OPINION: The past shouldnt be too distant. By Muhammed Abdullahi m.ilorin.info/fullnews.php?id=11521 Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. - Sir Winston Churchill Not too long ago, there was a man who was widely known to be the owner of Kwara, where he went, Kwara followed. A reporter said someone once asked him why Kwara people could be so daft to allow one man control their destiny. The reporter had no answer, because he did not know how the story began. That powerful man was the late Abubakar Olusola Saraki. The man who held Ilorin in his hands for decades. The man who had the keys to Kwara government House and gave them to whoever he wanted. The exceptionally powerful strongman of Kwara politics. But how did he got that humongous power? Saraki ran a thriving medical practice in Lagos and had little contact with Kwara. But being highly political, he decided to run for parliamentary election as an independent candidate in 1964. The people of his Constituency didnt know much about this young and handsome upcoming politician, as he then was. They never received much financial help from him. He was not known to share money or assisted the Constituency in any significant way. So the people voted against Olusola Saraki. Yes, Saraki loss his first election as a Politician, but he never lose the lessons that came with his defeat. Saraki returned to his medical practice in Lagos, only returning to party-politics in 1978/79. This time, he brought money and also brought the willingness to spend it for the people. He sunk boreholes and gave out money. He was spending and given to all, and everybody was merry like Christmas. That was how Saraki warmed himself into the hearts of the people and became a recurrent name in Kwara politics till date. Lets fastforward to 2003. Bukola Saraki wanted to contest against late Muhammed Alabi Lawal. And judging from experience, his father must have told him that election is an expensive business in Kwara, because many only want free cash and nothing more. Bukola, who before that time had little or no contact with Kwara, decided to give as much as the people wanted. He allegedly opened the vault of his fathers Societie Generale Bank and gave out money. He spent and spent, until the bank became empty. But Bukola got what he wanted. There was now power to recoup all that was spent before and during the election. From the two stories above, which incidentally happened to be that of a father and son, Kwara people eventually ended up the looser. They did not only regurgitate whatever they must have eaten, they even added extra. The son, Bukola Saraki, arguably is today the only governor of a poor State who is stinkingly rich. In fact, some say he is richer than Kwara and Kogi combined. But this did not have to be. Why have we continued to enthrone reapers in the garb of leaders? I believe that there is no other meaning of insanity than to do the same thing repeatedly and hope for a different outcome. Kwara people have suffered so much, simply because our forebears played a sort of cash and carry politics. Our ways are archaic and we must change. The only reason most political office holders are not performing is because we expect them to spend a lot of their personal and hard earned money before we recognise and vote for them. We expect someone who wants to contest election in 2015 to have started given since 2010. If they now get into office and refuse to do anything, we would turn around and start crying that we voted in vain. If I am bitter that in spite of their wealth, Sherif and his mother have not assisted many people in Ilorin, I would have expressed my reservation long before now. I cannot wait and pray that Sherif will nurture a political ambition so I will have the opportunity to ambush him. If Sherif had told me that all the assistance he rendered to anyone in Ilorin was so that he can one day come back to ask for votes in return, I wont spill a drop of my ink in his support. Do I want Sherif to help people, Yes. And I am glad that he told me those he assisted, and two of those people confirmed to me that they got their current jobs through him. I am satisfied. I want to befriend those who will help others, not necessarily because they are from Ilorin or because they want to build a philanthropic profile to leverage on and contest elections; but because they have believe in the universal nature of human race. Whoever Sherif has helped in his life, I am happy that person is a creation of Almighty Allah. Do I think people should give back to their community and State of birth? Absolutely. But either they choose to do the given before or during election doesnt matter. The important thing is that they give. Even if it is 10 people that Sherif has assisted in his life, the multiplier effect of that assistance would not ceased, whether or not Sherif becomes a member of House of Representatives. Abdulraheem Salman dished out some criticisms against my last piece on Sherif. Though I have continually admonished Salman to desist from criticising what he obviously doesnt understand, the young man appears to have crossed the rubicon - he can no longer be salvaged from getting consumed by a desire to reverse the progress of others. Yes, condemnation feels good and it is in fact becoming a staple of religion and politics, but people like Salman would do well to realise that this changes nothing. It is better to risk saving a guilty person than to condemn an innocent one. Sherif Shagaya (blessed as he is) may be guilty of not helping enough people, or even those Salman expects him to help, but my task is to assist him to do more for our people. This I am committed to do. Condemning him wont be of any value to those I want him or his mother to help. Like Dale Carnegie said, any fool can criticize, complain, and condemn�and most fools do. But it takes character and self-control to be understanding and to know that ultimately it is result that matters. If by supporting Sherif I can get him to get jobs for more people and physically empower them; I would have been a praise singer with a purpose. If he has done the little he can in his private capacity as an indigene of Kwara State, I believe being a member of House of Representatives would place an obligation on him to do even more. This is my belief. This is my conviction. But like Malcolm X said, Salman shouldnt condemn me ...because (I) dont do what he does or think as (he) think. There was a time I also didnt know the much I know about wealth and helping others. So Salmans ignorance is understandable. Was I playing to the gallery when I liking the perception Kwara electorate may have with the one Nigerian electorate had about Chief MKO Abiola. Not at all. Perhaps, Abdulraheem Salman is a new student in the class of those who study Abiolas history. Until few years ago, I have always written a memorial piece on June 12 of every year in honour of MKO. Alhaji Abdulrahman Abdulrauf, who is now Political editor of Blueprint Newspaper edited and published many of those Abiola article in his then Newspaper (National Pilot). So I know what I am saying when I made that comparison. I am not new to Abiolas life and his politics. Salman took offence with the fact that I was packaging Sherif to them as if he has gotten all he wanted in life and also insulting them by comparing the perception Abiola built up during his Hope 93 campaigns to the one Kwara voters may likely have about Shagaya. Well, I will do my best to tutor Salman on why that comparism was not a brainwash. When Abiola started his campaigns in 1993, the first impression created in the media was that of a very rich and comfortable man who will not need Nigerias oil money. Abiolas campaign strategists were able to get a section of the media to publish stories of Abiola given loan to the Nigerian government, just to convince the electorate that Abiola is even richer than Nigeria and so would not likely be a President that steals public money. And my comparism was that if Abiola got a sizeable percentage of votes because people believed he would not get into government to enrich himself, same is true for Sherif whose mother is also a millionaire in all currency. I have argued elsewhere that if Alhaji Sherif wants to steal, then he shouldnt be vying for House of Representatives but governorship. If the belief that being rich does not guarantee that one will not steal public money is an issue that needs public debate, then so be it. But my comparism was valid. Again, this same Salman wrote the other day celebrating the lifetime achievements of the faces they know in Kwara politics, challenging me to make public the profile of Hajia Bola Shagaya (my supposed pen hirer). But suddenly in his latest epistle, Salman no longer found the profile of 34 year old Sherif who controls over 10 Companies tempting enough. In fact, Salman now considers such achievements has vanity, hence he lectures us that everything in life is now vanity upon vanity. Really? If like me, Salman truly believes that it is only Allah that gives Power to whoever He so desires, then dear Salman, there is no point to stand in judgement of whose political aspiration is a vexatious acts of selfishness, ego and desperado. Let Gods will be done. Finally, I will like to share with Salman the one billion dollar advice of Robin Sharma in his book, THE LEADER WHO HAD NO TITLE. Sharma wrote that to be a great leader, one must first become a great person. Alhaji Sherif Shagaya is already a great young man, whether or not he wins elections to be in the House of Representatives. For me, I am impressed by his business acumen, and I also know that he wouldnt have succeeded in business if he is not a great person who first led himself well before seeking to lead others. I am proud to sing the praises of a young man of just 34 who has attained what most people in their 50s can only dream of. I know you will always say that he succeeds because his mother is rich, but I tell you that is just an excuse. There are many children of the rich whose only pastime is smoking shisha and cocaine. Sherifs life is an inspiration, and I hope people like you will imbibe the lesson. Abdullahi writes from Abuja - See more at: m.ilorin.info/fullnews.php?id=11521
Posted on: Fri, 05 Sep 2014 18:27:42 +0000
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