“Guard your light and protect it. Move it forward into the world and be fully confident that if we connect light to light, and join the lights together of the one billion young people in our world today, we will be enough to set our whole planet aglow”
The case for active engagement and participation of youth in the political life of a nation cannot be frittered away as is the case now in Nigeria. Like a game plan, the Nigerian youth are endangered. In other words, he is not prepared to answer his legendary name of youths are leaders of tomorrow. Because of this dangerous trend, there is the absolute need for a change of their mindset, from despondency, of waiting to be spoon-fed, laziness, insatiable clinging to pulsate social media to hopeful and positive can-do attitude; to engagement and activism, with purposefulness and integrity. With these achieved, Nigeria can be passed onto her young men and women to organize and revalidate the country at currently a dangerous drift to abyss!
If we look in the direction of far North-west of Jigawa state there’s a wind right now, stirring up. The wind is mostly enclaved in the Central Senatorial zone. The people of the state today cry out that they deserve better deal. They want change; change that would eliminate the vicious circle that Jigawa has been entangled in. For too long, it has been scandals replacing scandals; scandals the people say they want to do away with once and for all. But how ready are the people? Do they really know that they have the right, and are the ones to drive this change? It is their game if they know their right.
Today, it is gratifying to witness the emergence of one of the youngest men to dare to lead the much desired change in the person of Mustapha Sule Lamido (the San Turaki of Dutse). Mustapha is walking a path of a new political ideology; the type that would delink the current cantankerous political order subsisting in Nigeria.
There is something about Mustapha that is refreshing. He is more of a fresh air in Jigawa state. Here is a young gentleman who yet has the can-do- it for him heavy fortunes, but chose the hard, tortuous only but sure way to do his thing. With his high literacy level, intelligence, humility, knack for hard work and commitment, he wants to and is walking the talk alone. Not always in public glare, in the same way he has maintained a quiet life and is controversy free. But what is more candid of him is he is quick to defend and speak up if something is not right. Something you do not find in our kind of politicians, not even among elder statesmen. As it is natural, there may be many who hate him for that. After all, today’s game is deceit, blackmail, back stabbing and the likes as (mis)virtues politicians must possess to answer their name as politicians. Well, Mustapha would not be part of that.
Today, Mustapha is a politician in the making as he is gunning for the Senate. His aspiration for the Senate would be a real content. He has the appeal, as such political party that cultivates him and seeks his support could not go wrong, but would be a clear winner.
The San Turaki captures the essence of truth candor and practices what he preaches. He takes well informed decisions and accepts responsibility for his actions and his words, just as he also makes and keeps promises. Someone that people can rely on.
Several of San Turaki’s traits loomed large in the people’s view: his sincerity, humility, simplicity, and his integrity and passionate solicitude for the common people especially in the ruralites; and his selfless devotion are quiet legendary. He has a rare power to evoke love from his.
For Mustapha, his vision 2019 is to move his people away from short-sightedness and the daily struggle for short-term gains which do not seem to get them anywhere; I strongly believe that he will conceptualize a better future towards which the people can channel their individual and collective energies with hope and enthusiasm. His, is an attempt to finally define where they want to go as a people. If the people of Jigawa Central ever had any faith in themselves and their future as a senatorial zone, this is the time to demonstrate it… with courage and determination, what needs to be done to set the zone along the path of positive growth and development will be done.
Arise my people in Jigawa and do not allow those old political quacks to tell you that you have no choice but to vote for them because that’s once again an old politics. You people deserve better. You deserve change. You need to replace them and now is the time. And it is not the first time for electorate to bring about major change in our society. This isn’t the first time you’ve seen this. It means something is broken and we need to fix it. Now is that moment to use your anger with reasoning, frustration with patience, decision making with empathy, nationalism with regionalism.
Mustapha could have his many faults like every other person, but despite all his faults, it is an irony that until death, the world will never appreciate the good you do *a million times*, but will criticize the *one wrong thing* you do. Mustapha Sule Lamido did many things right and for all he did right, I celebrate him. The tragedy of Nigeria today is the lack of truly good men, the nation is littered with Christians who are Pentecostals, Baptists, Catholics, name it, and Muslims who are Sunnis, and Shiites, while most keep a small voodoo under their bed, but we have only few real good men. And till Nigeria rises up and look for her good men and sure women, we will remain at the junction of three corners; and till when? Only time will tell.
It is said that, if you want to rule, learn to serve. If you want to lead, learn to follow. If you want to succeed, learn to make others succeed. We do not measure success by the number of people we lead, but by the number of people we reach and serve. Mustapha represents this line of thinking and movement.
Abdussalam (PhD), writes from Dutse, Jigawa state
