By Nasiru L. Abubakar
At the 2nd annual Ramadan lecture jointly organised by the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) Kaduna and Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) Kaduna , I had the opportunity of studying Dr. Ahmad Gumi more closely. And that is not to say I have never met him before. In fact, I had even interviewed him once at the residence of his late father, Sheikh Abubakar Mahmud Gumi. I have also had several other opportunities of listening to him, either directly or via mass media channels, conducting public lectures, Qur’anic commentary (tafsir) and so on.
My aim in this piece is not to pass judgement on what the Islamic scholar (even though respected writers like Adamu Adamu will rather call him a mere Ramadan preacher!) said concerning Buhari’s ongoing case before the Presidential Election Tribunal. No! What I intend to do here is to try to explain to Dr. Ahmad the workings of the mind of the average Nigerian politician. This I believe will give Gumi the opportunity to re-examine his stance about the nation’s politics.
Speaking at the said lecture titled “Leadership challenges: The Muslim perspective”, Dr Ahmad jokingly said, for the fact that he was born on the day Nigeria had its independence (October 1, 1960), he considers himself independent. The independence he said, included freedom of speech and his decision to start by recognising the presence of the Sultan of Sokoto, Sultan Sa’ad ahead of the Kaduna State governor in order of protocol. Nobody seemed to care, for the gathering was a religious one, and since the Sultan is seen as the spiritual leader of the Muslim ummah, he couldn’t be faulted.
Gumi used the lecture as an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. i.e. called for Muslim unity – which he said was paramount – on one hand, and expatiate his position on the petition instituted by General Buhari and Atiku Abubakar, even though he avoided mentioning the name of either of them. This perhaps might not be unconnected with the criticisms his interview with Weekly Trust (September15 2007) on the same issue drew.
In any case, Dr. Gumi appears not to bother with those criticisms, negative as they are. For if he does, he would have let the matter to die down, even if slowly. Indeed, if you happen to be among the regular listeners of the tafsir session being conducted by the scholar, you will realise that hardly a verse passes without him hammering on the need for Muslims to support this administration (Yar’Adua’s that is) as a basis for unity of the Muslim ummah and peaceful coexistence among citizens. He is passionate on everything he believes in, and this may be one of his weaknesses as a human being.
According to Dr Gumi, there is the need to support the present government which has, in an attempt to build structures needed for free and fair election, set up an electoral reform panel. The problems associated with the last flawed elections, he said, were due to absence of structures that will make rigging impossible. And since the government has agreed to put these structures, it is a religious duty to support him.
Gumi seems to trust the Nigerian politician, and this is perhaps where the scholar gets it wrong on the Nigerian politician – Yar’Adua inclusive. Temporarily set aside Yar’Adua’s claim to being a servant leader, Nigerian politicians are in politics purely for business and not for service. And if the price is right, everything is possible. They are experts in the art of double speaking, perhaps to a professorial level.
Agreed, the system we are operating may not be a perfect (by the way, can any human endeavour be perfect?) one, but it has never been our major problem. Our problem has always been the politician himself, spurred on by the docility of the people to protect their votes. It is the politician that needs to be reformed, urgently and in totality too. (I hope members of the Justice Lawal Uwais panel are listening).
Carefully study this scenario: the country has a supposedly Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in place, we have the Electoral Act, law courts, the Police and other security agents. All these were on ground when the 2007 elections took place, but the politicians occupying positions of power will never allow them do their job. Because if they do, that would mean the beginning of their (politicians’) journey to irrelevance.
In any case, of what relevance will these structures be when politicians have only their interest, and not that of the people, at heart? Politicians know that if they can hire the best thugs, kill those considered as obstructions to success, and rig elections successfully, that will be it. This is so because your opponent is very much ready to jettison those that voted for him (with some losing their lives in the process) and abandon the struggle once he is offered some juicy positions or two. The politician aware of this anomaly will forever resort to killing, rigging and all forms of malpractices to get the power. The settlement can be done after he is sworn in.
Then consider a situation where all the above mentioned agencies are allowed to their job, and politicians pursue their rights to the latter, and in the process, some two or three governors have their victories reversed. The politician will be forced to have a rethink about engaging in these vices, spending money only for him to be recalled, and his ‘investments’ gone. Who will want to part with his money in return for nothing? Not even an armed robber will want to do that I believe.
Gumi should therefore support all those who are currently at the tribunals demanding justice. He should also encourage the judiciary to do their work without fear or favour and remind them of the penalties that await them in the hereafter should legalise an outright illegality. This is all the country needs to return to sanity as far as organising credible elections are concerned. You can have the best structures in the world, but as long as the Nigerian politician remains what he is, yesterday can only be better than today, and today better that tomorrow.
Abubakar is a journalist based in Abuja . naslawal@yahoo.com
Note: This piece was published in the Daily Trust and posted on Gamji.com
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Between Gumi and Nigerian politicians
By Nasiru L. Abubakar
At the 2nd annual Ramadan lecture jointly organised by the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) Kaduna and Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) Kaduna , I had the opportunity of studying Dr. Ahmad Gumi more closely. And that is not to say I have never met him before. In fact, I had even interviewed him once at the residence of his late father, Sheikh Abubakar Mahmud Gumi. I have also had several other opportunities of listening to him, either directly or via mass media channels, conducting public lectures, Qur’anic commentary (tafsir) and so on.
My aim in this piece is not to pass judgement on what the Islamic scholar (even though respected writers like Adamu Adamu will rather call him a mere Ramadan preacher!) said concerning Buhari’s ongoing case before the Presidential Election Tribunal. No! What I intend to do here is to try to explain to Dr. Ahmad the workings of the mind of the average Nigerian politician. This I believe will give Gumi the opportunity to re-examine his stance about the nation’s politics.
Speaking at the said lecture titled “Leadership challenges: The Muslim perspective”, Dr Ahmad jokingly said, for the fact that he was born on the day Nigeria had its independence (October 1, 1960), he considers himself independent. The independence he said, included freedom of speech and his decision to start by recognising the presence of the Sultan of Sokoto, Sultan Sa’ad ahead of the Kaduna State governor in order of protocol. Nobody seemed to care, for the gathering was a religious one, and since the Sultan is seen as the spiritual leader of the Muslim ummah, he couldn’t be faulted.
Gumi used the lecture as an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. i.e. called for Muslim unity – which he said was paramount – on one hand, and expatiate his position on the petition instituted by General Buhari and Atiku Abubakar, even though he avoided mentioning the name of either of them. This perhaps might not be unconnected with the criticisms his interview with Weekly Trust (September15 2007) on the same issue drew.
In any case, Dr. Gumi appears not to bother with those criticisms, negative as they are. For if he does, he would have let the matter to die down, even if slowly. Indeed, if you happen to be among the regular listeners of the tafsir session being conducted by the scholar, you will realise that hardly a verse passes without him hammering on the need for Muslims to support this administration (Yar’Adua’s that is) as a basis for unity of the Muslim ummah and peaceful coexistence among citizens. He is passionate on everything he believes in, and this may be one of his weaknesses as a human being.
According to Dr Gumi, there is the need to support the present government which has, in an attempt to build structures needed for free and fair election, set up an electoral reform panel. The problems associated with the last flawed elections, he said, were due to absence of structures that will make rigging impossible. And since the government has agreed to put these structures, it is a religious duty to support him.
Gumi seems to trust the Nigerian politician, and this is perhaps where the scholar gets it wrong on the Nigerian politician – Yar’Adua inclusive. Temporarily set aside Yar’Adua’s claim to being a servant leader, Nigerian politicians are in politics purely for business and not for service. And if the price is right, everything is possible. They are experts in the art of double speaking, perhaps to a professorial level.
Agreed, the system we are operating may not be a perfect (by the way, can any human endeavour be perfect?) one, but it has never been our major problem. Our problem has always been the politician himself, spurred on by the docility of the people to protect their votes. It is the politician that needs to be reformed, urgently and in totality too. (I hope members of the Justice Lawal Uwais panel are listening).
Carefully study this scenario: the country has a supposedly Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in place, we have the Electoral Act, law courts, the Police and other security agents. All these were on ground when the 2007 elections took place, but the politicians occupying positions of power will never allow them do their job. Because if they do, that would mean the beginning of their (politicians’) journey to irrelevance.
In any case, of what relevance will these structures be when politicians have only their interest, and not that of the people, at heart? Politicians know that if they can hire the best thugs, kill those considered as obstructions to success, and rig elections successfully, that will be it. This is so because your opponent is very much ready to jettison those that voted for him (with some losing their lives in the process) and abandon the struggle once he is offered some juicy positions or two. The politician aware of this anomaly will forever resort to killing, rigging and all forms of malpractices to get the power. The settlement can be done after he is sworn in.
Then consider a situation where all the above mentioned agencies are allowed to their job, and politicians pursue their rights to the latter, and in the process, some two or three governors have their victories reversed. The politician will be forced to have a rethink about engaging in these vices, spending money only for him to be recalled, and his ‘investments’ gone. Who will want to part with his money in return for nothing? Not even an armed robber will want to do that I believe.
Gumi should therefore support all those who are currently at the tribunals demanding justice. He should also encourage the judiciary to do their work without fear or favour and remind them of the penalties that await them in the hereafter should legalise an outright illegality. This is all the country needs to return to sanity as far as organising credible elections are concerned. You can have the best structures in the world, but as long as the Nigerian politician remains what he is, yesterday can only be better than today, and today better that tomorrow.
Abubakar is a journalist based in Abuja . naslawal@yahoo.com
Note: This piece was published in the Daily Trust and posted on Gamji.com
At the 2nd annual Ramadan lecture jointly organised by the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) Kaduna and Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) Kaduna , I had the opportunity of studying Dr. Ahmad Gumi more closely. And that is not to say I have never met him before. In fact, I had even interviewed him once at the residence of his late father, Sheikh Abubakar Mahmud Gumi. I have also had several other opportunities of listening to him, either directly or via mass media channels, conducting public lectures, Qur’anic commentary (tafsir) and so on.
My aim in this piece is not to pass judgement on what the Islamic scholar (even though respected writers like Adamu Adamu will rather call him a mere Ramadan preacher!) said concerning Buhari’s ongoing case before the Presidential Election Tribunal. No! What I intend to do here is to try to explain to Dr. Ahmad the workings of the mind of the average Nigerian politician. This I believe will give Gumi the opportunity to re-examine his stance about the nation’s politics.
Speaking at the said lecture titled “Leadership challenges: The Muslim perspective”, Dr Ahmad jokingly said, for the fact that he was born on the day Nigeria had its independence (October 1, 1960), he considers himself independent. The independence he said, included freedom of speech and his decision to start by recognising the presence of the Sultan of Sokoto, Sultan Sa’ad ahead of the Kaduna State governor in order of protocol. Nobody seemed to care, for the gathering was a religious one, and since the Sultan is seen as the spiritual leader of the Muslim ummah, he couldn’t be faulted.
Gumi used the lecture as an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. i.e. called for Muslim unity – which he said was paramount – on one hand, and expatiate his position on the petition instituted by General Buhari and Atiku Abubakar, even though he avoided mentioning the name of either of them. This perhaps might not be unconnected with the criticisms his interview with Weekly Trust (September15 2007) on the same issue drew.
In any case, Dr. Gumi appears not to bother with those criticisms, negative as they are. For if he does, he would have let the matter to die down, even if slowly. Indeed, if you happen to be among the regular listeners of the tafsir session being conducted by the scholar, you will realise that hardly a verse passes without him hammering on the need for Muslims to support this administration (Yar’Adua’s that is) as a basis for unity of the Muslim ummah and peaceful coexistence among citizens. He is passionate on everything he believes in, and this may be one of his weaknesses as a human being.
According to Dr Gumi, there is the need to support the present government which has, in an attempt to build structures needed for free and fair election, set up an electoral reform panel. The problems associated with the last flawed elections, he said, were due to absence of structures that will make rigging impossible. And since the government has agreed to put these structures, it is a religious duty to support him.
Gumi seems to trust the Nigerian politician, and this is perhaps where the scholar gets it wrong on the Nigerian politician – Yar’Adua inclusive. Temporarily set aside Yar’Adua’s claim to being a servant leader, Nigerian politicians are in politics purely for business and not for service. And if the price is right, everything is possible. They are experts in the art of double speaking, perhaps to a professorial level.
Agreed, the system we are operating may not be a perfect (by the way, can any human endeavour be perfect?) one, but it has never been our major problem. Our problem has always been the politician himself, spurred on by the docility of the people to protect their votes. It is the politician that needs to be reformed, urgently and in totality too. (I hope members of the Justice Lawal Uwais panel are listening).
Carefully study this scenario: the country has a supposedly Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in place, we have the Electoral Act, law courts, the Police and other security agents. All these were on ground when the 2007 elections took place, but the politicians occupying positions of power will never allow them do their job. Because if they do, that would mean the beginning of their (politicians’) journey to irrelevance.
In any case, of what relevance will these structures be when politicians have only their interest, and not that of the people, at heart? Politicians know that if they can hire the best thugs, kill those considered as obstructions to success, and rig elections successfully, that will be it. This is so because your opponent is very much ready to jettison those that voted for him (with some losing their lives in the process) and abandon the struggle once he is offered some juicy positions or two. The politician aware of this anomaly will forever resort to killing, rigging and all forms of malpractices to get the power. The settlement can be done after he is sworn in.
Then consider a situation where all the above mentioned agencies are allowed to their job, and politicians pursue their rights to the latter, and in the process, some two or three governors have their victories reversed. The politician will be forced to have a rethink about engaging in these vices, spending money only for him to be recalled, and his ‘investments’ gone. Who will want to part with his money in return for nothing? Not even an armed robber will want to do that I believe.
Gumi should therefore support all those who are currently at the tribunals demanding justice. He should also encourage the judiciary to do their work without fear or favour and remind them of the penalties that await them in the hereafter should legalise an outright illegality. This is all the country needs to return to sanity as far as organising credible elections are concerned. You can have the best structures in the world, but as long as the Nigerian politician remains what he is, yesterday can only be better than today, and today better that tomorrow.
Abubakar is a journalist based in Abuja . naslawal@yahoo.com
Note: This piece was published in the Daily Trust and posted on Gamji.com
Enter Senator Kanti Bello's Shop!
By Nasiru L. Abubakar
Senator Mahmud Kanti Bello is slowly and steadily living up to his name- Kanti. For those who don’t understand the Hausa language, the word ‘Kanti’ simply means a shop. Now don’t tell me you don’t know what a shop stands for. But in case you need a reminder, it is a place you can get to buy anything- as long as you have the money- since a shop is always opened for business. Sometimes you wonder how some people perfectly fit their names.
If you are wondering I will go to this extent in describing a Nigerian Senator, who supposedly should bear ‘distinguish’ to his name, please indulge me, perhaps till the end of this article. Maybe then you would get the …
For starters, Senator Kanti Bello got to the Senate under the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP) platform. In April 2004, local government elections were held in Katsina in which Governor Umaru Musa in connivance with then state INEC commissioner returned PDP candidates as winners. Shortly after the results were announced, Kanti and his party the ANPP cried foul. Indeed Kanti told the press that (let me quote him): "My local government was split into two my own local government where I came from that is Ingawa election was not held, the state government said there was no security. The following week about six thousand PDP thugs and three thousand policemen were brought to Ingawa and result was declared without election."
He also accused the police in Katsina for descending so low as to be used by the Katsina state government in the then local government elections and noted that the results were declared against the wishes of the people.
At another press interview on the same election, he said and I quote: “What Umaru (referring to the Katsina State governor) and Bawale Bala (INEC boss) are telling me is that I am not capable of winning even a councilor seat in my constituency. Thank God I am wise enough not to accept stupidity.”
Now the game has changed, Kanti is no longer selling ANPP wares, perhaps because they are not bringing good returns - no shop owner can remain in business without returns. He now deals in PDP which is notorious for selling contraband and smuggled wares. And because the goods are smuggled, the party is ready to give him loans without any collateral.
Today, Yar’Adua has integrity, he is a good man and a true democrat who respects the wishes of his people.
Surprisingly, when he left the ANPP, they didn’t complain because according to them the man has no credible customers. If you ask the senator why he had to leave the party that gave him his senatorial seat, he would say it was due to disagreement with Buhari. But we all know that before leaving the ANPP he wanted to kill the party in Katsina by saying they have suspended Buhari but their decision was quashed by the national headquarters of the party. So as a political
orphan, he seems to have found solace from a barren mother- the PDP.
Believing that the same Umaru, who couldn’t deny him victory in 2003 due to Buhari’s mass appeal, can now guarantee it (?), Kanti Bello is singing a different tune. According to him, former Head of State and presidential candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), General Muhammadu Buhari does not pose any threat to Yar’Adua- the same Yar’Adua that he accused of undemocratic traits in the past.
Kanti told a national daily that Buhari had two major defects, namely, injustice and inability to listen to the other side once he has taken a position on issues, adding that it would be dangerous for the nation if Nigerians elect him as president.
These defects of Buhari are the strong points of the PDP presidential candidate, Yar’Adua. Haba, Kanti Bello? Please ask Speaker Masari and Magaji Mohammed if Yar’Adua listens.
Again, can anyone compare Yar’Adua’s acceptability to that of Buhari? Is it the Yar’Adua that couldn’t face his colleagues in fair contest even with the president’s backing? Haba Kanti what you have may be a harmless product but it is hardly saleable.
If Senator Kanti Bello has forgotten his past comments on Yar’Adua and the PDP simply because he wants to return to the senate, I want to tell him that there are many of us out there who have not forgotten, and will not forget since they are well documented in the papers. I will not talk about the good things he said about Buhari because he may deny saying them, but they are also documented for posterity.
Kanti Bello’s recent political summersaults have exposed him for what he truly is. At least, with these developments, the people of Katsina, Yar’Adua inclusive now know that the man has a price. And with his Kanti wide open, smugglers and those involved in illegal businesses now have a worthy business partner. I will also advice Nigerians to visit Kanti Bello’s shop, see the products- Nigeria: Yar’Adua; Katsina: Shema and Daura Senatorial Zone: himself- he has and decide whether they are the best in the market.
Nasiru L. Abubakar lives in Kaduna.
Senator Mahmud Kanti Bello is slowly and steadily living up to his name- Kanti. For those who don’t understand the Hausa language, the word ‘Kanti’ simply means a shop. Now don’t tell me you don’t know what a shop stands for. But in case you need a reminder, it is a place you can get to buy anything- as long as you have the money- since a shop is always opened for business. Sometimes you wonder how some people perfectly fit their names.
If you are wondering I will go to this extent in describing a Nigerian Senator, who supposedly should bear ‘distinguish’ to his name, please indulge me, perhaps till the end of this article. Maybe then you would get the …
For starters, Senator Kanti Bello got to the Senate under the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP) platform. In April 2004, local government elections were held in Katsina in which Governor Umaru Musa in connivance with then state INEC commissioner returned PDP candidates as winners. Shortly after the results were announced, Kanti and his party the ANPP cried foul. Indeed Kanti told the press that (let me quote him): "My local government was split into two my own local government where I came from that is Ingawa election was not held, the state government said there was no security. The following week about six thousand PDP thugs and three thousand policemen were brought to Ingawa and result was declared without election."
He also accused the police in Katsina for descending so low as to be used by the Katsina state government in the then local government elections and noted that the results were declared against the wishes of the people.
At another press interview on the same election, he said and I quote: “What Umaru (referring to the Katsina State governor) and Bawale Bala (INEC boss) are telling me is that I am not capable of winning even a councilor seat in my constituency. Thank God I am wise enough not to accept stupidity.”
Now the game has changed, Kanti is no longer selling ANPP wares, perhaps because they are not bringing good returns - no shop owner can remain in business without returns. He now deals in PDP which is notorious for selling contraband and smuggled wares. And because the goods are smuggled, the party is ready to give him loans without any collateral.
Today, Yar’Adua has integrity, he is a good man and a true democrat who respects the wishes of his people.
Surprisingly, when he left the ANPP, they didn’t complain because according to them the man has no credible customers. If you ask the senator why he had to leave the party that gave him his senatorial seat, he would say it was due to disagreement with Buhari. But we all know that before leaving the ANPP he wanted to kill the party in Katsina by saying they have suspended Buhari but their decision was quashed by the national headquarters of the party. So as a political
orphan, he seems to have found solace from a barren mother- the PDP.
Believing that the same Umaru, who couldn’t deny him victory in 2003 due to Buhari’s mass appeal, can now guarantee it (?), Kanti Bello is singing a different tune. According to him, former Head of State and presidential candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), General Muhammadu Buhari does not pose any threat to Yar’Adua- the same Yar’Adua that he accused of undemocratic traits in the past.
Kanti told a national daily that Buhari had two major defects, namely, injustice and inability to listen to the other side once he has taken a position on issues, adding that it would be dangerous for the nation if Nigerians elect him as president.
These defects of Buhari are the strong points of the PDP presidential candidate, Yar’Adua. Haba, Kanti Bello? Please ask Speaker Masari and Magaji Mohammed if Yar’Adua listens.
Again, can anyone compare Yar’Adua’s acceptability to that of Buhari? Is it the Yar’Adua that couldn’t face his colleagues in fair contest even with the president’s backing? Haba Kanti what you have may be a harmless product but it is hardly saleable.
If Senator Kanti Bello has forgotten his past comments on Yar’Adua and the PDP simply because he wants to return to the senate, I want to tell him that there are many of us out there who have not forgotten, and will not forget since they are well documented in the papers. I will not talk about the good things he said about Buhari because he may deny saying them, but they are also documented for posterity.
Kanti Bello’s recent political summersaults have exposed him for what he truly is. At least, with these developments, the people of Katsina, Yar’Adua inclusive now know that the man has a price. And with his Kanti wide open, smugglers and those involved in illegal businesses now have a worthy business partner. I will also advice Nigerians to visit Kanti Bello’s shop, see the products- Nigeria: Yar’Adua; Katsina: Shema and Daura Senatorial Zone: himself- he has and decide whether they are the best in the market.
Nasiru L. Abubakar lives in Kaduna.
(Kanti Bello’s recent political summersaults have exposed him for what he truly is. At least, with these developments, the people of Katsina, Yar’Adua inclusive now know that the man has a price. And with his Kanti wide open, smugglers and those involved in illegal businesses now have a worthy business partner. I will also advice Nigerians to visit Kanti Bello’s shop, see the products- Nigeria: Yar’Adua; Katsina: Shema and Daura Senatorial Zone: himself- he has and decide whether they are the best in the market.)
Note: This piece was posted on Nigerian Village Square (http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com Powered by Joomla! Generated: 16 January, 2007, 05:30)
Note: This piece was posted on Nigerian Village Square (http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com Powered by Joomla! Generated: 16 January, 2007, 05:30)
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