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09 December 2010 By Chuks
Kenneth Malam
Ibrahim Shekarau is one of the
finest politicians whose political landscape dots
every nook and cranny of the country. He came to
limelight of recognition in 2003 when he joined
politics from humble beginning in civil service and
contested governorship election in that year under the
platform of
All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP.
He won the election by unseating a highly fortified
incumbent PDP governor in
Kano State. After four years of
meritorious services, Shekarau sought to consolidate
his wonderful achievements by contesting another
governorship election for his second term, which again
he won. Shekarau is the first governor of
Kano State to have recorded this rare feat since the
creation of the state in 1967. Up till tomorrow, these
painstaking achievements have continued to be sources
of worry, envy, animosity and hatred from the
oppositions, in and outside the state. Naturally, an
honest achiever like Shekarau is bound to meet stiff
resistance from the enemy of progress. As a
detribalized and a peace loving leader of impeccable
quality, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau is able to record the
modest achievements in his almost eight years of
leadership in Kano. As a result of his peaceful,
consistent and detribalized postures, Shekarau was
also able to win the hearts of the people, who
hitherto, had lost faith in Kano because of its
frequent religious and ethnic crises in the past. As a southerner, I have been to
Kano for a quite number of years but I have never seen
a leader that is so committed, tolerant, trustworthy,
accommodating and appreciate the oneness of
Nigerians
than Malam Ibrahim Shekarau. It is during the
leadership of this man of honour and integrity that an
average person from the south feels at home in Kano.
This has really increased the pace of development.
This is why I have come to understand that it is only
religious bigots, ethnic chauvinists and anti
progressive elements that are haters of Shekarau
progressive administration. This type of misguided
people are sadists that create artificial impression
about Shekarau and his people oriented government with
a view to blackmail and instigates revolt because the
usual stealing and destruction of strangers' property,
and in some cases, loss of lives as a result of one
senseless crisis or the other is no longer tenable
with the coming of Malam (Dr) Ibrahim Shekarau
administration in
Kano.. What impresses me mostly about
Shekarau's leadership prowess is his peaceful nature
of governance as well as his belief in one
Nigeria
project. Imagine an Ibo Christian appointed by
Shekarau administration as Special Adviser, including
Yoruba and a minority person from the
middle belt.
I know what was obtained between 1999 and 2003 when
most of the so called non indigenes were sacked from
the state government establishment, which resulted in
loss of Medical personnel. As a result of this ill
conceived decision by the then government, I lost
contact with most of my friends who left the state. It
was when Shekarau came and reinstated the sacked
people that reprieve came for me to also regain some
of my contacts. Why should a detribalized and peace
loving leader as Malam Ibrahim Shekarau of Kano state
should not be made
President of Nigeria really beats
one's imagination? But look at
President Goodluck Jonathan,
a Southerner watched helplessly the bombing and
kidnapping of innocent souls just because the
perpetrators of such heinous crimes are his kinsmen
and therefore, they should be shielded. Where then is
the nationalism and patriotism that in the case of
Shekarau, he has always displayed. I am certain that
if the type of Malam Ibrahim Shekarau was our
President, the type of ethnic crises that destroyed
the once peaceful serenity of Jos in
Plateau State
would have been completely avoided. Indeed, any body that has been
to Kano some years before the coming of Shekarau
administration should try and go back to the state;
such person will see the wonders of Shekarau's war
against bad roads in his state. The beautiful road
networks and other infrastructural developments are
just too marvelous. It is just a week ago that
Chairman of the Senate Committee on work was said to
have complained about the poor state of federal roads
across the country. Even when the campaign team of
Jonathan/Sambo ticket visited
Adamawa
state, the state governor, Nyako was also said to have
complained that when their son, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku
- the now favoured candidate of zoning - was the Vice
President for eight years, he did not initiate one
single road project in his state. Then, how can we
expect either Jonathan or Atiku as President of
Nigeria again. Likewise when General Buhari was in
charge of PTF, no one knows if he constructed any road
to Katsina apart from Daura, his home town. What type
of zoning are we therefore shouting about when the
country is in the state of hopelessness? Is it not the
man who can do the work and make things to work that
should earn our blessing and support? Still, why
Nigerians like being led in vicious circle by
attempting to recycle non performing leaders, only to
feel disappointed later? This time around, the Southerners
and indeed Nigerians should avoid voting sentiment
that is always at their detriment. We should begin to
summon courage against sentimentalism, in favour of
hard work, peace and unity in diversity, which Malam
(Dr) Ibrahim Shekarau represents. To my mind, Shekarau
deserves the support of the Southerners and indeed
Nigerians as President of the country based on hard
work and integrity and not based on divisive
tendencies called zoning, consensus and all that. Just
look at what is happening in CPC as a political party
today. Moneybags have completely taken over the party
and only the highest bidder might likely carry the
day. The recent revealation of Dr. Aliyu Tilde in his
Discourse 311 article titled "Fraud and Moneybags in
CPC" shows that the beautiful ones are not yet born in
that Congress for Progressive Change. It is in view of the above and
other many good things about Shekarau's style of
leadership that gladden my heart pave way to seek
support for the media friendly governor, Malam (Dr)
Ibrahim Shekarau as our next President of Nigeria, all
without prejudice but for egalitarian and progressive
Nigeria. So, let us vote Governor Shekarau as
President. Chuks Kenneth writes from Karu,
Abuja, Email:
chuks_kenneth@yahoo.com |
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