Tomorrow, Tuesday (morning 9 a.m,) 3rd of July, compatriots, friends and comrades, nation-wide in celebration of leadership and good governance converge at the main ZUMA Hall of Rockview Hotel in Abuja in honor of Dr. Alh. Abdulkadir Balarabe Musa. The historic gathering witnesses the public presentation of the book entitled; THE VOICE OF THE MASSES. The book chronicles the LIFE AND POLITICS of ALHAJI DR. ABDUL KADIR BALARABE MUSA as seen by compatriots of both the political Left (which Alhaji Balarabe belongs to) and the political Right. The book is a raw product of some remarkable selfless efforts by my two activist journalists/friends, Kabir Yusuf Tandu and Zakari Muhammad. As an ideological student of Alhaji Balarabe Musa and contributor to the compendium, my commitment to the Tuesday presentation is more than ordinary. It’s a total commitment. My encounter with Comr. Alh. Balarabe Musa dated back to late 70s.
Like many of my school mates that included Emir Sanusi Lamido, Nuratu Batagarawa, Nasir Isa, Lamis Shehu Dikko, Aisha Bukoye, late Bala Muhammed, late Abdurahman Black, I got admission into Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) to do my preliminary studies at the School of Basic Studies 1977/1978 session. It was a bipolar world of the battle of ideas between global capitalism and international communism. In Nigeria, the context was struggle for democratization and against demilitarization. In 1977, we had our baptism of the brutality of military dictatorship when Obasanjo/Yar Adua junta sent troops to the campus to suppress nation-wide/students protest against increase in feeding fees. Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) was the Citadel of progressive ideas for change and development. Nigeria was on the threshold of transition from military to democratic civilian rule in 1979. There were five registered political parties, namely, Greater Nigerian People’s Party (GNPP), National Party of Nigeria (NPN), Nigeria Advance Party (NAP), Nigerian People’s Party (NPP), People’s Redemption Party (PRP) and Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN). Fela’s Movement of the People Party (MPP) was denied registration but audaciously remained a movement of the people! The most radical in terms of programme of transformation of social relations among the class of the oppressed and the oppressor was Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) followed by welfarist UPN (Unity Party of Nigeria). PRP was led by late Malam Aminu Kano, a great African revolutionary and UPN by the late, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, a well acknowledged Nationalist and social democrat.
PRP won the two big states of Kano and Kaduna States made up of the present day Jigawa and Katsina states respectively. As Marxist-Leninists, we were unapologetically far left of PRP but fascinated by its popular policies of abolition of Haraji and Jagali, tax, declaration of May Day as public holiday and commitment to national minimum wage among others. There was once an ideologically driven politics in Nigeria! Alhaji Balarabe emerged as the first democratic elected Governor of Kaduna State in that second Republic dispensation. There was a nexus between the government in power then in Kaduna State, and the radical community in ABU. Dr. Bala Usman, an African revolutionary Historian and prominent PRP intellectual fired our imagination. Ideologically we got connected to PRP. Alhaji Balarabe Musa, was not allowed to form a cabinet by NPN dominated legislature.
Eventually he got impeached, after 18 months into his tenure. He was impeached June, 1981. Naturally the broad Left gave solidarity. Of course, as political faith had it, the same year he was impeached, was also a turbulent period in Ahmadu Bello University; I was in my final year, reading economics. There was a massive demonstration organized by the students union. It is now history that the then Vice Chancellor, Prof. Ango Abdullahi, (also a contributor in this book) went on full scale repression on all the progressive students. Ango was a visible member of the ruling party (NPN). As one of the visible victims of the repression, my direct encounter with PRP Government came through solidarity. PRP government condemned the mass expulsion of student activists, offered solidarity which started with my working media carrier first with Kaduna state broadcasting corporation and later Triumph NewsPaper in Kano set up by the late Abubakar Rimi, the PRP governor in Kano. Some over forty years after, my engagement with Alhaji Balarabe has been along the same line; How to build a better Nigeria, a better Africa and a Better and progressive world.
Alh. Balarabe Musa undoubtedly epitomizes the best of values that you can get among the best of the past and contemporary African leaders. He commendably stands for good principles in governance. This makes him not to cheaply fall for anything corrupt and bad unlike many Nigerian leaders who of course stand for nothing good but fall for anything corrupt notably money and power without responsibilities to their people. All contributors in this book acknowledge that Alhaji Balarabe’s “weakness” is too much of principles not absence of any! Tomorrow presentation is against the backdrop of the clamor for restructuring of Nigerian Federation. The strength of leaders in a federation is as important as the constitutional structures”.
Balarabe’s leadership example during the second Republic showed that the strength of a state was a function of the strength of the vision, character and integrity of the governor. PRP controlled only two states, namely Kaduna and Kano, but the two governors commendably set the pace in Industrialization and poverty alleviation such that the then Federal government followed. Structures undoubtedly are important – Federal, State & Local Governments. But above all, the operators of the constitution are far more important. I think what is missing in Nigeria today is good operators, good leaders. A book on Balarabe Musa leadership reminds us that principled leaders still abound. Balarabe indeed lost an office through ideologically induced impeachment but still wins the globally acknowledged integrity and worthy name for prosperity.
Issa Aremu mni
