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About
the Kano's 'Unusual GRA': Nigerian Politics And Governance
Of Shekarau
28 April 2010
By Saka Raji Audu
Perhaps, the reason why some time Nigeria has always
been characterised with bad leadership is simply
because we do not learn to appreciate the efforts of
good people. In other words, it is some times
difficult in Nigeria to show appreciation to people
that have distinguished themselves in the art of
governance; else one would be termed as sycophant,
bootlicker, etc. This is however not one's concern
provided one's conscience is clear in whatever one
does.
As a result of the unfortunate culture of deliberately
or otherwise pointing accusing finger at our enemy
that we know very well has not done wrong, we always
tend to give room to real bad people to take over the
stage, thereby causing more harm than good. Thus,
glorification of bad people at the detriment of good
ones has always been our practice and this attitude
has never moved us forward. Why do people some times
chose to glorify bad at the detriment of good rarely
beat one's imagination? Perhaps, the quick answer to
this puzzle might be sentiment and the desire to run
down whoever is not in our good record because of our
vaulting ambition.
I have the opportunity to read a two- page feature on
"Kano's Unusual GRA by one Lawan Danjuma Adamu in the
Daily Trust of Wednesday, April 21, 2010,
pages 14 and 15. After going through the piece, one
could not but to honestly believe that the essence of
such lopsided piece at this period in time is
basically not what the author pretends to show but to
simply portray Kano GRA and her environ in bad light
for reason best known to him. Don't crucify me yet, I
have my reason for making this assertion.
A day before Danjuma's follow up feature article, the
Daily trust had in its front page of April 20
, 2010 placed unusual scene captioned, "Street beggars
scavenging at a refuse dump in GRA Kano yesterday." It
is unusual because such scene is a common sight of
beggars, not only in GRA but almost in all the cities
of Nigeria. So, it is not a newsworthy event. It is
not quite long ago documentary news was aired on
British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), which
portrayed the city of Lagos as a slum. But where
interest is involved, any type of photograph can be
conspicuously displayed on the front page to achieve
certain targeted result. Methinks that Daily trust
binocular should have also captured that of Lagos City
and perhaps else where.
However, the aim of such unusual front page photograph
of the Daily trust became known in the so
called star feature anchored Lawan Danjuma Adamu
titled "Kano's unusual GRA" where in spite of the
great achievements recorded in the area of road
construction and rehabilitation in Kano GRAs, the
author chose to satisfy his paymaster by hammering on
certain vested interest of Kano GRA.
For the fact that the Bompai residents in Nassarawa
GRA opposed house numbering tax of N2,000 per house
does not make Kano GRA unusual. After all, it is not
only Bompai residents that make up Kano GRA. While
government has the responsibility to take good care of
her GRA, the author of Kano's unusual GRA should not
have negated the role of Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR) by private GRA residents on their
private streets and roads. It is also interesting that
the author enumerated in his feature the importance of
tax on the activities of government, which perhaps is
evaded. We also understand that only the well-to-do in
the society are usually found in a place known as
Government Reserved Area, GRA. It is however expected
that the residents of the vexed areas or streets
mentioned by the author should be in position to
assist the government to take care of their
residential houses and streets without necessarily
waiting for government to always come to their aid.
This is why most poor people are not found in GRA
because it takes a lot to be a member of such reserved
area.
One of the chief functions of government at whatever
level is the provision of basic social amenities such
as provision of sound basic education, health, roads,
portable water, housing, food, security, etc. These
are in addition to many other statutory functions that
the law stipulates for the government. Unfortunately
however, the resources available for the government to
take care of the social needs and wants by the people
are so limited that the government alone cannot just
provide every thing required for progress and
development. This is why it becomes imperative for a
responsible government to arrange needs according to
preferences.
As the government battles with this critical option,
the essence of Private- Public Partnership comes to
focus as a way of assisting the government in the
provision of the social facilities to the people. This
brings us to the concept of Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR), which is very much cherished in
the Southern part of the country where individuals,
corporate establishments and multi national bodies
working in that part of the country budget some
percentages of their income to carry out social
services for the people, aimed at reducing the huge
burden on government. Indeed, this type of self help
project fastens development in any society.
Unfortunately however, in most part of the North, the
idea of Private Public Partnership cum Corporate
Social Responsibility is not given much priority
attention it requires. This is chiefly because,
perhaps, people in this part of the community seem to
so much rely on what the government alone can provide
for them, which in most cases, might not be possible.
Consequently, as a way of awakening the public
consciousness on the role of CSR in fast tracking
development, some state governments in the North
especially Kano, have tried to bring about such public
awareness on the issue of Corporate Social
Responsibility to the door step of financial
institutions and corporate establishment. It is in
this retrospect that the bourgeois class resident in
Kano GRA should also believe in the beauty of CSR to
help themselves or simply check out of that zone
because it is simply for Government Reserved Area, GRA.
For instance if one is able to use N40 million to
build a house, what stops one from investing mere
N3million into the maintenance of the house
environment for one's comfort? It is therefore funny
and unusual to hear that people who chose to live in
GRA are complaining of their streets and roads that
are not up to one kilometer. If this is the case, what
would the common man that constitutes 80 percent of
the populace say? It is in the light of this that the
uninformed feature of Danjuma's Kano's unusual GRA
should be seen and thrown to the dogs.
Above all, it is sad to note that Danjuma's piece on
Kano GRA only centre on private residential
roads/streets where bourgeois class lives but the
author failed woefully to highlight and mention the
tremendous improvements on the public roads and
streets as Ibrahim Taiwo road, State road, BUK road,
Zoo road, France road and many other roads in GRA Kano
suburbs that now become mini-London, courtesy of the
People's Governor, Malam (Dr) Ibrahim Shekarau.
No investigative star feature can stand the test of
time if it is lopsided. Whatever is the aim and
purpose of Danjuma's feature on Kano's so called
unusual GRA, the fact is that he stated it in his
article that, "the last major road repair in 20 years,
investigation has revealed, was the one done two years
ago on Durbin – Katsina road by the State Government."
This is wonderful! It means that all the governments
that administered Kano in the last 20 years, only the
Shekarau-led administration did something marvelous,
Ma Shallahu! Going by this revelation in Danjuma's
piece, who does he now want to blame and for what
purpose?
As for the issue of refuse and dustbin scavengers, it
gladdens the heart that the state House of Assembly is
already looking into the matter. Hitherto, we have
seen many new trucks purchased by Shekarau
administration for refuse disposal. Effort should be
made by the authority concern to see to it that with
those trucks on ground, things should be made right
and all hands must be on deck by every citizen in the
state to ensure that refuse are properly disposed and
quickly too.
It is now established that there is nothing unusual in
Danjuma's Kano's unusual GRA. No matter the interest
involved, as an informed journalist, he should have
called a spade a spade by enlightening our big men in
GRA the importance of Corporate Social Responsibility,
which they have always shy away from, only to expect
government to always do every thing for them, knowing
full well that the common people especially the under
privileged are more in need of government's assistance
than what they would like to think. It is hoped that
one day the GRA residents will not cry of government
not sweeping their rooms. Most worrisome is that by
not talking about the other major areas of
achievements of government, the author together with
his paper demonstrated lack of balance and fairness
and this is highly regrettable, sad and unfortunate.
Saka Raji Audu writes
from Kano and can be reached on his email; sakaraj@yahoo.com
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