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Poorlitics, a thriller from Abba Bukar Ibrahim…

The late Myles Munro, a great and prolific author, cleric and motivational speaker from The Bahamas, a small Island in the Caribbean, once looked at the Nigeria’s rich intellectual resources without books to their names in those days and urged participants in one of his ecumenical conferences in Nigeria....

Bukar Abba Ibrahim

The late Myles Munro, a great and prolific author, cleric and motivational speaker from The Bahamas, a small Island in the Caribbean, once looked at the Nigeria’s rich intellectual resources without books to their names in those days and urged participants in one of his ecumenical conferences in Nigeria and counselled, “Please, Please, write books! Please, go to the grave empty, so that the graveyards will not inherit your ideas… Write books with your experiences and ideas for the next generations to read…”

One of the most visible political figures in the last three decades in the North, former Governor and now a Senator, Abba Bukar Ibrahim will tomorrow make the iconic Myles Munro sleep well when he makes a public presentation of his own book that is very well written and uniquely produced. Even the title is a masterpiece, POORLITICS: The Little Boy from Goniri and the Progressives’ Manifesto.

Inside Stuff has read the work of the simple man who was three times Governor of Yobe State. The book speaks constructively to contemporary issues such as Not Too Young to Run, The Secrets of Success in Poorlitics, Why Poorlitics, Benefits and Training in Politics, among others.

Not Too Young To Run?
In an era of “Not Too Young To Run”, aspiring politicians will do well to look at the politics of Bukar Abba Ibrahim and how he challenged and defeated powerful political leaders to become a Governor. His methods, which he describes as “Poorlitics” in the new book was also used by many of our most successful politicians. Those who want to run for office are pre-occupied with making money because of the false belief they need huge amounts of money in a money-oriented political system. This holds back many from venturing into politics.

The Secrets Of POORLITICS.
According to the book, Bukar Abba Ibrahim first ran for Governor at the age of 42, with just N20,000 in 1991, against powerful opponents with godfathers, branded vehicles and thugs. He just had friends, with their cars and the people. The people he helped provide the rest of the funds. He claims that the people fought attempts to rig him out and he won with a landslide. Since then, Bukar has become one of the most successful Nigerian politicians. He has been elected Governor three times in free and fair elections. He has also been elected Senator three times.

Bukar also claims that he campaigns with very little funds and no thugs. He left a legacy of zero political thuggery in Yobe state. Many people have wondered about the secrets of his success. He wrote the book “Poorlitics” to explain how he did it. With the people fully behind you, you do not need much money, thugs or godfathers to succeed in politics, he says in the book.

‘WHY POORLITICS’
Bukar’s book, suggests a new paradigm shift in politics. According to him, Nigeria needs a new approach to politics, which is generally seen as a costly investment. To ensure success, many politicians put vast amounts of personal funds into publicity, bribes, thugs, rigging and other expensive practices. Failure could mean being ruined for life. On victory, politicians are often forced to make profit to reward supporters, rather than focus on services to the people.

Poorlitics – the politics of the poor; the politics of mass mobilisation – is about practical, project-based, Progressive Political Leadership. It is practical because it works. It is project-based, because it builds trust, love and support with your people, through practical projects that benefit them. It is progressive, because it is people-oriented. When done consistently for some years before seeking office, and people are convinced of your sincerity, they will give financial support and vote for you repeatedly in democratic elections. It is based on a simple idea. The poor make up the majority. If they are behind you, you need little money and no thugs to defend yourself, your votes and your victory. The provocative work will be presented publicly tomorrow at the Ladi Kwali Hall, Sheraton Hotel, Abuja.

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