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…