Steering a course for people: Senator Lawan’s examples

 In our 15 years’ experience of democratic governance, public officers in Nigeria have glaringly abused this trust and pursued personal interest above the collective interests of their electorates. There are cases of party cross-carpeting, mostlyto fulfill personal political ambitions. However, there are rare cases of strong commitment to the collective interests of the people by […]

 In our 15 years’ experience of democratic governance, public officers in Nigeria have glaringly abused this trust and pursued personal interest above the collective interests of their electorates. There are cases of party cross-carpeting, mostlyto fulfill personal political ambitions.
However, there are rare cases of strong commitment to the collective interests of the people by very few politicians who are publicly attested by their electorates. Such few politicians need to be appreciatedand encouraged to support the growth of a true democracy in Nigeria.
 The launching of a special appeal fund to assist victims of insurgency under the leadership of Gen. T. Y. Danjuma (rtd) was a dream come true to people like Senator Ahmad Lawan, who had for the past three years consistentlyagitated for a special intervention programme for victims of insurgency.
He argued for the establishment of a ‘Presidential Recovery Plan’ akin to theAmerican Marshall plan, to cater for widows and orphans, assist thebusiness community and self-employed youths like commercial motorcyclists, who lost their businesses and trade to the insecurity in some parts of the country.
 On August 29, 2013, Senator Lawan wrote an open letter to President Goodluck Jonathan in which he appealed for the establishment of special funds with adeliberate framework for intervention to rehabilitate the people. This we believe had undoubtedly contributed to the formation of the T.Y. Danjuma committee and the plan to rehabilitate the traumatised victims.
 The emotional letter written by Lawan reads in part: “Mr President, I am sure that you have read many reports of the devastation, destruction,dislocation and dysfunction of the lives of our people and publicinfrastructure. The situation requires articulate and concrete plan ofaction for rehabilitation to give solace to the people. Government shouldcreate a framework to ensure availability of funds and, strategiesdeployment of the funds to provide the devastated people withsuccor.
“It is not out of place to say the federal government has indeed heeded to such people oriented pieces of advice to give the victims a sense ofbelonging.” Gen. TY Danjuma, is another rare trusted Nigerian who hasearned the people’s confidence. His chairing of this committee, has givenhope that actual victims of insurgency will receive the desired supportand, not to repeat the drama of grains provided to the victims last year but was politicised and the real victims lost outwithout benefitting from the grains.
In Yobe North, about 95 percent of the populace depend on farming, fishing and livestock farming. Therefore, the Kumadugu Yobe river means so much to their livelihood.
 So, when the federal government mooted the idea of constructing Kafin Zakidam in Bauchi State, communities in Nguru, Bade, Machina, Yusufari and Jakusko saw the proposal as a terminal extinction but Lawan was quickto mobilise his colleagues in the national assembly from Jigawa, Borno and Yobe states to vehemently oppose the proposed dam construction,arguing that the lives of people in the downstream sector of the Hadejia/Jamaare/Kumadugu rivers, cutting across the three states would be under serious threat.
He argued that already the volume of water flow was reduced by the construction of Tiga and Challawa dams and construction of another damwould worsen the situation and make life extremely difficult for thecommunities.
As the debate on the proposed dam generated heated and controversial debates, Senator Lawan insisted on conduct of an Impact Assessment research on the project and the findings eventually revealed that the damwould reduce water flow with attendant consequences in low water flow,decreased agricultural activities, gross reduction in fish species,inadequate water for livestock and increased effect of desertification.
This assisted government to appreciate the situation and suspend the proposal.
Now, for the farming and fishing communities in Nguru, Bade, Jakusko, Yusufari and Machina in Yobe State and beyond, life is reassured and theprotection of their waters remains the biggest gift a leader or government can offer them. Perhaps, this explains why in 2011 when thethen ANPP leaders and public officers were moving out of the party to the PDP, the electorates insisted that Senator Lawan remain in ANPP with theassurance of full and total support. In spite of persuasions by the PDPto woo him to its fold in 2011, the electorates insisted that he remained in ANPP and they ensured his return to the national assembly withlandslide victory.
It is in recognition of this purposeful representation that the Bade emirate council found it necessary to bestow on this illustrious son the revered title of ‘Dan Masanin Bade,’ which literally means “Bade Emirate’sBastion/source of knowledge’. Similarly, in faraway Kano, the ‘Muryar Talakawa-Voice of the Masses’ social organisation conferred on him the title of ‘Garkuwan Talakawa-Shield of the Masses,’ and the federalgovernment conferred on him the prestigious ‘Commander Of theOrder of Niger (CON)’ national honour.
It is indeed evident that Senator Lawan has in his political sojourn identified and stayed by the cause of his electorates and to give them a voice to their needs and aspirations. To Yobe North, democracy is a worthwhile venture with equal opportunities of participation.
Abdullahi Lukman wrote from 15, Hadejia Road,Nguru, Yobe State.