We’ve a responsibility to promote healthy political discussions – Ex-Kano rep

Hafizu Kawu is a former  Member of the House of Representatives who represented Tarauni Federal Constituency in Kano. He recently organized a Media Summit in collaboration with the Council of Ulama, Kano State Chapter. In this interview, he shares some of the wisdoms behind the organization of the summit. You recently organized a Two-Day Summit. […]

Hafizu Kawu is a former  Member of the House of Representatives who represented Tarauni Federal Constituency in Kano. He recently organized a Media Summit in collaboration with the Council of Ulama, Kano State Chapter. In this interview, he shares some of the wisdoms behind the organization of the summit.

You recently organized a Two-Day Summit. May you tell us what the summits intended to achieve?

All praises be to The Almighty, our Creator and The Creator of the universe. Looking at the happenings around the use and handling of social media in relation to our political engagement in the land, I sat down with my media people, Hafizu Kawu Media Team and came up with the idea of organizing this Summit.

So that we can use the platform to sanitize political engagement, particularly in the area of where people with different political leanings coexist. It is through such kind of engagements that we could be able to cleanse the system and promote healthy political discussions.

When you look at it critically, even the advent of social media came on board to promote good and respectful relationships. Where communication becomes faster, easier and more effective. It is not there for the purpose of wreaking havoc or causing damage to people’s personalities.

But unfortunately, from the part of politicians, we use social media to defame ourselves, spread hate speech, belittle political opponents and sometimes promote violence. Developments that are abhorred by our religious beliefs. That is why we engage Islamic Clerics to come on board and reshape the thinking of our people, while collaborating with other stakeholders. Social media users at best. Let people know how grave is a sin inflicted by defamation of one’s character, among many other rejected behaviors.

So we invited them, together with politicians from different political parties, experts in other areas, like the participation of our revered media and communication scholar, Prof Abdallah Uba Adamu. Who was never a politician. We also invited lawyers who came and explained to us all, especially our social media people, offenses related to social media misuse.

We found it extremely necessary to engage Prof Abdallah Uba to get from him, reasons behind the advent of social media, its uses and challenges. This will also promote peaceful coexistence between politicians and their social media people.

It is indeed through such kind of efforts that people would be reminded that, politics, good neighborhood and brotherhood are two different things. Politics can be halted, when you disengage yourself from partisan politics. But can that stop you from being brothers and sisters? The answer is no.

But some people think that the only way to relate is through raining abuses and spreading un-palatable statements. This is not good at all. That is why we decided to sit back and come up with this Summit. Where thought would be reshaped, reengineered and rerouted.

That is why we invited people from the opposition parties to come and listen to the best way of relating to each other. Without rancor and unnecessary misunderstanding. To provide a platform where every person can campaign for his or her party. Where also there is an equal opportunity for all, to market political choices.

What is your assessment of public reaction to the event?

It is essentially organized with the genuine intention of cleansing the social media usage, strengthening political relationships, sustaining healthy political discussions and engagements, creating public awareness on responsibilities attached to social media engagement and above all knowing our religious position on peaceful coexistence among us. Especially on issues surrounding political opposition.

The Summit was fruitful and engaging. Many people called to congratulate us on this new strategy. To the extent that some are even complaining for not being included in the event. All praises be to Allah, the event was widely circulated. To the extent that you begin to wonder the kind of people who called to identify themselves with the entire project. The Summit is by and large, a complete success.

Many people acknowledge that this initiative is the first of its kind, where social media users, attached to politicians from different political parties and political inclinations, come together and discuss something that has been worrying our society for a very long period of time.

We are grateful that people of different political affiliations came and exchanged views on social media usage. In the presence of Islamic Clerics, Communication experts, legal practitioners, among others. It is indeed a breakthrough.

Parts of the observations given by some people was, when a similar event comes, we should also include security agencies to rub minds with them and political leaders of all sections. This will go a long way in mending fences caused by social media users among the ranks and file of our political parties. They called for widening the scope of the new idea to become all-inclusive.

A renowned and respected Islamic scholar, Sheikh Ibrahim Khalil, Professor Abdallah Uba Adamu, a media and communication expert, politicians from different political parties, legal experts, among others graced the event. How did you feel?

Yes I am glad to hear that we are the first people who organized such a programme. We are excited and grateful that people got to know many things concerning freedom of information, freedom of speech and their limitations. Boundaries attached to them all. Technical skills and knowledge were inculcated into the minds of our social media users and all those who attended the event. As we are trying to clean the system. On the other hand, politicians are excited about it.

Another good thing about it is, some people indicated interest that they would take a leaf from us and replicate the same in their respective places. Ranging from Wards level, upward. It is indeed a good one and exemplary. As enunciated by many people.

In politics, opposition is allowed. But one has to know legal provisions on how to engage your political opponents in a healthy and decent way. It is noteworthy to know that, without opposition, leaders may not know many instances where they did it wrongly. Not everywhere the government’s eye reaches. It is the duty of the opposition to pinpoint such areas for government attention. This event trains people on how to engage their opponents in media space. This is a welcome development.

I am therefore calling on our politicians to continue doing this for a peaceful democratic development. So that we sanitize the social media space and content. As related to our political development. I also understand that some social media users within our political circles, do not know each other physically. But with this and similar programmes, they will come to know each other. Where mutual respect will reign.

How do you predict the future of our political practices and development with social media usage?

It is evidently clear that this issue of social media is the future of our societies. It touches each and every corner like forest fire. It has come to stay, no matter what. So all we need to do is to get the best out of it. You can now see how people turn their faces against traditional modes of communication. People rely now much on social media. Instant communication flow is there.

People are now attached to their smartphones and other modern ways of sourcing information, than, say, television sets. But here in the North our people are still using radio sets. While at the same time, one can access any radio station of his or her choice using smart phones.

Where the media can come in?

I’m calling on our media organizations to join hands together with us, so that we can cleanse the system collectively, related to social media usage. It is our collective responsibility to make our ways of communication saner, healthier and more responsible. Particularly the social media aspect. All hands, across all sectors of our societies, should be on deck.

Though it is not an easy task. Because we always have people, especially youth, engaging in this modern way of communication. The advent of social media. If not because of awareness creation campaigns on how to best handle and use social media positively, things may not be well in the future.

Leaders must strive hard and see that much attention is given to this all-important aspect. Social media. Particularly, the government. It is through such efforts that people will know much about how they are governed. And they get avenues to channel their demands to the government. It is all these avenues that we want to sanitize.