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Does Aminu Tambuwal have the trait that most enlightened Nigerians have considered a quintessentially Hausa- Fulani attribute: craftiness? His actions in the house is well known, well documented and well, complicated. A lot folks from the Southern part of this country saw him as a betrayal for working against PDP throughout his tenure as a Speaker of the House of Representatives. According to some of these folks, PDP made him and brought him his highest glory; therefore it is scandalously immoral for him to treat the so-called biggest party in Africa in such a shabby manner. This line of argument is not entirely the gospel truth. Politics is far more complicated and complex than that.
To tell it like it is, Tambuwal is like most Nigerian political when it comes to moving from one political party to the other in a bid to climb the political ladder. He came into national prominence in 2003 as a member of the House representing Kebbi/Tambuwal Federal Constituency. And it was on the platform of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP).Tambuwal caught the political bug as a struggling lawyer working as a Personal Assistant on Legislative Affairs to Senator Abdullahi Wali who was then the Senate Leader. Just before 2007 election, he dumped the party for the Democratic People’s Party(DPP) formed by the former governor of Sokoto State, Attahiru Bafarawa. After running into a hitch in the party, Tambuwal defected to ANPP again and won the election.
But when the last governor of Sokoto, Aliyu Wamakko dumped ANPP for PDP, Aminu Tambuwal followed suit. We are all a living witness on how he left the PDP for APC. In 2005, he was the Minority Leader of the House until he left for the PDP. In his second coming, he was elected the Deputy Chief Whip.Tabuwal was also the Chairman of the ad hoc committee that reviewed the controversial power probe committee headed by Ndudi Elumelu. He has come a long way and it has been a long row to hoe. Like the Americans will say, he has been a hearty, hardy, early-to-bed-early-to -rise folk.
But is Tambuwal a villain for moving from one political party to the other? Were his actions suicidal and irresponsible? Did he hoodwink PDP and the Jonathan administration? I really do not think so. Politics is defined as who gets what, when and how. And it is local. In Africa, this is how it blows and smells like. There is something admirable about him. He represents the youth and he led a rancor free-house. He is progressive minded and he thinks in terms of Nigeria and not Hausa/Fulani. Above all, he is proud and powerful. At the moment Tambuwal and El Rufai represents the future of APC from the northern side of the country. The two young men sit astride the political future of the APC in the north like Montagues and Capulets. But Tambuwal has an edge over El-Rufai in the sense that a man’s tribe does not mean anything to him. The governor of Kaduna State is now a down-on its-luck brand. The man is simply ethnically conscious. He is so much into this Fulani hegemony business to rule a modern Nigeria.
The Buhari presidency is currently having a credibility problem because he is perceived to be shamelessly in favour of Northern supremacy. The President is simple lucky that Nigerians have not taken to streets in protest over the practice of favouratism and nepotism . In fact, no other Nigerian president has been so cosseted from the real world, so protected from the consequences of its own actions and so compensated of its own inadequacies like the Buhari administration.
Governing Sokoto State is a herculean task. The poverty in the state is ungodly. It is like that in most northern States. Most governors in Nigeria are loud and empty. Sokoto State has had its own share of such governors. Confronting poverty in the State is like looking down the barrel of a gun. In order for Nigerians to take him seriously as a good leader, he has to perform credibly well in that backward State. It is an open secret that the State is heavily indebted. The PDP, through the Secretary of the Party, Alhaji, Kabiru Aliyu has challenged Tambuwal to reveal the debt profile. Former governor Magatakarda Wamakko and Tambuwal have refused to make it public.
According to his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Imam Imam, “Tambuwal desire is to see Nigeria rise to greatness. He has, at every available opportunity, remained his colleagues of the need to promote democracy and respect human rights. These ideas stem from his belief that strong democracies are more likely to secure peace, deter aggression, expand markets, promote development, combat terrorism and crime, uphold rights of workers, avoid humanitarian crises, protect and improve the global environment, and protect human health.”
This is the time for the governor of Sokoto State to practice what he preaches. He has disclosed that there will be no abandoned project in Sokoto State. “Our Pledge is that there will be no abandoned projects and we will start new ones at the appropriate time. We are working to improve our internally generated revenue and already, wide consultations are going on with experts on different areas of interest. Even though we are determined to improve revenue; we have to be conscious of the hard times. The economy is not in good shape and we are working round the clock to improve the situation.” We are yet to find out how he is going to improve the revenue base. Next, I am going to do an in-depth piece on Aminu Tambuwal achievements as the executive governor of Sokoto State. For now, my advice to him is to take lesson on how to handle stress, rumours and rivalry and to keep a simple minded focus on the business of governance.
By
Ikechukwu Orji
08023624097
Orji is a Journalist.
He lives in Lagos