A time for soul searching in Kebbi
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- Written by Abubakar I. Gummi
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Aliero’s luck shined when another opportunity was presented to him by then President Obasanjo who suggested that the governors should pick one of their own to head the nation after him. He backed the candidature of Late Umaru Musa Yar’adua. That in a way paved the way for his ascension to power and influence at the federal level.
Even though elected as Senator, he was to emerge as Minister of the FCT, a position he was appointed to by the Yar’adua administration. The position of FCT minister is a powerful one.
I believe it is this lucky fate of having served as governor for eight years, senator, a minister and the mass following he enjoys from supporters that helped made him one of Kebbi’s most powerful men. The argument is still on as to whether such advantages were properly utilized for the benefit of Kebbi’s people.
But as everyone conversant with politics knows, with such responsibilities come commitments and challenges. The biggest challenge was how to play the kind of politics that will be all inclusive and provide a vision for the future for a young state like Kebbi. This is where most of the state’s powerful politicians derailed and got it wrong. The whole contest centred on how to grab power and how to prove to opponents that one has more following and by extension more power than they.
Kebbi was plunged into a political crisis of sorts as the rivalries of politicians threatened to dislodge the fragile peace of the state. At every opportunity, politicians in the state were found flexing their muscles and threatening to dislodge the other.
The people of the state got caught in the crossfire as supporters of politicians clashed and several people got injured. Clearly, there was need for the politicians to sheath their swords and to understand that power is granted only by God and He gives it to whoever He pleases irrespective of how irrelevant they might seem to be in the society.
Among Kebbi’s politicians, you hear some of them boasting of making and unmaking opponents, just like planting and uprooting of cassava. This is a boast taken too far and should not find place in any sane democracy.
Our politicians should come to the realization that they are not more powerful than the people they seek to rule. At the end of the day, it is the voice of the people that will prevail, as the results of the election have shown in some places where the conduct of the elections had been deemed free and fair.
This should be the guiding philosophy for our politicians. This philosophy that believes in humility rests on politicians recognizing their own limits. Politics is a call to service, not boastfulness and attempts to rubbish opponents. In saner climes where politics is played with some respect for rules, this is what obtains. Clearly, the various unfortunate episodes that marked the Kebbi elections should serve as a warning to all that humility is one of the best qualities our politicians should acquire. It is not about the mass following you command or the wealth you have at your disposal. Rather, it is about the ability to win the trust and respect of the people. Politicians to whom much has been given should learn to appreciate this fact.
I am hopeful now that the election is over, the people of Kebbi will embark on a process of healing and reconciliation. We need to take stock of what has taken place in the past and ask ourselves where we went wrong.
Gummi wrote from GRA, Birnin-Kebbi
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A time for soul searching in Kebbi
Category: Comments Written by Abubakar I. Gummi Hits: 631
It was in the year 2007 that the then powerful Governor, Muhammed Adamu Aliero, of Kebbi State crossed over from All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). It was quite amazing to know that Aliero, while in ANPP had conducted a “mock burial” of PDP as a party, declaring that the party was “dead and buried”. Surprisingly, the same Aliero exhumed a “carcass” which he personally supervised its burial. He not only embraced PDP as a party he also gave it a cosmetic connotation, thereby changing it to “PDP Power Plus”. This was at the height of his powers and popularity, and who dares question his beliefs? Before crossing over to the PDP, his party (ANPP) had its primaries conducted and Sa’idu Usman Nasamu Dakingari had been picked as its gubernatorial candidate. So Nasamu was retained as a gubernatorial candidate when the king maker of Kebbi politics defected to PDP. Nasamu’s venturing into PDP acted as a stabilizing factor for the chaotic situation in PDP contrary to later claims that he was favoured by Aliero to be governor.Aliero’s luck shined when another opportunity was presented to him by then President Obasanjo who suggested that the governors should pick one of their own to head the nation after him. He backed the candidature of Late Umaru Musa Yar’adua. That in a way paved the way for his ascension to power and influence at the federal level.
Even though elected as Senator, he was to emerge as Minister of the FCT, a position he was appointed to by the Yar’adua administration. The position of FCT minister is a powerful one.
I believe it is this lucky fate of having served as governor for eight years, senator, a minister and the mass following he enjoys from supporters that helped made him one of Kebbi’s most powerful men. The argument is still on as to whether such advantages were properly utilized for the benefit of Kebbi’s people.
But as everyone conversant with politics knows, with such responsibilities come commitments and challenges. The biggest challenge was how to play the kind of politics that will be all inclusive and provide a vision for the future for a young state like Kebbi. This is where most of the state’s powerful politicians derailed and got it wrong. The whole contest centred on how to grab power and how to prove to opponents that one has more following and by extension more power than they.
Kebbi was plunged into a political crisis of sorts as the rivalries of politicians threatened to dislodge the fragile peace of the state. At every opportunity, politicians in the state were found flexing their muscles and threatening to dislodge the other.
The people of the state got caught in the crossfire as supporters of politicians clashed and several people got injured. Clearly, there was need for the politicians to sheath their swords and to understand that power is granted only by God and He gives it to whoever He pleases irrespective of how irrelevant they might seem to be in the society.
Among Kebbi’s politicians, you hear some of them boasting of making and unmaking opponents, just like planting and uprooting of cassava. This is a boast taken too far and should not find place in any sane democracy.
Our politicians should come to the realization that they are not more powerful than the people they seek to rule. At the end of the day, it is the voice of the people that will prevail, as the results of the election have shown in some places where the conduct of the elections had been deemed free and fair.
This should be the guiding philosophy for our politicians. This philosophy that believes in humility rests on politicians recognizing their own limits. Politics is a call to service, not boastfulness and attempts to rubbish opponents. In saner climes where politics is played with some respect for rules, this is what obtains. Clearly, the various unfortunate episodes that marked the Kebbi elections should serve as a warning to all that humility is one of the best qualities our politicians should acquire. It is not about the mass following you command or the wealth you have at your disposal. Rather, it is about the ability to win the trust and respect of the people. Politicians to whom much has been given should learn to appreciate this fact.
I am hopeful now that the election is over, the people of Kebbi will embark on a process of healing and reconciliation. We need to take stock of what has taken place in the past and ask ourselves where we went wrong.
Gummi wrote from GRA, Birnin-Kebbi