I am being careful enough to be very objective as I set certain record straight and attempt to undo unnecessary damages done by Muhammad Abubakar, a self-acclaimed public analyst from Kano on the person of Hajia Najatu Muhammad
The moral of writing does not include the nauseating act of abusing targets; a path that is consistently becoming a fragment of Nigeria self acclaimed political commentators structure and message content. The rejoinder credited to the political jobber one Abubakar errs from the onset by setting out to attack the person of Hajia Najatu rather than addressing salient issues she raised her article. Who called a fellow individual “a professional character assassin” and then commences the act of assassinating the character of another.
The beauty of every write –up is never in the complexity of diction but the contribution it makes to the expansion of information and development. The claimed rejoinder is like some of the works we did in those days when we set out to impress with big grammars not minding the essence of the content of our speech. Today a writer of merit write to educate, correct and set disputes on right course in the simplest language devoid of abuse.
A close scrutiny of the rejoinder reveals that the first 683 word thereabout of the piece covering seven long paragraphs were devoted to abusing and de-personalizing the object of his attack. That sounds unethical and looks like attempts to settle personal quarrels. For God’s sake, the woman raised critical questions which naturally beg for response from the government, the police force and all interested parties; the writer did not respond in any way to either rebuff or support the allegation.
The writer went further to bare open his bulk support for the governor of Kano state and it becomes immediately clear the reason for all the unholy attacks on the person of Hajia Najatu. The veracity of the attack justifies the financial return.
On the EU REPORT, the EU was unbiased in its analysis, spelling out the positives and negative of the 2019 election outing. INEC was praised for working in a difficult environment but still succeeded in basic areas including simplifying voting procedures among others. The report captured the presence of operational and security deficiencies which culminated in violence and intimidation in specific areas of the nation. These are fact we all relate to after witnessing the elections. From the postponement of the elections to the unbridled desires of certain politicians to win in some states and location which undermine the efficiency of the whole process and taint the image of the 2019 election in some ways most especially the governorship elections, we are witnesses to the whole charade of intimidation in Kano, Rivers and most states in the south-south. The recommendations also include the need to work on efficient election security. By implication, having witnessed as a Nigerian the events before and during the Kano elections, any right thinking Nigerian, would condemn the security play in Kano State. The shortcoming of the EU report however is its failure to expand on issues it raised and substantiate the cumulative effect on the general election. Hence, while certain group such as the opposition keyed to this omission to imply negativity from the report, others such as Hajia Najatu picks on matter of national concern for all to see.
Being a serving member of the president Buhari government is never a premise to keep quiet when things are done negatively around you. Yes, in our country where we have mostly turned sycophants, speaking falsehood and singing praises of power holders for selfish aggrandizements, which would sound as the rule. A true democrat and compatriot regardless of position or affiliations will speak out when things are not done right. That is the part taken by Hajia Najatu and her offence against the government of Kano State and their paid writers.
Facts of her submission:
An unprejudiced analysis of her piece expresses clearly the position of the President on the issue she raised-the mandate given to the police to carry out their duties in a way that would not jeopardize the constitutional rights of the people as regards determining who rules them. Mr. President has been consistent in stating his position since assumption of office in 2015; yes we have elements within our rank that play at logger heads with the President’s desires; it was the same issue that forced the wife of the President Dr Aisha Buhari to cry out when she noticed that individuals that are supposed to be the president’s vision carriers are the very ones slowing the president’s fight against corruption and other vices in the country. People like Hajia Najatu and the wife of the president are seen as abnormal in a society like ours where we have almost all sold our right to speak the truth on the altar of undue benefit from political office holders. We become a bunch of praise singers who tell the politicians all is well even when the society is collapsing under the influence of their bad decisions.
The erroneous decision of the police hierarchy to overturn the authority of the state commissioner of police by relocating officers from the headquarters to oversee the re-run election in Kano state called for a public inquiry; of course in a sane and uncompromising system, but what we mostly have in Nigeria is a one “ man gang” President standing alone fighting against every others to set things right. That decision inactivates men who actually understood the terrain from stopping incidences of electoral criminalities during the re-run election.
Hajia Najatu is not new to constructive criticism of bad governance Just like every other individual who regularly takes it upon himself or herself to speak of ills in the government regardless of who is in power, she has had her dose of it; men like late Gani Fawehimi, Dr Bala Usman etc come to mind. The difference in her style is that she has always been a consistent opposition party member until the alliance that enthroned the APC in 2015. History has been favourable to her and vindicates her as Mr. Abubakar Muhammad equally testifies to the fact that she speaks out regardless of who is in power and would still speak out regardless of who comes again. She was prepared for that; being the first woman to become the president of the National Student Union at Ahmadu Bello University(ABU) and first woman vice-president of National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS).
Her history details non-stop critics of errors by various governments in Kano State and the country at large. Despite her closeness to Mr. President, she speaks to the fact and truth on issues without reference to relationship. Her consistency remains her unbroken credential; she has been consistent in her belief and decision not to blindly support an erring government policy and indolence or to jump to any government in power for personal benefits .
Being a commissioner in the Police Service Commission (PSC) ,she is thus an insider to the workings of the police department and as such understands the mechanism of their operation and all deficiency; she is in a position to state the obvious in the kano security issue
It is expected that Muhammad Abubakar would have objectively found answer to the under listed questions before taking position on the issue. Even when we are paid to do a job, we must always be conscious of our names attached to the piece.
Is it true that the Nigerian police force has lost its grip on the civil security system which has incontestibly resulted in increase in civil crimes, banditry, electioneering violence and the likes as enunciated by the Hajia Najatu?
Is it true that at the eve of the re-run elections in Kano state, the commissioner of Police was incapacitated from acting in the capacity of his office? If you find it difficult and self-destructive to answer the question, then;
Is it true that police officers were sent from the headquarters to directly oversee the security of the state during the re-run elections?
Is it true that the EU and some other international bodies frowned at the security breaches during the re-run elections which include the activities of the police hierarchy in the re-run polls? Outside the position of the EU team what could justify the limiting of CP Wakili’s control during the re-run poll after the efficient jobs done by the police under his command during the first polls?
How many other individual condemned the action of the Kano state governor in the Emirship tussle? Shouldn’t we objectively attempt to unravel what predisposed the governor to take such rash and unwelcome path, rather than crucifying individuals who lend their voices to condemn the assault on the tradition of the people of Kano State?
After responding to the pointed questions, will you be morally pricked enough to see need to apologize for the damages you have done on another to please the powers that be?
That may not happen but we will be wholly satisfied that the whole world has seen your piece and the extent of your “political parasitism “
