Kawu, Saraki and Kwara politics BY ABDULKADIR ALABI Among the literary creatures of Ilorin emirate, my brother, Ishaq Moddibo Kawu stands tall in the contemporary generation and he has never hidden that fact and the privileges it attracts. I think one of such privileges was the opportunity he had to speak to some members of the PDP as he recalled in his latest literary production in the Vanguard newspaper. Of course as one of the leaders in the media industry he has a veritable platform to process his thoughts for consumption. That is why reading through that piece, like many others in the recent past, on rebranding Kwara according to his dream and that of some leaders of the PDP, one is left with no other conclusion other than that he had allowed what is now very clear as personal hatred of an individual to blot the edge of his pen. But upon all the literary assault unleashed upon the person of Senator Bukola Saraki and the incumbent government of Kwara State, it is clear that Modibo has failed the test of a true critic. A sincere critic will look at issues dispassionately, not allowing personal biases becloud his sense of judgment because he knows that many would use his conclusions as basis for further judgment and might be unwittingly misled if the critic had thrown away the garb of the impassionate observer and don the cap of I-am-one-of-them participant. I was bewildered when I read from someone with the literary pedigree of a Moddibo Kawu that allowing private investors to undertake businesses in the state where public ownership had proved unfruitful is misgovernance or illegal. Kawu, in basic economics, I was taught that government has no business in business, or have you forgotten that elementary principle of economics? Or was that not the basis for setting up the Bureau of Public Enterprise by the Federal Government, to transfer moribund and unprofitable public enterprises to private investors who can then manage them and bring profit to government? This is why I believe the government rightly transfered the management of the diagnostic centre for proper social and professional management while retaining ownership. It is easy for Moddibo to dismiss the relevance of the Harmony Advanced Medical Diagnostic Centre since he can afford the luxury of traveling abroad for medical examination but not the like of Abdullah Abdulganiyu whose detection of stones saved him from early death. Abdullah had suffered all weekend from what he assumed to be food poisoning. A timely scan at the Diagnostic Centre revealed he had kidney stones which were flushed out during a procedure at the centre. When a visiting foreign radiologist saw the films produced at the centre, his astonished response said it all: “These are beautiful pictures. They must have used the most current CTs”. It is of course easy for a critic of Kawu’s acknowledged political bias to see nothing good in the establishment of the International Aviation College. But I am sure in his heart, when he was stabbing his keyboard to write that piece, he must have struggled hard to convince himself it was a necessary job; particularly at this time when the most convenient political decision anyone can make is to side with Aso Rock. But Kawu, the impact of having the aviation college, solely owned by the state government (to correct your deliberate distortion that it belongs to private investor) in Ilorin cannot be overestimated. Apart from providing jobs for some indigenes of the state, it has added to the social and economic influence of the state. Khadijat Adigun who got her life time ambition fulfilled as the first female pilot from the state will definitely not agree with your skewed position on the college. Other trained pilots from the state now in the fleets of both local and international airlines will spit at your opinion. Just like the Shonga Farms, jointly owed by the state government, the farmers and the consortium of Banks, which you equally disparaged and threw away with the wave of the hand in that speech. I am sure there were applause for those statements. Yes, you deserve the applause for you were in the midst of men and women whose only goal now is to bring Bukola Saraki down. And his offences are very well known: he has refused to side with those who believe they should be the only ones he would, to borrow from your words, Kawu, “cycle, recycle, rehabilitate” etc. But Saraki has made local government chairmen, Hon. Members of state and national assemblies, Senators and Governors from children of those who hitherto were followers and watchers of those of you who had the privilege of coming from “renowned” and “well-to-do” families. To you and your new comrades, we should continue to be second class citizens. God forbid. Sir, I think that if you have any grievances with the way Saraki ran the state in eight years there are legal avenues to tackle him which, I am sure you are aware, people opposed to him have tried severally. And if they have not succeeded in almost 12 years, that should tell us there is something wrong with them or their approach. As an observer, I don’t think the problem is with their approach; rather I think the problem has to do with their persons; their inner beings and what is actually pushing them to seek a Bukola downfall. I think they actually want to be like Bukola; they want to be called Leader, even if they have not done anything to justify that appellation. It is an inner dream being covered with the cloak of criticism against the man Bukola. And seeing that they could not achieve that aim after the demise of his father, the next most convenient thing is to descend on the son and seek to destroy him. If not sir, why would anyone claim Bukola has done nothing, first for Ilorin and then for Kwara state? Kwara State University is nothing? Ilesha-Kosubosu Road which the then federal government promised to do when Bukola was a toddler but refused to do until the then toddler came to the throne and did is nothing? Putting Professor Shuaib Oba in the Federal Character Commission is nothing? Was it wrong of him to have insisted in 2011 that fielding another candidate from his family to succeed him was unreasonable; that it would expose the state and the family name to ridicule? Kawu, do you sincerely believe yourself when you wrote on that aspect too? Do you believe it is right? As a social critic, would you have applauded that choice? So it was wrong when in 1999 Nigerian political leaders agreed to allow the South-west to produce the then president to assuage the feeling of alienation the region had suffered over the years? I think the majority of those who gave you that assignment, Sir, are not comfortable with Bukola calling the shots because they believe they also have what it takes to call the shots. But I dare to say they are far from being qualified. If Bukola is leader today, was it his making? His father had many notable contemporaries in the field of politics but Kawu, sincerely in your heart, who among them could do what he did and did for Kwara until his death? Is this the first time to have a political hegemony? What beclouded your sense of history? You are well read Kawu, please always review your speeches before going viral with them. Otherwise, a piece like the one in reference has done great damage to your reputation among some of us who used to look up to you. People now say you vowed to bring Bukola down because he has offended you. Haba! Have you forgotten the teaching of the holy Qur’an? Even in this holy month of Ramadan? If the path you have chosen for yourself is vengeance, please separate it from Kwara State’s liberation
Posted on: Mon, 21 Jul 2014 22:10:36 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015