Remembering late President Yar’adua
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- Category: Philosofaith
- Written by M. U. Ndagi
- Hits: 3814
Most often, man fails to appreciate the value of what he possesses especially when he lacks another (or other things) with which to compare and contrast. This, perhaps, gives some credence to the popular adage that a woman does not realize the worth of her husband until she loses one. It is two years now since Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’dua passed on, exactly on May 5, 2010. Yet, Nigerians have continued to remember and praise him for his short-lived but good intentions for this country more than they adore his successor in the presidency. Many have realized that a ‘go-slow’ President is better than the one whom writers, commentators, analysts, and opinion leaders are finding difficult to precisely define; maybe, not because the successor has extra-ordinary qualities but because he appears so unprepared, inexperienced and incompetent in the task of piloting the biggest “plane” in black Africa called Nigeria.
In remembering late Mutawalin-Katsina, we would attempt to briefly showcase some of the reasons why the late President’s name has remained fresh on the minds of patriotic Nigerians. Late Umaru Musa Yar’adua’s unassuming personality; integrity; firmness; commitment; sense of probity; sensitivity to the feelings of Nigerian masses; are some of the ideals for which he would continue to be remembered. Shortly after assuming duty as President, late Yar’adua as an altruistic leader reversed the pump price of petrol from N70 to N65 per liter. The pump price of petrol was increased from N65 to N70 in less than week before President Obasanjo left office in 2007. President Yar’dua’s successor is rather an insensitive leader as he increased the pump price of petrol, against public outcry, from N65 to N97 in January 2012. All the ‘sweet-mouth’ pledges of palliatives made to Nigerians, to cushion the effects of subsidy removal within three months, have remained unfulfilled (five months after the promise) including payment of workers’ salaries on a date not later than the 20th of every month.The late Mutawalin-Katsina in his inaugural speech shortly after taking oath of office admitted that the election that brought him to power was disgustingly fraudulent. His membership of the ruling political party (PDP) did not deter him from making this public confession. With a sense of integrity, late President Yar’dua publicly declared his assets. The Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) needs to be reminded that Nigerians, a year in to his second tenure, are waiting for the public declaration of President Jonathan’s assets.
Guided by the desire to combat corruption, President Yar’dua reversed the conversion of public corporations in to private ownership as carried out by the anti-people administration of former President Obasanjo. President Yar’dua unreservedly revoked the sale of Ajaukuta Steel Complex; the NNPC; NITEL; Federal Unity Schools; and Presidential Guest Houses in Abuja.
To remove unnecessary bureaucratic bottlenecks, late Umaru Yar’adua proscribed the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President, which was introduced by former President Obasanjo in the State House in 1999. He also rescheduled the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meetings from holding weekly to fortnightly. These measures which were meant to hasten the implementation and monitoring of government policies.
To guarantee peace in an egalitarian Nigerian society, President Yar’dua rather than use military options chose dialogue to resolve the long-standing militancy over resource control in the Niger-Delta region of Nigeria. Many Nigerians today are wondering why President Jonathan does not see any wisdom in borrowing from late Yar’dua’s approach to finding amicable solutions to crises that threaten national unity in the country.
Mutawalin-Katsina would be remembered for resolving the age-long ASUU crisis that in the past crippled academic activities several times in the universities. Unfortunately, President Jonathan is seen to be dragging feet in the implementation of the 2009 FGN-ASUU agreement he inherited from late Yar’dua. Many of the on-going capital projects in Abuja today were initiated by late Yar’dua including the construction of additional lanes on the Abuja-Airport and the Abuja-Kubwa-Zuba roads. Perhaps, if Yar’dua were alive, the Abuja-Lokoja road which President Jonathan’s administration recently deferred its completion to 2015 would either have been completed or nearing completion by now.
May Allah (SWT) grant Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’adua’s soul eternal mercy and peace, amin.
Re: “Plaiting louse-infested hair” (I) & (II)
I have reproduced below (without editing the texts) some of the reactions received from readers on the above titled piece published in two parts:
“Salam… (With) regards to the almajiri issue, I completely blame their parents. Very unfortunately, nowadays, most of the almajirai do not even respect their teachers talk less of others. I just kept wondering how someone could abandon his child”. Mujtaba Abba Yakasai, Kano. (08036282649)
Assalamu alaikum. Ur column on Almajirai refers. In my humble opinion, there is no need to establish model Almajiri schools. This problem is largely as you pointed out due principally to parental irresponsibility. Government can enact laws whereby parents are punished for this wanton, reckless and inhuman act of dumping their kids in places far away from home in the pretext (?) of seeking education. That is because it’s unnecessary to send their children away (from home) without parental supervision…Thanks” From Ayuba Ribadu (Deaf), Kano. (08033495143)
“Poor parenting is the basic cause of almajirai in the North” AZW Bama (08074748664).
“You have excellently touched on one of the most challenging aspects of our national issues. Almajiri in the North has been discussed variously from Islamic perspective, cultural and governmental angles… I have a childhood friend and classmate who became a local government councilor and is still in active politics. Yet, he has been sending his children to almajiri (schools) for two reasons. First because he equally went through the almajirci…; second to make them more disciplined. I knew my local government would be mentioned as where the pilot programme was launched. The world was misinformed. There was no time almajirci stopped in Ajingi. I think government was discouraged because the almajirai did not stop begging. I do not know whether I am encouraging almajirci or not but every year I have almajirai in my home coming for bara and even become part of my family…Some I found out are from well-to-do families but I do not know why they are there. These kids are brilliant. One of them attends a tsangaya close to my house and is equally a pupil in a modern school. The boy… is leading the other pupils of his class. I think you should propose a scheme that will give them opportunity to be internationally recognized” Yusuf Ubale
Articles
Remembering late President Yar’adua
Category: Philosofaith Written by M. U. Ndagi Hits: 3814
Most often, man fails to appreciate the value of what he possesses especially when he lacks another (or other things) with which to compare and contrast. This, perhaps, gives some credence to the popular adage that a woman does not realize the worth of her husband until she loses one. It is two years now since Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’dua passed on, exactly on May 5, 2010. Yet, Nigerians have continued to remember and praise him for his short-lived but good intentions for this country more than they adore his successor in the presidency. Many have realized that a ‘go-slow’ President is better than the one whom writers, commentators, analysts, and opinion leaders are finding difficult to precisely define; maybe, not because the successor has extra-ordinary qualities but because he appears so unprepared, inexperienced and incompetent in the task of piloting the biggest “plane” in black Africa called Nigeria.
In remembering late Mutawalin-Katsina, we would attempt to briefly showcase some of the reasons why the late President’s name has remained fresh on the minds of patriotic Nigerians. Late Umaru Musa Yar’adua’s unassuming personality; integrity; firmness; commitment; sense of probity; sensitivity to the feelings of Nigerian masses; are some of the ideals for which he would continue to be remembered. Shortly after assuming duty as President, late Yar’adua as an altruistic leader reversed the pump price of petrol from N70 to N65 per liter. The pump price of petrol was increased from N65 to N70 in less than week before President Obasanjo left office in 2007. President Yar’dua’s successor is rather an insensitive leader as he increased the pump price of petrol, against public outcry, from N65 to N97 in January 2012. All the ‘sweet-mouth’ pledges of palliatives made to Nigerians, to cushion the effects of subsidy removal within three months, have remained unfulfilled (five months after the promise) including payment of workers’ salaries on a date not later than the 20th of every month.The late Mutawalin-Katsina in his inaugural speech shortly after taking oath of office admitted that the election that brought him to power was disgustingly fraudulent. His membership of the ruling political party (PDP) did not deter him from making this public confession. With a sense of integrity, late President Yar’dua publicly declared his assets. The Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) needs to be reminded that Nigerians, a year in to his second tenure, are waiting for the public declaration of President Jonathan’s assets.
Guided by the desire to combat corruption, President Yar’dua reversed the conversion of public corporations in to private ownership as carried out by the anti-people administration of former President Obasanjo. President Yar’dua unreservedly revoked the sale of Ajaukuta Steel Complex; the NNPC; NITEL; Federal Unity Schools; and Presidential Guest Houses in Abuja.
To remove unnecessary bureaucratic bottlenecks, late Umaru Yar’adua proscribed the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President, which was introduced by former President Obasanjo in the State House in 1999. He also rescheduled the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meetings from holding weekly to fortnightly. These measures which were meant to hasten the implementation and monitoring of government policies.
To guarantee peace in an egalitarian Nigerian society, President Yar’dua rather than use military options chose dialogue to resolve the long-standing militancy over resource control in the Niger-Delta region of Nigeria. Many Nigerians today are wondering why President Jonathan does not see any wisdom in borrowing from late Yar’dua’s approach to finding amicable solutions to crises that threaten national unity in the country.
Mutawalin-Katsina would be remembered for resolving the age-long ASUU crisis that in the past crippled academic activities several times in the universities. Unfortunately, President Jonathan is seen to be dragging feet in the implementation of the 2009 FGN-ASUU agreement he inherited from late Yar’dua. Many of the on-going capital projects in Abuja today were initiated by late Yar’dua including the construction of additional lanes on the Abuja-Airport and the Abuja-Kubwa-Zuba roads. Perhaps, if Yar’dua were alive, the Abuja-Lokoja road which President Jonathan’s administration recently deferred its completion to 2015 would either have been completed or nearing completion by now.
May Allah (SWT) grant Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’adua’s soul eternal mercy and peace, amin.
Re: “Plaiting louse-infested hair” (I) & (II)
I have reproduced below (without editing the texts) some of the reactions received from readers on the above titled piece published in two parts:
“Salam… (With) regards to the almajiri issue, I completely blame their parents. Very unfortunately, nowadays, most of the almajirai do not even respect their teachers talk less of others. I just kept wondering how someone could abandon his child”. Mujtaba Abba Yakasai, Kano. (08036282649)
Assalamu alaikum. Ur column on Almajirai refers. In my humble opinion, there is no need to establish model Almajiri schools. This problem is largely as you pointed out due principally to parental irresponsibility. Government can enact laws whereby parents are punished for this wanton, reckless and inhuman act of dumping their kids in places far away from home in the pretext (?) of seeking education. That is because it’s unnecessary to send their children away (from home) without parental supervision…Thanks” From Ayuba Ribadu (Deaf), Kano. (08033495143)
“Poor parenting is the basic cause of almajirai in the North” AZW Bama (08074748664).
“You have excellently touched on one of the most challenging aspects of our national issues. Almajiri in the North has been discussed variously from Islamic perspective, cultural and governmental angles… I have a childhood friend and classmate who became a local government councilor and is still in active politics. Yet, he has been sending his children to almajiri (schools) for two reasons. First because he equally went through the almajirci…; second to make them more disciplined. I knew my local government would be mentioned as where the pilot programme was launched. The world was misinformed. There was no time almajirci stopped in Ajingi. I think government was discouraged because the almajirai did not stop begging. I do not know whether I am encouraging almajirci or not but every year I have almajirai in my home coming for bara and even become part of my family…Some I found out are from well-to-do families but I do not know why they are there. These kids are brilliant. One of them attends a tsangaya close to my house and is equally a pupil in a modern school. The boy… is leading the other pupils of his class. I think you should propose a scheme that will give them opportunity to be internationally recognized” Yusuf Ubale