President Mullah Ibrahim Shekarau?

Bearing this in mind, I wish to join issues with the author of the publication on the back page of the Daily Sun, of August 9th, 2010, with the titled: “President Ayatollah Ibrahim Shekarau?”  And which made bold attempt to fault the presidential aspiration of Malam Ibrahim Shekarau on grounds of unproven, alleged religious intolerance […]

Bearing this in mind, I wish to join issues with the author of the publication on the back page of the Daily Sun, of August 9th, 2010, with the titled: “President Ayatollah Ibrahim Shekarau?”  And which made bold attempt to fault the presidential aspiration of Malam Ibrahim Shekarau on grounds of unproven, alleged religious intolerance in his domain.

While one is free to comment on the aspiration of any of the aspirants or to discuss the ongoing political process for which we have collectively resolved to get right, it is a huge disservice to peddle slanted information to an unsuspecting audience, especially coming from a respected medium like the Daily Sun.

But first, let me state my general impression of the whole writing. The piece smacks me of an innocent misinformation. This is so because its background, no doubt, illustrates an absence of mischief, but its character loudly betrays your known sentiments: a spelt out Igbo chauvinism, which may have been exploited by a third party (maybe some Kano- based  antagonists of Malam Shekarau) to undermine his cause.

In my own view- despite the ill – fated riot that ensnarled the state in the early days of the present administration- the Malam Ibrahim Shekarau I know, can never be, and sincerely does not qualify as a hater of Christians in his state or an antagonist of the Igbo man. And I back this claim with the following points.

If comments are anything to trust in this debate, about three weeks ago, the Christian Association of Nigeria, (CAN), Kano State chapter, vocally \described the same Shekarau as an accommodative leader, whose open minded content and character is a refreshing add to the Nigerian dream. In their remark, in the course of a courtesy call on Government House, their chairman, Bishop Ransom Bello, a well educated gentleman, acknowledged that if Malam Ibrahim Shekarau could lead Kano well enough, he is qualified to do well as the president of Nigeria.

It is equally on record that Governor Shekarau is the only governor in the North West Region that has extended appointments to non – native communities in their domains , for which an Igbo man, Hon. Chris Azuka was  appointed a Special Adviser on Inter -Community Relations. The benefits of this singular masterstroke on inter – ethnic harmony is well felt in the state.

Last year, the same Shekarau attended as a guest speaker, a Christian crusade organized by the Pentecostal family in the state, which was hosted at the Ado Bayero Square in the state capital. There, he spoke for an hour or more, drawing lively examples from the Christian Holy Bible and the Muslim Holy Koran on the need for harmonious neighbourliness. He drew, not just thunderous applause, but duly earned the accolade of the leader of the Deeper Life Bible Church, Pastor William Kumuyi (See The Nation Newspaper of November 16th,   2009).

It might also be worth recognizing that Malam Ibrahim Shekarau did his NYSC in Igbo land. In 1977, he was deployed to Imo State and assigned to Madonna College, Etiti, in Etiti Local Government Council of the state.  

He taught his heart away to Christian children as far back as 30 years ago. He was a friend to local parents of Igbo origin, who entrusted the future of their children to him as their lesson coach some three decades ago.

And in that one year as a corps member and as a mathematics teacher of young Igbo students, he was not an Mullah. Yes, it is only now that he wants to lead the country as its president that he has suddenly become one intolerable, extreme character of hate and wickedness. How sad and wicked the press can be when it elects to be?   

If one considers leadership as a process of galvanizing the wishes and aspirations of the people being led, then one cannot but grant the governor some relief on some of these issues. It is sheer ignorance to assume that all the challenges between adherents of these two faiths or these Nigerians of diverse backgrounds were the inventions of the incumbent administration or only surfaced in this time. Note that the 1967 Civil War and other attendant variables, long before then, have a function in some of these issues which sometimes find their way to the public domain. But not surprising, the administration has sincerely done so much to heal the wounds of the past and to check the fears on both sides, cultivating conditions conducive to good neighbourliness in the state.

 Getting back to the tragic riot of 2003 in the state, the truth remains that the riot was unfortunate and disgusting. No human being, not one that is as civil or religious as “Malam” will commend the grievous death of the other, no matter the grievance or the protest. Malam Shekarau, it must be repeated, found the whole saga nauseating and is still in grief till date, over the avoidable loss of life occasioned by the riot.

And so, I may say that he is not afraid to account for his role in the whole saga. What is most curious is that those who peddle this speculation, including their claims on his reported rebuff of the president’s advice, were never at the corridors of power to know exactly what transpired. Here again, we are all left, to some extent, at the mercy of the media and their unreliable and unverifiable sources.

Common sense should tell anyone who cared that the mere fact that Shekarau was a state governor then or is being called ‘Malam’ by his people does not make him instantly culpable of every error of a Muslim religious group. True and regrettably, mistakes of judgment were made in the handling of the entire crisis. In the spirit of democracy, the leaders of the protest were not denied their right to hold protest on the trust that they will ensure it was peaceful, but painfully, this trust was callously betrayed by the eventual outcome of the protest

As a leader, Malam Shekarau has repeatedly admitted his regrets that these things ever happened in his domain. Were his regrets in this regard, still in doubt, the former governor of Ebonyi State, Dr Sam Egwu, who then led the pack of Igbo governors in protest against the alleged handling of that episode, will not have accepted Shekarau as his friend.

In any case, judging from what he has done so far to promote inter -communal harmony among the different ethnic groups and peoples in the state; the painful steps he has had to take some times to his own discomfort, the bundle of attacks he suffers on a daily basis from hard liners in the state, who feel that he is being soft on non- indigenes, I am inclined to believe him on this.

Mr  Hilary Alechenu wrote this piece from his resident, at Brigade Quarters, Kano State. He can be reached at [email protected].