In the Midst of Chaos, Kano Finds Its Balance
By Binta Spikin
bintaspikin@gmail.com
I have always wanted a life of peace, in fact, I dream about it all the time. How would it feel like if everything just falls in place, every dream we have come true, whatever we wish for comes to fruition, if everyone just stays true to form and be good? I know it isn’t me alone who thinks along this line, but then, may be that kind of life would be boring, naah? Anyway, dreams or not, life is full of challenges, and those challenges make it interesting and worthy.
I say this because the last few weeks had been far from peaceful and they’d really gotten to my nerves. I hated the social media during those weeks, more so because every news item therefrom gave my heart a jolt. The issue of contention? It should have been simple: choosing a befitting Deputy Governor for HE Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf! It should have been easy because the APC Kano State has in its fold people of caliber and stature who could adequately Deputize him, and be good at it. However, this is Kano, we have to politicize everything.
It all started when His Excellency Abba Kabir Yusuf bequeathed the Deputy Governor slot to the old APC Bloc, and Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje called stakeholders meeting to deliberate and nominate the Deputy. Three names were proposed- Hon. Kabiru Alhassan Rurum; Alhaji Rabi’u Suleiman Bichi and HE Murtala Sule Garo. I learnt that 90% of those in the meeting threw their weight behind Hon Murtala Garo. That could be because of the trio, MSG is the only one without any position currently and he’d been on the APC 2023 ticket as a running mate to HE Gawuna, which makes him an idle choice.
My opinion is, since the names were submitted to the Governor, he should have been left to make his choice, in peace. Therefore it was a mistake on our part to take the matter to the court of public opinion, assuming that it is the only way to force the Governor’s hand in a particular direction. It brought in too many actors, each trying to out- do the other in the art of either abuse or providing distorted versions of history or both. These really broke my heart. I was caught in the middle, and I had to swallow it all. And I was not alone in this cross fire. Because the people involved command a lot of respect. For me personally, I was so angry and at a point, abhorred the freedom of expression act, that gave people the liberty to go on social media and say anything. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Alhaji Rabi’u Bichi, just like I have for HE Murtala Garo. Yet here we are, with some people pitching them against one another in a way that is inappropriate and disrespectful. At least we can now heave a sigh of relief that all is over.
My Dream
I have always wanted a life of peace, in fact, I dream about it all the time. How would it feel like if everything just falls into line, every dream we have come true, whatever we wish for comes to fruition, if everyone just stays true to form and be good? I know it isn’t me alone who thinks along this line, but then, may be that kind of life would be boring, naah? Anyway, dreams or not, life is full of challenges, and those challenges make it interesting and worthy.
I say this because the last few weeks had been far from peaceful and they’d really gotten to my nerves. I hated the social media during those weeks, more so because every news item therefrom gave my heart a jolt. The issue of contention? It should have been simple: choosing a befitting Deputy Governor for HE Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf! It should have been easy because the APC Kano State has in its fold people of caliber and stature who could adequately Deputize him, and be good at it. However, this is Kano, we have to politicize everything.
It all started when His Excellency Abba Kabir Yusuf bequeathed the Deputy Governor slot to the old APC Bloc, and Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje called stakeholders meeting to nominate the Deputy. Three names were proposed- Hon. Kabiru Alhassan Rurum; Alhaji Rabi’u Suleiman Bichi and HE Murtala Sule Garo. I learnt that 90% of those in the meeting threw their weight behind Hon Murtala Garo. That could be because of the trio, MSG is the only one without any position currently and he’d been on the APC 2023 ticket as a running mate to HE Gawuna, which makes him an idle choice.
My opinion is, since the names were submitted to the Governor, he should have been left to make his choice, in peace. Therefore it was a mistake on our part to take the matter to the court of public opinion, assuming that it is the only way to force the Governor’s hand in a particular direction. It brought in too many actors, each trying to out- do the other in the art of either abuse or providing distorted versions of history or both. These really broke my heart. I was caught in the middle, and I had to swallow it all. And I was not alone in this cross fire. Because the people involved command a lot of respect. For me personally, I was angry and at a point, abhorred the freedom of expression act, that gave people the liberty to go on social media and say anything. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Alhaji Rabi’u Bichi, just like I have for HE Murtala Garo. Yet here we are, with some people pitching them against one another in a way that is inappropriate and disrespectful. At least we can now heave a sigh of relief that all of it is over.
On this note, I wish to congratulate His Excellency, The Governor of Kano State. God has stayed his hand and chosen for him a Deputy that will fight his battles and shelve Salvos thrown at him. Above all, HE Garo is a seasoned politician whose massive political capital will add value to the APC war chest.
I also congratulate HE Murtala Sule Garo. May Allah guide and guard every step you take while discharging your responsibilities. The youth are super proud of this selection, for it signifies youth inclusion. You are a meastro in the game, I am sure the outcome will be splendid.
To Engineer Abubakar Kabir Abubakar (Abba Bichi) I say kudos. You’d played the role of a unifier and bridge builder. Your influence is most certainly admired, for it paved the way for the Abba/Garo victory song we are singing today. May Allah reward your effort.
To the other nominees: Engineer Rabi’u Suleiman Bichi and Hon. Kabiru Alasan Rurum, I say it was actually a great contest. Life happens that way, we falter sometimes, other times we misstep, there times we fall or loose balance; but we should not be deterred. What is important is that in the end we are not fragmented pieces but one happy family. Interestingly, HE Garo had extended a brotherly hand for all of you to work together towards building a more prosperous Kano. I hope all of you come on board so that we put behind what transpired. Kano is greater than all of us.
And to Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, I say congratulations Baba. By your presence and providing leadership, we have collectively moved on to a new phase, where all that matters is how APC navigates and bring in more wins.
And for those war mongers in the social media who assumed they could play the hands of God, let us just say- you failed. APC Kano is on the right trajectory and we will continue to build on that- with harmony and love and respect.
APC Kano is peaceful once again. ALHAMDULILLAH! On this note, I wish to congratulate His Excellency, The Governor of Kano State. God has stayed his hand and chosen for him a Deputy they will fight his battles and shelve Silvia thrown at him. Above all, HE Garo is a seasoned politician whose massive political capital will add value to the APC war chest.
I also congratulate HE Murtala Sule Garo. May Allah guide and guard every step you take while discharging your responsibilities. The youth are super proud of this selection, for it signifies youth inclusion. You are a meastro in the game, I am sure the outcome will be splendid.
To Engineer Abubakar Kabir Abubakar (Abba Bichi) I say kudos. You’d played the role of a unifier and bridge builder. Your influence is most certainly admired, for it paved the way for the Abba/Garo victory song we are singing today. May Allah reward your effort.
To the other nominees: Engineer Rabi’u Suleiman Bichi and Hon. Kabiru Alasan Rurum, I say it was actually a great contest. Life happens that way, we falter sometimes, other times we misstep, but in the end we are not fragmented pieces but one happy family. Interestingly, HE Garo had extended a brotherly hand for all of you to work together towards building a more prosperous Kano. I hope you come on board so that we put behind what transpired. Most importantly, Kano is greater than all of us.
And to Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, I say congratulations Baba. By your presence and providing leadership, we have collectively moved on to a new phase, where all that matters is how APC navigates and bring in more wins.
And for those war mongers on the social media who assumed they could play the hands of God, let us just say- you failed. APC Kano is on the right trajectory and we will continue to build on that- with harmony and love and respect.
APC Kano is peaceful once again. ALHAMDULILLAH!
Binta Spikin can be reached @
bintaspikin@gmail.com