WHEN SILENCE IS NOT GOLDEN…..
‘Katsinawa kunya gareku ba dai tsoro ba’ so goes the popular maxim which had been in existence since the beginning of history. The maxim is used at home and in the Diaspora by anybody who knows the antecedents of the Katsinawas. It is almost used as a template or better still a familiar platitude that is used to describe the attitude of Katsinawas when it comes to undertaking certain unfamiliar tasks which others dare not. This attitude of fearlessness has been associated with almost anybody who comes from Katsina, Our ability to withstand and not be cowed by the size of any challenge and to deal with situation with great aplomb is what distinguish us from other Nigerians.
Albeit this maxim had been in existence as far as somebody can remember but the question is…does it carry any weight? Or, is there any historical antecedent to show or justify it? I had cause to ask several people including the aged, historians and others who are conversant with hausa adages and proverbs but none was able to justify this statement or atleast show how it originated. Most people I asked would tell me that...Katsinawas do not tolerate nonsense but are hospitable and generous but this still does not show....’Kunya garemu ba dai tsoro ba’
To my mind, this maxim can be attributed to the legendary story of ‘KUNAR BAKIN WAKE’. Those of us who are conversant with the story know what happened. The people of Katsina at that time knew what was going on, they knew something was wrong but still allowed the injustice to continue. It might be for the regard they had for the Traditional Institution, they allowed themselves to be used as horses until it came to the turn of ‘BAKIN WAKE’ who was so fearless as to bring the injustice to a calm halt. Then, it might be events that followed much later indicated our ‘Kunya garemu ba dai tsoro ba.’ The conduct and general activities of our representatives from Katsina who partook in the Burma War indicated that they were so fearless and have undertaken several escapades that their contemporaries could not. Also, during the 30month Nigerian civil war, the conduct of the soldiers from Katsina, especially those of Generals, Hassan Usman and Shehu Musa Yar’adua have all confirmed that ‘Katsinawa kunya gareku bai dai tsoro ba’.
In 1976, in a nationwide broadcast. The then Military Head of State General Murtala Ramat Muhammed said inter alia….creation of States as far as this administration is concerned is a one time operation and future agitations would not be tolerated’. However, Alhaji Saidu Barda who was then Permanent Secretary Ministry of Education in the defunct Kaduna state was demoted to the Office of the Military Governor as the Permanent Secretary Special duties for defying the Head of State’s directives as far the agitation of states. I also remember with nostalgia how I was accepted by the Inspectorate division of my former organization during a reinvention exercise back in 2004. The then Head of Division an Indigene of Edo State but of Igbo extraction said to me …Iam happy to have you in my Division for am sure you are going to undertake certain assignments where other Inspectors have tarried. It was after the meeting I asked him what he meant by the statement. He simply told me...I know people from Katsina to be fearless and are always ready to accept responsibility. Examples abound to show ‘Katsinawa Kunya gare ku ba dai tsoro ba’ and I know everyone of us must have gotten one or two experiences to share with us as regards to the adage. I have gone through memory lane to show how we do not usually give in to a cause we believe in and no matter whose ox is gored
But to a discerning mind and especially when one considers what has transpired and still transpiring in our beloved state for the last 4 or so years, one would say without hesitation but with some sense of responsibility that the popular maxim has changed its course to bear ‘KATSINAWA BAKU DA KUNYA GA KUMA SHEGEN TSORO’. During these years one remembers how billions of Naira went into the drains, money that could have been used to the better the living standard of the people of the state. People who ordinarily could have said something about the going on in the state have kept grave yard silence. The only voice that came to our rescue was from the erstwhile Secretary to the former Yar’adua’s government, Mustapha Mohammed Inuwa who gave an interview to the Hausa service of the FRCN in Kaduna last month. He opined that the present administration in Katsina has not done anything tangible to the people of Katsina since it came into power 5years ago despite the huge resources it collected from the Federal allocations. He specifically mentioned four areas of great concern where the administration ran foul. The constructions of the stadium, Government House, the orthopedic hospital and the ring roads which he considers as white elephant projects. He also opined that Local Governments areas in Katsina are just appendages of the State Government. Money would always be given to the local councils for only them to return certain amounts to the state government as directed. The former SSG further commented that the state government has already embarked on the construction of a new Government office for the Niger Republic in Niamey. It is pertinent to note that almost all the allegations made by the former Scribe have come to pass except the one concerning the local councils collecting money and returning certain amount to the government. If it is confirmed true, it means the government has explored another level of corruption in the country. One will therefore wonder why a government superintended by the most learned ones will condescend so low to commit such thievery. But for the construction of Government in Niamey even the most uneducated person in Katsina now knows that our money is used to develop another country illegally. To vindicate the former SSG in this respect is the award of national honors bestowed on His Excellency by Niger Republic. It was on the national news yesterday that Governor Shema was to receive second highest National Honor- The Grand Officer de l’order National du Niger Republic in appreciation of his kind gestures to the desert republic. You do not need to be a magician or a soothsayer or even a lawyer for that matter to know the illegality in this case.
But before am done with the former Scribe’s interview, let us analyze and see if the money spent so far on these white elephant projects could have been more useful if they were spent on other sectors. Just imagine if the whole money sent on these wasteful projects so far is channeled to Education and the provision of portable drinking water. The money would have just been enough to transform our Education sector from its decedent and embarrassing position to a position where we could have a maximum of 40 students in a classroom for all schools, where instructional materials would be available, where quality teachers would be recruited and above all, a position where we could have a congenial atmosphere for effective teaching and learning to take place. The money would also have been enough to provide portable drinking water to almost all sections of the state and also to rectify our ageing dams and open up new ones. That will enable our people engage in dry season agriculture considering over 80% of the people of Katsina are engage in agricultural activities. The government is so crazy on spending money lavishly but it is unmindful on creation of jobs so that people can be self sufficient. That is the irony!!!
I think the former scribe has paid his dues by granting that interview in which he exposed all those scandals. By the way, the interview on a CD plate was sold at N200.00 per plate and over 20,000 copies were sold. I have never seen anything like!
One of the primary functions of a Government is to provide security to its people both in terms of personal and property but it is regrettable to note that the current dispensation is either unable or unwilling to protect its citizens. It is a common scenario now in Katsina to see robbers doing their business in the day time; they can mount road blocks for up to 2 hours with only their victims at their mercy. This had happened along Kano and Dutsinma roads severally, in fact, people have already lost count on the number of times this had happened. In Batsari, the whole town stood still when the robbers came visiting in a broad day light almost a month ago, in Barhin in the outskirt of Katsina you dare not drive alone in the night for fear of your car being snatched by robbers. The situation is so embarrassing and so disgusting; it looks completely as if there is no authority in place to deal with this menace. Inspite of all what is happening in the state nobody seems to be saying anything. Where are our elders, religious and political leaders? Where is our ex this? Where is our ex that? What is really happening? ‘KUNYA GARE KU BA DAI TSORO BA’ don’t tell me the residue of Bakin Wake’s blood has dried up in our body? Why can’t somebody add up to the former SSG’s voice? Have we all been compromised? For how much? For a pittance? No, I don’t think so! So why is everybody in silent mode? Surely, this silence is not golden!!!
Finally, it is pertinent to note that from the most ancient times to present day, the struggle for human emancipation has always been directly or indirectly a reaction against oppression and all kinds of exploitation by the rulers. Hench, the right to rebel against them in any way necessary. The inferno that symbolizes the Arab spring was ignited by a certain youth who set himself ablaze as a result of unemployment and only God knows when and where it will now stop. INJUSTICE DOES NOT PAY BUT JUSTICE DOES…
Monday, December 26, 2011
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
MY STAND ON CONTRIBUTORY PENSION SCHEME…..
I have been taken on severally on my stand on contributory Pension in Katsina by some of my friends and other people, mostly civil servants. The most recent is sequel to my piece AFTERMATH OF THE STRIKE….where I urged the labour Union to cause the introduction of contributory pension scheme in the state. Their opinion mostly is why I should be canvassing for this scheme when it is not going to be practicable in a state like Katsina.
Now, here is the thing…since my exit from the state service in the late eighties I have been engaged in Pension business and have come to terms with the fact that it is only the contributory pension scheme that can provide answer to the perennial imbroglio that has bedeviled the Pension industry.
What is this contributory pension scheme anyway? This scheme entails that each individual/ worker has his own saving account (RSA) where he contributes monthly towards his retirement and the money is kept by his chosen Pension Fund Administrator. The scheme is fully funded by both the worker and the Government so that at any given time that particular account is kept buoyant.
Traditionally speaking, the idea of saving is as long as history can remember. People do save now to enable them use whatever is saved in the future. That is the use of ASUSU, a small container with a small perforation in it that is used to put coins and other legal tender in it to enable the owner saves for future use. ADASHE is another form of saving, where a specified number of people mutually agree to contribute certain amount of money, monthly, weekly or even daily for only one of them to collect in a particular instance. All these forms of saving are still relevant in present day dealings. I can still remember when I was young, Asusu was always in vogue as children of my age were very fond of it, especially when there was going to be any occasion, like Sallah celebration or any festivities we used to save money in it to enable us buy things of our interest. Adashe is a much more elaborate operation as it involves bigger equity and interest. Many civil servants still do engage in it, especially when one has a certain plan to execute but does not have the capacity. Like when one wants to marry or buy a new car or wants to change to a bigger car he can always get himself involved in adashe and solve his problem without any qualms. This is saving now for future use and that is all what the contributory pension scheme is all about. Saving for the rainy day. When you can no longer work or when you are incapacitated .The paradigm is now towards somebody saving money for his pension entitlements not working for his entitlements. That popular phrase in our appointment letters…Permanent and Pensionable...will very soon be expunged and be replaced with …You are required to open a retirement saving account….
The World Bank came out with its landmark report titled ‘Averting the old age crises’ in it, the Bank advocated a move from the pay- as- you- go financing of pension. The report backed where possible, a much bigger role of earning in retiring account. Since the report came out, reforms along these lines have been carried out mainly in Latin America, Europe and Central Asia. Nigeria’s Pension Reform Act 2004 is also in line with this change. Hitherto, the Pension reform act, the defunct Obasanjo administration groaned under a N3 trillion pension arrears and that compelled it to send an executive bill to NASS as its own answer to averting the crisis in the Industry. The consequence of that singular action led to the enactment of the law that mandates each and every worker in the private sector, Federal service and the FCT to contribute for his retirement 7.5% of his/ her gross salary and his employer contributes the same amount monthly on his behalf and the total sum is kept for him by his chosen PFA in a RSA. It is interesting to note that about 14 states in the Federation have adopted the legislation. The scheme is fully funded through the monthly contribution of both the employer and employee. So, upon retirement the beneficiary collects his gratuity and is immediately placed on monthly pension because the funds are readily available, unlike the old pension scheme like the one we are operating in Katsina State, there would not be any ready funds to pay the pensioners. These Public pension schemes are not designed to deliver current benefits level when confronted with today’s major demographic and economic changes and to keep them afloat will drastically affect public spending on Health, Agriculture and Education to mention but a few.
For any pension scheme, whether public or private to be successful it has to be fully funded to the extent that the pension funds and assets match pension liabilities at any given time. In our own case, we know the liabilities but we don’t know if the fund is available, as we have to wait for the Federal grants to come. So no grant, no pension!!! But shifting to the privately managed plans that are fully funded and that tie benefits to contributions are more likely to improve economic growth, provide better benefits and more importantly, is you collect your entitlements as and when due than will continued reliance on Pay- as – you- go system.
It is therefore important for my friends and indeed all civil servants to come to terms with the reality that retirement from service is an inevitable end and when it happens there will be no more salary, no AIE, no MFA, not even egunje but your pension entitlements and as long as these funds are not readily available, the Government will just be owing- one month pension, five months, thirty months pension sometimes the number can even be more but if you are one of the doubting thomases and thinks it cannot happen in Katsina State you better think again or better still ask former workers of the Nigerian Railway corporation, New Nigerian Newspapers, just to mention but a few.
Now, here is the thing…since my exit from the state service in the late eighties I have been engaged in Pension business and have come to terms with the fact that it is only the contributory pension scheme that can provide answer to the perennial imbroglio that has bedeviled the Pension industry.
What is this contributory pension scheme anyway? This scheme entails that each individual/ worker has his own saving account (RSA) where he contributes monthly towards his retirement and the money is kept by his chosen Pension Fund Administrator. The scheme is fully funded by both the worker and the Government so that at any given time that particular account is kept buoyant.
Traditionally speaking, the idea of saving is as long as history can remember. People do save now to enable them use whatever is saved in the future. That is the use of ASUSU, a small container with a small perforation in it that is used to put coins and other legal tender in it to enable the owner saves for future use. ADASHE is another form of saving, where a specified number of people mutually agree to contribute certain amount of money, monthly, weekly or even daily for only one of them to collect in a particular instance. All these forms of saving are still relevant in present day dealings. I can still remember when I was young, Asusu was always in vogue as children of my age were very fond of it, especially when there was going to be any occasion, like Sallah celebration or any festivities we used to save money in it to enable us buy things of our interest. Adashe is a much more elaborate operation as it involves bigger equity and interest. Many civil servants still do engage in it, especially when one has a certain plan to execute but does not have the capacity. Like when one wants to marry or buy a new car or wants to change to a bigger car he can always get himself involved in adashe and solve his problem without any qualms. This is saving now for future use and that is all what the contributory pension scheme is all about. Saving for the rainy day. When you can no longer work or when you are incapacitated .The paradigm is now towards somebody saving money for his pension entitlements not working for his entitlements. That popular phrase in our appointment letters…Permanent and Pensionable...will very soon be expunged and be replaced with …You are required to open a retirement saving account….
The World Bank came out with its landmark report titled ‘Averting the old age crises’ in it, the Bank advocated a move from the pay- as- you- go financing of pension. The report backed where possible, a much bigger role of earning in retiring account. Since the report came out, reforms along these lines have been carried out mainly in Latin America, Europe and Central Asia. Nigeria’s Pension Reform Act 2004 is also in line with this change. Hitherto, the Pension reform act, the defunct Obasanjo administration groaned under a N3 trillion pension arrears and that compelled it to send an executive bill to NASS as its own answer to averting the crisis in the Industry. The consequence of that singular action led to the enactment of the law that mandates each and every worker in the private sector, Federal service and the FCT to contribute for his retirement 7.5% of his/ her gross salary and his employer contributes the same amount monthly on his behalf and the total sum is kept for him by his chosen PFA in a RSA. It is interesting to note that about 14 states in the Federation have adopted the legislation. The scheme is fully funded through the monthly contribution of both the employer and employee. So, upon retirement the beneficiary collects his gratuity and is immediately placed on monthly pension because the funds are readily available, unlike the old pension scheme like the one we are operating in Katsina State, there would not be any ready funds to pay the pensioners. These Public pension schemes are not designed to deliver current benefits level when confronted with today’s major demographic and economic changes and to keep them afloat will drastically affect public spending on Health, Agriculture and Education to mention but a few.
For any pension scheme, whether public or private to be successful it has to be fully funded to the extent that the pension funds and assets match pension liabilities at any given time. In our own case, we know the liabilities but we don’t know if the fund is available, as we have to wait for the Federal grants to come. So no grant, no pension!!! But shifting to the privately managed plans that are fully funded and that tie benefits to contributions are more likely to improve economic growth, provide better benefits and more importantly, is you collect your entitlements as and when due than will continued reliance on Pay- as – you- go system.
It is therefore important for my friends and indeed all civil servants to come to terms with the reality that retirement from service is an inevitable end and when it happens there will be no more salary, no AIE, no MFA, not even egunje but your pension entitlements and as long as these funds are not readily available, the Government will just be owing- one month pension, five months, thirty months pension sometimes the number can even be more but if you are one of the doubting thomases and thinks it cannot happen in Katsina State you better think again or better still ask former workers of the Nigerian Railway corporation, New Nigerian Newspapers, just to mention but a few.
AFTERMATH OF THE STRIKE….
I was just coming out of Masallachin Kerau after the Zuhr Prayers when I noticed one of my friends standing by the nim tree beside the mosque. I walked towards him to inquire why he was standing there and said that he noticed me in the front row in the course of the prayer and decided to wait and greet me since it has been long when we last met. I run short of words to explain to him why I was not at our Old boy’s meeting which took place during the Sallah break. I managed to concoct some flimsy excuses which I knew he would not accept but I just had to say something…
It is a very hot afternoon, he said to me, using a face towel to wipe up a clot of sweet that crawls from his forehead down to his right cheek. Indeed, it is, I replied. As we walked towards my car his phone rang grddrrhgrrddhmg, grddrrhgrrddhmg, honestly I never heard such an unpleasant ring tone, and in fact I was even frightened as I couldn’t fathom from where the noise was coming from before I realized it was my friend’s phone. It was this kind of fake nokia products or something... Don’t mind my phone it is this Chinese product he said in recognition to my disappointment. ‘Sai dai ki yi da abinda ya sauwaka’ he answered. It was after he was done with the phone he told me that it was his wife. She called on him to inquire if he was going to bring home ‘chefane’ for the evening meal.
You see Isa; this protracted strike is taking its toll on almost all the citizenry of this state. My wife is pestering me to bring something for the evening meal; meanwhile I have not even taken anything for lunch. I trekked nearly 3 to 4 kilometers today but without anything to show for it, my car is out of gas, my younger child is a sickler and has not taken his medication for the last two days and to cap it all, I don’t have a dime at home or in the bank, am frustrated, am disappointed and am confused he concluded. I felt sorry for him and for any other person who is in that position, especially, when I knew I could not be of any significant help to him. My only best to him was N5, 000 but how long would that take him? What would happen tomorrow or next? Or, would that be the case of fold your arms and wait for the Lord to remember you? I picked up courage to console him and offered him my widow’s might knowing full well that would not take him up to two days with all those myriad of problems. By the way my friend is on grade level16, a senior Director in one of the ministries.
I drove my car without having a slightest idea of where I was going, wondering in consternation. This is a very senior officer who had graduated from the university 3 decades ago, what is happening to my state? Providing the answer to myself almost immediately- Purposeful leadership.
Unfortunately the present leadership in the state is either unable or unwilling to draw up a congenial roadmap that will make our state government to accept that the paradigm shift for economic development in this 21st century has tilted towards creation of wealth from distribution. Unfortunately, the constitution has not help matters as it bestows all national resources in the hands of the President and the State Governors. This makes them so powerful and so influential that they treat their subjects as if they are a conquered people. It is like a PG show: they decide who gets what; and who does not get what. What to say and what not to say…this disconnect between the belief that national wealth in meant to be distributed anyhow and not as a source of providing economic and social enterprises is the bane of our problems and the result is what we are witnessing now: underdevelopment, poverty, crimes, suicides…in the last couple of months we have recorded about 2 or 3 suicide cases and all were civil servants.
The strike has really exposed our vulnerability, the civil servants, the market women, the whole state; every one of us, that none of us can do without the Government and equally, the Government cannot do without Federal allocations that it collects effortless from the Federation accounts. So in order for us, as a people, as a government to get out of this quagmire we need to do something urgently and we need to do it now, if only we want to be judged positively by posterity.
The government on its side has to be purposeful, sincere, open, transparent and accommodating. The present disposition of the government where its activities are run on one man show basis or a government that is run off-head is not acceptable. There has to be coordinated synergy between the government and its people, a dialogue on what it intends to do. For example, the Free Education. I think there is a lot of misgiving about the program. The program is just about the payment of school and examination fees, there has to be much more than that… You must provide conducive atmosphere for learning to take place, a situation where you have over100 students in a class is not acceptable, you must recruit quality teachers for all subjects; you must provide instructional materials and other teaching aids and more importantly, you must engage all the stake holders that have anything to do with education such as Teachers, parents, education administrators, private and students, discuss with them frankly and tell them that Government cannot shoulder the responsibility 100%. Their reaction will now give you impetuses that will enable you drive the sector to greater height. Otherwise, I see a bleak future as far as education is concerned in Katsina state.
The idea that the Government is going to embark on staff audit should be hailed and be given the necessary support; we should be ready to report anybody we feel is a ghost worker. Civil servants who do not merit to be called civil servants should be shown the way out. We can now boost of several young and enterprising graduates who are unemployed and are ready to put in their best for the progress of the state and can always fill in the vacuum left by any undesirable civil servant if only they are given the chance.
Labour on its side must be up and doing in its activities, it must be ready to accept responsibility and accept the consequence of any action. It can demand and get N52,000.00 as initially demanded by the national body as a minimum wage but as long as it is not doing what it is suppose to do, the money will just go under: easy come, easy go, they say.
Now, that labour has gotten what they demanded, we would like to see changes, changes in attitude, in approach, in the way they dress as civil servants, changes in the way they perform their duties, a total reinvention of all its activities. A situation where civil servants work less than 50% of their capacity will surely not be tolerated. You are expected to be in the office 8.00am and close by 3.30pm and anything short of that will not be tolerated, these timings should be made sacrosanct. A timer should be made available in all offices so that workers should be mandated to clock in as they come in the morning and clock out when the office closes, in this way, workers who are not serious could be easily identified.
Now, back to my friend who stir up this piece, he is about 59 and he is on the verge of retirement from work. Retirement being a phenomenon which no worker/civil servant wants but is inevitable. It has to come or happen on any employee. Just like it is going to happen to my friend in less than one year or so and my fear for him and any other person who is in the same shoes is: how would he cope up when he retires? Knowing full well that he has not saved anything, and he has no trade to fall back, the only succor is his retirement benefits.
Minimum wage is a great concern but a greater concern is the issue of Pension, which as far as am concerned is a time bomb. So long as our governments will be absolutely dependent on monthly subventions from the Federation accounts for our survival, the time for the bomb to explode is surely within a twinkle of an eye. That is why, I want to plead with the Labour and the Government in Katsina state to start the contributory pension now without any delay as the Federal Government, the FCT and some few states in the federation have already started. Kaduna, Kano, Zamfara inclusive. So that when my friend finally retires nobody will deny him his residues because some kind of Federal allocation has not come from the Federation account. That will also enable him buy a new original Nokia Phone, engage his younger child on full medication every day, have his car full to capacity with gas, and give Madam enough money for ‘Chefane’.
It is a very hot afternoon, he said to me, using a face towel to wipe up a clot of sweet that crawls from his forehead down to his right cheek. Indeed, it is, I replied. As we walked towards my car his phone rang grddrrhgrrddhmg, grddrrhgrrddhmg, honestly I never heard such an unpleasant ring tone, and in fact I was even frightened as I couldn’t fathom from where the noise was coming from before I realized it was my friend’s phone. It was this kind of fake nokia products or something... Don’t mind my phone it is this Chinese product he said in recognition to my disappointment. ‘Sai dai ki yi da abinda ya sauwaka’ he answered. It was after he was done with the phone he told me that it was his wife. She called on him to inquire if he was going to bring home ‘chefane’ for the evening meal.
You see Isa; this protracted strike is taking its toll on almost all the citizenry of this state. My wife is pestering me to bring something for the evening meal; meanwhile I have not even taken anything for lunch. I trekked nearly 3 to 4 kilometers today but without anything to show for it, my car is out of gas, my younger child is a sickler and has not taken his medication for the last two days and to cap it all, I don’t have a dime at home or in the bank, am frustrated, am disappointed and am confused he concluded. I felt sorry for him and for any other person who is in that position, especially, when I knew I could not be of any significant help to him. My only best to him was N5, 000 but how long would that take him? What would happen tomorrow or next? Or, would that be the case of fold your arms and wait for the Lord to remember you? I picked up courage to console him and offered him my widow’s might knowing full well that would not take him up to two days with all those myriad of problems. By the way my friend is on grade level16, a senior Director in one of the ministries.
I drove my car without having a slightest idea of where I was going, wondering in consternation. This is a very senior officer who had graduated from the university 3 decades ago, what is happening to my state? Providing the answer to myself almost immediately- Purposeful leadership.
Unfortunately the present leadership in the state is either unable or unwilling to draw up a congenial roadmap that will make our state government to accept that the paradigm shift for economic development in this 21st century has tilted towards creation of wealth from distribution. Unfortunately, the constitution has not help matters as it bestows all national resources in the hands of the President and the State Governors. This makes them so powerful and so influential that they treat their subjects as if they are a conquered people. It is like a PG show: they decide who gets what; and who does not get what. What to say and what not to say…this disconnect between the belief that national wealth in meant to be distributed anyhow and not as a source of providing economic and social enterprises is the bane of our problems and the result is what we are witnessing now: underdevelopment, poverty, crimes, suicides…in the last couple of months we have recorded about 2 or 3 suicide cases and all were civil servants.
The strike has really exposed our vulnerability, the civil servants, the market women, the whole state; every one of us, that none of us can do without the Government and equally, the Government cannot do without Federal allocations that it collects effortless from the Federation accounts. So in order for us, as a people, as a government to get out of this quagmire we need to do something urgently and we need to do it now, if only we want to be judged positively by posterity.
The government on its side has to be purposeful, sincere, open, transparent and accommodating. The present disposition of the government where its activities are run on one man show basis or a government that is run off-head is not acceptable. There has to be coordinated synergy between the government and its people, a dialogue on what it intends to do. For example, the Free Education. I think there is a lot of misgiving about the program. The program is just about the payment of school and examination fees, there has to be much more than that… You must provide conducive atmosphere for learning to take place, a situation where you have over100 students in a class is not acceptable, you must recruit quality teachers for all subjects; you must provide instructional materials and other teaching aids and more importantly, you must engage all the stake holders that have anything to do with education such as Teachers, parents, education administrators, private and students, discuss with them frankly and tell them that Government cannot shoulder the responsibility 100%. Their reaction will now give you impetuses that will enable you drive the sector to greater height. Otherwise, I see a bleak future as far as education is concerned in Katsina state.
The idea that the Government is going to embark on staff audit should be hailed and be given the necessary support; we should be ready to report anybody we feel is a ghost worker. Civil servants who do not merit to be called civil servants should be shown the way out. We can now boost of several young and enterprising graduates who are unemployed and are ready to put in their best for the progress of the state and can always fill in the vacuum left by any undesirable civil servant if only they are given the chance.
Labour on its side must be up and doing in its activities, it must be ready to accept responsibility and accept the consequence of any action. It can demand and get N52,000.00 as initially demanded by the national body as a minimum wage but as long as it is not doing what it is suppose to do, the money will just go under: easy come, easy go, they say.
Now, that labour has gotten what they demanded, we would like to see changes, changes in attitude, in approach, in the way they dress as civil servants, changes in the way they perform their duties, a total reinvention of all its activities. A situation where civil servants work less than 50% of their capacity will surely not be tolerated. You are expected to be in the office 8.00am and close by 3.30pm and anything short of that will not be tolerated, these timings should be made sacrosanct. A timer should be made available in all offices so that workers should be mandated to clock in as they come in the morning and clock out when the office closes, in this way, workers who are not serious could be easily identified.
Now, back to my friend who stir up this piece, he is about 59 and he is on the verge of retirement from work. Retirement being a phenomenon which no worker/civil servant wants but is inevitable. It has to come or happen on any employee. Just like it is going to happen to my friend in less than one year or so and my fear for him and any other person who is in the same shoes is: how would he cope up when he retires? Knowing full well that he has not saved anything, and he has no trade to fall back, the only succor is his retirement benefits.
Minimum wage is a great concern but a greater concern is the issue of Pension, which as far as am concerned is a time bomb. So long as our governments will be absolutely dependent on monthly subventions from the Federation accounts for our survival, the time for the bomb to explode is surely within a twinkle of an eye. That is why, I want to plead with the Labour and the Government in Katsina state to start the contributory pension now without any delay as the Federal Government, the FCT and some few states in the federation have already started. Kaduna, Kano, Zamfara inclusive. So that when my friend finally retires nobody will deny him his residues because some kind of Federal allocation has not come from the Federation account. That will also enable him buy a new original Nokia Phone, engage his younger child on full medication every day, have his car full to capacity with gas, and give Madam enough money for ‘Chefane’.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
REMINISCENCES
To those of us who have enjoyed the better part of Nigeria both in terms of the economy and the socio-cultural situations have a lot of stories to tell to our younger ones. Our standard of living at that time was so easy and so cheap. The purchasing power was so strong to the extent that with one shilling you could buy a lot of things. For instance, it will suffice you to spend in the company of 2 or 3 friends during a Sallah day celebration. You could buy things like sandals for your Sallah outing, chocolates, a fried chicken, a dozen of eggs, drink some couple of soft drinks, visit to cinema house and there will still be some change for you to spend the following day.
Socially, we lived in an extended family setting where everybody knew each other and we could go to each other’s house to eat or pass the night without any fuss from anybody. There was zero tolerance to any misbehavior as your neighbor could discipline you without your parents raising any eyebrow. My father who was a veteran of the 2nd world war had vast experience in dealing with different situations; he was a disciplinarian of sort who used carrots and stick when necessary. He never got tied in giving out advises to us, that we should be patient with everything and take our chance whenever it is due, render assistance whenever you are in the position. His popular maxim was that –treat people first as human beings before any consideration- We were taught some skills needed to be happy and become useful members of the community. Some of the skills were how to feed oneself, dress up, look after animals, help in the running of the home, respect other people’s property and the authority of parents and elders of the community. We did almost everything collectively, going to school, going for errands, even when taking our meals. That sense of togetherness was instilled in us right from our childhood days. I still remember how I always bring out my father’s dinner every blessed night where about 5 to 6 of our relations would also bring theirs for them to eat collectively; this practice had been going on until the demise of almost all of them.
We began our Quranic studies at very tender age at Makarantar allo under the tutelage of Mallam Audu Mahardaci. For us to learn to say our five daily prayers we must have crammed some portion of the holy quran. At the age of seven, I was admitted at the Kofar Sauri Primary School which is about one and half kilometers away from my house, so I could trek to the school very early in the morning not minding the perennial heat or the severe northeast trade winds that ravaged most parts of the West African sub- region. The classes started as from 7,30am to 1.30pm. While from 2.00pm to 4pm I was always at the Makarantar allo, with the exception of thursdays and fridays and of course any Islamic holiday. Our daily activities were so regimented that we had no idle time. Immediately after the makarantar allo session, I would always go and play football with other kids from the neighborhood in front of the Emir’s palace. During one of those evenings I met a boy who was of the same age with me kicking his new pelele ball, I, without hesitation joined him and when the other boys came we had a very good match. It was after the match the boy told me his name was Geoffrey and that he always escorted his Dad to the Emir’s Palace. His father was one of the Engineers who were engaged in putting telephone cables at the palace. As we could not pronounce his name very well we resorted to call him Dan Inyamiri. We immediately became friends with him, especially when he could play very well and more importantly, I think, because, he would always bring to us new ball to play. After playing ball every evening he would follow me to my house and when it was getting dark I would escort to him up to Kofar Soro gate, this continued even after his father’s contract had expired at the palace. My father often asked what of your friend referring to him and I would answer that I have just escorted him or something.., everybody knew Geoffrey in my neighborhood. The last time I saw Geoffrey was on the eve of my journey to Zaria where I was supposed to spend the next 5 years as a student at the Government Secondary School. I think I didn’t even tell him I was travelling.
During the vacations we could go to the farms, I had two options during the vacations: I could go my grandfather’s farm house or I could decide to stay with my brothers at home so that we could visit our father’s farm almost on a daily basis. My grandfather’s farm was a large expense of land measuring several square kilometers; it stretched from the Governors house round about (GRA) runs through Daura road to the newly constructed Police Headquarters, from the right, it stretched from the GRA roundabout to WTC’s roundabout. The farm is composed of three important sites; the farm house, which is a very large edifice that used to accommodate almost every one of us, the children, the grandchildren and other house helps; the main farm where mixed cultivation of crops, the rearing of animals and keeping of birds such as chickens, ducks, turkey and guinea fowls take place, and more importantly is the farm garden which is almost one square kilometer. It has almost all the exotic fruits you can think of, ranging from guava, orange of different varieties, pawpaw, mangoes, apple, etc. The garden is watered through such a traditional lift method of ancient Egyptian origin - the Shaduf. Where by water is brought out from an open well using two pails attached to the two ends of a rope, as one of the pails is out of the well full with water the other one would be right inside the well in this way water is drawn and distributed into the garden through the channels. Our job here was always to open up the channels to allow water pass into a particular tree or block the channels when the tree has enough water. It was always a delight to watch people drawing water using the shaduf. The bulk of the fruits harvested were mostly consumed by us, very little of it was sold to some white men.
I spent my 1st two years at Government Secondary School Zaria but as fate would have it my direction was changed to Katsina Teachers’ college where I completed the next three years and passed out with a Teachers grade 11 certificate. I was immediately employed as a certified Grade 11 teacher and posted to Majen Gobir Primary School about 25 kilometers away from Katsina. I taught for almost one year but during my almost one year sojourn in Majen Gobir I never passed the night there as I was always going to the village in the morning and returning to Katsina in the afternoon. This was made possible because of the motor cycle (Kawasaki Z200 model) my father bought for me in appreciation of my stellar performance at the college. The motor cycle was almost the only type in the whole of katsina, its color (red) added up to its beauty. One in town you could possibly refer to it and indeed it was.
One day I was coming back from Majen Gobir after passing Lambar Rimi I saw a man by the road side with the bonnet of his car wide opened an indication that his car had a glitch, incidentally, he was to be the one to avail me with the opportunity to take the 1st big step in life. As I was about to run pass him, one of my father’s words crossed my mind- give a helping hand to somebody in need-I quickly returned back to where he was standing and the moment he saw me coming back he started to move towards me. After the familiar platitude, he told me he was looking for a mechanic for his car which I quickly drove back to Lambar Rimi and picked a mechanic. I decided to stay while the mechanic was doing the car; the man told me he was going to Katsina from Kano to see a friend when the car broke down and I told him that I was a teacher coming back from my working place. Within a short time he asked me if I wanted to further my education which I answered in the affirmative. He then told me to pick up the admission forms next week from a certain address he gave me which I later learnt to be the place of the same man he came to visit. I had no idea of the school until when the forms were brought to me and found it to be Bayero University, Kano. When the forms were completed I returned them to the same man as directed. After some couple of weeks, I was invited for an entrance examination which took place at the Faculty of Arts and Islamic Studies and a week after, the results were pasted on the general notice board of the University for everyone to see, that was how I was admitted at the school of General studies, preparatory to a three year degree programme. After about one month or so as a student at the school of General studies, I together with some students were summoned by the academic office to sort some issues hanging on our admissions but to my surprise I was directed to Academic Secretary’ office and on entering the office I saw no one but that person I helped at Lambar Rimi, who incidentally was the Academic Secretary of the University, he called on me to find out how I was faring in my new environment. He told me if there was anything he could do to make my stay at the University worthwhile I should not hesitate to get in touch with him. I thanked him very much for his assistance and left. I never visited the office again and he never called on me.
I surely had enjoyed the better part of University education albeit it was the era of manual typewriters, no computer and no internet. Our meals were about the best you could possibly find in a 5-star restaurant. Tea and coffee in the mornings and evenings were always free of charge (FOC), while fruits were free during lunch. We stayed maximum of 4 persons in a room, we had our clothes washed every week a maximum of six items per person, we had unlimited access to books, journals and other instructional materials. I had graduated in 1983 and was deployed to Ondo State for my one year compulsory youth service. My primary assignment was in one Holy Savior’s High School, Ile Oluji about 12 kilometers away from Ondo town. I had initial problem with Ile (as the town is called for short) which dampened my spirit but had to arouse myself with the fact that it was going to be my home for the next 12 months. I really enjoyed myself with all the escapades of a youth corper. Our monthly stipend was just 200 Naira but it was just enough to keep you buoyant till the following month. I travelled a lot, visiting other corpers in different states and within my state of my posting. One of my friends also a corper who was posted to Lagos State paid a visit to me at Ile, he came to show me the car that was attached to his office but instead of spending the weekend at Ile, we decided to go back to Lagos. So we left Ile very late in the evening on Friday. His driver Adewale, a typical Yoruba man with tribal marks drawn all over his face drove the car from Lagos. He looked very tired and worried but he had no choice than to obey his master. Ade as he was called by his Oga could hardly drive pass 80km per hour, he was driving as if he was going into his garage and sometimes as dead as a snail speed. I told my friend that may be the car had a problem but he told me it was a tacit way of protest by Ade. We drove passed Ore on to the express way which was under construction, it was raining and already getting dark and we were nowhere near Lagos, sometimes you have to swop into the bush before you could come back to the main road because of the construction work. As fate would have it, as we swopped into the bush to avoid passing into an uncompleted bridge we had a flat tyre. Ade screamed at the top of his voice- flat ni! flat ni! - My friend asked in annoyance why you screaming? Ade said, Oga na flat tyre. With an aura of youthful exuberance my friend commanded that Ade should park the car off the road and have the flat tyre changed, I knew that would not be easy considering the environment we found ourselves. We all moved out of the car and pushed it off the road to enable us fix the flat tyre but to our utmost surprise the car had no spare tyre in the boot, we stood there dumbfounded wondering in consternation. Ade was so frightened as you could notice that from the way he was talking. My friend and I were not really perturbed with the whole situation. My friend who was a chain smoker was annoyed as he could not locate his matches to light up his cigarette, as I was telling him to use the car’s lighter we heard a voice coming towards us as it was in a dream ‘Salamu Alaikum’ it sounded. I took up courage to answer ‘Waalaikas’ Salam, a man wrapped in a blanket stood in front of us and said in hausa that he was coming back from his farm when he heard our voices and decided to come and check. We were astounded to see somebody at that particular place and time speaking to us in hausa. After hearing our ordeal, he told us his name was Patrick and that his house was about 100meters from where we had the flat tyre. As we were moving towards his house he told us that he stayed in the north for most of his life time, after trekking some couple of meters we arrived at the house which was composed of two separate rooms and a mighty hut which I later learnt to be the store where various food stuffs are kept. He opened his room and brought a key to the other room which belonged to his nephew who had gone to the city for his daily business. While we were standing in front of the room contemplating on what to do we heard a sound of a motor cycle coming towards us. Suddenly, Patrick told us in excitement that his nephew is around. After some discussions with his uncle the young man started to welcome us in hausa, he appeared very friendly. What would you like to eat? He asked. Surely we were tired and what we wanted was food and where to lie down. He knew we had no choice of what we wanted to eat but I think he wanted to make us feel at home. He jumped into the kitchen and prepared nice jallop rice and plantain which we all enjoyed eating, I commended him for the efforts, and while thanking me for the compliments he even proposed to cook tuwan dawa and miyar kuka for us in the morning. I was so fascinated with the gesture that made me asked him where did he learn to cook hausa food, Abukur he said almost immediately, I did my primary education in Katsina, my father worked there for a long time. So you know Katsina, I asked, very well, he answered. He asked me whether I know Katsina and I told him I was from there! Which part? He asked, again. I told him from cikin gida. Where is cikin gida, he asked momentarily and in disappointment, Iam from Kofar soro! You mean the emir’s palace? You’ve been there before? I asked almost smiling. Yes! Sure, it was a very long time ago; I was always escorting my father to the palace and used to play football with some kids at the play ground in front of the palace. I said, ok! Wait, who you played with at that time. He said with, eh, eh, I think Pele, there was this kid... Pele was the name I was called. I quickly jumped the gun and said don’t tell me you are Dan Inyamiri. Yea! That was the name I was called, he said in total submission and I told him I was Pele but before I could finish what I was saying, he jumped out of the room and rushed to his uncle’s room and after a short while they came back together in total surprise. Meanwhile, my friend and his driver Adewale were busy sleeping; we spent the rest of the night narrating our various stories to each other until day break.
The following morning we had our car fixed and by afternoon my friend headed for Lagos and I had to pass another night with Geoffrey and since then my friendship with him was rekindled.
Monday, May 16, 2011
LAMENTATION ON GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION IN KATSINA STATE
We’re innocent, we’re naïve, we thought it was harmless, we did not know that it will be our waterloo as it was intended to prevent the already escalated skirmishes and pandemonium that ravaged almost all the northern states in the country. It was when the results of the gubernatorial elections were to be announced it dawned on us that the curfew imposed on the state by his Excellency Governor Shema penultimate week was nothing but a veritable strategy to rig the elections. We had earlier on complained to INEC on the need to relax the curfew in order to have a free and fair election but our concerns did not reach fruition.
It was a fine Tuesday morning we woke up to finish what we had started about two weeks ago via the Federal seats and the presidential elections. The exercise progressed calmly and without any interruptions in Katsina metropolis as all the election officials and materials were already on ground even before the arrival voters to the polling booths albeit the voters turn out was quite low when compared with the previous elections but it was just enough to have the elections won and lost.
I went to my polling unit for verification and it took me less than an hour to sort out everything, I then decided to return home and take a nap since the pooling unit is just a stone throw from my house. When I came back at about 1.00pm voting was already in progress, I joined the queue and my turn to vote came at about 1.45pm. The whole exercise came to calm close by about 4.40pm with the announcement of the result as 345 for the CPC 7 for the PDP and ACN had 2 votes.
I was astounded to hear from a friend that elections could not take place in some local government areas as election materials were not brought to the centers. I was not disturbed by the piece of news; I thought it was one of those INEC’s logistics problems that could be sorted out soon. It was much later I realized it was a deliberate action not to send election materials to some areas to give way for manipulation.
In Danmusa local government area for example, elections did not take place at all because cases of ballot box stuffing, pilferage and snatching were reported and investigation was carried out by no less than the National Commissioner who was in Katsina to monitor the elections. He caught about 30 people red handed and were immediately handed over to the police for prosecution. But that did not help matters as the result sheets for that local government were brought to INEC office and were dully announced as having conducted an election there. In other areas cases of votes soliciting and purchase during voting were rampant and all these dovetailed throughout the local government areas of the state but INEC turned a blind eye. In some cases result sheets were completed and brought to INEC office surreptitiously without necessarily conducting any election.
The results for all the 34 local government areas were brought to the state INEC office and the compilation and computation of the result sheets were concluded at about 7.00pm but for reasons best known to the Resident Electoral commissioner the announcement was deferred to 9.00pm and many of us who were within INEC premises were asked to go home as the curfew has begun, we had no option than to move to our houses. The result was announced where Shema garnered about a million plus votes and Masari got a little above five hundred thousand votes. That is the import of the curfew a friend whispered to me. It is instructive to mention that Buhari’s votes during the presidential elections in Katsina surpassed Shema’s by a little above a hundred thousand votes, what an irony. It is apparent that the result of the governorship election had already been determined even before the polls.
That singular declaration by INEC has dashed the hopes of the people of Katsina and by implication is a betrayal of confidence reposed on Prof. Jega who clearly told the whole world that every vote will count and that he would ensure credible free and fair elections this time around. Our votes did not really count as Jega prophesied and that even reminds me with nostalgia the blasphemous Obasanjo when he opined that even Jesus (AS) could not have organized a free and fair election in Nigeria. I don’t want to agree with Obasanjo but then if what INEC did in Katsina and elsewhere is anything to go by, then our quest for free and fair elections in Nigeria will still be a mirage.
We really wanted to bring about change to the good people of Katsina State who have suffered for the last 12 years in the hands of the PDP. We intended to engage all and sundry to bring about the desired change through purposeful leadership. Our attention would have been the provision of portable drinking water to the entire state which the PDP government was not able to provide. The situation unfortunately has made us and our children to become ‘Yangaruwa’ as each and every one of us has to go out every morning to fret and fetch water for domestic use. Cases of dysentery and diarrhea are so prevalent as the result of drinking contaminated water. Whereas, very little effort is required here to bring water to our teeming population as Katsina State lies within the luxurious sedimentary structures of the Sudan Savannah which has formidable aquifers that will make bore hole drilling easier and cheaper. The dams at Zobe, Sabke, Mairuwa etc are other sources to provide not only water for domestic uses but could also be used to generate employment for our youths. Unfortunately the water dam stability is carelessly allowed to be wasted through evaporation and seepage.
The provision of quality education to our students in the primary, secondary and our tertiary institutions is another area of great concern. The present situation where education is treated as a second fiddle is not accepted. To anybody who cares, or who thinks am politicking, what he needs to do is to go round any public school of his choice in the state, there is no exception and see for himself, the number of students in a classroom, the teacher/student ratio, the number of core subject teachers, the availability of facilities and instructional materials and you will be surprised at the outcome of your visit. You will also agree with me that the free education program provided by the PDP administration in the state is nothing more than the payment of school and examination fees. How much is the school fees any way? For a day student, parents pay N30.00 per term and N90.00 per annum and those in the boarding houses pay N50.00 per term and N150.00 per annum. Free education in Katsina state!!! Surely we deserve more.
Alas, all these and many more lofty intentions have come to naught as the result of the rigged election but the consolation is that the outcome of the election is now in the public domain and is for the tribunal to adjudicate and decide on those that have issues hanging on them like the one from Katsina.
Meanwhile, what remains to be seen is how the depleted and disintegrated CPC in Katsina will pick up the pieces after going to the battle field with a single bullet. The State Chairman of the CPC has lost his credibility and legitimacy for ignoring extant rules and regulations of the party with vehemence and impunity; his ouster from the party is just a matter of time.
I think the onus now lies with the Masari group and other like minds to take up the gauntlet and come together, re- strategize and forge ahead with the struggle as 2015 is by the corner and the time to start is now.
It was a fine Tuesday morning we woke up to finish what we had started about two weeks ago via the Federal seats and the presidential elections. The exercise progressed calmly and without any interruptions in Katsina metropolis as all the election officials and materials were already on ground even before the arrival voters to the polling booths albeit the voters turn out was quite low when compared with the previous elections but it was just enough to have the elections won and lost.
I went to my polling unit for verification and it took me less than an hour to sort out everything, I then decided to return home and take a nap since the pooling unit is just a stone throw from my house. When I came back at about 1.00pm voting was already in progress, I joined the queue and my turn to vote came at about 1.45pm. The whole exercise came to calm close by about 4.40pm with the announcement of the result as 345 for the CPC 7 for the PDP and ACN had 2 votes.
I was astounded to hear from a friend that elections could not take place in some local government areas as election materials were not brought to the centers. I was not disturbed by the piece of news; I thought it was one of those INEC’s logistics problems that could be sorted out soon. It was much later I realized it was a deliberate action not to send election materials to some areas to give way for manipulation.
In Danmusa local government area for example, elections did not take place at all because cases of ballot box stuffing, pilferage and snatching were reported and investigation was carried out by no less than the National Commissioner who was in Katsina to monitor the elections. He caught about 30 people red handed and were immediately handed over to the police for prosecution. But that did not help matters as the result sheets for that local government were brought to INEC office and were dully announced as having conducted an election there. In other areas cases of votes soliciting and purchase during voting were rampant and all these dovetailed throughout the local government areas of the state but INEC turned a blind eye. In some cases result sheets were completed and brought to INEC office surreptitiously without necessarily conducting any election.
The results for all the 34 local government areas were brought to the state INEC office and the compilation and computation of the result sheets were concluded at about 7.00pm but for reasons best known to the Resident Electoral commissioner the announcement was deferred to 9.00pm and many of us who were within INEC premises were asked to go home as the curfew has begun, we had no option than to move to our houses. The result was announced where Shema garnered about a million plus votes and Masari got a little above five hundred thousand votes. That is the import of the curfew a friend whispered to me. It is instructive to mention that Buhari’s votes during the presidential elections in Katsina surpassed Shema’s by a little above a hundred thousand votes, what an irony. It is apparent that the result of the governorship election had already been determined even before the polls.
That singular declaration by INEC has dashed the hopes of the people of Katsina and by implication is a betrayal of confidence reposed on Prof. Jega who clearly told the whole world that every vote will count and that he would ensure credible free and fair elections this time around. Our votes did not really count as Jega prophesied and that even reminds me with nostalgia the blasphemous Obasanjo when he opined that even Jesus (AS) could not have organized a free and fair election in Nigeria. I don’t want to agree with Obasanjo but then if what INEC did in Katsina and elsewhere is anything to go by, then our quest for free and fair elections in Nigeria will still be a mirage.
We really wanted to bring about change to the good people of Katsina State who have suffered for the last 12 years in the hands of the PDP. We intended to engage all and sundry to bring about the desired change through purposeful leadership. Our attention would have been the provision of portable drinking water to the entire state which the PDP government was not able to provide. The situation unfortunately has made us and our children to become ‘Yangaruwa’ as each and every one of us has to go out every morning to fret and fetch water for domestic use. Cases of dysentery and diarrhea are so prevalent as the result of drinking contaminated water. Whereas, very little effort is required here to bring water to our teeming population as Katsina State lies within the luxurious sedimentary structures of the Sudan Savannah which has formidable aquifers that will make bore hole drilling easier and cheaper. The dams at Zobe, Sabke, Mairuwa etc are other sources to provide not only water for domestic uses but could also be used to generate employment for our youths. Unfortunately the water dam stability is carelessly allowed to be wasted through evaporation and seepage.
The provision of quality education to our students in the primary, secondary and our tertiary institutions is another area of great concern. The present situation where education is treated as a second fiddle is not accepted. To anybody who cares, or who thinks am politicking, what he needs to do is to go round any public school of his choice in the state, there is no exception and see for himself, the number of students in a classroom, the teacher/student ratio, the number of core subject teachers, the availability of facilities and instructional materials and you will be surprised at the outcome of your visit. You will also agree with me that the free education program provided by the PDP administration in the state is nothing more than the payment of school and examination fees. How much is the school fees any way? For a day student, parents pay N30.00 per term and N90.00 per annum and those in the boarding houses pay N50.00 per term and N150.00 per annum. Free education in Katsina state!!! Surely we deserve more.
Alas, all these and many more lofty intentions have come to naught as the result of the rigged election but the consolation is that the outcome of the election is now in the public domain and is for the tribunal to adjudicate and decide on those that have issues hanging on them like the one from Katsina.
Meanwhile, what remains to be seen is how the depleted and disintegrated CPC in Katsina will pick up the pieces after going to the battle field with a single bullet. The State Chairman of the CPC has lost his credibility and legitimacy for ignoring extant rules and regulations of the party with vehemence and impunity; his ouster from the party is just a matter of time.
I think the onus now lies with the Masari group and other like minds to take up the gauntlet and come together, re- strategize and forge ahead with the struggle as 2015 is by the corner and the time to start is now.
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