation)
project is second to none in the country. Little
wonder therefore, why the Information and National
Orientation Minister, Professor (Mrs.) Dora Akunyili
had to adopt it to the Federal Government in her "rebranding
the nation". Some few governors in the northwest
geo-political zone that tried to copy this project
failed because they did not know what their people
needed most. For instance, JIGAWA's VISION is not
viable in the State and therefore not people oriented
project, thus forcing the project out of Jigawa state
to Kano State where it works effectively. Contrarily,
you cannot find Adaidaita Sahu vehicles operating in
other state as is the case with the JIGAWA's Vision.
All these do not suggest that Sanusi Abubakar should
not tell us what his friends in Jigawa State have
invited him to see and disseminate to the people.
However, in the course of Sanusi carrying out such
'benevolent assignment' for Jigawa State government,
he should have spared his deliberate and negative
comments on Kaduna, Kano, Kogi, Kwara, and Nassarawa
until he also pays some visits to them. This is what
responsive journalism entails. As for Kano, one thing
is very clear. This is to say that the state
government under the headship of Sardaunan Kano has
really achieved success. As every one knows pretty
well, success attracts envy and jealousy. Whatsoever
is great will continue to be great, no matter how loud
the clamour of denial. After all, Shekarau broke the
Kano political jinx and he is now the Sardaunan Kano
after 43 years of searching the man of integrity to
hold the title.
On 16th February 2010, the author of
"Keeping faith with the electorate in Jigawa State
came up with another subterfuge, which he termed as
"the Jigawa example and the dangers of cynicism."
Here, Sanusi Abubakar tries desperately to borrow leaf
from some other persons who had also spoken well in
favour of Jigawa. This is mainly meant to show to some
un-identified cynics that would have debunked his
write up on "Jigawa: Keeping faith the electorate."
These are Sanusi Abubakar words: "We have all
become very cynical and not without some reason. We
don't believe in anyone anymore. Indeed, so
desensitized have we become that any reported theft or
misappropriation of mere hundreds of millions hardly
merits the front page. God protects anyone that dares
to say a particular governor or minister has done
well. It is usually assumed the person has been
"settled", to use the local slang for "bribed.' So,
when I decided to write about my favourable impression
of what I saw in my recent trip to Jigawa State, I
knew what I was getting myself into." Sanusi Abubakar
went ahead to say "but I was not the only one
impressed with what Governor Sule Lamido's Jigawa has
been able to achieve in such a short time."
The issue involved in Sanusi Abubakar's sojourn to
Jigawa State has nothing to do with "cynicism" as he
would like to put it. To the humble mind of the
readers, it is the issue of robbing Peter to pay Paul.
As earlier observed here, Sanusi has the right to
inform his readers of his impression about Jigawa
where he went on special visit to see things. But he
has no right to castigate and mischievously talk ills
of states like Kaduna, Kano, Kogi, Nassarawa, Kwara
without evidential proof of what he talks about. For
example, what is Sanusi's proof that "Kano lacks
water" and her leaders are "arrogant and incompetent?"
Why Sanusi must choose to praise Jigawa at the
detriment of Kano and other states? It is in view of
these observations that on 12th February
2010, I sent my humble response to the columnist to,
in the spirit of "right to reply", feature it in his
Tuesday column. On 16th February 2010 when
his column, now dedicated to his friends in Jigawa
State, came out I expected to read my response in his
column. This was not so. Instead, Sanusi Abubakar
rededicated his pen to pour encomium on Governor
Lamido by marshalling positive observations of some
people whose mindsets are not pragmatically different
from the writer. He then suppressed the exposition of
his perfidy in his "Jigawa: Keeping faith in the
electorate." What sort of a columnist that replies
one's observation of his comments without first
allowing others to read such observation, dearly beats
one's imagination? This journalistic terrorism is in
abeyance with the spirit of democratic milieu where
every one is free to express one's view no matter how
badly expressed.
Sanusi should therefore note that no one is cynical
about his decision to tell us what he wants us to know
of Jigawa State. But as a columnist in a well
respected medium as Daily Trust, he should have
also tried to avoid cynical and sadistic comments on
states that have not invited him for a visit to see
the level at which such states equally keep faith in
the electorate. This, however, is the crux of the
matter. If this has led to cynicism, Sanusi Abubakar
should have known that he was the first cynic that
cast the stone.
Saka Raji Audu contributed this piece from Kano and
can be reached on his email: sakaraj@yahoo.com
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