Reclaiming Kano Politics

Also Published in DAILY TRUST

 

Being the economic heartbeat of northern Nigeria notwithstanding its dwindling fortunes, Kano represents a typical case reflecting the challenges of the entire region and its potential as well. Therefore taking it as a case study in analyzing the region’s woes would provide all necessary elements to precisely identify the causes of the region’s challenges. Hence, restoring its hard-earned but lost glory will definitely inspire the region as a whole.

By the way, that glory was indeed hard-earned because so many people had in the process of struggle to achieve it paid dearly for their insistence on their quest for freedom and dignity, and also for their resilience in the face of a cruel systematic oppression, persecution and abuse of their fundamental human rights.

Anyway, since the possibility of achieving this goal depends entirely on the quality of political leadership in the state, it is imperative to examine its politics accordingly. Incidentally, Kano used to be the nerve centre of civilized politics thanks to the progressive activities largely pioneered and sustained by NEPU and later PRP- led mass mobilization campaign, which - to a great extent- emancipated the masses from the oppressive and suppressive hands of the feudal establishments and created sense of entitlement to personal freedom and dignity amongst the ordinary Kanawa.

However, unfortunately that hard-earned achievement was subsequently taken for granted by the masses, neglected and abused by the successive generations of political elites, which led to a gradual but steady erosion of political values over the decades and eventually grounded the state in its present  political mess, which by the way is too uncivilized even in Nigerian standard.

Granted Kano’s plight reflects the general political decay and leadership failure in the whole of Nigeria, however its peculiar condition is much more frustrating indeed considering the level of political sophistication it had achieved in the past.

Interestingly, out of nostalgia inherent in staying far away from home, and thanks to the Internet technology, I sometimes follow some audio political programs and debates from a popular radio station in Kano. From the utterances of most of the people interviewed in such programs, who by the way parade themselves as politicians, it is quite clear that, politics in the state have been hijacked by largely barely literate people and political touts posing as political analysts, commentators and stakeholders.

The sheer naivety, short-sightedness and emotions that characterize their analyses and comments make me wonder if such people are really politicians or are simply settling their personal scores under the pretext of politics and at the expense of the state’s strategic interests.

They have descended too low and by implication dragged with them the state’s politics to such uncivilized and ridiculous level where they literally trade abuses and front for their respective so-called political godfathers in their (godfathers’) proxy political wars against one another.

Perhaps it is such level of mess that makes the state’s most resourceful talents and competent professionals shy away from publicly addressing strategic statecraft and political issues lest any Dick or Harry takes that as a pretext to abuse their hard-earned dignity.

Consequently, a typical politician in the state nowadays is too clueless as regards the essence of politics let alone leadership. Hence having no definite manifesto, implementation strategy and indeed a real political will, he simply seeks to sell himself to the public by showing up punctually at wedding, naming, funeral or other similar occasions, or by associating himself and claiming loyalty to a particular religious group or feudal institution.

Since the country’s return to “democracy” in 1999, the current generation of politicians has been alternating in running the state under particularly the two dominant political parties’ platforms, and in various positions including the governorship. And it is obvious that neither of the two governors who have ruled the state since then is competent enough to govern in the first place.

This explains why, in their bid to cover up their incompetence they managed to divert public focus from issue-based politics into person-based politics, thereby reducing public issues into mere personal issues and squeezing political discussions within the narrow spaces of their own personal interests.

As a result of that, political opposition and loyalty are now determined by one’s allegiance and/or opposition to some individuals particularly the incumbent governor Kwankwaso and his predecessor Shekarau, thereby reducing the state into a mere wrestling ring between the two.

And worse still is how this bad phenomenon is gaining ground and gradually doing away with the state’s legacy of civilized politics, which used to focus mainly on issues. Anyway, the consequences of this decline are pretty obvious, which I also highlighted last year in this column under the title “Kano’s Empty Pride” (Daily Trust 12 August 2011).

I therefore implore those patriotic, progressive and competent Kanawa of various professional, academic and business affiliations to work out the best possible strategies to engage in the state’s politics with a view to rescuing the state from such clueless people posing as politicians. There is no better time to start it than now particularly in view of the unpredictability of the country’s political fate as a whole.

Kano seriously needs true visionary leaders not mere “administrators”. It needs high quality leaders who are competent enough to draw realistic strategic developmental plans and execution road maps in all aspects. It needs those who have the necessary expertise and talent to look beyond the so-called monthly statutory allocation, think outside the box and draw effective policies capable of affecting a comprehensive and sustainable development in the state.

It needs highly enlightened leaders who are in perfect tune with material modernity to provide the required leadership, which will attract foreign investments to transform the state and wean it off the so-called monthly statutory allocation, for which it and its likes are constantly- and to a large extent rightly- ridiculed as parasites.

This is the only way how their largely empty claim of adherence to Shari’a can actually address the challenges that bedevil the state. After all, in the modern age, no amount of systematic campaign of moral and attitudinal reform can succeed if the targeted people do not have confidence in their leaders. And leaders nowadays only command that popular confidence mostly according to the extent of their concrete achievements in affecting positive material changes to the lives of their people.