Nigerians must mobilise against selfish politicians, says don

… As Masari, Ganduje eulogize Aminu Kano

Katsina State Governor Aminu Bello Masari has said late Mallam Aminu Kano was still being remembered 33 years after his death because he lived a life for the progress and development of the masses.

Speaking at the 33rd annual Anniversary Symposium in honour of the late Aminu Kano, organized by Mallam Aminu Kano Center for Democratic Research and Training, in Kano, Masari noted that many people have died since then but were not being remembered.

“It is not a matter of how long you lived but how well you lived. Late Mallam Aminu Kano has lived his life for others to enjoy. He sacrificed his time, money and experience for the masses,” he stated.

Also speaking, Kano State Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje identified corruption caused by bad upbringing as the major problem of Nigeria.

Represented by his deputy, Professor Hafiz Abubakar, Ganduje said, “Our forefathers like late Mallam Aminu Kano were opportune to acquire both formal and informal education and they practiced them all in their daily affairs and that made them live well.”

Presenting a paper titled ‘Mallam Aminu Kano’s Politics: A Road Map for Social, Political and Economic change in Nigeria’, Sule advocated radical revolution against selfish Nigerian political leaders if the needed socioeconomic progress was to be achieved in the country.

Sule, a Professor of History with Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria posited that the potential of Nigeria to greatness could only be realized when its citizens unite to flush out bad politicians from the system.

He said politics had been reduced to hooliganism. “Politics in Nigeria today is the biggest investment. Imagine people who were elected into political offices now allocating pension to themselves. This is not the ideology of late Mallam Aminu Kano. Late Mallam had to borrow a coat to attend a constitutional conference during his time. Today our politicians are into politics to make money whereas a good leader is someone who is ready to sacrifice for his subjects,”

According to Sule, “Politics has now been reduced to big business for opportunists in Nigeria to control power, to perpetrate corruption and siphon public wealth. Our Politicians now turn the game of politics to money making venture where anybody not mindful of skill or intellectual competent venture in to make money instead of the core business of building a prosperous economy and encourage policies and development that will bring respite to the nation.”

Recalling with nostalgia Malam Aminu Kano’s style of political leadership, the university lecturer reminded political leaders to rise above personal and parochial gains in discharging their statutory responsibility.
In his words: “The likes of Malam Aminu Kano and other respected nationalists were highly respected for their patriotism and purposeful leadership for serving diligently and built not only Nigeria but Africa nation at large. They place priority more on building humanity and progressive nation.

“This is the style of leaders our politicians need to emulate; Nigerians has lost history and antecedent of most of these leaders because we never encourage this history of our nationalists.”

Prof. Sule reiterated the need for citizens to embrace progressiveness by fishing out bad politicians or face the consequences of watching with laxity the opportunist politicians destroy the nation.

The daughter of the late politician, Hajiya Maryam Aminu Kano decried current political trends in the country saying that they were not consistent with the political ideologies of her late father.