Saturday Column by Bala Muhammad

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.”