Date Published: 11/24/09

A writer's love for Governor Shekarau By Ken C Mbata

Love, I notice is infectious. When the infections get into the hormones of the person, it can cause any thing pleasant or unpleasant things. Take for instance, an ardent football fan. When a team of his heart is defeated, he may wish to reverse the score line. But where he cannot do this reversal, he tends to dislike if not hate his team’s opponent. Love is always a crazy virtue. A man had to stake his car in a match between Arsenal football club and Manchester United in a decay football competition. He was certain as he swore that Arsenal was going to defeat Manchester United on a 2- 0 goal margin. He had to bet with his Honda Civic pleasurable car because he loved Arsenal and therefore was optimistic about her winning. In itself, it may sound foolish to one who does not love the game of football. But to this Nigerian ardent supporter of Arsenal, he simply demonstrated his love for Arsenal.

What about in the good old days of Mike Tyson. As devastating and merciless as Tyson was, an ardent supporter of Tyson’s opponent insisted before a fight that Tyson’s reign would come to an end after that fight. He was devout up till when his idol was helped out of the ring. Expression of love! People have many ways of expressing solidarity for people and things. This spontaneous over flow of feeling can be seen by others as objective or not objective based on one’s imagination or emotions; and angle of conception of such expressed feeling. Some people are strongly in love with some politicians, and are ready to die for them. This is not because of what they can get from the politicians but for the sake of the personality of the politician. At time, the laudable or commendable activities of such political office holders. In most cases, a retrospect of too long-ago progressive and or developmental achievements of such politician that so dear them to their ardent heroes.

These lovers can chant-down-Babylon for the sake of their loved one. This is especially when the goods deed of the person of their support is seen and commended by greater majority of that constituency. One of my brothers avowed his readiness to die for the sake of one elderly man in my village who is generally and widely acclaimed “truthful” all through his life. He vouched to deal mercilessly with any body who as a result of the man’s truth would want to hurt him because his truth was not in favour of him. Some people are like that.

At this point, one name comes to my mind. I have always followed his write-ups. I see him a worthy supporter of Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, the people’s Governor of Kano state.  Saka Raji Audu never let go any opposition to the administration of Malam Shekarau. He has written many rejoinders and many articles of projection to the administration of Malam Ibrahim Shekarau in many national dailies. He has also responded to destructive criticisms on Malam in the internet.  One aspect of Saka Raji Audu I admire so much is his untiring support and public exhibition of his love for the Governor. As a result of his ardent expression of love for Shekarau administration,   one may accuse him falsely. This is the nature of our time. No one is believed to do a civic responsibility genuinely or whole heartedly without reward.  Yet some good people who can do it exist, but minimal in number. Nevertheless, Saka can possibly fall into this negligible percentage. I am always fascinated by his articles.  In fact, I rank him as one of the most prolific writers of our contemporary time.  He is always objective, dynamic, articulate, steadfast in his cause, and focused.

This freelance writer does not just get up to write. He does investigative journalism, quite unlike some of his counterparts who write from hear-say. Little wonder, therefore, his articles hardly attract rejoinders. You would hardly fault him because he makes researches, and presents them undiluted. This is why his traducers sometimes accuse him of being paid to defend Shekarau’s administration. In all earnestness, if you really meditate on his articles, you would discover that he does not dwell on one sided story. He balances the story. One other good aspect of him is his simplicity of words. They are debarred of economy of words. He expresses the words in such a manner that even though they are not cheap but do not subject one to dictionary-search of meanings.

The freelance writer is very, very articulate because of the mode of his grammatical arrangement. He falls precipitously from the height of his ideas to the lowest. His points and reasons follow their order of importance until they are exhausted. He arranges his sentences and ideas in such a manner that they have the tendency of attracting readership easily. His presentation of the good deeds of the people’s governor is a clear testimony to the fact that there is need to say ‘well done’ to somebody who has or is doing well. Objectively, you would understand he does not love Malam Shekarau per – say but his achievements. So, the concept of praise-singing is far from identifying with developmental and progress-oriented achievements. Even those who criticize Governor Shekarau know that they are not being objective.

Most often their accusations have no supportive materials. Some just conceive a negative thing about Shekarau administration and would just go to the press; when in all sincerity, they enjoy every minute, all the amenities the administration has made available and still providing. How can you be drinking somebody’s hard-fetched water and you are at the same time abusing him. That is ingratitude. We try to be content with the benignity or kindness of the people’s Governor; so as to always spur him to greater service to the populace. Frequently, Malam’s love and achievements become so overwhelming that it calls out in a stifled voice which connotes that the human frailty is unable to bear such excessive happiness. But the evil mind cannot see any good thing in the activities of an upright man. This in itself is sinful. The resentful heart cannot discern good from bad. It cannot see sin in its true malice; it cannot perceive the occasions and dangers of its dreadful punishments; the wickedness of the world, the charm of virtue, the value of good works, and the great sacrifices the governor makes.

One thing I love about truth is that it banishes all timidity, and human respect, and strengthens souls to hate sin of lying and aids to practice virtue and to prefer contempt.. In the light of truth, we see more and more clearly the nothingness of things around us. The good developmental deeds of the people’s governor are simply inexpressible beauty, so pleasing, so beautiful and so charming. It is this unspeakable delight of Malam Saka Raji Audu on the very many achievements of the governor that attracted his defence of the governor’s deeds when wrongly presented by Malam Shekarau’s detractors.. His reactions are simply because most of the articles are devoid of the truth about this God fearing governor.

Saka, I must say, impresses me as he puts the record of a great achiever straight. Nigerians, especially those in Kano should learn to encourage good works. If somebody does what his contemporaries could not do, should be praised as a sign of encouragement rather than creating fallacies; and fabricating fantastic stories merely to disrepute him. Saka’s write-ups give the strong courage to believe that there are still some Nigerians, no matter how few they are, that can be objective in the temple of journalism. Bravo, Saka! Keep it up.

Ken C Mbata, wrote in from kendobest_1@yahoo.com