My mind weeps for us, collectively we are turning into zombies, indifferent and insulated from realities. “Kal An’am?” Sure, the problem is right in front of our noses but we run hither and thither looking for it or delving into trivial narratives.
I saw arguments saying none of the perpetrators of the most gruesome murder are from Ɗorayi Quarters. Sentiments, sense of identity flares, the bigger picture is lost and energies expended, with some even suggesting Ɗorayi Quarters should be wiped off the map and relocated elsewhere. The defenders of their lovely quarters responded, some with logic while others with abuse for the mere suggestion.
I saw others saying this is not a matter of drugs but rather of cultism as if one reason or other is justification for the horrible act. The real problem is thrown out of the matrix to be buried along the series of atrocities perpetrated that are discussed when they happen, superficially at that, without tracing the root cause let alone addressing it. The vicious circle continues as the family unit continues to deteriorate, moral integrity vanishes, schism continues to pervade all spheres (Kwankwasiyya/Gandujiyya, Izala/Ɗariƙa/Shi’a, etc)
When a flock lost its shepherd, direction takes a new meaning, individualism reigns supreme and the road to perdition becomes a 360 degree beacon.
Kano is exactly facing the same scenario for years now. We fit the Qur’anic description, “Reduced to the lowest of the low”, having excelled for centuries, as the terminal route of the great Trans-Saharan trade that attracted the Europeans. Kano was heard far and wide, its goods reaching distant lands, the Moroccan leather that originated from Kurmi market fed the Spaniard and Italian shoe factories, becoming the toast of leather works the world over.
Emir Abdullahi Bayero engineered Kano’s socio-economic restructuring. Kano had the first airport, the first water works, electricity, schools, etc. Audu Baƙo implemented the research made by a European contracted by Emir Sunusi I, which had been in the cooler, that saw the Kano River Project (KRP). The first of the three phases plan saw the construction of tens of dams which cultivated 120,000 acres by the 1980s.
Kano used to provide 70% of Nigeria’s export, then came the arrested development and the slumber of the agricultural and manufacturing sectors. The land lay untilled, the dams not silted for four decades, manufacturing migrated wholesale to the South-west, while we continue to produce more babies and mouths to feed (an approximate 27,000 children per month in Kano State).
As we multiply, the ship has lost its rudder, the mast is torn midway, the compass swirls along all points of the 360 degrees. Passengers on board are not looking for the captain but a bunker to retire, an orange or meat to swallow, thinking that is all that matters. The crew are busy making holes on the floor, others ripping off a flank to make their beddings. As for tomorrow, no one cares what it will bring as long as today’s cravings are fully satisfied.
A tempest is on the horizon, as flashing and thunder alternate every minute. Who can save the sinking ship? Nothing short of miracle could do the magic. But even miracles happen to those who believe. In this sea of unbelief, not of God’s but of reality, finding a believer is like finding a needle in a haystack.
All one can hear is the robotic and ritualistic chant of “Sai addu’a”, which is expected to work the miracle, akin to a staff of Moses of old.
Women have contributed immensely in destroying the family unit. They consider men as their slaves, who should provide for their competition without the commensurate gratitude. In the process, they push men into a materialistic mode. Through ya-ki-halal-ya-ki-haram, they must accumulate wealth to satisfy their women’s greed and the insurance for their children.
Boko has turned parentage into children-worship, a category that would on judgment day be a class of its own. As we were warned about children worship in Sura Al A’araf 190. When you live to satisfy the wants of your children alone, they turn into your gods.
The clerics have sold their soul to the almighty naira. They prefer flamboyance and exotic cars instead of their buzu and rosary. Knowledge is no longer sought for its value but for its material benefits.
The masses are too poor, too ignorant to even act like animals. Yes, animals have the two basic instincts: flee or fight. The masses can do neither but like lambs led to slaughter as they chant their slaughterers’ praises along the way.
Power and justice have since become transactional. The deeper your pockets the better it gets. “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves” is an outmoded system compared to our current political system engineered towards siphoning our commonweal.
The greatest challenge for Kano, nay all the North, is poverty, which is the root cause of all our evils – be it ignorance or insecurity, crimes or drug abuse. All social ills could be traced back to our skewed method of redistribution of wealth. Two key players in Buhari (Mai Gaskiya) government, the Accountant-General (our son) and Attorney-General were alleged to have siphoned N340 billion between them – funds that could provide N50,000 capital to each of the 6.8 million almajirai wandering the North-west. Kano, with 22 dams lying idle, carries its ” ƙoƙon bara” every month to Abuja for “tsaba” without which they couldn’t pay workers’ salaries. Since 1999, no government enjoyed more “sadaqa” from the centre like the current administration but without investing anything in agriculture or manufacturing. As Lagos’ economy hits 66 trillion in 2025, we lag behind with a paltry N16 trillion, a parity of N50 trillion.
I believe that with visionary leaders that could properly plan and invest in agriculture, we could surpass Lagos as we did during the colonial times when agriculture was prioritised. Redistribution of wealth is the cornerstone of any prosperous society, why Islam made Zakat compulsory. Kano is proud to have the two richest men in the country, Dangote and Abdussamad, yet we don’t see their Zakat, major investments (they concentrate in Lagos and the South), no comprehensive scholarships, no start-up grants. What are they truly giving back to their own society?
In the face of our unsurmountable challenges, the resolve is nil and the efforts to checkmate the decadence zero. As we hang at the edge of the clip, are we going to plunge into the dark abyss or is a savior coming to rescue us? If the robotic and ritualistic “Sai addu’a!” chorus is working, then perhaps we would be saved, if not, then be sure the gravity under our feet will shift, spiralling us into the yawning gulf of the abyss.
