Kano politics without Rimi
The late Aminu Kano noticed Rimi’s brilliance and leadership ability right from the Northern Elements Progressive Union’s (NEPU’s) days when the young Rimi joined the First Republic radical political party to contest election into the then Federal House of Representatives, in 1964. He found him to be a fearless and dogged fighter. Unlike the present […]
The late Aminu Kano noticed Rimi’s brilliance and leadership ability right from the Northern Elements Progressive Union’s (NEPU’s) days when the young Rimi joined the First Republic radical political party to contest election into the then Federal House of Representatives, in 1964. He found him to be a fearless and dogged fighter. Unlike the present political leaders who always would want to deal with mediocres to advance their cause, the late Malam Aminu Kano, as was well known, would always take pride in assigning challenging tasks to people with agility and focus.
The huge turn-out of thousands of sympathizers last Monday for his funeral at the Emir of Kano’s palace after his death on Sunday at the age of 70, was a clear manifestation that the former governor of old Kano was indeed, the most loved politician ever after Malam Aminu Kano, in the country’s most populous state. His death brought together politicians from diverse political backgrounds to unanimously honour the radical politician who fought doggedly for the emancipation of the ordinary citizens.
Political analysts say only time will tell the emergence of a politician of Rimi’s stature. Rimi, they argue, remain a leading light in Kano’s political landscape right from the Second Republic when he was elected governor. He strictly stuck to the party’s ideology and that was why he was able to create an unbeatable record up till today when he held sway as governor between 1979 and 1983. The clear mission of the PRP-led government in Kano State was to abolish cattle tax and other low-level fiscal measures that then obviously became a thorn in the flesh of the ordinary people and to also fight the feudal system he so much detested.
Soon after his inauguration as governor, he moved against all odds to abolish cattle tax and other related anti-ordinary man’s fiscal measures enjoyed and promoted by the feudal system. He was always at conflict with the proscribed conservative National Party of Nigeria (NPN), a party believed to be an off-shoot of the Northern Peoples’ Congress (NPC), because of its open sympathy for traditional institutions. The NPC’s major campaign issues harped on the north and religion. But Rimi believed the NPC’s two campaign indices were only a deceit as they were used only to further clip the wings of the commonman. He was at variance with the northern conservative NPC since the NPC-led government jailed him, a development that prevented him from contesting elections into the Federal House of Representatives in 1964.
As if that was not enough, Rimi also dared the traditional institution when his PRP-led administration set up the Justice MBI Layiwola Commission of Inquiry into various land matters from 1966 to 1979 as a result of several complaints by peasant farmers against the seizure of their lands by the well-to-do, with the connivance of district heads. The commission went round all the localities to hear the complaints from the aggrieved. The commission’s report did not however, see the light of day as it was completely burnt right inside the residence of Rimi’s political adviser, Dr. Bala Mohammed, during the July 1981 political uprising when irate youths set Dr. Bala Mohammed’s official quarters ablaze. The political adviser was burnt to death inside the house with all government’s sensitive documents destroyed.
Rimi was variously described as the most misunderstood politician. He did not believe in throwing out money simply to get acceptability or to get elected as it is presently the case. He tried till his death to dismiss the trend as inimical to the survival of any democratic set up. As a leader, he believed in the collective welfare of all by bringing genuine development for everybody to benefit. It was in line with this belief that he, as a sticker for quality job, chose the best academics and technocrats as his cabinet members. Rimi’s cabinet members who were insulated from party politics, were given the free hand to do their jobs without hindrance. For that singular action, his administration stood out as the best in terms of rural development since the state was created in 1967.
His government made a strong impact in the state’s education sector; his government sent hundreds of Kano and Jigawa state indigenes abroad to study medicine and engineering besides the mass recruitment of teachers from India and other Asian countries. Because of the mass adult education Rimi introduced Kano won the UNESCO award as the best in adult education long after he left office.
Rimi was also believed to be the last person after the late Malam Aminu Kano, who had the genuine support of the masses. He won the support of the down trodden for the true love he had for them. His concern always was to liberate the commonman and to make him know his rights. No sooner he first moved into Kano Government House after his inauguration as governor, than he led the masses who trooped into the House to congratulate him to his inner office in order to demystify the governor’s office. Unlike the current political actors who see deceit as a great political weapon, Rimi was down-to-earth as he would tell the truth however bitter. His outright rejection of a suggestion by some sycophantic government aides that his government should include his Sumaila constituency among the places to first benefit from his administration’s rural road programme, earned him great respect from all including the opposition.
The late Kano governor’s political views were always issue-based, not personality. His political misunderstanding with former Kano governor, Engineer Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso was purely ideological as he had no personal ill feelings against Kwankwaso. Those closely monitoring Rimi’s political antecedents will always say so. It had been his ideology since the time of NEPU.
Reflecting on his four-year administration in an interview he granted a local radio station in Kano recently, Rimi said he left Government House as governor with less than N50,000. Nobody doubted the story. He did not benefit from the plots his administration allocated in the choice areas of Kano while the plot on which he built his own personal house was allocated to him in 1976 as an ordinary citizen. He secured a mortgage facility from the Union Bank to develop the land and not long ago did he pay back the loan.
The thing which people will now want to know is the person who will lead the struggle for the emancipation of the downtrodden after Rimi’s demise. Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa state and Alhaji Lili Gabari, are the closest to the late politician and one of them may eventually emerge the leader of the Santsi movement.