The call for the sacking of chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Maurice Iwu, has become, to my mind, an obsession. Come to think of it, this call has consistently come from or is sponsored from one part of the country. As with most Nigerian things, there is a tinge of ethnicity in the anti-Iwu project. This raises suspicion.
Even for someone who is not particularly a fan of the INEC boss, a close attention to what is going on in Nigeria at the moment shows deception and missing the point in where Nigeria's electoral problems lie. I live in Florida, USA, and I don't like the categorisation of Nigeria as a nation where elections are hardly credible. But the elections that are not credible are not all conducted by Prof. Iwu. The sarcasm and joke Nigeria's general politics and elections have been reduced to cannot be missed by anyone who is sensitive. But it is not always down to the electoral umpires. From the presidency and the National Assembly to state governors and past governors, so many things are wrong with the political system in Nigeria.
Let us look at history. I recall that in the 1999 general elections, Nigerians had a lot of expectation about a free and fair process. That did not come by, but Nigerians hid their shame with the argument that the umpire then was appointed by the military administration and had to do its bidding. I recall also that evidence of rigging was presented before the tribunal and a lot of people actually believed that Gen. Buhari would upstage Obasanjo at the tribunal. Well, we lived to see the judiciary redefined itself with that judgment. Everybody read the judgment to be political. I recall that Justice Lawal Uwais was on the saddle at the Supreme Court and he even had a minority judgment. Well, Nigerians decided to forge ahead.
A review of the Nigerian general election of 2007 puts the root of the problems of those elections on the political class led by President Olusegun Obasanjo and his government. His failure to realise the weight of his pronouncement of a policy of do-or-die during the election was costly. That pronouncement was a tonic politicians needed to mess the system up, knowing very well that they had the support of the president. This is why leaders are always advised to watch what they say. Such reckless statements are capable of setting the country on fire.
Let us not forget that as soon a Obasanjo made those pronouncements, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which he set up, well intentioned, but re-worked to become his own version of the Inquisition, received a list of people to be investigated. That list contained mostly names of anti-third term elements whom Obasanjo swore would not contest that election. That singular act set Nigeria on a collision course with itself as the EFCC just handed the INEC a list of candidates who had been disqualified from contesting the election.
So, these are reasons I believe that the call to sack or remove the INEC leadership is misplaced and seriously misleading. The implication of the call is that with INEC leadership out of the way, future elections will become better. This is not true. Future elections will rather become more acceptable if institutions that support the electoral process are put in place and supported. Let's look at what happened here in the US. I am sure that Nigerians watched the Obama election on television. That election, most of us did not know, recorded a lot of flaws, but because the institutions that support the electoral process had been put in place, you did not notice them. So, for the electoral system to work, you must work towards building institutions that will outlive individuals. Of course, you do not rule out the fact that human being can always commit human error. But human error in an electoral system with sustained institutions comes to nothing.
I read recently that Nigeria's National Assembly is thinking along the line of making some legal changes to ensure that issues like funding of the electoral commission is charged on the budget. That is a welcome development. I do not see how any electoral umpire who runs cap in hand to a powerful president like you have in Nigeria, begging for funds to prepare and conduct an election, will succeed. Moreover, I will rather think that instead of asking for the head of one man, Nigerians should actually sit down and ask themselves what they really want.
With the way the Nigerian system is currently organised, every person appointed to the headship of the election commission, has chance to supervise only one election before his tenure runs out. This, I think, is a serious deficit in the development of a stable electoral system. What it means right now is that Nigeria has no opportunity to build from its mistakes and experience. And with every new appointee, the process starts afresh. I think rather, that we see the need and hunger for a stable democracy and electoral system more as a process; process achieves fullness over time. This is what we need to do. I do not think that as a nation, Nigeria would have made the progress it has achieved since 1999, if the military intervened after every four years. Of course, we know that each time the military struck, the nation begins afresh. It is much the same with the electoral system. Unless therefore, we explore the advantages of building on experiences of the past, there is no way Nigeria will catch up with a country like Ghana.
I understand that the head of the election commission in Ghana has been in office for upward of almost a decade and half. That, I think, is a model Nigeria and other African countries must emulate. You don't change the leadership of an election commission each time elections approach. It always comes with costly consequences.
So, each time I read Nigerian newspapers online and get calls for the sacking of Iwu, I usually carefully read through to find out suggestions as to how his sack would transform the electoral system in Nigeria. I am sad to say that so far, nobody has offered to satisfy this desire in me. It is not just me. I know that many Nigerians out there also think the same.
For INEC to serve Nigeria better, there is the need to guarantee the longevity of the office of its leadership with multiple terms of office. Let Iwu be. Let the laws and institutions that support the electoral process be strengthened.The uncontrollable tide of colossal waste, failure, injustice, corruption, misplacement of priorities and so on, are the yardstick for the strict evaluation of a failed or failing state. Unfortunately, Nigeria is bogged down with these symptoms of human origin, which directly or indirectly have impeded growth in all spheres of societal life, and this is bound to spell doom for many generations after the present, if not checked.
The resultant effects of decades of maladministration which is often centred on selfish drive, is the degeneration of the value of human persons and all the endowed human and natural resources of the nation, which alternatively is diligently driving our economy into a danger zone, with little or no option for survival. This oval effect is imminent as long as social economic and political re-adjustment remain alien to policy planning and execution of programmes in this country.
Nigeria has remained in a developing status for decades and would remain same even for another century if we fail to take a statistics of our areas of weaknesses and strengths into consideration and use such as veritable tools to break-even. The tendency of Republic of Benin outgrowing Nigeria in terms of political and socio-economic development in a couple of years is high and should not be taken with levity if we must come out of every difficult situation the administrative malady has placed us as a nation.
It is laughable and even unthinkable, that a country where the per-capita income is equal to zero when compared to other nations of the world, and the statistics of the accruing revenue to the federal and state governments accounts has no positive effects on the people, is poised to waste the average of N117 million on an individual in 3 months. A country that cannot fund education or even pay lecturers; a nation-state that has failed to meet the primary health needs of its citizenry; a country where commercial motorcycle, popularly called okada has remained a source of livelihood to many as a result of joblessness; a country grappling with the problem of generating electric energy and has not been able to produce up to 3,000 megawatts since 1960; a country where salary is scaled to the disadvantage of professionals; a nation - state where many children have no access to quality education due to the cost, this same country, is prepared to pay an individual that has never invested or would ever invest in Nigeria, the sum of N39million monthly for the period of three months, totalling N117million, excluding other miscellaneous expenditures on him. What a waste and a misplacement of priority! What a shameful way of disregarding the worth of Nigerians with foreign preference!
Why did the Nigerian Football Federation not offer Lars Lagerback the totality of Nigeria's 2010 budgetary allocation because he is a white-man and a football wizard who would singlehandedly go to South Africa and bring the cup without the imput of black-skinned players? How much was Amodu and others in black skin who qualified Nigeria for the World Cup paid? Why do most Nigerians always believe and considers themselves as slaves to foreign expertise in all things, doubting that we can do certain things on our own and have better results? How much revenue has Nigeria ever generated from all the tournaments we have, over the years, spent so much on? Nigerians who know the worth of this wastage tagged technical adviser's salary are still watching to see how and where the N117million would go, or what it would give birth to.
Since Nigeria evolved from the nucleus of imperialism, it has been revolving around the clause of wastage and corruption while the citizenry are left wallowing in abject poverty, yet, the leaders in various administrative cadres pretend that all is well in the face of these prevailing unhealthy fiscal projections and callous implementation of policies and vices capable of depleting our poorly rationed dignity of human persons. What a generation of wasters who are only happy when the good things meant for the benefits of the totality of Nigerians are thrown to dogs or alternatively shared among them!
It is unfortunate and regrettable that a few Nigerians who by privilege are supposed to be custodians of good, transparent and articulated policies and the execution of such for the benefit of millions of Nigerians, have on the contrary, inevitably turned Nigeria into a wasteland for good things of Nigerian origin and a dumping ground for foreign originated things. These, they have often done deliberately to bring much hardship and suffering on the people and the land they are meant to salvage. What a myopic adventure of a generation of sycophants, who take pride in throwing our hard earned tax 'payers' money away and tag it purposeful expenditure when the people are hungry and the whole system unfavourable to their well-being.
Nigeria, is no doubt a football loving country, but about 95% of these lovers of football are living below poverty line and can hardly afford a meal of a balanced diet in every single day. A handful of these people equally have children who have no access to quality education, while some have no jobs at all, but depend solely on others for survival, either by crooked or direct means. Yet, their well-being have directly or indirectly been substituted for the benefit of only one person, all for the love of football and a hate for a people on whose strength of love and passion the tournament's success or failure rests, because the burden of every colossal waste of public funds in Nigeria, always rest on the people that are meant to be leveraged with such funds.
Nigerians have over the years become sacrificial lambs on the alter of wastage to the gods of corruption and vampires of leaders. What a mismanagement of resources by unmanageable managers of public trust! What a tragedy of policy formulators and unaccountable executors we have in Nigeria!
The time has come for Nigeria and Nigerians to begin to count the costs and benefits in all human endeavours, and as the case may be, hold those who are responsible for our woes accountable and encourage those who made benefits possible. We must begin to discourage and stand against the wasteful traits of the policy makers and stem the tide of the wasteful extravaganza often exhibited by our political, financial and socio - economic managers and advisers, if we must make Nigeria great. God help us.The trial of Major Hamza AI-Mustapha, the Chief Security Officer to the late General Sani Abacha, along with other security officials of the late military ruler, is perhaps one of the longest ordeals in the struggle for justice ever faced by any group of people. Facing trial alongside Major Al-Mustapha are the former Zamfara State military administrator, Col. Jibrin Bala Yakubu, former Lagos State Police Commissioner James Danbaba and Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Rabo LawaI. All of them are facing charges related to alleged murder.
A former Chief of Army Staff, General Ishaya Bamaiyi, who demanded a separate trial, was, however, acquitted after his lawyers had successfully proved the political motives of the long delayed trial. He received justice at great cost after spending 10 years in detention and almost die of prison-induced infection.
Major Al-Mustapha and other suspects however, have remained in detention for 11 years in what is clearly seen as a politically-motivated trial. The emergence of General Obasanjo as president in 1999 led to the chain of events resulting in their current ordeal. Forgiveness is not one of Obasanjo's virtues and he saw his election as a great opportunity to hit back at those who put him on trial and convicted him for coup plotting in 1995.
Al-Mustapha and his fellow suspects became easy prey for the notoriously revenge-hungry former president. The star witness in the trial, Barnabas Mshelia (a.k.a. Sergeant Rogers) told the court that two former Attorneys-General of the Obasanjo administration, the late Bola Ige and Chief kanu Agabi and a former Lagos State Attorney-General, Professor Femi Osinbanjo, had visited him in prison and promised him lucrative reward if he could implicate the suspects in the alleged murder of the late Kudirat Abiola, the wife to the late presidential contender, Chief Moshood Abiola.
For almost two years since Sergeant Rogers made these allegations against the late Ige, Agabi and Professor Osinbanjo, none of the officials mentioned who are alive, have made efforts to deny the grave allegations. Both Agabi and Osinbanjo have remained indifferent to the allegations. But their silence is not funny because it further throws the credibility of the trial into question.
When a trial is tainted with political malice, justice is automatically threatened. Keeping anyone in detention for 11 years is itself enough punishment.
Perhaps driven by a stricken conscience, a factional leader of the Odua People's Congress (OPC), Dr. Frederick Fasheun put out newspaper adverts to call for the state pardon for Al-Mustapha and other suspects. The sentiments for justice transcend ethnic, tribal and regional consideration.
The fact that this trial has gone into eleven years and the suspects having suffered so much stress, there is the urgent need for political solution by Acting President Goodluck Jonathan. The gesture of amnesty extended to militants in the Niger Delta despite their perceived rebellion against the authority of the federal government, was widely welcomed by Nigerians.
Dissatisfied with military solution, Nigerians have supported a political solution to the crisis in the oil-producing region of Nigeria. Happily, relative calm has returned to the area. Before the amnesty, other regional agitators such as Frederick Fasheun and Ganiyu Adams of OPC, were also released as a gesture of national reconciliation. The two OPC factional leaders were facing murder charges, including the alleged killing of policemen, before they were released.
In the same spirit of national reconciliation, Major Al-Mustapha, Col. Yakubu, Danbaba and Lawal also deserve a presidential pardon. Northern opinion leaders, politicians and other pressure groups should work closely with the acting president to find an urgent political solution to the long trial of these victims of political vengeance. Former President Obasanjo's main interest in their case is pure vengeance.
This is a great opportunity for Acting President Goodluck Jonathan to demonstrate statesmanship and boost his political goodwill across the country. As far as the North is concerned, Goodluck Jonathan's ability to grant amnesty to AI-Mustapha and other suspects will go a long way to neutraliing any pocket of hostility against the acting president. Indeed, the virtue of forgiveness is one of the greatest attributes of statesmen.
Application of rigid legalism rather than a speedy political solution is not too good for a country seeking national reconciliation. Dr. Jonathan has the power and the will to end this trial once and for all. Vengeance will lead a country to nowhere. No leader that hopes to make headway should accept to take on the burden of vengeance as state policy. Former President Obasanjo takes pride in vengeance but any leader that comes after him should cast away such attitude.
Dr. Goodluck is one of the luckiest Nigerian leaders as his pedigree has confirmed and his only pay-back to God that elevated him is to pursue a policy of forgiveness and national healing process. National reconciliation through state pardon will be incomplete when the gesture is perceived to be discriminating against certain Nigerians. The case of Major Al-Mustapha and other suspects is leading to the feeling that they are forgotten because they have no voices to speak for them. Therefore, their only voice of hope is Acting President Jonathan who has been handed a historic opportunity to run the affairs of Nigeria at this critical stage of our political journeyIn a democracy, we should not be indifferent to the quality and character of those who aspire to seek our mandate. The consequences of bad leadership may ultimately affect the quality of democratic governance. Detachment in democracy can lead to the election of wrong leaders and our indifference is the factor that promotes that outcome. Throughout the democratic world, the citizens are keenly concerned about the qualities of their leaders.
Therefore, the people of Kano State cannot afford to keep aloof as the 2011 governorship contest in Kano State is fast approaching. Because of the positive achievements of the Shekarau administration, the question of who succeeds him is taking on increasing significance. Quality speaks for itself and it is hard to sell and sustain incompetence for too long. Every leader with a good performance record is constantly concerned about who will take over from him.
With increasing awareness, the voters would be able to assess their own leaders on the basis of their performance records. Whether ANPP would retain power in Kano State in 2011 or not depends on the quality of the man the party nominates to succeed Governor Shekarau. Luckily, however, the citizens of Kano State are coming out to assess the individual performance records of the members of Shekarau's cabinet. One of the most honest assessment I have read was the article by one Mohammed Sani Kofar Mata (WeeklyTrust 27/3/2010) who convincingly argued in favour of Alhaji Salihu Sagir Takai, who is currently the commissioner of local government affairs in the Shekarau administration.
Kofar Mata's arguments were based on Sagir's achievements as a former commissioner of water resources and later local government affairs. No fair-minded, sincere and honest citizen of Kano State would deny all the achievements attributed to the gentleman. The successful execution of the Tamburawa water project under the competent supervision of Alhaji Sagir was a good example of how the government can get value for money when it appoints the right people into particular areas of public responsibility. As pointed out by Kofar Mata, the completion of Tamburawa water projects has put Kano State on the pedestal of democratic dividends giver.
It is also undeniable that Malam Sagir has sustained his track-record when he was moved to the ministry of local government affairs. When a leader has a vision and a focus, the quality of service delivery is always remarkable. The performance of any ministry is as good as the quality of its leadership. Sagir provided good leadership and direction, which has made it possible for the local government councils he supervises to make positive contributions in the improvement of the quality of life of the ordinary people.
One of the outstanding qualities of Sagir is his ability to use limited resources prudently. As an accountant by training, Sagir believes in cost-effectiveness to achieve efficient management of resources. Indeed, the quality of democratic governance does not only depend on the resources available, but also on how prudently they are managed. He is not only a politician but also a professional accountant. Armed with this experience and professional background, Sagir is eminently qualified to aspire for the highest political office in Kano State in 2011.
Nigeria needs leaders and not lords who treat the voters as their servants. In democracy, sovereignty belongs to the people. Arrogant leaders are not suited for democratic governance because insensitivity to the yearnings of the people can undermine democracy. The people's attraction to Sagir is not only his unbeatable performance record but also his amazing humility. He respects people regardless of their social stations; he is accessible and above all, a good listener. Accountability is an essential component of democratic rule and that cannot be achieved when arrogant leaders are elected. The spontaneous groundswell of popular goodwill towards Sagir speaks volumes of his humility. He is not your typical super-rich politician who thinks he can buy the conscience of the people with money. His greatest asset is his integrity, humility, sociability and above all, his incredible performance record under the people-oriented Shekarau administration.
Various interest groups in Kano State are automatically routing for Sagir because they are all impressed by his track-record in public service. When leaders perform so well, they automatically attract tremendous goodwill from the people. In fact, no rational person argues against a good record. For example, despite the determined efforts of the Republicans to bring him down, former U.S. President Bill Clinton survived his political opponents. And the only secret of his survival was his performance record.
In Kano State, therefore, once Sagir's name is mentioned, nobody raises an eyebrow. The fact that Governor Shekarau brought Sagir into his cabinet is a mark of political foresight and sagacity. No political succession to Shekarau can be discussed without a frequent reference to Sagir. Combining competence with humility is one of the shining examples of good leadership qualities. As a good manager of resources and men, Sagir has proved his capability even to the most stubborn pessimists.
As good performance is the greatest weapon against critics, hardly anyone raises objection to the idea of nominating Sagir as a successor to Governor Shekarau, the Sardaunan Kano. Everyone is proud to be associated with a good leader with a sound performance record. Although Sagir hardly makes a noise about himself and his competent handling of public responsibilities, he himself must have been overwhelmed by the level of tremendous political goodwill building around him. His popularity breaks political boundaries, which explains why even
PDP supporters are enthusiastic about him. With Sagir's excellent performance record, Governor Shekarau can go to sleep with ease because the current public opinion about his successor supports Sagir. Every leader is proud to be succeeded by a man who has all it takes to sustain a good legacy
In a democracy, we should not be indifferent to the quality and character of those who aspire to seek our mandate. The consequences of bad leadership may ultimately affect the quality of democratic governance. Detachment in democracy can lead to the election of wrong leaders and our indifference is the factor that promotes that outcome. Throughout the democratic world, the citizens are keenly concerned about the qualities of their leaders.
Therefore, the people of Kano State cannot afford to keep aloof as the 2011 governorship contest in Kano State is fast approaching. Because of the positive achievements of the Shekarau administration, the question of who succeeds him is taking on increasing significance. Quality speaks for itself and it is hard to sell and sustain incompetence for too long. Every leader with a good performance record is constantly concerned about who will take over from him.
With increasing awareness, the voters would be able to assess their own leaders on the basis of their performance records. Whether ANPP would retain power in Kano State in 2011 or not depends on the quality of the man the party nominates to succeed Governor Shekarau. Luckily, however, the citizens of Kano State are coming out to assess the individual performance records of the members of Shekarau's cabinet. One of the most honest assessment I have read was the article by one Mohammed Sani Kofar Mata (WeeklyTrust 27/3/2010) who convincingly argued in favour of Alhaji Salihu Sagir Takai, who is currently the commissioner of local government affairs in the Shekarau administration.
Kofar Mata's arguments were based on Sagir's achievements as a former commissioner of water resources and later local government affairs. No fair-minded, sincere and honest citizen of Kano State would deny all the achievements attributed to the gentleman. The successful execution of the Tamburawa water project under the competent supervision of Alhaji Sagir was a good example of how the government can get value for money when it appoints the right people into particular areas of public responsibility. As pointed out by Kofar Mata, the completion of Tamburawa water projects has put Kano State on the pedestal of democratic dividends giver.
It is also undeniable that Malam Sagir has sustained his track-record when he was moved to the ministry of local government affairs. When a leader has a vision and a focus, the quality of service delivery is always remarkable. The performance of any ministry is as good as the quality of its leadership. Sagir provided good leadership and direction, which has made it possible for the local government councils he supervises to make positive contributions in the improvement of the quality of life of the ordinary people.
One of the outstanding qualities of Sagir is his ability to use limited resources prudently. As an accountant by training, Sagir believes in cost-effectiveness to achieve efficient management of resources. Indeed, the quality of democratic governance does not only depend on the resources available, but also on how prudently they are managed. He is not only a politician but also a professional accountant. Armed with this experience and professional background, Sagir is eminently qualified to aspire for the highest political office in Kano State in 2011.
Nigeria needs leaders and not lords who treat the voters as their servants. In democracy, sovereignty belongs to the people. Arrogant leaders are not suited for democratic governance because insensitivity to the yearnings of the people can undermine democracy. The people's attraction to Sagir is not only his unbeatable performance record but also his amazing humility. He respects people regardless of their social stations; he is accessible and above all, a good listener. Accountability is an essential component of democratic rule and that cannot be achieved when arrogant leaders are elected. The spontaneous groundswell of popular goodwill towards Sagir speaks volumes of his humility. He is not your typical super-rich politician who thinks he can buy the conscience of the people with money. His greatest asset is his integrity, humility, sociability and above all, his incredible performance record under the people-oriented Shekarau administration.
Various interest groups in Kano State are automatically routing for Sagir because they are all impressed by his track-record in public service. When leaders perform so well, they automatically attract tremendous goodwill from the people. In fact, no rational person argues against a good record. For example, despite the determined efforts of the Republicans to bring him down, former U.S. President Bill Clinton survived his political opponents. And the only secret of his survival was his performance record.
In Kano State, therefore, once Sagir's name is mentioned, nobody raises an eyebrow. The fact that Governor Shekarau brought Sagir into his cabinet is a mark of political foresight and sagacity. No political succession to Shekarau can be discussed without a frequent reference to Sagir. Combining competence with humility is one of the shining examples of good leadership qualities. As a good manager of resources and men, Sagir has proved his capability even to the most stubborn pessimists.
As good performance is the greatest weapon against critics, hardly anyone raises objection to the idea of nominating Sagir as a successor to Governor Shekarau, the Sardaunan Kano. Everyone is proud to be associated with a good leader with a sound performance record. Although Sagir hardly makes a noise about himself and his competent handling of public responsibilities, he himself must have been overwhelmed by the level of tremendous political goodwill building around him. His popularity breaks political boundaries, which explains why even
PDP supporters are enthusiastic about him. With Sagir's excellent performance record, Governor Shekarau can go to sleep with ease because the current public opinion about his successor supports Sagir. Every leader is proud to be succeeded by a man who has all it takes to sustain a good legacy
In a democracy, we should not be indifferent to the quality and character of those who aspire to seek our mandate. The consequences of bad leadership may ultimately affect the quality of democratic governance. Detachment in democracy can lead to the election of wrong leaders and our indifference is the factor that promotes that outcome. Throughout the democratic world, the citizens are keenly concerned about the qualities of their leaders.
Therefore, the people of Kano State cannot afford to keep aloof as the 2011 governorship contest in Kano State is fast approaching. Because of the positive achievements of the Shekarau administration, the question of who succeeds him is taking on increasing significance. Quality speaks for itself and it is hard to sell and sustain incompetence for too long. Every leader with a good performance record is constantly concerned about who will take over from him.
With increasing awareness, the voters would be able to assess their own leaders on the basis of their performance records. Whether ANPP would retain power in Kano State in 2011 or not depends on the quality of the man the party nominates to succeed Governor Shekarau. Luckily, however, the citizens of Kano State are coming out to assess the individual performance records of the members of Shekarau's cabinet. One of the most honest assessment I have read was the article by one Mohammed Sani Kofar Mata (WeeklyTrust 27/3/2010) who convincingly argued in favour of Alhaji Salihu Sagir Takai, who is currently the commissioner of local government affairs in the Shekarau administration.
Kofar Mata's arguments were based on Sagir's achievements as a former commissioner of water resources and later local government affairs. No fair-minded, sincere and honest citizen of Kano State would deny all the achievements attributed to the gentleman. The successful execution of the Tamburawa water project under the competent supervision of Alhaji Sagir was a good example of how the government can get value for money when it appoints the right people into particular areas of public responsibility. As pointed out by Kofar Mata, the completion of Tamburawa water projects has put Kano State on the pedestal of democratic dividends giver.
It is also undeniable that Malam Sagir has sustained his track-record when he was moved to the ministry of local government affairs. When a leader has a vision and a focus, the quality of service delivery is always remarkable. The performance of any ministry is as good as the quality of its leadership. Sagir provided good leadership and direction, which has made it possible for the local government councils he supervises to make positive contributions in the improvement of the quality of life of the ordinary people.
One of the outstanding qualities of Sagir is his ability to use limited resources prudently. As an accountant by training, Sagir believes in cost-effectiveness to achieve efficient management of resources. Indeed, the quality of democratic governance does not only depend on the resources available, but also on how prudently they are managed. He is not only a politician but also a professional accountant. Armed with this experience and professional background, Sagir is eminently qualified to aspire for the highest political office in Kano State in 2011.
Nigeria needs leaders and not lords who treat the voters as their servants. In democracy, sovereignty belongs to the people. Arrogant leaders are not suited for democratic governance because insensitivity to the yearnings of the people can undermine democracy. The people's attraction to Sagir is not only his unbeatable performance record but also his amazing humility. He respects people regardless of their social stations; he is accessible and above all, a good listener. Accountability is an essential component of democratic rule and that cannot be achieved when arrogant leaders are elected. The spontaneous groundswell of popular goodwill towards Sagir speaks volumes of his humility. He is not your typical super-rich politician who thinks he can buy the conscience of the people with money. His greatest asset is his integrity, humility, sociability and above all, his incredible performance record under the people-oriented Shekarau administration.
Various interest groups in Kano State are automatically routing for Sagir because they are all impressed by his track-record in public service. When leaders perform so well, they automatically attract tremendous goodwill from the people. In fact, no rational person argues against a good record. For example, despite the determined efforts of the Republicans to bring him down, former U.S. President Bill Clinton survived his political opponents. And the only secret of his survival was his performance record.
In Kano State, therefore, once Sagir's name is mentioned, nobody raises an eyebrow. The fact that Governor Shekarau brought Sagir into his cabinet is a mark of political foresight and sagacity. No political succession to Shekarau can be discussed without a frequent reference to Sagir. Combining competence with humility is one of the shining examples of good leadership qualities. As a good manager of resources and men, Sagir has proved his capability even to the most stubborn pessimists.
As good performance is the greatest weapon against critics, hardly anyone raises objection to the idea of nominating Sagir as a successor to Governor Shekarau, the Sardaunan Kano. Everyone is proud to be associated with a good leader with a sound performance record. Although Sagir hardly makes a noise about himself and his competent handling of public responsibilities, he himself must have been overwhelmed by the level of tremendous political goodwill building around him. His popularity breaks political boundaries, which explains why even
PDP supporters are enthusiastic about him. With Sagir's excellent performance record, Governor Shekarau can go to sleep with ease because the current public opinion about his successor supports Sagir. Every leader is proud to be succeeded by a man who has all it takes to sustain a good legacy
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