By
Emmanuel Onwubiko
Kano is no doubt a big province in Nigeria due to large
land mass and huge populations.
In the earliest interactions with Western civilization,
it used to be West African trading post especially in the area of textiles and
agricultural products in such a way that a huge number of continental traders
thronged Kano for commercial transactions.
Kano was once admired as the center of excellent farming
activities and at a point there were some of these Groundnuts pyramids that
obviously made Kano a nice place for tourists from all around the World. It is
a thing of wonder why all of a sudden when crude oil explorations started in
commercial quantities in the Niger delta region, Kano's agricultural prowess
disappeared because due to skewed political structures erected by soldiers,
revenues derivable from crude oil are shared to all parts of Nigeria and
sometimes the formula used in redistributing these incomes favours Kano state
which is where most of the past Generals who hijacked political administrations
through the barrels of the guns made sure that certain unverified statistical
data such as landmass and population are used to share revenues from resources
that are found in Niger delta region.
Kano state still holds high attractions for traders but
it has also witnessed some unfortunate violent conflicts in the past in which
some Nigerians from outside of the North were targeted and their businesses
destroyed. Those who killed other innocent Nigerians from other parts of
Nigeria are not prosecuted as they are given state covers.
I am not aware that there was any
palliative measures implemented by the successive state administrations to
ameliorate the economic loses of the victims of these social conflicts that
took on Ethno-religious colorations in the past. A 78 year old woman from Imo
state who had lived in Kano with her family all her life was slaughtered by
Islamic zealots who accused her of denigrating their religion. The Kano
state governor did nothing to bring the killers to justice. However the
government said it has effected some measures never to experience such a
dastardly criminal act.
The current administration in Kano is credited with
adopting some reconciliatory steps that the government touted was
capable of mending the broken down social fences.
These same scenarios highlighted above are not the
centerpiece of this reflection which basically is stimulated and motivated by
the ongoing moves by the Kano state government to stop the practice of
street begging especially by Children known mostly as Almajiris.
Good as these intentions are, but the ways and manners
the Kano and a few other Northern States have gone about ending the scourge of
street begging in the North of Nigeria appear simplistic and bereft of
strategic thinking.
This is because fundamentally, the best form of
resolving such social catastrophic situation of begging is not to drive away
these beggars and issue out threats to deal with their Parents but the same
government will either not adopt any palliative measures that are in the long
term and are SUSTAINABLE nor with the administrators of such states block the
avenues for CORRUPTION amongst the officials of such state administrations.
These States must deliberate implement palliative measures good enough to
economically empower these beggars that may be displaced. Again, why is begging
rife in these states and why is it that the EFCC have failed to prosecute past governors
of these states who actually stole their states in the North blind like their
Southern counterparts some of whom are in prisons? This interrogatory must be
resolved before embarking on the revolutionary move to stamp out the social
menace of begging which dehumanizes these beggars. It is not out of place
to ask why Kano is one place corruption has remained defiant.
Kano for over 4 years has been in the news for the
notorious reason that one official or the other has been fingered for alleged
large scale corrupt practices including the video that trended that appeared to
be showing the current governor Abdullahi Ganduje allegedly pocketing huge wads
of dollars into his Babanriga dress.
The Kano state government under GOVERNOR Ganduje and the
blogger who circulated the damaging video are at each other's throats regarding
the authenticity or otherwise of the video evidence of alleged large size
bribery by a contractor.
Again, many former and current Kano State officials have
been picked up at one time or the other by the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC) over allegations bordering on corruptions but these cases
will inevitable be swept under the carpets since their godfathers are
controlling the top echelons of political power.
Unless the crime of corruption is combated any
move to stop public destitution will remain cosmetic since the
impoverished populations will rather insists on begging and be locked up in
prisons whereby they are certain of some square meals than stay back in their
ramshackle shelters and die of starvations. Why drive a beggar out of the
streets when you are not prepared to teach him how to create wealth and you
have not shown them alternative means of surviving? Do you wish them deaths?
A look at the high profile arrests of state officials
will tell you that the first challenge to resolve is official corruption after
which government needs to increase the enabling environment for
aggressive skills acquisitions by the populace who in turn can be empowered
economically to become wealth and job creators. Every decent person know that
begging is absolutely evil but again, should they be left to die in their huts?
Looking at the recent trend of anti-graft wind blowing
in Kano reveals that a current commissioner and a former Speaker have
both been picked up. What will come out of the dramas is anyone's
guess.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC),
said that it’s Kano Zonal Office arrested a serving Kano State Commissioner in
the Ministry for Special Duties, Mukhtar Ishaq, for allegedly diverting monies
meant for Kano Municipal Local Council, while he was Chairman.
EFCC acting Spokesperson, Tony
Orilade, disclosed that Mukhtar’s trouble followed a petition, which states
that, while he was Chairman, he allegedly diverted N76,000,000 (Seventy Six
Million Naira) only, which was meant for projects, development and empowerment
of the people.
According to Orilade, the
petitioner further alleged that the suspect ordered the deduction of N30,000
(Thirty Thousand Naira) only from the account of each council member without
justification.
The Spokesperson maintained that
the Commissioner was also alleged to have converted property of Kofar Nasarawa
Primary School, Kano, into shops and sold same at the rate of N10,000,000 (Ten
Million Naira) only per shop and diverted the money to personal use.
Also, the Kano State Zonal Office of the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has arrested former Speaker of the Kano
state House of Assembly, Isiyaku Ali Danja for alleged abuse of office and
misappropriation of fund meant for constituency projects.
Danja got into trouble following a
petition that funds meant for payment of tax liabilities to Federal Inland
Revenue Service (FIRS) by Kano State Government were allegedly diverted and
misappropriated to the tune of over N1, 500,000,000 (One Billion, Five Hundred
Thousand Naira) from the sub-treasury account of the state government.
Several suspicious payments were allegedly traced to some beneficiaries, including some made to Allad Drilling Limited, a company in which the suspect is the Investigation by the EFCC further revealed that the funds were on several occasions, personally withdrawn in cash by the suspect, while he was the only one who could officially state whether jobs were done before any payments could be made, it would be recalled that the EFCC had earlier arrested the commissioner for Special Duties in state, Mukhtar Ishaq, for allegedly diverting funds meant for Kano Municipal Local Government while he was chairman of the said local government.
Mukhtar was arrested by EFCC following a petition that alleged that while he was chairman of Kano Municipal, he diverted funds meant for projects, development and empowerment of the people.
The petitioner further alleged that Mukhtar ordered the deduction of N30, 000 (Thirty Thousand Naira), from the account of each council member without justification.
Several suspicious payments were allegedly traced to some beneficiaries, including some made to Allad Drilling Limited, a company in which the suspect is the Investigation by the EFCC further revealed that the funds were on several occasions, personally withdrawn in cash by the suspect, while he was the only one who could officially state whether jobs were done before any payments could be made, it would be recalled that the EFCC had earlier arrested the commissioner for Special Duties in state, Mukhtar Ishaq, for allegedly diverting funds meant for Kano Municipal Local Government while he was chairman of the said local government.
Mukhtar was arrested by EFCC following a petition that alleged that while he was chairman of Kano Municipal, he diverted funds meant for projects, development and empowerment of the people.
The petitioner further alleged that Mukhtar ordered the deduction of N30, 000 (Thirty Thousand Naira), from the account of each council member without justification.
Mukhtar was also alleged to have converted property of Kofar Nasarawa Primary School, Kano, into shops and sold same at the rate of N10,000,000 (Ten Million Naira), per shop and diverted the money to personal use.
Both suspects would be charged to court on completion of investigations.
Everyone knows that these officials may never be charged
to court. Infact Kano has one miniature state wide EFCC they stylishly
called Kano's anti-graft agency which is used for political witch-hunt.
My honest counsel is that Kano and any other states must find beggars good
alternative if we want them to quit begging and constituting social
nuisances.
*Emmanuel
Onwubiko is the Head of the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria
and blogs@www.huriwanigeria.
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