Kano: Should Kwankwaso Wrong The Right? Humble Shekarau Allowed To Continue Good Works

15 June 2011

By Aliu Ibrahim Aliu

May 29, 2011, Nigerians ushered a new set of leaders to oversee the affairs of their various states across the country. As usual, people expect to see progress and not retardation because they believe that it is when there is progress that their lives and well beings could be improved upon. Among the governors that were sworn-in recently, that of Kano State is peculiar in many ways. This peculiarity would certainly graduate into fears and regrets unless the new government in the state later court a change in the way and manner it sets to administer the state, which is very unlikely, looking at his past antecedents.

Kano is the only state in the federation that witnessed the return of a governor that was unanimously removed from office in 2003 when he sought to continue after the end of his first tenure. In 2007, Kwankwaso still wanted to stage a comeback but he was again rejected and instead, the more pious and humble Shekarau was allowed to continue with his good work. This is the first in the history of Kano politics.

In March this year, the primary election of the now 'elected' governor of the state was annulled by his own party, barely a month to the governorship election against what his party described as "rigging and corruption" that characterized the primary election. In view of the fact that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely, the party reluctantly adopted and fielded him for the governorship election after its failed attempts to conduct fresh primary amidst time constraints. All these are in addition to the state white paper that still hangs on him till date.

By way of omission or commission, the man with the above kind of profile was declared the 'winner' of the keenly contested governorship election in the state. It is therefore not of too much surprise that for less than a month the governor took over the mantle of leadership position of the state, the now 'elected' governor has been on destructive and revenge mission, desperately in hurry to make caricature of the well fortified achievements of his predecessor, all at the detriment of the Kano people that were claimed to have returned him to the Government House.

Few days before the now 'elected' governor was sworn-in, he constituted transition committee whose main motive and function was to embark on fault finding mission that will pave way for blackmail of his envied predecessor. Truly, the members of the transition committee came up with what the governor requires to execute revenge in whatever guise. It created all crooked and bull stories about hotel bills, pension, workers strength and imagined debts but silent over the billions of naira left in the state government coffer by the same government it chooses to crucify for obvious reasons. Incidentally, the governor's party men, PDP are set to be part of the major beneficiaries of the so called hotel bills, due to the considerate nature of the immediate past government towards the opposition parties in the state.

As soon as the now 'elected governor of Kano State got his 'mandate', he was quoted to have said that he knew the number of the civil servants on his payroll as at 2003 before he was booted out, even though no one can pretend against the increased populations of the state between May 2003 and May 2011 that also led to the increase in the state workforce. It is no doubt however that the ongoing personnel audit in the civil service is just aimed at doing away with those that are targeted not to be in the good book of the now 'elected' governor and to further strangulate the number of State workforce, thereby reducing the number of workers and creating unemployment out of the already saturated workforce of the most populous pyramid state in the north. This was part of the old practices of the now 'elected' governor that set him on coalition path with state civil service during his first coming in 1999 to 2003.

Consequently, no one can deny the importance of ICT in the new millennium goal. This is why the Shekarau administration thought it wise to put to use the old Kano State Investment Property Building built by the late first Civilian Governor of the State, Alhaji Abubakar Mohammed Rimi by converting it into ICT Park for technological advancement. Hitherto, for more than twenty years, all subsequent governments that came thereafter, including that of the now 'elected' governor did nothing to put the edifice to good use. Funny enough, a week to the exit of the present government in 2003, it quickly white washed the building and named it after emir Ado Bayero. It was only the Shekarau government that took the bull by the horn to renovate the building into an ICT park for use. It is however very sad to hear that the now 'elected' governor, out of his personal vendetta and without any good plan suddenly changed the ICT Park into what it described as "Mega School", thereby relegating technology to the background. The governor still has more aces up his sleeves at this tender age of his administration.

The desperateness at which the genuinely allocated lands to the good people of Kano were revoked by the now 'elected' governor Kwankwaso, without recourse to due process of the law is not only worrisome but also vengeful. So far, most of the utterances of the now 'elected' governor of the State left much to be desired as they are inimical to security and stability of the state. In a news report credited to the now 'elected' governor, he threatened the opposition not to counter his high level but insinuated allegations against it, else he would probe it. It is obvious that only a leader with skeletons in his cupboard can talk like this.

It is equally on record that one of the many reasons why the now 'elected' governor was rejected in 2003 was his pomposity and disrespect he has for both lower and higher echelon. As we know, it is not easy to change a leopard's spot. This explains why on 29th May 2011, a dinner hosted for the governor's victory at the Government House entered into late hours because, even after the party stalwarts, traditional leaders and many others were already seated at the scheduled time of 8pm, the governor did not come till 11pm. Even before this happened, some of the governor's followers had entered into the Government House to vandalize it and forced one of the gates to crash down. All these are signs of lawlessness and great indiscipline that are not in concomitant with progress and development.

Finally, it is often said that "first impression is the last impression." We have got a clue of leadership to expect from this unprepared new government that is only out to lie and avenge. It is hoped that the government will change for good in the interest of Kano and her good people. Truly, the former Governor Ibrahim Shekarau, Sardaunan Kano was indeed a people's governor and a messiah we miss.

Aliu Ibrahim Aliu
Email: aliuibrahimaliu@yahoo.com
Kano City, Kano (11th June 2011)