Yakowa’s death and a dangerous dimension of our politics! By M.G Maigamo The death of Sir Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa in a plane crash is a tragic one. Indeed a tragedy of monumental proportions that plumbed the depth of shocks across the country. Death caught him shot abruptly while he was busy discharging the business calling of his office. So much has been said about this man, and so many tributes had been paid to him. But I think no one can depicts, in mere words the stunning qualities of this man for he was a quintessence of good leadership cum an emblem of peace. His ending is a good one because he has bequeathed to the posterity a high tradition of public service with complete personal honor and integrity. But what yield the bulk of my concern here is not his death per-se (as death is inevitable), but the ripple-effect his death would have caused and also how the DEATH is altering the balance of power in a highly ethno-religious country like ours where everything is measured and determined along ethnic and religious lines . The death of Yakowa has further open out the veil of long-running religious/ethnic antagonisms in the country. It has also pin-point a dangerous dimension of our politics which is have a deleterious effect to our corporate existence as Nigerians. However also, the politics of Death has now been creepily and insidiously deepening the wide existing gulf between and within our regions. When Yar’adua died on the 5th of May 2010, many Northern people especially Muslims grumbled and lambasted former president Olusegun Obasonjo for being the “Architect”. According to them Obasonjo had the premonitions that Yar’adua cannot withstand the pressures of that office because of his ill health and his days were even numbered but he (Obasonjo) willfully picked him just to punish the northerners for frustrating his effort in extending his tenure and also to maintain the ambrosia of power in the South when Yar’adua finally pass away as systematically orchestrated by him they claimed. The ascriptions of Obasonjo with such powers showed how unhappy and desperate the Northern elites were because no one has the power over life and death except the All-Knowing and All-Powerful God. And the dangerous assumptions that were created by these elites get pass down to us and our Ulamas which became the subject of thoughts in every congregation. Not only in congregations, but in every informal gathering such assertions became a popular discourse. However again, in their attempt to re-captures the levers of power, our elites conjured up this dangerous connotations and also suffused it all over the North when president Goodluck wanted to re-contest again after finishing the tenure of Late Yar’adua. While it matters less to them, because the divisive connotations were adopted for more or less a political expediency to the elites, and for power tussles. The media hype also systematically popularized the sophistries. Muslims in the North were galvanized to felt very apprehensive about the short-changing. All this were some of the cumulative effects of our sentiments and prejudices. At state level, our people in the state (Muslims) were never happy when Arch. Namadi Sambo the then Governor of the state was tipped to be the Vice president after the death of President Yar’adua. He was popularly criticized for sacrificing the seat of governorship to late Yakowa on the altar of vice presidency. Their gnawing grievances were that as a nerve-centre of Arewa since the creation of the Kaduna state no Christian ever rules the state. A little respect he (Namadi) earned as a governor completely eroded for accepting to be the Vice president. And this misplaced hatred resentment is still manifesting as he is still not forgiving by the Muslims in the state. One captivating irony is that this disconsolate people that held animus against the vice president are now applauding the VP about Yakowa’s death. Their irrational assertions were that Yakowa’s death is part of Namadi’s political machination to have his Sired son Mukhtar Ramalan Yero to be a Governor so that he will continue ruling the state by proxy. I had received so many phone calls and fusillades of text messages from friends and families in Zaria and other places, enjoining me to pray for the son of the soil and a Muslim brother for been a governor and to jubilate about the death of Yakowa. I also saw a flock of people along Tudun-Wada Kaduna and the metropolis showing their elations about Yakowa’s death. I also saw many Christians in the state silently showing their grief because they lost a governor. And I overheard my Christian neighbors wishfully praying that Mukhtar Ramalan Picks Amina Yakowa-the wife of late Yakowa as his deputy so that if/when he died she will take over as he did to her husband. More alarming is when browsing through the social network media forums and I found it replete with distasteful comments between Christians and Muslims. And this reminds me also when Yaradua died the Christians from the south were extremely happy because it’s their turn and Goodluck is their son of the soil. Our Christian people here from the North shown them solidarity by rejoicing with them. One will utterly wonder how the politics of Death is steadily taking a full shape in changing our psychic and mindsets. From 2011 the politico-ethno-religious matrix which defines our social formations has been turn on to being more mutually antagonistic in our both inter and intra relations i.e. between Christians and Muslims both within and between the regions and it has deepening so much that it brought election crises in the country. The dichotomy has assumed a dangerous proportion and PDP are comfortable with that. They even see that as a golden opportunity to perpetuate themselves in power. Sadly, this artificially created ethnic prejudices, and religious sentiments have now become the string that holds the fiber of our political system. And the enmities between us (Christians and Muslims) have been ingrained on our minds to the effect that no Christian will vote for Muslim in an election and vice-versa. It’s a dangerous trend that can destroy the country because development happens to those countries who doesn’t allow ethnicity and religious sentiments to be reckoning forces in their politics. Unless we get an all-rounded and purposeful leader, the one with a national outlook who can mend the breaking fences and bridge the dichotomy/gulf of ethnicity. Lastly the death of Patrick Yakowa ought to have sobered us and reawaken us to the common realities of life. His death would have to be perfect unifying instrument. We need to ponder and have sober reflections and learn lessons on the facts that: One, that Yakowa was hale and hearty even at the point of his death and few days to his demise he was seen roving the state, commissioning projects and attending to other functions. Never knew he has a limited breath of air to take. And who knows next? Two, not only that his death has disrupted the political formula of the state, it also had an injurious effects to the political ambitions of some people in the state. It has been rumored that the SSG of the state and some commissioners had a stealth ambition of contesting the post in 2015. If it is true then a sudden quirk of fate has dashed their hopes. Three, those been euphoric about the death of Yakowa should be reminded that death is a discomforting reality that every living soul must face. At least Yakowa and Yar’adua’s own has been a good one but for us the When and the How should be the moderating instrument of our affairs and utterances. And that power is not always permanent it’s transient. Also for those that take politics as a do or die affairs that they run from pillar to post expending their resources just in a desperate bid to become governors or chairmen etc, this incident should have to reshape their frame of minds and also it have to dilute their aggressive nature of electioneering. If God destined you to be a president as we’ve seen in the case of Goodluck Jonathan or governor as lately the case of Mukhtar Ramalan you need not gather political thugs or steal public funds to contest. M.G Maigamo
Posted on: Sat, 14 Sep 2013 17:57:39 +0000
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