KWANKWASO: IF WE HAD KNOWN

KANO STATE GOVERNOR RABIU KWANKWASO.
KANO STATE GOVERNOR RABIU KWANKWASO.

Engr.Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso is the present of Kano State, having been declared 'winner' of a contentious 2011 governorship election in the state, the result of which is being challenged in court. Governor Kwankwaso is administering the state for the second time after his predecessor; Malam Ibrahim Shekarau had already achieved such feat in 2007 to put his name in record as the first governor of the state to break the jinx.


Since Kwankwaso assumed office as governor of Kano state about two months ago, he has been indulging in hides and seeks game, appearing holier than thou just to give dog a bad name in order to hang it. The cold war between governor Kwankwaso and his predecessor, Shekarau, started in 2003 when the former demoted the latter from Permanent Secretary to a Classroom teacher for a mere difference in opinion of how best to operate the Islamic code of conduct, Shari'ah politically launched during Kwankwaso's first coming.


Malam Ibrahim Shekarau is a known gentleman of integrity who calls a spade a spade. He humbly accepted his political demotion by governor Kwankwaso in 2003 in good faith and as an act from God without much ado about any thing. In that very year when Kwankwaso sought to consolidate his first term, Shekarau joined politics and also vied the governor's seat, which God simply gave to him by defeating the man who demoted him through landslide victory.


As a result of the way and manner governor Kwankwaso vandalized the resources of Kano State during his first tenure, between 1999 and 2003; Shekarau had no choice but to listen to the voice of the popular demand of the people by probing the first tenure administration of Kwankwaso in Kano. The probe found Kwankwaso and his then Finance Commissioner, Dr. Abubakar Hafizu for diverting billions of the state ecological funds to personal use. This however led to the issuance of the popular state white paper, which disqualified both Kwankwaso and his conspirator from holding public office in the state. Now that Kwankwaso is at the helm of affairs, no one is sure if the process of destroying the indicted documents has not yet commenced in view of the desperate nature of this administration to turn white into black.


In 2007 when Kwankwaso to contest the governorship election, his political party, PDP stopped and replaced him with Alhaji Ahmad Bichi who came second in the party primary election. This was after Kwankwaso had also used the sum of N70M to purchase the conscience of his party men that shot him to number one position of the 2007 primary election as reported in the Daily Trust of February that year. Kwankwaso, however, accepted his replacement with Ahmad Bichi. In spite of the various conspiracies by PDP led national government to use its might to influence the 2007 governorship election in Kano state, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau of ANPP still had another victory to consolidate his first tenure. All these constituted frustrations, jealousy and hatred from Kwankwaso side who never expected that a man he demoted out of wickedness could achieve such feat.


Engr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso had been having sleepless nights making all sorts of move to come back as governor of Kano state to enable him deal ruthlessly with Shekarau and equally teach him lesson for making Kwankwaso vaulting political ambition very cumbersome to realize. The greediness of some members of the ruling ANPP, the internal political wrangling of the opposition party, CPC and the manipulations of Kwankwaso to hold his state party, PDP to ransom with inducement offered him the slightest opportunity to also manipulate the outcome of the 2011 governorship election to his 'advantage.' In spite of all these, Kwankwaso narrowly 'won' the governorship election and was sworn-in as the governor of the State for the second time. It is therefore not a surprise to any one in Kano about the evil machinations Kwankwaso and his fellow traveler have been perfecting against his predecessor, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau since they assumed office about two months ago as nothing short of a carry over of the grudges Kwankwaso had for Shekarau.


Fortunately enough for Shekarau, his works abound all places in the state and no amount of hatred would easily vanish them in many years to come. But unfortunately for Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, he had no such indelible mark that could stand the test of time. This explains why Shekarau is still being adored and praised wherever he goes by the good people of Kano in particular and Nigeria in general. If not for the constitutional requirement of Nigeria that prevented governors who have served two terms in office from seeking third term, sky would have been the limit for Shekarau in securing uninterrupted many terms of governorship in Kano, primarily due to his magnificent achievements that even the present administration in the state benefits.


All these wonderful outing of Shekarau's two terms in office are enough for Kwankwaso government to embark on FSD (Face Saving Device) by pretending against the marvelous achievements of his predecessor, Shekarau. Already, the people of Kano have started regretting their mistake of allowing the present infected leadership to be forced on them by the manipulative machinery of PDP and its cohorts. This not withstanding, it is now of public knowledge that the 'war' of vengeance being waged by Kwankwaso against the Kano elite and good work of his predecessor are deliberately done to create false impression and make-believe to cover up his known incompetence and disorderliness in governance. We do not know if the governor is on his second time mission to set the progress of the state he met backward since nothing happened to him when he ripped off Kano of financial misappropriation in his first coming.


In order to actual this ignoble mission, the governor has to embark on noise making, waging 'war of vendetta against his perceived foes and causing confusion in the once vibrant and progressive state of Kano. This is basically why there is no truth in what the Kwankwaso government has been alleging of Shekarau administration since the former assumed office some two months ago. Indeed, when a journey that is earn-marked to last four years begins with falsehood and naked display of vengeance, it is obvious to imagine the retrogressive mission of the same leader that had caused havoc and wrecked Kano in miasma of hopelessness between 1999 and 2003.


It is now clear and certain to also imagine how unpleasant and disastrous governor Kwankwaso's second journey in Kano would likely be. All these are pointer to the fact that Kwankwaso, as it has always be in the past, does not have mission and vision to move the state forward but to consecrate and decapitate his energy on fighting his perceived political foes in the state, using the vulnerable idle youths as weapon of destruction. As it is often said, one hardly knows the value of what one has until one looses it. The ugly activities of governor Kwankwaso in the present circumstance has confirmed that indeed the good people of Kano have been inundated with a deadly python that Kills With Anger, Nails Kanawas With Atrocity So Outrageous." Surely, there is no genuine development that can take place in an atmosphere of vengeance and misdeeds.


What else can one say but to remind governor Kwankwaso of the Prophet saying that "you should not hurt any one so that no one may hurt you."So, let Kwankwaso continue with his vengeance and pollution of Kano with his noise making, knowing full well that an empty vessel, they say, makes the loudest noise. And if we had known, Kwankwaso would not have been allowed to stage another come back after his unimpressive first outing. The people of Kano are however watching, believing that every beginning has an end. A word, they say, is enough for the wise.


Written by Usman Aminu Sani, No. 101, Zaria Road, Gyadi- Gyadi, Kano State. Email: [email protected].


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