How Shekarau promoted education in Kano
By Aliu Ibrahim Aliu
I read an article titled “Kwankwaso: The Opium of Masses?” published on page nine of the New Nigerian Newspaper dated July 11, 2011 and written by Muhammad Sani of no fixed address. The following day, July 12, 2011, I read a news story in some newspapers alleging that Shekarau stalled education in Kano, attributed to the state governor, Engr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso. Muhammad Sani’s article, which was intended as a rejoinder, did not in any way contain features of being a rejoinder as no single reference was made to any previous peice in the supposed rejoinder.
This is however, not the premise of this response. The import of it is to correct the erroneous impressions created by both the author of the piece and the governor’s statement, which portray Shekarau’s administration as not to have achieved anything in education or in its eight years of governance.
It is public knowledge that since the present government of Engr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso came on board more than a month ago, there has been sporadic and deliberate attempts by some pockets of his apologists to portray the immediate past administration led by the humbled and dignified Malam Ibrahim Shekarau in bad light just to cover up their principal’s incompetence, please him and shift blames. Indeed, no one stops one from pouring unearned encomium to Kwankwaso’s government of one month in office. It is however, axiomatic to point it out that in undertaking such delusion, the truth of the fact should not be allowed to suffer for whatever primordial interest as in the case of Muhammad Sani’s article and the statement made by the governor on education in Kano during Shekarau’s era, which called for this response.
It is totally biased and grossly untrue for Muhammad Sani of no fixed address to describe Shekarau’s administration as “corrupt and morally bankrupt” without adducing convincing evidence that warranted such myopic but irrational conclusion. The questions are these: How can a government that established vibrant anti-corruption agency in the state be regarded as corrupt? How can a government that established Directorate of Projects Monitoring and evaluation be regarded as being corrupt? How can government that came on the thresh hold of popular conscience be termed as morally bankrupt? How can a government that publically declared receipts and expenditures at the end of every month throughout its life span be classified as corrupt? All these facts call for examination of the inner psyche and mental state of the author, Muhammad Sani of no fixed address.
Perhaps, one is not unaware that due to poverty stricken state of some people, which is capable of affecting their reasoning faculty, they always chose to deliberately create false impressions that are not proportionately substantiated with known facts. This is one of the many setbacks of Muhammad Sani’s article, which should be thrown to the dogs and waste paper basket. In addition to the above enumerated facts, we have many other reasons why Shekarau’s administration is the best that has ever happened to Kano state as attested by men of conscience and integrity.
To begin with, it should be remembered that in May 2005, a visiting senior official of the PDP-led federal government, Chief Kanu Agabi (SAN), former Attorney General of the Federation and Special Adviser on Ethics and Good Governance to the former President Obasanjo, pronounced Malam Ibrahim Shekarau as Nigeria’s most transparent and vibrant governor. Similar commendation came from the former Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practice Commission (ICPC), retired Justice Emmanuel Ayoola who had advised other state governments to emulate Shekarau by setting up anti-corruption agencies such as the erstwhile Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-corruption Directorate (PCACD). Chief Odumegwu Ojukwu had also described Shekarau “as an icon of national unity who should be emulated by other Nigerians for the collective good of the citizenry.”
Chief Olu Falae said “Shekarau is a straight forward politician whose services are dearly needed by the country. I appreciate the courage, zeal and commitment with which Malam Shekarau is governing Kano. Shekarau’s achievements are outstanding.” The renowned noble laureate, social critic and play Wright of international repute, Professor Wole Soyinka, also told the world that as a person who has been so passionate to democracy “we symbolically and morally lend solidarity to people like Governor Shekarau for his wonderful performances among other things.” This was the reason why he was in Kano.
On 27th February 2007, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, the then EFCC Chairman granted interview to Media Trust. In the said interview, Ribadu bared his mind on Shekarau where he said, “All allegations against Governor Ibrahim Shekarau could not be proven. He said the EFCC investigated Shekarau based on the several petitions received including maintaining a foreign account but they could not be established. This fact was collaborated in a court case between Shekarau and the Business Eye Magazine. The court, in its judgment dated 11th October 2010, also pronounced that the allegations against Shekarau by the Business Eye Magazine could not be established and “for two years the defendants have failed to provide evidence to support their claims and tried to frustrate the case by incessant requests for adjournments and absence from court.” The court awarded the sum of N1 billion damages to Malam Ibrahim Shekarau. All these are tips of the iceberg on who is Malam Shekarau.
It is also on record for Muhammad Sani and his faceless group, to know that while Shekarau was a governor of Kano State, his administration recorded modest achievement in education sector, which no past governor has ever achieved. Shekarau’s administration recorded “280,000, 350,000 and 53,000 new enrolments in the state Primary, Secondary and Tertiary institutions respectively, established 364 new Primary Schools, added new 200 classroom blocks and rehabilitated over 300 more; built additional 247 secondary schools, upgraded 85 JSS Schools to SSS and constructed new 826 classrooms for them; rehabilitated 190 laboratories, furnished 207, equipped 202; hired 15,000, 6000 and 1200 qualified new teachers for Primary, Secondary and Tertiary institutions; and has invested over N1.4billion in scholarships for Kano students studying locally and overseas. This is the fact of the matter and it does not require hide and seek game for anyone to know it no matter the hatred one has for Shekarau.
The initiation of Corporate Social Responsibility in the state by the Shekarau administration, yielded some dividends for the state as some corporate bodies and wealthy individuals were able to intervene as could be seen in the renovation, fencing and furnishing of Unguwa Uku Primary School in addition to the renovation of the Government Junior Secondary School in the place by Intercontinental Bank Plc. In this regard, the Oceanic Bank Plc also donated 33 No. 4.5KVA Generators to 33 girls’ boarding secondary schools as well as 500 pieces of 3-seate furniture to Government Girls College, Dala. This is not all; the Zenith Bank Plc equally donated 50 pieces of flat screen IBM computers to the Government Girls Secondary School, Sheka 1 in addition to the provision of qualitative furniture in the air- conditioned computer room and renovation of two furnished classrooms. Sky Technical Construction Company Limited also participated in the Public Private Partnership by carrying out renovation and furnishing of 6 blocks of 2 classrooms at the Government Girls Secondary School, Sheka. The construction firm also renovated two hostels, constructed four new others, a matron’s residence, toilets, laundry, students’ rest shades and a borehole at Government Girls’ College, Dala. This company under the Chairman of Alhaji Kabiru Sani Kwagila, also undertook the provision of beds, mattresses and a generating set to the school. Unity Bank Plc and Abdul Jalil Hajaig Construction Company were not left behind in the Corporate Social Responsibility initiated by the Shekarau administration. The former renovated Government Girls College, Giginyu Primary and Government Girls Senior secondary School, Kano while he latter provided drainages as well as constructed access road to Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Giginyu.
Of equal note, the Nigerian Bottling Company Challawa Industrial Estate, Kano rehabilitated 5No blocks of 10 classrooms and provided one hundred 3 seater students’ desks at GGSS, Panshekara. Likewise, the Fidelity Bank Plc constructed two blocks of four classrooms at Rumfa College, Kano, which the former People’s governor, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau commissioned. All these have never happened in the history of government administration in the state. There are so many ways in which Shekarau’s administration carried out improvement in education, socio-economic and political advancement of the state that have been highlighted and are still being talked about. With all these developments, how do Mohammed Sani and his fellow travelers want an improvement in the education sector in Kano? Is it by hiring teachers to answer exam questions for the students or what?
Shekarau deserves nothing from the present government more than to thank him for setting the pace for it to follow. Whatever the magic Kwankwaso’s government is going to do for the state, the fact remains that Shekarau has achieved a lot, which we have seen. The Kwankwaso government should therefore, stop shifting blames and do what it can to move the state forward. We have seen what Shekarau has done. The people of Kano are now waiting to see that of the present government led by Kwankwaso, for them to judge. After all, it is often said that a bird at hand is worth two in the bush.
Aliu Ibrahim Aliu, wrote from Kano City, aliuibrahimaliu@yahoo.com
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