Written by Tunga Lergo

Friday, 03 December 2010 22:54

A Novena For Governor Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa of Kaduna State

Kaduna’s state governor, Patrick Yakowa, has been in office for six months and his leadership style can now be seen. He exudes a gentle, cautious personality, sometimes boarding on apology. Some may say this is a typical leadership style for people from ethnic minorities, or perhaps it is political calculation meant to win public acceptance in the upcoming election in 2011. Whatever the case, Governor Yakowa has sought public acceptance and validation whenever he has had an opportunity, as both his inaugural address and his announcement of his candidacy for the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) show. However, his vast administrative experience, his insider status at the helm of the state governance, and his education as a sociologist have put him in a good position to lead and he does not need public validation to run the state. Without a doubt, he is the most qualified person, military or civilian, since amalgamation to govern the state. It is troubling, then, that he must always publicly assure people of his intention to be transparent in his governance.

I wonder how many times his immediate predecessors, Namade Sambo and Ahmad Markafi, or those before them had to seek public validation? Governor Yakowa should not be arrogant, but he should not be timid, either. He makes the claim that he became governor by divine fate. By claiming this, he takes away both the power and responsibility of his position. Would his predecessors have claimed to have became governors because of ethnic or religious fate? It seems unlikely because to do so is to apologize for becoming governor, as if one has no control over one’s destiny.

Governor Yakowa should stop apologizing. True, the story of his rise to power has elements of chance to it (he became deputy governor after the death of his predecessor, and became governor the same way), but he is qualified for the role. The governor’s mental and administrative energies should be geared toward governance and the 2011 election and not on justifying his right to govern.

I don’t fault the governor for assuring people of the state that he is harmless and capable. I am only concerned that he feels he has to do so. Suffering from the psychological marginalization that is common to ethnic minorities, the governor has worked harder and has more educational and experiential qualifications than others, and he has taken every opportunity to be seen as non-threatening to the majority ethnic or religious groups in order to be accepted. Yet, despite all this he still may not win in 2011. There is still doubt that the majority ethnic and religious groups will give him that opportunity. Some of the governor’s supporters fear that what happened to Isaiah Balat during the PDP primaries may happen to Yakowa.

In the speech declaring his candidacy for the PDP, the governor claimed: “I have had enough time since I took over power to understand the strengths and challenges of our state.” In fact, his experience extends well beyond his most recent position. He has extensive experience working for the state, the region, and the nation, and was deputy for over five years and under two state regimes. I thought he was ready to go as soon as his hands were placed on the plough. Don’t sell yourself short, governor. You have long understood the “strengths and challenges of our state.”

His understanding of the state is best seen in his actions. In his six months in office he has delivered balanced administrative appointments and increased the minimum wage. He has continue to subsidize Muslim hajj, fed Muslims during Ramadan, and just in case the Christians felt left behind, he gave nine million naira to both Christian and Muslim religious organizations; and has recently toured all the local governments in the state. Governor Yakowa is working hard to make sure his tenancy continues for the next four years.

To be fair, Yakowa has no choice but to work hard. One of the many obstacles he faces is the belief by some Muslims that religion should not be separate from the state, and that Muslims should not be ruled by non-Muslims. When Yar’Adua died and Namadi Sambo was appointed Vice-President of the country and by default when it seemed Yakowa was to become Governor, some Muslims began grumbling that it was haraam or forbidden for a Christian to be governor of the state. It took moderates, such as the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammed Sa'adu Abubakar, and former military governor of Kaduna state, Colonel Abubakar Umar, to explain that Islam tolerates non-Muslims in leadership positions. The Sultan publicly proclaimed that Muslims can be ruled by non-Muslims, and Colonel Umar suggested that anyone who did not want to be governed by a non-Muslim could pack his or her bag and leave town.

While things seem to have settled for now, it is a long, rough way to the elections of 2011. First Governor Yakowa must secure his party’s nomination. This may come as early as December and should be easy, as his party has already endorsed his candidacy and he is already in office. There is party stalwart Alhaji Hunkuyi to be considered, but Hunkuyi is less of an issue than the political dealings of the major ethnic group in his party. The governor should remember Isaiah Balat’s mistake of being too trusting of his inner circle, and he should sleep with one eye open. As Claude de Villars wrote, “God save me from my friends. I can protect myself from my enemies.” It may seem to many that the governor has his party nomination wrapped up, but the primaries in December may shock him as they did Senator Balat.

Even with his party’s support, the governor must still win the election in 2011. He will need votes from the three senatorial districts: Kaduna North, Kaduna Central, and Kaduna South. These are all strongholds of the PDP, and all three have senators who are PDP members: Ahmad Markafi (Kaduna North), Mohammed Kabiru Jibril (Kaduna Central), and Caleb Zagi (Kaduna South). If Governor Yakowa were a Hausa-Fulani Muslim, then I would not be writing this article because he would have both party and ethnic support. However, this is not the case. Although Kaduna South, the governor’s home district, is nearly eighty percent PDP, it would be unwise for the governor to take the district for granted. Some factions from the district have already endorsed ex-senator Mohammed Aruwa, who is the potential candidate for the remnant of the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP). It is unlikely that Aruwa offers any real threat to Yakowa, but he could make victory difficult. Yakowa must convince voters in his home district that although he has not done much for the area in his few months in office, he will have four years to make it up to them.

Victory for him in Kaduna Central is not a sure thing, either. The demographics favor the governor, as there are substantial ethnic minorities who will vote for the governor. But it is a highly contested terrain and should not be taken for granted. Kaduna Central is Mohammed Aruwa’s home district, and if he wins his party’s nomination, which is likely, he could make things difficult for the governor.

The governor will simply have to sweat it out in Kaduna North. It is less heterogeneous than the other districts and has a large concentration of Hausa-Fulani Muslims, a group that enjoys power in the state and is not likely to give it up. The district does have a large population of ethnic settlers, but the numbers are not high enough to assure the governor an easy win. Luckily, the governor has three friends in the district, who may help him win the votes he needs. Vice-President Namadi Sambo (whom the governor calls his “boss”) is a son of the soil, as is Senator Ahmad Markafi, under whom Governor Yakowa was deputy governor. It is rumored that Governor Yakowa has a friend in the Emir of Zaria, but it must be mentioned that ex-senator Isaiah Balat also counted the Emir as a friend, and it did not help him to advance his campaign.

There is an opponent in Kaduna North who Governor Yakowa should not ignore. The charismatic Zaria politician, Honorable Sani Mohammed Sha’aban, was elected three times under the ANPP to the National House of Representatives and is now a sure candidate under the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), a break away faction of the ANPP. In 2007, he ran for governor only to spend a lot of effort and money contesting the election results in court. He lost his battle and may be too exhausted to be a threat in 2011. But he can still pose a problem for Yakowa and not only in Kaduna North, where he is loved, but in Kaduna South, where he recently toured and was fairly well received.

Honorable Sha’aban represents a new generation of Northern Muslims that includes Ribadu, Rufai, and Colonel Umar who follow in the footsteps of Professor Bala Usman by bringing a global perspective to Nigerian politics. They continue to hold onto their Muslim religion but understand and respect the diversity of Nigeria. They are engaged in the political and religious deconstruction of Nigeria as they seek to move away from the template of northern caliphate, which sees political discourse and polices through ethno-religion centrism. Sha’aban’s major obstacle, however, is that despite inroads into Southern Kaduna and the backing of General Buhari, the CPC barely registers in the political discourse of Kaduna State. Though he may win his district, if only because he is Hausa-Fulani Muslim, it will be a long way to Kashim Ibrahim House.

With these obstacles to overcome in 2011, Governor Yakowa has no choice but to be politically cautious. As soon as it became apparent that he would succeed Namadi Sambo, he began to allay the fears of Muslims and assure them that he would govern with fairness. In his inauguration speech, he announced “I am not a Christian governor,” and during Ramadan, he ordered the state to provide food for the breaking of the fast. On a side note, it is rather peculiar that the governor must declare that he is not a Christian governor. No other governor has ever made such declaration. It will be a fine day, indeed, when a candidate is judged by the fairness of his policies and the spirit of social justice he brings to the office rather than his religion or ethnicity.

There are many interests to appease, however, and the governor should proceed with caution. Southern Kaduna and Christians in the state have long complained of marginalization, and they are still angry that Noble Prize winner, Professor Andrew Nok, was awarded then denied the position of the head of Ahmadu Bello University. When he was the deputy governor, Yakowa denied that there was marginalization, but now that he is himself governor, he seems to want to adjust his position. He has stated that equity in the state is one of his concerns, and making it his campaign slogan might go a long way to his victory.

Yakowa stated on the occasion of his declaration of his candidacy: “I have surveyed the landscape, I have assessed the challenges as well as the possibilities and come to the conclusion that I can [continue to] contribute to the growth and development of our state [for the next four years].” One wishes him well in his pursuit of the office, but now that it seems his nomination is secure, he must look at all the workings of the political machinery of Nigeria. The northern caliphate is seeking to evict President Jonathan Goodluck from Aso Rock in 2011, and in their eyes President Goodluck and Governor Yakowa are two sides of the same coin. If they are unsuccessful in evicting Goodluck from Aso Rock, they may extend extra effort to see that Yakowa no longer occupies Kashim Ibrahim House.

The presidential election will come before the governor’s elections, so Yakowa may have a hard run in the final months to the election. But such is the reality of a politician, and one must embrace each obstacle and struggle as it comes. In the words of Mother Terrace of Calcutta: “If you are successful, you may win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway.” Rest assured, Governor Yakowa, there are many well wishers who believe that Kaduna State needs a governor who can stand for change, and some will even make a novena for your success in 2011. I will join them.



Tunga Lergo is a Sociology professor teaching at Santa Fe College, Gainesville, Florida

http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/articles/guest-articles/a-novena-for-governor-patrick-ibrahim-yakowa-of-kaduna-state.html

Good piece,one cannot really blame the man. As rightly observed,many muslims do not seperate politics from their religion,so he needs to tread carefully in such a volatile state.

Ovularia:

There are many interests to appease, however, and the governor should proceed with caution. Southern Kaduna and Christians in the state have long complained of marginalization, and they are still angry that Noble Prize winner, Professor Andrew Nok, was awarded then denied the position of the head of Ahmadu Bello University. When he was the deputy governor, Yakowa denied that there was marginalization, but now that he is himself governor, he seems to want to adjust his position. He has stated that equity in the state is one of his concerns, and making it his campaign slogan might go a long way to his victory.

The learned professor did not win a Nobel,I think he won the Nigerian Academy of Science award sponsored by LNG.

Nice article. Will be interesting to see how he does come the next election.

Whao. What an unpredictable mixture of oil and water(ethnicity, religion, and politics). So much fear in the air! I hope no violent cases next elections, though.