Date Published: 08/04/09
Re: “Ibrahim Shekarau and 2011, why He cannot win.” Saka Raji Audu’s Misrepresentation and My Right of Reply.
By Ndiameeh Babrik
It is not in my character to write a rejoinder to any of my articles more so that I don’t have the time, but when one’s view and one’s article is totally distorted and misrepresented by a paper which did not even publish it in the first place then one has no alternative but to write a rejoinder if only it will correct the distortion of facts by Saka Raji Audu as was carried in the Daily Triumph of Tuesday July 28, 2009. Fortunately for me I am not a stooge in a desperate politician’s hand to be used with recourse to decorum.
This is my right of reply believing that for the sake of objectivity and as a true democrat as he is trying to portray his benefactor, his paper the triumph will have the courage to publish this my rejoinder notwithstanding the fact that they refused to publish the initial article but was eager to re-published my article “Yar’adua’s wishful desire to attend the G-20 summit in London” which they re-produced from the famous Sahara Reporters.com.
For record purposes, because of the popularity of that article titled “Ibrahim Shekarau and the 2011 Presidential Election”, it has been published in the following media outfit amongst others:-
1. Sahara Reporters.com
2. Huhuonline.com
3. Nigeria Village Square.com
4. Pointblanknews.com
5. Gamji.com
6. Modern Ghana.com
7. Desert Herald Newspapers
8. Nigerianmovies.com
I equally have received a lot of e-mails and commendations from my fans and notable politicians commending me on that piece. I urge Saka Raji Audu to access the article again on Sahara Reporters and read the comments left there by readers. But for the privacy and confidentiality of my fans I would have reproduced some of their e-mails here for you to read.
Coming to the core of Mr Saka Raji Audu’s rebuttal of the issues raised in my article, he was just touching on irrelevant non issues but left out the substance. Mr Audu will agree with me that the issues I raised why Nigerians will never vote for his principal Ibrahim Shekarau, are that his name is the fourth on the EFCC list of 31 corrupt governors as documented by EFCC when Nuhu Ribadu was in charge. That he has foreign accounts in Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, Thailand and Egypt as was revealed in the press as far back as 2004 and 2006 which is against the principle of the Nigerian constitution 1999.
As was reported in the press, the former Kano state police commissioner Mohammed Yesuf who is a devote Muslim expressed his dismay and displeasure that Ibrahim Shekarau and his administration is sabotaging and usurping the powers of the Nigeria Police through his hisbah outfit which are law unto themselves.
Finally and amongst other things, Mr Shekarau has refused to give the C of O of their plots of land to the various Christian Churches in Kano state and in fact went ahead to destroy some. I expected Mr Saka Raji Audu to address these issues which can be verified in EFCC office in Abuja and Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) office in Kano unfortunately he decided to touch on petty and insignificant things he created in his mind.
Mr Raji Audu, you will agree with me that your benefactor Shekarau’s appointment of Igbo and Yoruba Christians into his administration as advisers is simply a gimmick to cover his atrocities against indigenous Hausa Kano state Christians who are not only marginalized but their children are refused placement in public schools paid for by the tax payer and of course the Niger-delta petrol dollar.
Despite the fact that your principal has said that his sharia is for Muslims, it is an open secret in Kano that his sharia is blanket and in fact Christians who have private schools which are faith schools suffer the most where they have to introduce Islamic veils and teach Islamic religious knowledge compulsory with no option. It is also an open secret that hisbah police have on several occasions seize trucks belonging to the political opponents of Shekarau and Christians on the excuse that the carry alcohol or anti-Islamic materials. These are some of the reasons I advanced for Ibrahim Shekarau not going anywhere in the 2011 presidential election if he makes the mistake of joining the race.
Funny enough my good friend Saka Raji Audu made reference to the fact that his principal and benefactor was given traditional titles in Anambra and Osun, but he forgot to add the fact that it is an open secret in Nigeria of today that chieftaincy titles and honorary degrees are “cash and carry” and is therefore for the highest looters. In fact the higher you loot and plunder from the public treasury the more chiefly title you will be given. That is why persons like your principal have now graduated from being called a ‘Mallam’ when he introduced his political sharia to being called ‘Dr’ Ibrahim Shekarau.
Notable Hausa Christians and Maguzawas of Kano state extraction have been pursued by Shekarau’s maladministration such that most of them have relocated to Plateau, Kaduna, Abuja and some other parts of Nigeria which you even acknowledged in your rebuttal. “Bazata International Gospel Singers” is a clear case. The John Yahya Mamman dynasty is another example. These are people through dent of hard work acquired western education but are now personae non grata in their indigenous Kano state because of their belief and religion simply courtesy Shekarau’s maladministration.
I expected Raji Audu to explain why his master’s administration has refused to give C of O to over 80 Churches in Kano state and he had no words to explain this barbaric behavior unbecoming of ‘democrats’ as he claims his principal to be. I advise his master and benefactor to take a quick look over his shoulders to Gombe state or Niger state where true democrats are at work. Just last Month, not only did Danjuma Goje give C of O to Christian Churches, he donated his personal money for building the CAN secretariat in Gombe state and in fact laid the foundation stone himself. Danjuma Goje is not only a Muslim but of the purest Fulani stock.. This is how a true democrat should behave if you should ask me. Better still let your principal take a cue from Babatunde Fashola who though a Muslim attends almost all Christian functions and treats everybody the same faith notwithstanding. These are the hallmark of true democrats and patriots. Please compare that to your principal where does he measure up to those mentioned above?
Mr Saka Raji was playing the Ostrich in his article, all the important issues of the Shekarau government demolishing Catholic and ECWA Churches in Anguwan Uku and RCCG Church Mariri all in Kano city was never answered. Readers who have read the article actually e-mailed to say that Kano urban board has zero tolerance for Churches, that since the coming of Shekarau not one Church has been built in Kano rather existing ones are being pulled down with the pretext of not complying with town planning regulations despite the fact that some of these Churches were built before Shekarau was born. What answer do you have to that Mr Saka Audu?
I am surprised too that Saka Audu is mentioning Obasanjo’s election as a good example, well for your information, Mr Audu, the military imposed Obasanjo on Nigerians in 1999 as was later said by Obasanjo himself on two occasions in Jigawa state and Sokoto state. The clear winner of the 2003 and 2007 elections was Major-General Muhammadu Buhari which INEC and the corrupt elite denied him knowing quite well that he will come and turn Nigeria round for the collective good of all of us. They will rather have the present class divide system where they can easily breed the likes of Mohammed Yusuf and probably your type which they can easily use to persecute their political enemies for a peanut. If your benefactor things he will do the Obasanjo style of politics of do or die affair in 2011, then forget it. The Director General of the SSS just last week warned Nigerians of that type of politics and politicians.
2011 election is going to be a different ball game Mr Saka Audu, it is going to be on principles and nationalistic agenda, and it is not going to the highest looter anymore or those with the highest number of thugs. We the electorates are determined to protect our votes. Lucky enough Mr Yar’adua and INEC it seems have made up their mind to conduct a free and fair election as a result of the treatment meted to Nigeria by the American president Barrack Obama when he snubbed Yar’adua and decided to visit Ghana instead. I hear that Hillary Clinton is bringing a visit to Nigeria to pacify those of us that were truly patriotically grieved by the Obama snub.
On a final note Mr Audu thanking you in advance in anticipation that your paper will publish this my right of reply and hopefully too you and your principal ‘Mallam’, ‘Dr’ and ‘Chief’ Ibrahim Shekarau as you addressed him will address those issues I have raised especially the EFCC palaver, the C of O of Churches in Kano state and the deprivation of the indigenous Hausa Christians of Kano state origin. This is the beauty of true democracy as you rightly said, everybody will have his say but the majority will have their way. Your principal has the right to contest the presidency of Nigeria just like you and me, but be rest assured that during the presidential debate, he will be astonished as to the questions Nigerians will ask him including the Igbos, Yorubas, Hausas in Sabon Gari Kano and of course the film makers and their fans which he has terrorist for ages. Ibrahim Shekarau can and will never will any election in Nigeria because of his antecedents until he provides answers to the issues raised in this rejoinder and my initial article. Other politicians who use religion should be watchful and be careful. Nemesis will surely catch up with you!
Ndiameeh Babrik
ndiame_2005@yahoo.co.uk
