His Excellency Dr. Ibrahim Shehu Shema CON, fnim. Executive and extra ordinary Governor of Katsina State. Shema Initiative Network (SHINE): Setting Agenda for Dialogue on Development for sustainable Katsina State. It was Madiba himself, the very highly venerated Nelson Mandela, who famously declared that the story of his life was no more than that of “an ordinary man who had become a leader because of extraordinary circumstances”. In more ways than the obvious parallel in their remarkable rise to leadership, history has surely reenacted one of the world’s most extraordinary political phenomenon in the life and time of Katsina States current leader, Governor Ibrahim Shema. Whatever the complexion of our ideology or composition of our creed, whatever the particulars of our heritage, our tongue or tribe, it is impossible to deny that there are few events in the history of our dear State, that has embodied the story of first, our predestination, then our resilience and now our regeneration than the governance of Katsina States current Governor. For us at the Shema Network initiative (SHINE), we are greatly humbled to be able to share in the privilege of not only telling the story, but being part of story of a truly transformational moment in our history. In keeping with our core philosophy, the Shema Network Initiative (SHINE) has initiated a public discourse series that aims to put the agenda firmly in the hands of the people who are not only key stakeholders but also the raison d’être in the democratic project. As a team of young professionals committed to the mobilization of communities for effective governance and the transformation of society, our organization believes that political party mobilization can be a potent instrument for harmonizing the process of politics with the aspiration of the citizen. We provide a forum for synergetic interaction between the citizen-voter and the political aspirant. As products of our generation, we are both concerned and motivated by the desperate urgency of an institutional platform for continuing political negotiation between the people and political leadership. In this objective, our focus is three dimensional. While we recognize that elections are an integral instrument in the practice of democracy, we also realize that on either side of every election season is the politics (mobilization and negotiation) and policy (social development). One is the essence, the former is the precedence. Achieving a positive outcome for politics and realizing the ultimate goal of democracy entails seamless and mutually reinforcing interaction between and among these main phases of the democratic process. For us, this is development politicking. While we hold tenaciously to the philosophy that identifies social development as the essence of democracy, the essence of politics and that of elections, we recognize that we are currently in the season of elections and one which presents perhaps the greatest test yet to the development of our not so nascent democracy as well as the fate of the Katsina State project. It is thus both a destiny determining and an epoch defining one for our State. In our assessment of what the next election means for the future of Katsina State and the social and economic fortunes of its citizens, we are focusing as much on our challenges as the opportunities for development and sustainable democracy. In terms of tangible deliverables, our empirical study on the impact of governance on lives and livelihood of rural populations has shown measurable progress in key sectors of the economy that we consider critical to the social and economic development of our State. However, our brand of pragmatic politics points us more in the direction of tasks than the accomplishments of the present administration. Hence our primary focuses on the current challenges to our state development, chief among which is the current unemployment in the State. But then, H.E Governor Shema has provided loan to the small scale businesses to tackle the rate of unemployment, poverty and thus, the Shema Youth craft is also established for the purposes of trained our future leaders, youth what theyre capable to do. we do not share the illusion of convenient diagnosing and simple remedies. We believe that such challenges as the unemployment can only be effectively diagnosed within the larger context of the social and economic conditions engendered by decades of neglect of the more vulnerable segment of society. It is precisely why we see the solutions more in the domain of deliberate human development strategies, particularly in the pivotal sectors of agriculture and functional education. In our empirical study referred to previously in this article, we found significant progress in both state funding and, consequently, the productivity of agriculture, particularly in rural agriculture. Incidentally, it is a sector that caters for about 56% of our states population. Our findings, without doubt, is significant both in terms current subsistence objectives and longer term poverty and inequality goals. Progress on literacy enhancing policies have not been as dramatic but current level of investment is heartwarming. As practitioners in social development policymaking, we realize that the gestation period for literacy enhancing policies is understandably longer than most other sectors, hence the noticeable disparity between the current outcome of spending on agriculture and education. In subsequent publications, detailed analysis of these findings will be discussed along with performance in other sectors of the economy. We commend and actively support these very auspicious indicators and what they entail for sustainable peace and development of Katsina State. We recognize the long term implications of effective human development policymaking, particularly in the Funtua zone but more generally in parts of Katsina. In terms of our active support for the Gubernatorial Candidate Eng. Musa Nashuni and his achievements in the critical sectors (human empowerment e.g Paint and chalk cottage, Kankara kaolin, and Fertilizer company in Danja Local Government and Faskari Local Government among others). We conduct grassroots mobilization of the core of Katsina States 4 million population and to provide a platform for them to tell their story the way only they could tell it. It is also a platform for them to present and convey their challenges and expectations in a way that keeps political actors in a democracy in touch with the essence of democracy – that is the people. As members of a political party i.e. the People’s Democratic Party, yes, our brand is definitely politics but our niche is deliberately development politics. As a group of young professionals committed to positive and progressive politics, our support for the Governor Shema and his administration proceeds from a purely scientific premise that places current indicators side by side with relevant precedents. Our methodology is also reinforced by the gut feeling that we are at a truly providential moment in our history as a nation. It is certainly not by chance that we both turned the century in our existence as a nation, and the half century since our political independence under one sitting president. Added to Mr. President’s undeniably fated journey to the leadership of our country, this holds great significance for our collective destiny. Our commitment to the current political project is therefore rich in both measurable substance and positive symbolism. Our dialogue series which commences on the 4th of December is aimed at promoting a legacy for sustainable democracy, peaceful coexistence and transformation of Katsina State. As indicated earlier, our model is built around a feedback mechanism which allows the people to tell their own story more resoundingly, especially in a season where partisan politics create little room for honest engagement and gives little voice to the grassroots people. Ultimately, we are committed to encouraging not just political participation but to elevate political participation beyond partisanship and beyond the election season.
Posted on: Tue, 06 Jan 2015 22:52:03 +0000
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