Kwankwaso and his threat to Kano journalists

Kwankwaso and his threat to Kano journalists

By Bashir Umar
Monday,  August 15,  2011 

On Friday, 12th August, 2011, Daily Trust on its page 6 carried a report that
Kano State Governor, Engineer Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso had on Wednesday,
10th August 2011 "threatened to deal with journalists giving his government a
bad press." I read the same report in some other publications. The governor,
Daily Trust stated, issued the threat in reaction to a report on the state
government Ramadan Feeding Programme recently published by one of the
national dailies."

The newspaper that published the vexed Ramadan feeding story I later got to
know is the Peoples Daily, an Abuja based publication. I have also gone
through this report, which cut across some states of the northern part of
Nigeria. The story was a state-by-state analysis of the status of the Ramadan
Feeding Programme in the states concerned. For the purpose of hindsight, it
is instructive to reproduce the vexed report that ignited the latent anger of the
governor, which subsequently led to his outburst, threatening to deal with the
working journalists in his state.

The  Peoples Daily report on Kano State Government Ramadan Feeding
Programme, reads thus: " The Ramadan feeding programme, which was
pioneered by the previous administration of Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, has
received less attention under the current leadership of Engineer Rabiu Musa
Kwankwaso. Accordingly, the administration has only directed the 44 local
governments of the state to start the programme in their respective areas
without any special allocation for them to carry it out. Also, while no special
allocation for the feeding was made by the state government, the 44 local
government areas were allowed to withdraw a small fraction from their
treasuries for the project.
Many of them are complaining of how to go about doing it as a result of the
vastness of their area. For instance, Dala, Nasarawa, Gwarzoand Municipal
local governments are harbouring a sizeable population that with the little
money they are allocated to feed their people in Ramadan it is hardly enough
to cover them. Also, while the food is distributed widely, the case now is that
few centres are created where people who need the food must have to be
present at those specified centres just at the time of the distribution for them
to befit from it.

Though government is claiming to have been carrying out the Ramadan
feeding programme, non of the people interviewed claimed to have benefit
from or even saw where it is taking place. In fact, nobody could say where it
is taking place in their community. Since he came, Governor Kwankwaso has
been accused for been so stringent in matters concerning on the pretext that
he will manage the state's finances as to stopping all areas of wastage. Many
PDP supporters however, are not happy with this posture by the Governor, as
things like Ramadan feeding are so important to the people of the state
especially as people are so pressed this time due to the cash crunch they
are contending with. "

Although the above story might look unpalatable to the reading of governor
Kwankwaso, it is however strange that such report attracted the
uncontrollable outburst from the governor against Journalists in Kano. The
highest thing that ought to have happened was for the governor's media aides
to respond to the report of the newspaper as it affects Ramadan Feeding
Programme in not only Kano but also in other northern states as Plateau,
Kaduna, Kogi, Niger, Bauchi and Katsina through a rejoinder. This would have
left the judgment for the people to make. Unfortunately, the governor's aides
or his spokespersons did not think it wise to do this simple work. Instead,
they allowed their boss to drag himself into the theatre of the absurd to
comically rehearse how he hopes to deal with journalists that portray his
government in what he described as bad press.

Unfortunately too, the governor's comic drama ended in hopelessness as he
only refuted and threatened journalists but failed to tell his own side of the
story. The outbursts of the governor against the journalists is not expected
from a leader that we know had had four years experience in his present
capacity as the governor of Kano state. After all, experience, they say, is the
best teacher. Therefore, both the governor and his media aides should have
allowed their experience to bear on their judgment and comments over the
Peoples Daily report on their Ramadan Feeding Programme. This would have
also saved them from being on collision course with Kano based journalists.

Again, it is however strange that governor Kwankwaso has suddenly come to
understand what constructive criticism or objective reporting is all about,
perhaps, due to the fact that the searchlight is now on him. It should be
recalled here that since the governor assumed office some months ago, he
and his media aides have been making all kind of unfounded allegation
against his predecessor, with the aim of creating bad press that would impair
his credibility and that of his eight years administration. This is because as
governor Kwankwaso himself had stated in an interview granted the Daily trust
on 26th May 2011 and published on the following day, that "people who play
it dirty will get it dirty." As a result of this revengeful assertion, the
Kwankwaso government has really been playing it dirty against his
predecessor since he assumed office on May 29, 2011.

Before governor Kwankwaso's interview with the Daily trust, his transition
committee had overzealously told the world that Shekarau spent N4bn on
hotel bills without stating the fact but in hurry to blackmail Shekarau. In the
Daily trust of June, 7, Kwankwaso threatened to probe Shekarau if the
argument on expenses on hotel bill and the debt accrued by the past
administration continues. On June 28, at the back page of the Daily trust,
Kwankwaso's spokesperson, Jaafar Jaafar responded to an article written by
columnist Sanusi Abubakar on Kwankwaso's second chance to run down
Shekarau for no just cause other than bad press. The following day, one
Adamu Dada who claimed to write from Portharcourt prepared the script of
Kwankwaso's aide to talk silly things about Shekarau under the title,
"Kwankwaso's huge task of rebuilding Kano." This is not all.

In the Daily trust of July 12, 2011, Kwankwaso claimed that Shekarau stalled
development of education in Kano. Thereafter, the Kwankwaso group claimed
that Shekarau spent N3billion naira on the house built for him by the
government when in actually sense we later saw that the said house did not
cause more than N600million, and we also heard that Kwankwaso himself
had demanded N1.3bn for own house. This was after the popular Kofar Naisa
land sourced and allocated to people by Shekarau administration was
needlessly revoked by Kwankwaso. On July 27, 2011, without verification of
the facts, Kwankwaso quickly went to Abuja and informed the world that he
has reclaimed a vast expense of land covering an estimate of 26.7 hectares
belonging to Kano State government at Lokogoma District of Abuja before
some "unscrupulous individuals illegally took possession of the land through
the active connivance of the past government officials." We later saw evidence
that put Kwankwaso's claim to the contrary. These and many other wrong
claims made by this government are deliberately created to tarnish the hard
earned credibility of Shekarau administration. It is however funny that a leader
who orchestrated the above bad press for his predecessor, is now claiming to
be holier than thou by threatening journalists against bad press of his two and
half months administration. One thinks that what is good for the goose is also
good for the gander. More over the story that made governor Kwankwaso to
threaten journalists is not as bad as what his government has so far done to
Shekarau in the last two month of this government.



For the period of eight years Shekarau administered Kano State, his
government was known for being media friendly. In spite of many grievous
unfounded rumour peddled against Shekarau administration, the
administration was known for tolerance and perseverance, knowing full well
that democracy requires respect for others 'views and opinions without the
use of sledge hammer against perceived opponents. It is on record that one of
the journalists that threw away their ethic standards to the dogs to create bad
press for Shekarau was the present spokesperson of governor Kwankwaso,
Jaafar Jaafar who then as a journalists with the Daily trust was formulating all
sorts of lies and innuendoes against the administration of Shekarau, still
Shekarau did not use any threat on him but to leave him with his conscience
and God's unfathomable river of time.

In November 2008, the Leadership Newspaper published some fraudulent lies
via pseudo name against the former governor Ibrahim Shekarau. In Shekarau's
case, he was not bothered about such misdemeanor because he knows that
no amount of lies can uproot his unprecedented achievements or withstands
the true test of time since every one must surely account for one's deed,
either here or hereafter. So, the best thing he could do in the face of such
wrongful persecution is for him to do what is right, and then turn his back to
every vulgar criticism. Indeed, if governor Kwankwaso cannot withstand fair
comments for just two and half months, how does he hope to survive for four
years and what is more if it were to be for eight years as his predecessor?

It is now left for governor Kwankwaso and his media aides to rethink about
their threat to the journalists against the so called bad press, which they are
more culpable in recent outings. The governor in particular also has the
choice not to listen to the voice of reasoning by matching what he described
as bad press with his venom. We should however remember that it is often
said that whoever lives in a glass house should not throw stone. It is not also
out of place to draw the attention of the governor to the case between the late
President Musa Yar'adua as well as governor Lamido and the Daily Trust.
These will give an insight to governor Kwankwaso to determine whether to
reconsider his unfortunate outburst against Journalists or choose the path of
dishonour. On the whole, Shekarau's media relations should be a shinning
example to not only governor Kwankwaso but also to any democratic leader
anywhere in the world.

As for Shekarau, he knows that everyday is a new beginning. So, he treats it
that way and stay away from what might have been and look at what can be.
This was the beauty of his eight years in governance of Kano.

Bashir Umar, Naibawa, Zaria Road, Kano, email: umarb39@yahoo.com