2019: MY VOTE IS… (10) FOR KANO ELDERS

By Bala Muhammad | Published Date Mar 23, 2019 5:32 AM

Alhaji Bashir Othman Tofa

 

In continuation of our series MY VOTE IS…FOR or AGAINST (also available at https://saturdaycolumn.blogspot.com and https://linkedin.com/in/bala-muhammad-0784384), today in Kano and five other Northern States we are faced with the very serious matter of Supplementary Elections to Conclude the ‘Inconclusive’ Elections of March 9. Whatever happens today, there will be a massive, irreversible impact of cosmic proportions on the politics of the North, the country, and 2013.

COLUMNIST – MY VOTE TODAY IS THEREFORE…FOR Kano Elders who have, without mincing words, come out clearly to warn Kano politicians and all stakeholders against any untoward action or reaction to what Kano people might decide to do today in this re-run pitting incumbent but trailing Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of the APC against front-runner Abba Kabir Yusuf of the PDP.

In a Press Conference this Monday addressed by Alhaji Bashir Othman Tofa, Chairman of the Kano Concerned Citizens Initiative (KCCI) known in Hausa as ‘Hadakar Ma Su Kishin Kano’, the Kano Elders said, among other things:

“No society can thrive in chaos and discord. Kano has, for centuries, been known to be the home of peace, the home of civilised political awareness and a pace setter in all spheres of human endeavour. We must show the same resilience and sophistication again this time around. Every right-thinking person and lover of Kano must never allow chaos, disorder and discord to derail the peace and tranquillity our polity has enjoyed since time immemorial.

“We have taken keen interest in the latest political activities and interacted with the leaderships of the major parties in Kano. We exchanged ideas and compared notes on the strategic areas requiring greater focus and attention for our common good. KCCI notes and commends the enthusiasm, patience and resilience exhibited by Kanawa during the Presidential and National Assembly Elections which came and passed peacefully. The exercise went a long way in proving our political sagacity.

“We are however anxious, concerned, disturbed and troubled by the seeming discord and agitated impatience manifesting in Kano since the collation of the March 9th Governorship and State Assembly Election results, as well the declaration by INEC that the outcome of the Governorship polls was ‘INCONCLUSIVE’.

“It is noteworthy that the electoral umpire has made similar declarations in Adamawa, Bauchi, Benue, Sokoto and Plateau. We are thus not singled out as the only state which received the short end of the stick in the March 9th Elections. KCCI, however, hastens to add that INEC must do everything in its power to rectify as well as attend to all the perceived challenges which characterised the two sets of elections. All electoral officials must be told, in no uncertain terms, to live above board, and that anyone found wanting must receive the maximum sanction provided for by the Electoral Act and the Constitution. The onus is on INEC to deliver a fool proof election.

“KCCI pleads that results of election outcomes must be publicly announced without any delay. Any act of commission or omission would be squarely placed on INEC’s shoulders as its officials must be aware that such acts may be the difference between peace and violence in our state. No violence will be tolerated by Kano.

“In this vein, it is necessary to plead with all security agencies to remain alert from now until the formal declaration of the results and after. Sufficient personnel must be detailed and posted to each of the 234 polling units scattered over the 88 Registration Areas (Wards) in the 30 affected Local Governments of the state to make up for the 141,694 votes cancelled by INEC.

“Again, security agencies must be seen to be upright and above board and completely nonpartisan. They have done well during previous elections but the re-run exercise may yet prove to be more arduous and daunting. We expect them to once more emerge with flying colours. It also becomes imperative to take such security measures as would prevent people from neighbouring states, who are non-residents of Kano, from coming in to partake in the March 23rd re-run elections to forestall unnecessary tension.

“KCCI calls on the political leaders to desist from unguarded utterances capable of inflaming passions which could trigger violence. It is incumbent upon them to strictly abide by the rules of engagement and the law. They should admonish their members, operatives and followers to be mindful of the full wrath of the law this time around. Open monetary and other unlawful inducements must never be condoned during these re-run elections. Kano and Kanawa shall never allow our state to burn on the account of some politician’s vaulting ambition.

“Our youths need to wake up to the reality that it is their future which KCCI and every well-meaning person in Kano is trying to nurture and secure. They should thus eschew and stay away from violence in cahoots with anybody. Parents and Community Leaders, therefore, have a heavy moral responsibility to caution their wards to shun any negative tendencies before, during and after the re-run electoral exercise. Each and every Bakano, as well as our teaming guests, must behave well in the weeks ahead and after. We cannot afford to let the polity overheat. Peace is the only recipe to healthy and positive development.

“The Media, being the Fourth Estate of the Realm, has got a very pivotal role to play in all that is before us now and in the future. Fake News, Hate Speech and political free-for-all on the airwaves and pages of the newspapers must be curtailed. It is the responsibility of the media and journalists to do all in their power to blunt unguarded utterances in the name of campaigns or promotion of candidates. Media organs must do all they can to promote political correctness. Any deviation from these ideals would be closely monitored and those found to be spreading rumour or hate speech capable of inciting violence would be held squarely responsible and dealt with appropriately.

“In effect, every segment of Kano Society must do all in its power to avoid heating the polity. This is the time for all of us to turn to Allah, exalted be His Name, in prayers that peace and harmony become our lot now and always. We must realise that political chaos will lead to violence, thuggery, looting, mayhem and, perhaps, unnecessary loss of life and property. That is why the contending parties must accept the outcome of any endeavour, including elections, as a divine ordination from Allah, the Almighty.

“Allah it is Who bestows power or leadership on whomsoever He wills, and wrests away power from whomsoever He wills. We all know this as true Muslims, and the penchant of wanting to be or to lead should never sway us from the Righteous Path.”

AND OVER IN BAUCHI, WHICH IS IN THE SAME APC-PDP CONUNDRUM:

MUHAMMAD AZARE (email suppressed on request): Elections may have come and gone, but for us here in Bauchi we are on the precipice of ‘Inconclusiveness’. This is a state where President Buhari got massive votes just a couple of weeks ago; yet see how the electorate has massively de-selected his party on March 9. It is now obvious that Northern Political Consciousness has come into full maturity. These governors would have wished their elections took place same day with the Presidential. Alas! They cheated at the Primaries; now the Secondaries are cheating them back. Congratulations to the next governor of Bauchi State!

COLUMNIST – Finally, may Allah help us (Kano, Bauchi, Adamawa, Sokoto, Plateau and Benue) choose the lesser evil among the gladiators of the APC and the PDP.

Amin. Amin. Amin.

2019: MY VOTE IS… (9)

By Bala Muhammad | Published Date Mar 15, 2019 22:59 PM

 

In continuation of our series MY VOTE IS…FOR or AGAINST (also available at https://saturdaycolumn.blogspot.com/ and https://linkedin.com/in/bala-muhammad-0784384), today we discuss WHAT IF…as we head towards Second Round Governorship Elections next week in the ‘Inconclusive States’. Readers should note this series will, in sha Allah, continue beyond these elections and they could still continue sending in their 100-word contributions on the political future of this country.

COLUMNIST – MY VOTE IS…For A Five-Year Single Term: What wouldn’t the following Governors not give today for a five-year (or even six-year) single term for all executive positions – Lagos’ Ambode; Kano’s Ganduje; Bauchi’s MA Abubakar; Adamawa’s Jibrila Bindow, Sokoto’s Tambuwal, Plateau’s Lalong and Benue’s Ortom. If there were a single five-year term for the president and the governors, the current serious embarrassment facing these governors wouldn’t have arisen.

‘Second Term’ is the most dangerous period of Nigeria’s political life. It is a do-or-die-affair. This Column has been shouting itself hoarse over the years that our constitution be amended to only allow executives to spend only one term and leave the space for peace and tranquillity to prevail. Whatever number of people murdered in this election cycle, at least 90% died because someone wants to go for a second term – the rest for supporting or opposing an anointed of a ‘retiring’ governor.

One of the states going into the make-up elections of Saturday March 23 is Kano. Here, we are faced with a very dangerous situation, and we are between the proverbial rock and hard place, or between the devil and the deep blue sea or, in fact, between two terrible horrible choices. The stakes are very high. The opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, was winning the earlier election when the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, was thrown a lifeline by INEC’s operational rule of “where the cancelled votes are more than the difference between the winner and the runner-up, there shall be a re-run…”

It will be much easier for the PDP to win this as, in order to win, the ruling APC has to overcome a deficit of more than 25,000 votes and win a further majority from the over 100,000 cancelled votes now up for grabs. We all believe that with Allah nothing is impossible. And in the murky and murderous Nigerian political waters, almost anything is possible also. Therefore, Kano citizens will go into enforced purdah next week because the thugs of Devil 1 will try to outkill the thugs of Devil 2 – Allah Ya kiyaye!

Current Kano Central Senator Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, leader of the Kwankwasiyya Movement embedded within the PDP, is a factor in the opposition party’s good showing. Not its presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar. Not even its gubernatorial candidate Abba Kabir Yusuf, Kwankwaso’s anointed candidate, former commissioner and, many say, son-in-law. Though the more than one million votes of the PDP are written in Abba’s name, it is actually Kwankwaso’s votes by hook, crook and wuju-wuju.

Many argue that the fact of the matter of this Kano election is that it was more a vote AGAINST incumbent Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, and not necessarily FOR Kwankwaso or Abba, who was an X (unknown quantity) only a few weeks ago. Whatever it may be, we are in that quandary. Second term has landed us in the deep blue sea. Allah Ya fito da mu!

How does one define this Kwankwaso? First, he has what many politicians lack – CONFIDENCE. During the presidential and national assembly elections, PDP didn’t win a single seat out of 28; Buhari roundly defeated Atiku and APC took all three Senators and 24 House of Representatives seats. Any simple politician would have seen the no-win writing on the wall, but not Madugu (Leader of the Caravan), as Kwankwaso is respectfully addressed by his followers. He just accelerated.

Second thing going for their Madugu is FOCUS. It seemed he did not care about any other position but the governorship. He focused on it. He snapped his teeth tightly, held firmly, and didn’t lose focus. And thirdly, Kwankwaso has TENACITY. As governor from 1999, Kwankwaso was himself roundly defeated back in 2003 after only one term by then newcomer Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, public servant and school teacher-turned politician and now Kano Central Senator-elect. This tenacity shook Kano in 2007; and he returned in 2011 to clinch the election by a hair’s breadth against Shekarau’s anointed, Salihu Sagir Takai (who contested this year’s election on the platform of the Peoples Redemption Party, PRP, coming third).

Sadly, it is not all positive for the Madugu. His legendary ARROGANCE leading to POOR RETENTION OF FRIENDS AND ASSOCIATES may be his undoing, as happened this year. As a matter of fact, the Ganduje Government is a Kwankwasiyya Government, and it only became a faction when the Madugu wanted to have undue influence in an administration he always proclaims to have brought into being.

Like many politicians, Kwankwaso is not a good manager of men (unlike, say, Tinubu, the Jagaban Borgu). Because of Madugu’s legendary arrogance, coarseness and harshness, almost all the leading lights of the Kwankwasiyya Movement abandoned him, beginning with Ganduje. And then, most significantly, Kwankwaso is accused of dabbling into the esoteric sciences, citing his insistence on that red cap.

YUSUFU MUSA, ABU ZARIA (yusufmusagicci@gmail.com): STILL ON KANO POLITICS – Any presidential candidate that loses Kano may not actualise his dream. Kano is the second in INEC voter register, the first being Lagos. But register is not the most important factor – turnout is. In that, Kano has always come first. It is instructive to note that Kano gives a politician almost equal votes with the five Ibo-speaking South Eastern States combined. Buhari may not have won 2015 had he not got those two million Kano votes. The number of votes Buhari garnered in the concluded elections is more than a half of what he polled in Tinubu’s South West Zone.

Ganduje promised five million votes for Buhari (but forgot to allocate a figure for himself, smug in the belief that the Buhari SAK factor would continue to play). Though Buhari didn’t get five million, the Kano votes he got left the opposition hopeless. Buhari’s victory in the state instilled confidence in Ganduje and his allies of winning in gubernatorial and state assembly elections. Sadly, Ganduje underestimated the impact of those video clips which allegedly showed him pocketing dollars ‘with a smile’. ‘Didn’t he have someone to collect for him’, our Anti-Corruption Leader Who Art In The Villa mused the other day.

Fear has taken over the APC. Not for Ganduje per se, but for the future of Kano votes in 2023 when Buhari is no longer contesting. The party’s stakeholders are holding endless meetings to ensure the survival of Ganduje next Saturday. If, as expected, APC zones the presidential ticket to the South West, Tinubu or whoever would really need Kano’s votes. The question remains, will the APC survive up to 16 years like the PDP?

The outcome of Saturday’s rerun in Kano will be key.

COLUMNIST – THE SONG OF “AYYE GWAGGO!”: Kano is unique in its everything. One of the reasons many feel Ganduje lost was the alleged involvement of his wife, a PhD like him, in the affairs of government. Popularly known as Gwaggo (meaning ‘Aunty’), she is now the subject of a new, spontaneous and popularly-created song titled ‘Ayye Gwaggo…’ Based on a popular Hausa girls’ song of “Ayye Mama! Ayye Mama! Mamaye Iye!…” the new one is “Ayye Gwaggo! Ayye Gwaggo! Gwaggoye Iye! Ayye Gwaggo ta tafi ke nan…Gwaggoye Iye…”

If you don’t speak Hausa, ask someone who does!

And may Allah help us choose the lesser evil among these gladiators. Amin. Amin. Amin.

2019: MY VOTE IS… (8)

2019: MY VOTE IS… (8)

By Bala Muhammad | Published Date Mar 8, 2019 22:09 PM

In continuation of our series MY VOTE IS…FOR or AGAINST (also available at https://saturdaycolumn.blogspot.com/ and https://linkedin.com/in/bala-muhammad-0784384), we today head to the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly Elections. For reminders, past issues in this series have discussed Corruption, Almajiri, Drugs, Kidnapping, General Insecurity, etc. Readers should note the series will, in sha Allah, continue beyond the elections and so they could continue sending in their 100-word contributions on the future of this country in the hands of these politicians.

It seems today’s set of elections may be as ‘interesting’ as the Presidential polls two weeks ago. But ‘interesting’ in the Chinese interpretation tilts towards the ‘unfortunate’ as, in many of our states, Nigeria’s twin curses of religious and ethnic hatreds have since reared their proverbial ugly heads. In some states, as the elections two weeks ago have shown, it is down in the gutters for Muslim versus Christian agitations. Nowhere is this sad phenomenon amplified than Kaduna and Taraba States.

And while the Muslim-Christian divide may be unfortunate, it’s doubly unfortunate to hear of the vertical, or is it horizontal, divide in Plateau State – this time between two Christian denominations – the Catholic Church and the COCIN Church. Before this election, many young people may not have known any difference between these two. Alas! And then only in Nigeria will we sink so primordially low as to transform a Muslim presidential candidate into a ‘temporary’ Christian – to be celebrated with fire on the mountains. Only in Nigeria.

Many intellectuals and decent people just want these elections to finish so life can return to its normal mundane self, full of its drudgery and fears. For example, the people of Zamfara, Borno and Yobe have more worries than Governorship elections. Only in Nigeria.

COLUMNIST – MY VOTE IS…For today’s elections here in Kano, it’s the proverbial Three-Horse Race – the ruling APC, the leading opposition party PDP and the Dark Horse, PRP, or Peoples’ Redemption Party. APC is fielding incumbent Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje; PDP has Abba Kabir Yusuf; while the PRP has Salihu Sagir Takai.

Let us proceed to analyse the pros and the cons of these three:

APC GANDUJE: If there is one thing going against this incumbent, it is the trending vexing and weighty palaver of the allegation of Dollar Bribe. The clandestinely-recorded videos purporting to show Ganduje receiving gratification has done a lot of damage to his reputation and, by extension, even that of the President who has not been forthcoming on the matter. A couple of days ago, another video emerged where voices could be heard allegedly ‘allocating’ monies and market shops to principal officers of the State House of Assembly. The investigation on this matter has since stalled in the courts and the House of Assembly. But if there is any silver lining going for Ganduje, it is the support he has garnered from the likes of Senator-Elect Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, who only a few months ago crossed over from the PDP, to be followed later by dozens of powerful PDP stalwarts smoked out by Senator Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso in his usual ‘winner-takes-all-and-more’ attitude.

PDP ABBA: Almost everything is going wrong for this candidate – First, the to-ing and fro-ing in the courts of law whether or not he is legitimate; Federal High Court Kano says he isn’t, Court of Appeal Kaduna says he is. Second albatross around Abba’s neck is definitely his godfather, mentor, lord and master Senator Kwankwaso. The talk in town is that if Abba were ever to become a Governor, he would only be a figurehead holding the proverbial cow’s horn while his leader Kwankwaso would have monopoly access to the udders for free milking, in the manner of Saraki and Kwara before O To Ge (It Is Enough). On the positive side is Abba’s association, as one-time Commissioner of Works, with Kano’s Red-Cap Flyovers constructed by his father-in-law.

PRP TAKAI: This is the real dark horse. Sometimes the horse nobody bets on usually cruises home as winner. Takai does not seem to have any negative sides, as far as the campaigns were concerned. Only that he has no money, no godfather (Shekarau was his former leader but they are in different parties today). And he has no baggage like the other two candidates. Throughout his public service career, Takai has been justifiably judged to be quite above board. The only snag in his campaign has been the fact that while the other two candidates have perhaps billions at their disposal for the exercise, the PRP, as a historically pro-poor party, has been very poor. But then Kano electorate has been known to spring surprises.

May Allah help us choose the best for us; not only in Kano but throughout Nigeria.

ENGR. RABI’U DODO (rabiueldodo@gmail.com): Your Saturday column is always exiting and sometimes serves as a “policy advisory page” just like the writeup of Barrister Audu Bulama Bukarti on his five-point advice to President Muhammadu Buhari on fighting Boko Haram. But who will bring these pieces to the notice of Mr. President? I wonder if the President even has time to read these submissions in the newspapers.

MOHAMMED M. M. GOMBE (pantami2001@yahoo.co.uk): Praise be to Allah who made it possible for us to sail smoothly through the presidential election, but it’s not over until it’s over. In other words, we must go out today to vote governors that will make a difference. Simply because state authority has the primary responsibility of making the dividends of democracy available to us at the grassroots. If we want timely payment of workers’ salaries, good healthcare, sound primary and secondary education, better local infrastructures etc., we must vote upright candidates for gubernatorial and state assembly elections. And the last outing has proved that it’s possible to make the right choice regardless of intimidation and the brainwashing tactics of the naysayers.

MUHAMMAD, AZARE (email suppressed on request): Permit me to contribute to this page now that politicians are busy engaging our innocent youths in violence. I will like to use this medium to say that my vote this week will be given to that political party that ab initio conducted free and fair primaries. In my state, the health and educational sectors are in a serious state of devastation. Most people can’t afford hospital bills considering the low standard of living; our schools are too few in number to accommodate our children, and there is no quality. Therefore, my vote goes to he who will revive these two sectors.

COLUMNIST – MY VOTE IS…Finally again, may Allah help us choose the best for us; not only in Kano but throughout Nigeria.

2019: MY VOTE IS… (7)

By Bala Muhammad | Published Date Mar 2, 2019 0:31 AM

In continuation of our series MY VOTE IS…FOR or AGAINST (also available at https://saturdaycolumn.blogspot.com/ and https://linkedin.com/in/bala-muhammad-0784384), today is a week since President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB) was re-elected for a second term; and a week from the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly Elections next Saturday.

Today, we remind PMB of perhaps the most intractable challenge (apart from corruption) he faced in his first term – Boko Haram. In a letter titled “Five Steps to Eradicating Boko Haram: A Letter to Nigeria’s President-Elect”, regular contributor to this page Barrister Audu Bulama Bukarti (bulamabukarti@gmail.com), analyst at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change in London and a PhD candidate at SOAS, University of London proffers some advice:

Dear Mr. President-Elect,

May I begin by congratulating you on your victory in Nigeria’s recent presidential election, a historic fifth consecutive poll in our country’s history. As you indicated in your victory speech, it is now time for Nigerians to put divisive politics aside and work together to confront the challenges facing our country. In line with this, I, not only as a Nigerian keen to contribute to my nation’s development but also as someone who has studied Boko Haram extensively for a decade, would like to offer some suggestions on how to comprehensively defeat this plague that has wreaked havoc on us for over a decade.

When you came into office in 2015, you had campaigned on three key promises: to fight corruption, unemployment and Boko Haram – three malevolent bedfellows that have sunk Nigeria into a deep quagmire and which cannot be addressed in isolation. Four years ago, you took major steps, including equipping the Nigerian military and strengthening an existing but inactive regional military coalition against Boko Haram with Benin, Chad, Cameroon and Niger-the multinational joint task force (MNJTF). As a result, the group was dislodged. As early as December 2015, you said Boko Haram had been “technically defeated https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-35173618”, while in your 2018 New Year’s message, you declared that the group had been beaten https://punchng.com/full-text-muhammadu-buharis-2018-new-year-address/.

However, the recent surge in the group’s attacks against military formations shows that Boko Haram might have been dislodged but is certainly not defeated. The ISIS-allied faction of the group, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), has claimed responsibility for several attacks https://institute.global/insight/co-existence/how-boko-haram-trying-disrupt-nigerias-2019-election since the 2019 election campaign began. The most dramatic https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/boko-haram-seizes-6-borno-towns.html of these was in December 2018, when the group overran the MNJTF headquarters, a naval fighting base and a Marine Police base to take over seven towns in Borno State.

The most recent assault came on the day originally slated for the presidential election, 16 February 2019, when ISWAP launched three coordinated https://www.premiumtimesng.com/regional/nnorth-east/313398-elections-boko-haram-launches-separate-attacks-in-borno-yobe.html attacks in different locations, killing 13 people, including six soldiers. A day earlier, the ISIS affiliate killed eight civilians when it overran a military base, stealing an armoured vehicle and torching buildings in an assault in which “several soldiers” went “missing” https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/02/killed-boko-haram-attack-nigeria-190216120448266.html. This surge has forced https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/02/boko-haram-conflict-tops-agenda-nigeria-election-190212134403939.html tens of thousands of people to flee their homes, exacerbating an already tough humanitarian situation.

Thus, Boko Haram clearly remains a threat you must contend with. The group, which was pushed to the fringes in the first half of your administration, is again on the offensive. Here are five steps that I suggest should be taken to end the decade-old threat posed by Boko Haram.

REVIVE THE REGIONAL COALITION: First, Abuja must work thoroughly to revamp its alliance with Cotonou, N’Djamena, Niamey and Yaoundé. This coalition had worked effectively until it was weakened by Chad’s withdrawal https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/chad-withdraws-troops-fighting-boko-haram.html in October 2017 of hundreds of its troops from Niger after the United States imposed a travel ban on Chadian nationals. Here, Nigeria has a huge opportunity to show leadership on the African continent which is struggling with extremist violence, and identity conflicts from all angles. Reviving the MNJTF is essential to ensure continued hard-hitting military pressure from all angles.

FIGHT A FALSE IDEOLOGY: But rejuvenating the regional coalition against Boko Haram, as important as it is, can only contain the group’s violence as Boko Haram needs more than a military response. To comprehensively defeat Boko Haram, your administration needs to improve its holistic approach to this scourge. It is crucial to address the root causes of this phenomenon, foremost of which is the poisonous binary ideology that treats ‘others’ as enemies worthy of death. Your government should pursue the idea muted by the Minister of Interior of embarking on mass religious education to reduce the group’s appeal. More than mere religious literacy, this scheme should aim to instill religious intelligence in its targets. It should teach the basics of Islamic law and jurisprudence such as the protection of life, religion, property and intellect. It should encourage respect for differing views in the house of Islam as preparation for diversity in a pluralist society like Nigeria’s. The biography of the Prophet Muhammad (upon whom be peace) which models harmonious co-existence between early Muslims and their Jewish and Christian counterparts, should also form part of the curriculum. In this endeavour, Abuja can benefit from the experiences of such partners as the Development Initiative of West Africa and my employers the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change which have been training and supporting Imams https://institute.global/co-existence/supporting-leaders on these aspects for the past five years.

BOOST SUPPORT TO THE ARMED FORCES: Furthermore, your administration must work to help the troops fighting Boko Haram, not only by providing equipment to address reported complaints of “inadequate ammunition https://institute.global/insight/co-existence/how-boko-haram-trying-disrupt-nigerias-2019-election”, but also by addressing fatigue https://institute.global/insight/co-existence/how-boko-haram-trying-disrupt-nigerias-2019-election and low morale among the troops. At the start of your administration, you paid unscheduled visits to the front line. More such appearances, as well as gestures like presidential delegations or calls to greet wounded soldiers and more humane treatment of the families of fallen ones would boost soldiers’ morale. Rotating soldiers regularly is also essential to avoid physical and mental exhaustion.

REHABILITATE AND REINTEGRATE: Fourth, your incoming administration must rehabilitate and reintegrate Boko Haram’s victims as well as people associated with the group who have turned themselves in following your offer of amnesty from Abuja. A convenient starting point is to rebuild communities razed by Boko Haram and livelihoods shattered by the group. More than reconstructing destroyed buildings, authorities must focus on psycho-social support and economic empowerment for victims. This will begin to prepare communities to accept deradicalised former fighters back into society.

PROVIDE BASIC SERVICES: Finally, on the back of this rehabilitation, your government should target the grievances and socio-economic circumstances that allow Boko Haram to appeal to recruits. You should confront and combat poverty, unemployment and the impacts of environmental degradation. Improving the provision of such basic services as drinking water, power and healthcare, combined with religious intelligence, would help build community resilience. Quality education that promotes open-mindedness and defeats stereotypes and barriers should be a top priority not only in North Eastern Nigeria but in the whole country. This way, divisive ideologies like Boko Haram’s will have no chance of flourishing. Alongside fighting extremist ideologies behind the violence that harms prospects for co-existence, the Tony Blair Institute works with governments and leaders of fragile, developing and emerging states to support them to deliver on their priorities. This is an integral part of dealing with the enormous challenges a group like Boko Haram poses. Understandably, creating jobs for Nigeria’s many unemployed youths by stimulating agriculture, reviving local industries and attracting foreign investment was a priority in your 2019 manifesto https://apc.com.ng/manifesto/. But just as no farmer would enter the bush knowing they are likely to meet Boko Haram fighters, so no would-be investor would pour money into a conflict-ridden environment. Thus, the key to Nigeria’s development lies in eradicating Boko Haram.

I wish you the very best of luck. Yours sincerely, Audu Bulama Bukarti.

2019: MY VOTE IS… (6)

By Bala Muhammad | Published Date Feb 23, 2019 0:50 AM

In continuation of our series MY VOTE IS…FOR or AGAINST, we today again head to the Presidential, Senatorial and House of Representatives Elections postponed from last week. A week, they say, is a long time in politics; indeed it has been so, as already scores have already been killed and maimed in this tragically murderous politics of ours, even before the elections and the results. May Allah continue to protect us.

For reminders, past issues of this series have discussed Corruption, Almajiri, Drugs, Kidnapping, General Insecurity, etc. Last week, we discussed a mishmash of relevant issues, and that’s what we shall continue today. Readers should note the series will, in sha Allah, continue beyond the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly Elections in two weeks’ time.

COLUMNIST – MY VOTE TODAY is for His Highness Sarkin Kano Muhammad Sanusi II…who has been on the airwaves these past many days personally leading Ulama and Imams in several prayer, admonition and warning sessions against violent politicking. The Emir and the scholars have invoked the wrath of Allah on any politician who drugs youths and uses them as thugs to kill and maim others (and we all answer AMIN!). He also urged political leaders to match the Du’a with action by walking the talk on peaceful elections; citing the ‘Hadith of Tawakkul’ where the Prophet of Islam Muhammad, upon whom be peace, once directed a companion to FIRST secure his property AND THEN depend on Allah. To the Emir’s and the scholars’ prayers, we say AMIN – may Allah frustrate, punish and condemn politicians who lead the youth astray while theirs are apparently safe and sound. AMIN again!

 

COLUMNIST – MY VOTE TODAY is for Kano State Commander of NDLEA Dr. Ibrahim Abdul for doing the unthinkable – mustering the moral will to detain prosecute the ‘unprosecutables’ – those ‘outsiders’ who flood Kano with illicit, banned and counterfeit drugs. Read carefully these 35 names apprehended with various amounts of hard drugs – all currently in detention awaiting their days in court: Dickson Orji; Abuchi Ike; Otega Eze; Mohd Nasir; Tony Okoye; Nura Suleiman; Ikechukwu Eze; Chigozie Okwonkwo; Chinedu Anato; Uche Emeka; Ebuka Edoche; Shubhan Savena; Kenneth Nelson; Samuel Eze; Usman Sabo; Princewill Sunday; Ikenna Christian; Kennedy John; Obinna Chibuzo; Alhaji Yarima; Kabaka Benjamin; Okwudiri Madueke; Martins Uba; Steven Obi; Joseph Linus; Obinna Owoh; Steph Benjamin; Izuchukwu Mercy; Jude Chukwudi; Nzube Okeku; Emeka Oji; Friday Moses; Hafizu Ibrahim; John Ojukwu; and Omieze Zurkoni. THIS IS IN KANO fa! Do you see what I see? Kano NDLEA has so far refused them bail, directing their lawyers to approach the courts. Some of them are waiting for drug forensic reports from Lagos for appropriate prosecution. In addition to these 35, one Okechukwu Echefo (note the name again) was also arrested with nine cartons of fake Coartem tablets and seven cartons of fake Augmentin tablets; he uses elubo powder to manufacture the fake drugs. Kano NDLEA has within four months hauled in more than 1.7 tonnes of assorted drugs such as Tramadol, Cannabis, Rophinol, Pentozocine, etc. AREWA WAKE UP! This Column calls on Kano Elite to throng the courts to see which judge will give them bail!

COLUMNIST – MY VOTE TODAY is for new Kano State Commissioner of Police Muhammad Wakili, he of the famous “Kano Kwaya/Maza Kwaya/Mata Kwaya” statement. He has vowed to fight drug abuse and thuggery in Kano to a standstill, and has asked all Kano people to help him with prayers and fasting for Allah to help him. He has apprehended truckloads of drugs as well as lethal weapons – in this particular case a consignment of 6,750 local knives concealed inside bags in a vehicle headed for Katsina. All these are apparently intended for this murderous exercise called Nigerian democracy. CP Wakili has already arrested and charged more than 1,000 thugs, muggers, drug traffickers and other vagabonds. All of them are now off the streets, in various prisons across the metropolis. Is Arewa sleeping?

COLUMNIST – MY VOTE IS…THEN, FOR AN ENVIRONMENT that will allow free hand to such security officers as the Kano NDLEA Commander and the Kano Police Commissioner to sanitise our society and politics. So help them God, and me too!

ADAMU SALEH (salehdaurawa52@gmail.com): My vote today is for the candidate who can finish the war against corruption and insecurity in Nigeria; My vote today is for the candidate who has promised to take Nigeria to the next level; My vote today is for the candidate who says Nigeria is greater than any political party; My vote today is for the candidate with a high sense of responsibility, discipline, hard work, integrity and a commitment to the rule of law and due process.

COLUMNIST – MY VOTE TODAY is for Sir. Kuli Kuli (comradezaid6@gmail.com), self-styled ‘Revolutionary Leader of the Future Visionaries’ who has been advocating for fair treatment of INEC Ad-Hoc staff, especially after suffering the pains of last week’s election postponement. The self-named ‘Sir Kuli Kuli’ had also led a delegation of such youths the other day to see Sarkin Kano on their concerns. The young man wrote an Open Letter titled ‘Urgent Communique from One Million INEC Ad Hoc Staff’ to INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu:

“On behalf of the one million ad hoc staff comprising NYSC members, students and others, only God can compensate us for our suffering, as we travelled to work as electoral officers only to suffer unnecessary hardship occasioned by sleeping in INEC offices and bare classrooms under very serious Harmattan cold and wind. Many of these youths had no means of transport or even transport fare to come out of the villages they were posted to be able to return home. How could you do this to us, when we remember how the Senate approved for you N242 billion just for these elections. Yet we were maltreated right from the application stage, the verification stage and to the most cumbersome training stage so we can man INEC’s 119,973 polling units nationwide. We agree it may normal to reschedule, but it is very abnormal to expose us poor Nigerian youths to unnecessary suffering, coupled with the tight economic and financial hardships. We are sure none of the President’s or Vice President’s children are among us INEC Ad Hoc staff. Neither are Governors’, Senators’ or Reps’ children. We therefore demand our training allowances be released immediately; our wasted transport to the various INEC offices be compensated; and a national public apology be issued by INEC to us on all media.”

FINALLY: “The President of Mosquitoes Association of Nigeria (MAN), on behalf of his members including anopheles and others, hereby appreciate Nigerian Corpers, students and other youths for the voluntary donation of their blood to the millions of hungry Nigerian mosquitoes last week’s Friday night. Reports from all MAN branches indicate that members had a feast on these fresh and youthful ad hoc staff that night; therefore, MAN President and his members are looking forward to seeing these generous donors again this Friday.”

2019: MY VOTE IS…5

 

by

Bala Muhammad

balamuhammad@hotmail.com

https://saturdaycolumn.blogspot.com

 

In continuation of our series MY VOTE IS…FOR and AGAINST (the series of which is also available at https://saturdaycolumn.blogspot.com and https://linkedin.com/in/bala-muhammad-0784384), we today head to the Presidential, Senatorial and House of Representatives Elections. We therefore discuss a mishmash of issues relevant to the day. Today is the first round in the elections, so the series will continue beyond the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly Elections. Readers can still send in their 100-word contributions on matters to decide for them the State Polls.

 

 

 

COLUMNIST – MY VOTE TODAY is for the best qualified, as defined Dr. Nasir Kankarofi (abmanal2@gmail.com), Imam of the Railway Friday Mosque in Kano where I prayed Jumu’ah yesterday. The Imam’s Khutbah (Sermon) dwelt on “Leadership from the Islamic Perspective”. He said, interalia, that it is not everyone that aspires for leadership that should be entrusted with it. There are criteria when it comes to elective or appointive offices. Some of these, according to the scholar, are:

 

“In Muslim lands, it is natural that many Muslims may aspire for a single position. But even if the leading candidates are Muslim, we must vote for the better person – better in Akhlaq, better in Integrity, better in other positive attributes. Also, in Muslim societies, consensus among scholars says that Males should stand for executive positions; our sisters should not be distracted from their primary responsibility of being custodians of the family, but could go the legislature to help decide matters.

 

“Similarly, the candidate must be adjudged to be Just in character and demeanor. He must also be Healthy, with no defect or disability that can hinder the discharge of his duties. He should also be Freeborn, and not a slave – he should not be facing social or economic encumbrances that can equate to being a slave. He should also be an Adult, and not a child. He should be Sane, and not crazy, demented or mad.

 

“The candidate worthy of being elected should also have a Constituency, i.e. he should have a segment of society that can claim he is theirs. and can defend him. (In Hausa, ‘dan mutane’, or ‘dan ma su mutunci’). He should also be Knowledgeable, learned enough to make him able to take informed decisions. He should also be Wise and politically-dexterous, and not a fool, or what the Hausa call ‘Wawa’ or ‘Gabo’ or ‘Shawaraki’. In this, the politically-dexterous could even be better than the pious; in Islamic History, many otherwise pious people have been sidestepped for ‘politically-wily’ persons.

 

“The candidate should also be Strong, firm and brave; in leadership, better the strong but ‘imanically’-weak than the ‘imanically’-strong but weak in decision-making. Also, in Muslim societies such as ours, Ahlus Sunnah (Tariqa, Izala, neutral, etc.) should lead us – and not rebellious sects that will only bring schism among people. Finally, the candidate should have Taqwa, fear of God, and Wara’ (or being able to prioritise between what is necessary and what is important.”

 

ALHAJI GADO M. KODOMI, MAIDUGURI (gadoj2012@gmail.com): “MY VOTE TODAY is for who can contain Boko Haram: I have lived in Maiduguri all my life. We have gone through hell but are now halfway back to paradise. Many of our loved ones have been killed or maimed, properties worth billions of Naira have been destroyed, and whole towns and villages have been wiped out. Millions have been rendered homeless. However, today we are able to sleep with our two eyes closed, at least in Maiduguri and in some few other parts of the state. We thank Allah and then President Muhammadu Buhari. Therefore, my vote today goes to PMB so he will be able to correct some of the things not done right in the fight against Boko Haram.”

 

COLUMNIST – ATIKU, IPOB AND SOUTH EAST: We just saw several videos making the rounds of members of the Independent Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) rallying along highways in South East cities screaming “No Election”. Considering that the Igbo South East has the least number of voters in this election (10 million according to INEC, compared with 20 million in the Hausa-Fulani North West), and now this scare-mongering by IPOB (which is also being accused of setting several INEC offices on fire in the South East), could the PDP expect its bulk vote from the Igbos, as calculated? But, according to PDP pundits, there are still some “10m more Igbos outside Igboland; 7m in the North and 3m in South West.” Can they do the magic? Or is the fear of IPOB the beginning of wisdom?

 

DR. RUQAIYAH SAIDU, ABUJA (ruqayyahsaidu@gmail.com): “MY VOTE TODAY goes to that person who has Taqwa (Fear) of Allah. The one who will care and get worried about the Almajiri System. The one who will get Arewa working again. The one who will bring back peace and security to our North East and other parts of the country. The one who will rescue our youths from growing drug addiction. My vote today will go to the angel who will revive our decaying education by making it a top priority. It will also be for that who will reform our health sector so that we don't need to be begging the Indians to grant us visa to travel to their country for treatment. My PVC will in sha Allah be put to use today to elect the best of the best.”

 

COLUMNIST – THE KANO EL CLASSICO THAT ISN’T HOLDING: Had Senator Rabi’u Kwankwaso put forward his name to re-contest his Kano Central Senatorial District for PDP, he would have had to slug it out with APC’s Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau. That would have been an El Classico many in Kano were looking forward to. I do not know who is ‘Barcelona’ or who is ‘Real Madrid’, but we would have enjoyed this match – both had been Kano Governor for eight years apiece; each had been Minister; one is a Senator now and the other is aspiring to be. Shekarau had defeated Kwankwaso when the latter was incumbent in 2003; Kwankwaso had come back to defeat Shekarau’s anointed in 2011. So it is essentially a draw. El Classico – perhaps “Next Season?”

 

COLUMNIST – ON PMB: At the end of the campaign period, President Muhammadu Buhari spoke to Nigerians. This Column’s comments follow selected paragraphs:

 

PARAGRAPH 2. “I wish therefore to start by assuring all Nigerians that this Government will do its very best to ensure that the 2019 elections take place in a secure and peaceful atmosphere.”

COMMENT: Perhaps too late, Sire. In Kano, scores of youths have already been drugged and unleashed on society. Many decent people say they will stay home rather than tempt fate.

 

PARAGRAPH 5. “…Just yesterday, I signed the Peace Accord alongside 72 other presidential candidates.”

COMMENT: These drugged Kano thugs didn’t sign, Sire!

 

PARAGRAPH 16. Our commitment to critical infrastructure – that is Roads, Rails, Bridges, Airports and Seaports – will create more jobs, improving the efficiency and competitiveness of our industries.

COMMENT: Good, Sire – but when you came here the other day, you did not promise to start the other end of the Lagos-Kano modern rail from this part Kano-Kaduna part. Remember the Lagos-Ibadan is going apace.

 

PARAGRAPH 32. “…Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority has invested US$21 million in three healthcare projects… [in Kano, Umuahia and Lagos]…”

COMMENT: Sire, there are SIX GEOPOLITICAL ZONES in the country – the North is ALWAYS shortchanged by TWO in allocation to the old North, West and East. For equity, such projects should be sited in SIX ZONES, not three.

 

PARAGRAPH 52. “…God bless you...”

COMMENT: God bless you too Sire. We are on the queue! A round of applause!