Reminiscing On Yakasai And Jokolos War Of Words Immediately I read the former Emir of Gwandu, Alhaji Mustapha Haruna Jokolo’s interview on the state of the nation in which he descended heavily on Vice President Namadi Sambo and his description of ‘one Yakasai’ in reference to Alhaji Tanko Yakasai in 26th October, 2014 edition of The Sun, my instincts told me that it will generate political heat. And indeed it has exposed our bad political communication. My mind went back to the April 1958 warning against political fragmentation in Northern Nigeria by Sir Ahmadu Bello, the only and last Premier of Northern Region in view of its dangers and consequences, which I will come back to as a way of conclusion. But let’s first examine the altercations between Yakasai and Jokolo. Apparently warning President Jonathan to drop Sambo and hitting at Yakasai, Jokolo said “But if I were Jonathan, I will tell Namadi to go and win his local government and polling booth first. What is Namadi’s position here in the North? What does he command in the North? Namadi is a liability. He himself knows it. Why should Namadi be dressing like an Ijaw man? Is that his dress? Isn’t that hypocrisy? Does it mean that he is loyal to Jonathan by that? Why is he having his own group? The Northern Elders Forum has its own group. Now they have created Northern Elders Council. The Northern Elders Forum is supporting Aliyu Gusau, but the Northern Elders Council is supporting Namadi. So, what is this problem? And he made one Yakassai who cannot go to Kano now and make statement the head of the Northern Elders Council. But ask them: which one of them can deliver his place? “Which member of the Northern Elders Council can go to his place and deliver it to Jonathan or Namadi himself? They are just sucking them dry. They are just like leeches hanging around Abuja, claiming that they are in one council. Which council? Just like nobody nominated the members of the forum, who nominated them? If you want to identify, go to Arewa Consultative Forum. These are people who the northerners identified as their leaders. Anybody can wake up and say I am this and that. But go back home and let’s see what you can do. “Namadi cannot even lead his local government and you are here talking of Nigeria. Has he ever won his polling booth? Okay, if he is that good, why is there doubt in his vice presidency? Why did PDP say they only adopted Jonathan and not with anybody else. They even said it is up to Jonathan to pick his running mate. Does that statement mean anything to you? I am sure you are not summun bukum umuyun. You know the meaning of that? ‘Deaf, Dumb and Blind’. So unless somebody is deaf, dumb and blind, if you shave your hair, you don’t have to say my hair is shaven.” Jokolo’s usage of the word ‘leeches’ was considered harsh; leeches are segmented worms that belong to the phylum Annelida and comprise the subclass Hirudinea, and referring to the likes of Yakasai as ‘leeches’ ignited more fire as we saw from Yakasai’s response, although the Vice President did not officially respond but others viewed responses as indirectly his. Yakasai in his reply countered Jokolo describing him as ‘frustrated and misguided’ person who has failed in military and deposed as emir in search of relevance saying comments made on regional and national issues by Jokolo were “inappropriate and indicative of the mischief that motivated him.” Yakasai further said: “Given my age, pedigree and political experience, it will be out of place for me to trade words with Mustapha Jokolo whose truncated career as a soldier and deposed traditional ruler render him irrelevant, misguided and frustrated even as he struggles to remain in the limelight. His chosen medium to proffer advice on sensitive national issues to President Goodluck Jonathan is most inappropriate and indicative of the mischief that motivated him.” The octogenarian who spat fire stressed further that “It is quite obvious that Jokolo can only add nuisance value to national discourse since he has chosen the easier road to cheap popularity by rumbling incoherently to the press. I live in Kano and spend all my life in Kano and I must remind Jokolo that I have never been sent in exile.For the sake of posterity, it is important that we set the record straight. The Northern Elders Council, as is contained in our Mission Statement, is our own creation aimed at fostering national unity and peaceful coexistence amongst Nigerians. “Even though I do not hold brief for the Vice President, his reference to the Vice President as a political liability stems from deep ignorance, lack of sincerity and mercenary motivation. As a failed soldier and monarch, he may probably be an intending politician. He should stop hiding behind a smokescreen and be courageous enough and so that he can come under the full heat of public scrutiny and ridicule which his unenviable half-baked careers will surely deserve.” Yakasai’s words were also combative like that of Jokolo, and one wonder the consequences of their political squabbles and washing dirty linen in public. From the foregoing, their encounter was in bad taste and negative political communication model for younger generation of the region in view of the deepening fragmentation. It is painful seen Yakasai born in 1926 and entered politics in December 1949 and Jokolo, a scion of Sokoto Caliphate and once traditional ruler of Gwandu, the second most important city in the history of Islam in the 19th Century West Africa engaging in an unhealthy politick all tailoring their politics. Finally, in April 1958, Sir Ahmadu Bello while addressing members of the Henry Willink Minority Commission in Kaduna warned Northern Nigerian politicians against fragmentation considering the danger it posed, saying, “If, as a result of the agitation for fragmentation of this great region, fostered and encouraged as it is so much by persons seeking their own political interests, the unity of the North is impaired or damaged, then I fear greatly that we shall step, not through the gates of the future into the broad prospect of prosperity which can lie before us, but back into the past, into tribalism, religious intolerance and violence. May God prevent it.’’ aruwans@gmail and twitter @samuelaruwan.
Posted on: Wed, 05 Nov 2014 21:17:52 +0000
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