ALHAMDULILLAH (THANK GOD) FOR THE BLESSING OF LIVING TO SAY “IN MY DAYS”

I had the privilege of living my teenage life around an aged educated cousin who did always begin talking about the nice things of the past with the phrases “in my days”, “in our days”, “in those days”… It is ten years now since he passed away at the age of 70 leaving behind great memories and legacies (R.I.P Malam).

HOW LONG DO I HAVE TO WAIT?

As years keep rolling, I have not yet lived half the life of my cousin but things have been terribly changing that I can no longer wait to start using the phrase “in my days”. Without much ado, I list some dramatic social events that are now history. Thus, in my days….

*As pupils and students, we did line-up holding flags by the side of streets to welcome visiting Presidents (I raised a flag to IBB when he visited Sokoto in 1992 and waited for Abacha to take a roundabout in 1994). ***NOW: armed security personnel have snatched that role.

* No single private primary or secondary school outshined most of the public schools in Sokoto and environs. Hence, children of all government dignitaries (governors, commissioners) were attending public schools. ***NOW: most of the reliable schools are private or quasi-private and are patronized by the children of those whose roles it is to fix public schools.

*People steeling public funds or engaged in 419 were few and were called with their true names of ‘Barayi’ (meaning thieves).  *** NOW: Such people are now all over the place and are now decorated with the names of ‘masu jan kaya’ (those who draw wealth).

*We were given uniforms free and paid JOURNEY MONEY to take ourselves back home from boarding schools. Half of the 7 Naira I first received was able to take me home on a full seat. A quarter of it could serve if I decided using BENCHIN HAJIYA *** NOW: everyone has to provide uniform for his ward and pay for his/her transportation.

*Area boysm and the attendant vices of armed robbery and kidnapping were VERY RARE if at all existed. Trekking the entire city of Sokoto by 12 midnight was generally safe from any human harm. *** Now: people are robbed and kidnapped in broad day light.     

JUST A TIP

More of these stories could be told by many of my older friends and relations. In fact, younger elements two may have a lot more to tell in our fast ‘changing’ nation.

We pray that the year 2014 that just begun would come with nice developments to talk about in the future. 

WHO NAMES ROADS IN ZAMFARA STATE?

Taking the express way that leads into the heart of Gusau from Sokoto, I was amazed by the road sign reading “Com. Jamilu Zannah Road”. The first question I asked is who was this Comrade Zannah that deserved to have an important road such as this named after him. Although the struggle and creation of Zamfara State was done when I was grown up enough to know the principal protagonists and I have not been so detached from the State as to know who is who in its development, I called some friends to confirm my judgment that Jamilu Zannah would hardly be that important. By the way, the mere mention of “Jamilu” will tell you that one is at best dealing with an upcoming young man -I am yet to meet Jamilu of 50 and above.

The best I got of information was that Com. Jamilu Zannah was a former NUT Chairman and later NLC Chairman of Zamfara State. In addition to this, he owned the biggest house on the street and possessed greater part of the land in the area. Period!

COM. JAMILU ZANNAH AND COM. ADAMS OSHOMOLE

In the life of any society, any person is important. Prominence, therefore, depends largely on how well a person plays his role in social matrix. It is as a result of this that you find prominent people among politicians just as among praise singers, scholars as boxers, Male as female, young as old. In spite of this, however, prominence is relative to the society that defines it so also its reward and attendant benefits.

In Nigeria, one of the best ways of rewarding people is by naming roads and schools/buildings after them. In most occasions, the bigger the name, the bigger the road/school to be named after a person. Look at the Ahmadu Bello Ways, Azikiwe Roads, Awolowo Roads, Aminu Kano Roads, Obasanjo Roads in Nigeria as well as places like Ladi Kwali Hall, Shehu Musa Yaradua Centre among others. These are names that need no further query even from the least informed member of the Nigerian society.

Going by the above, I must state that much as I have to respect Jamilu Zannah for his ‘achievements’ in the union affairs of the Zamfara State; at the same time, I question the appropriateness of naming the road that carries his name in my state capital. How do you compare Com. Jamilu to Adams Oshomole who was the National President of NLC and now the Governor of his state? Yet, on visiting Benin City, the capital of Edo State, one would hardly find a road named after Com. Oshomole that is so conspicuous as that named after Com. Jamilu in Gusau.

IMPLICATIONS

This naming mistake may look so simple to certain minds. But to my humble critical mind, it is so serious and grievous that it needs to be addressed because of the following implications:

 *Celebrating low level achievement and obstructing higher aspirations in our dear state.

*Institutionalisation of mediocrity

*Mocking the achievements of great men and women that we have in the state whose names do not feature in the smallest of roads in the state –Islamic scholars, season educationists in the western sense, administrators, praise singers, traditional rulers, farmers, politicians, military and paramilitary officers among others.

           

PDP: WHOSE FAULT? THE FIRST ‘P’ OR THE SECOND ‘P’ (THE PEOPLE OR THE PARTY)

I consider the eminent challenges that the PDP is facing in terms of the massive decamping of its members as a development that should call for reflection rather than celebration. 

 

MY METHOD OF REFLECTION

A few clicks took me to the official website of the PDP with a view to accessing the Party’s constitution. My mission is to study the objectives of the Party and reflect on its merits or otherwise. The objectives thus:

 

a) Promote sustainable development through the provision of sound education, basic health care, food security, rapid industrial growth, adequate housing, full employment and the improvement of infrastructure and basic services;

b) Promote federalism and an equitable revenue sharing formula;

c) Promote the security of life, and property, and enhance family values;

d) Promote self-respect, self-reliance and human dignity;

e) Uphold the integrity and sovereignty of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as one united indivisible political entity;

f) Promote national integration and the peaceful co-existence of the diverse communities of our country;

g) Promote an egalitarian society founded on freedom, equality and justice.

h) Uphold the independence of the judiciary and the fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria;  

 

i) Promote learning and research in science and technology and the arts;

j) Assist in the just resolution of local and international disputes;

k) Support the struggle for the rights of children and the physically challenged; and

I) Advance the political, social, educational and economic interests of its members and act as the channel of communication between them, the government and other political parties or associations.

 

ASSESSMENT, CONCLUSION AND POINTER

My personal assessment of the above objectives is that they are noble and comprehensive enough to meet the developmental yearnings and aspirations of Nigeria and Nigerians.

I cannot help concluding that the problem of PDP is not with the Party; rather, the problem with the People who are now massively migrating to the bright alternative that APC tries to provide our dear country.

I equally cannot help concluding, as a pointer, that the same set of people that are destroying the PDP with all its apparently brilliant objectives can do same to any party.

RULING CLASS VERSUS RULING PROLES AND PROSTITUTES: LESSONS FROM THE ‘CONVERSION’ OF FIVE GOVERNORS TO APC

My less than a year old SERIOUS public concern has made me search seriously for the ROOT of Nigeria’s problem. The more I beam the search light the more I am close to concluding that the problem lies generally with the RULING PROLES AND PROSTITUTES that assume the enviable status of RULING CLASS in Nigeria.

SEPARATING THE WHEAT FROM THE CHAFF

The Ruling Class in serious countries is characterized by people with principles informed by considerably consistent ideology. Their loyalty is first and foremost to justifiable ideas and ideals. A good example of this could be seen in the doggedness of the echelons of Labour Party and Conservative Party in the UK as well as those of Republican and Democratic parties in the US. Stories of decamping are very rare there!

The recent event of the ‘conversion’ of 5 PDP governors to APC and the near unanimous CONSENT of political elements in the states is an indication to the ominous fact that RULING CLASS hardly exist in Nigeria. What we have in place is rather ruling proles and prostitutes. People I can best describe in Hausa as “‘YAN TANYA SHANU CIRI” or “’YAN AMSHIN SHATA” (Simply translated to English, yes men). I borrowed the term ‘proles’ from Orwell’s ‘Nineteen Eighty Four’ to describe these so called politicians. Read Orwell’s description of the attitude of proles verbatim:

“All that was required of them was a primitive patriotism which could be appealed to whenever it was necessary for them to accept longer working-hours or shorter rations. And even when they became discontented, as they sometimes did, their discontent led nowhere, because being without general ideas, they could only focus it on petty specific grievances. The larger evils invariably escaped their grievances” Orwell (1949) pg 55.

 BARRISTER MUNTARI SHAGARI: MAKING THE NECESSARY DIFFERENCE

Few days after the decamping of Sokoto State Governor to APC, his Deputy, Barrister Muntari Shehu Shagari organized a press conference in which he reiterated his loyalty to PDP.  The reason of this former Commissioner of Justice Sokoto State and one time Minister of Water Resources was that he was not consulted before making the decamping decision and the subsequent declaration that everyone has joined the band wagon (Kowa yabi in Hausa). In my view, this reason is valid enough for Barrister Shagari to decide the way he did.

I strongly believe that many other politicians were not ADEQUATELY consulted before the decamping mantra. I wonder how the major reason for being in a political party by influential people like Senators and National Assembly Members is that their Governor subscribes to the party!       

 I’m afraid, in Nigeria, shall a Governor convert faith (religion), he would be joined by many including the ruling proles!

POPULATION GROWTH AND QUALITY EDUCATION

 

With QUALITY EDUCATION, these are more of a RESOURCE than OIL. With POOR EDUCATION, they are more THREATENING than EARTHQUAKE!