Honesty Made In Katsina!

The emergence of two indigenes of Katsina state as presidents of Nigeria may be zeroed down to providence but definitely not their honesty coefficients. One, a bastion of discipline and unalloyed patriotism whose incredible precedents as a former military head of state, a former state governor, petroleum minister and chairman of PTDF, stands him out as a man of undoubtable integrity.

That is President Mohammadu Buhari.
The other is now dead and buried, but his name lives on! He was no less given to a life of frugality and concern for fellow men than the former. He had very few material possessions in spite of being a former governor and president and commander-in-chief of Nigeria.

Both are also the only presidents of our nation to have publicly voluntarily declared their material assets even though not constitutionally required to do so. They are bereft of wiles and guiles in whatever guise and have lived a life of uncommon frugality! They are proud sons of their people.

Their honesty is no less rare than strange in a clime where avarice and naked theft of public funds has over the years not only evolved as the norm, but honesty has come to be viewed with disdain and disgust! While honest persons are seen as simpletons readily derided by friends and foes, treasury plunderers are briskly rewarded by their clans with chieftaincy titles and by demented presidents with national awards!

And so I ask you, on which side of the divide are you?

Are you as noble as these two gentlemen, wish to be like them, or you are one of those whose townsmen would steal but shout to high heavens that their prosecution is "mischievous, selective and has political undertones"?

Are you a determined thief who would go the extra mile to defend your bothers-in-crime?

Are you ready to have your name inscribed in Gold on the Tablet of Life?

Are you prepared to live a life so unpretentiously exemplary as to compel a caption identical to the one above?

Honesty Made In Katsina!
Dr Tosin Akindele is a medical practitioner and public affairs analyst.