About The Katsina Lavish Wedding -By Abdussamad Umar Jibia

Some years ago, a group of students from Kaduna state came to my office lamenting how Muslim elders imposed a Christian candidate on them and rigged him into power. They even told a story of how an Emir and some elders called Islamic scholars and warned them against any kind of remonstration in their preachings. “How can we bear this disgrace?” my students were frustrated.

I said, “you can solve the problem and make governance difficult for the imposed Governor”. The young people paid attention, expecting an “academic” solution to their problem. “The Governor cannot rule Kaduna state alone. Since majority are against him, why not look for and beat up anyone who accepts his political appointment?” I offered. My students looked at one another and said, “Sir, there will be chaos and mass arrest”. Poor them, they want to bring change, they are not happy with what is going on and they are afraid of arrest. “The alternative is to support the unpopular Governor and struggle for your share of the haram”, I finalized the discussion.

In the case of my Kaduna state students the problem was election rigging even though there was relative peace in their state, at least up to that time. In the case of Katsina people, it has been killing, kidnapping, rape, stealing, etc. How have the people reacted to the politicians they elected to solve the problem of insecurity?

A number of people have asked why they no longer see my comments on insecurity and I always reply that I am busy with other things. Truly I am busy, but not too busy to write a few paragraphs to express my opinion. However, it reached a point I began to ask, as far as insecurity is concerned, who is the culprit? Whom should I write to blame? The Government? The military? The masses?

Going by the advice I gave Kaduna youth, one would expect that no elected politician will have the guts to go to any community ravaged by insecurity in Katsina or any of the nearby states. Unfortunately, that is not the case. I saw people who lost some of their closest relatives to banditry staunchly supporting a politician going by whose actions their losses do not matter. A community was displaced by bandits, but I saw their youth on social media actively supporting politicians who were giving public money to bandits in the name of peace agreement.

If you are actively fighting for those victims through writing or interviews and you offend any politician, you should be ready to get a good beating from some of the banditry victims if that is what would please the politician.

So whom should I blame? Do the people take no blame? What of the military? Should I write to blame the masses as weak as they are? Should I write to blame the military as strong as they are? Should I not be afraid of arrest like my Kaduna students? If I offend the military, and you must surely offend them if you will tell the truth about insecurity, who would bail me out when I am arrested and tagged a trouble maker or any name they decide to give me?

The cheapest people to blame are the politicians. Everybody is against them. Public money is in their hands and they are spending it on wedding and musicians just like we witnessed in Katsina. But are all the people criticizing them sincere? Would they not do the same if they were in their position? Some of these things were the reason Nigerians voted PDP out ten years ago and the “saints” they elected are doing same.

If you are expecting me to continue directing my blame to politicians you will be disappointed. While they have their own fair share of the blame for insecurity, we also have our own share as victims.

For the masses, they should take the side of my advice to Kaduna youth that they can. They can only beat the politicians or join them. For the politicians, I have no word. Only the masses can deal with them if they take the first side of my advice. For me, I shall keep mum about the military because I am a coward.

For other Nigerians, continue to enjoy yourselves before insecurity reaches your side. I pray it will not.

Prof Abdussamad Umar Jibia