Between ‘Katsina mafia’ and Yar’adua

“As Commissioner and Special Advisers, you carry a triple burden among other responsibilities. Firstly, you bear a responsibility to the political institution. This institution is a fundamental national institution with the enormous responsibility for governance conferred upon it by the Nigerian constitution. Governance is today mostly conceived by those in positions of authority as a […]

“As Commissioner and Special Advisers, you carry a triple burden among other responsibilities. Firstly, you bear a responsibility to the political institution. This institution is a fundamental national institution with the enormous responsibility for governance conferred upon it by the Nigerian constitution. Governance is today mostly conceived by those in positions of authority as a privilege to be above the law and to plunder scarce public resources. Hence, the spate of congratulations and celebrations when people are appointed to positions of public trust like yours. Let me state however, that as for you, you have no cause for celebrations yet. This is because of this administration’s determination to check this destructive concept of governance.”

“You are therefore, expected to restore respect for law and order, established regulations and procedures in your various institutions. You are to revive the principle of basic honesty, transparency, hard work and dedication to duty. You need to examine and eliminate abuse, misuse, waste and misapplication of scarce resources. If you do this, you will have discharged your responsibilities to the political institution earning for it the respect of public confidence necessary for the establishment of a sustainable democratic culture. Now, do this and then you can celebrate?

“Secondly, as leaders, you must have been given political authority to direct and take charge of public affairs. However, it requires more than political authority to arrest the current decay and poverty in our society. We need also, a strong moral authority. We need to discipline our minds and lead by example in the discharge of our official functions and also, in the conduct of our personal lifestyles.

“Thirdly, you have a vital role in a collective drive to sanitize our institutions and salvage our state from poverty, degradation and human misery. We must initiate reforms. Our situation is bad and decayed. An elite leadership that styles itself in almost total abdication of leadership responsibilities and a society that not only condones this leadership styles, but also condemns and holds in contempt, values of basic honesty and accountability.”

These are the ideals that Yar’adua and his aides held as sanctity throughout his eight years tenure as Governor of Katsina-state. As a President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Yar’adua never deviated from the basic principles of honesty and accountability in governance.

However, it is unfortunate today, that the so called Yar’adua’s men from the Katsina State now being referred to as Katsina mafia, have in no small measure, betrayed the confidence and the trust of their leader. It is pathetic to note that Yar’adua’s men who occupied key positions in the federal government, until recently, exploited the unfortunate incident of President Yar’adua’s health, not only to abuse the public trust, but also by dragging the name of their reverred leader into the mud.

Katsina state citizens are well known for honesty, hardwork and hospitality. In every facet of human endeavour that you may find an average Katsina indigene, what you will find will not be sort of performance per excellence. They always hold the sanctity of their faith, the fear of God as supreme. The leaders from Katsina-state were at no time in history enmeshed in corrupt allegation and abuse of public trust until the so called Yar’adua’s men emerged as leaders from the state.

Unknown to many Nigerians, the activities of the clique did not serve Yar’adua’s interest, neither does it serve the interest of Katsina state nor Nigeria as a whole. But as the event turned out to be, it only served their personal interest. For instance, the grains silo that is being built in Dutsinma in Katsina-state by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture is a ruse. Our brother that served as Minister betrayed our collective heritage. The contract for the silo project was initially awarded about 16 years ago, all the equipment needed for the project were purchased by the federal government and were stored in the warehouse of the Katsina-state Ministry of Agriculture in Funtua.

In the year 2007 and 2008, some concerned citizens of Katsina State, through the state’s Ministry of Agriculture, applied to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, to execute the project to rehabilitate the silo, but the appeal was ignored. Until early this year when Goodluck Jonathan was made the Acting President and it became clear that the bubble will soon burst. The Federal Ministry of Agriculture swung into action, but what is the end result? A huge sum was expended on the rehabilitation of federal government silo in Dutsin-Ma, which all the equipment needed are believed to have been purchased about 16 years ago. There is need for all the Katsina state citizens to hold this group accountable for squandering a golden opportunity meant for showcasing to Nigerians and the whole world how noble Katsina state people are when entrusted with positions of responsibility.

Today, the various ministries and parastatals the group headed are enmeshed in allegations of corrupt practices, while the federal government is beaming its searchlight on what went wrong in these areas. When history is being written, it is certain that it is not going to be kind to those who used the misfortune of their benefactor for their personal aggrandizement with little or no consideration for his reputation.

It is no longer news that Nigerians have been subjected to untold hardship, while the ship of the nation is still nose diving due to the activities of President Umaru Musa Yar’adua’s men known as Katsina mafia in media parlance. In the last three months that the issue of the President’s health was brokered, it has been celebrations of looting public treasury for some of his aides. The most agonizing aspect of it is that the recent unfolding events have shown how the members of the group short changed us in Katsina-state through non-implementation of federal government awarded contracts, while it is also alleged that the money for such projects have been released.

Before the issue of the President’s health became a national issue, the group that started by re-grouping itself into Abuja based mafia, embarked on a campaign to destabilize the peaceful co-existence of Katsina-state through intensive campaigns of calumny against the state governor, Barrister Ibrahim Shehu Shema. They started by flying the kite that the governor has commenced moves to destroy the Yar’adua’s legacy as the state governor for eight years.

Mohammed contributed this piece from Katsina