In Jigawa, new kinds of ‘Talakawa’ emerge
He thinks he can tackle poverty by encouraging dependency among the people? His policy of paying salaries to destitutes and beggars is a myopic approach to dealing with poverty. Rather than abolishing poverty, it encourages dependency and death of personal initiative and creativity. Social security, even in societies where it is developed, is a palliative […]
He thinks he can tackle poverty by encouraging dependency among the people? His policy of paying salaries to destitutes and beggars is a myopic approach to dealing with poverty. Rather than abolishing poverty, it encourages dependency and death of personal initiative and creativity. Social security, even in societies where it is developed, is a palliative and not a permanent measure to tackle poverty and unemployment.
By the rating of the CBN (Central Bank of Nigeria), Jigawa and Kebbi States are competing side-by-side on the poverty scale. Indeed, there is little evidence to suggest that the election of socialist Governor Lamido has significantly changed the picture of poverty in the state. Despite his socialist pretensions, Alhaji Lamido is part of the Nigerian elites who are ever determined to sustain their privileges and interests even to the detriment of the masses.
The interview he granted to the journalists was marred by lack of probing and critical questions. Press interviews conducted without research or originated by the government usually suppress facts.
In all honesty, would the late Mallam Aminu Kano have tolerated a situation like this where the children of a governor holding public office in trust turn his position to personal advantages? Neither the late Aminu Kano nor his children had taken advantage of their position. Mallam Aminu had influenced the election of senators, governors, representatives and appointment of ministers while he was alive.
The forthcoming local government election in Jigawa State in February has cast another shadow of doubt on governor Lamido’s commitment to the talakawa interest. Instead of election, the governor has already ordered that the chairmen and councilors should be returned unopposed in keeping with General Obasanjo’s garrison politics. Where is the so-called people’s sovereignty when they are denied the right to pass a verdict on the performance of their chairmen and councilors? Rather than protecting the people’s sovereignty, Lamido is more interested in pursuing his second term agenda. By giving chairmen and councilors automatic tickets to continue in office without election, he is also asking for their automatic support behind his bid to retain power at all cost. Governor Lamido should know that there is a limit you can fool the people.
It is garrison politicians like Lamido who are giving our democracy a bad name by imposing candidates without election. Lamido is a die-hard student of Obasanjo’s school of anointment rather than election. Can we trust such a man to conduct free and fair election in 2011 in Jigawa State? Franklin Delano Roosevelt once prayed: “May God send me friend who may tell me the truth and my faults”. And such is the task this writer decided to undertake to tell Lamido what the sycophants around him may shrink to say.
Ringim writes from No. 39, Old Karu, Abuja.E-mail: [email protected].