We are all cultists

Governor of Kano state, Dr Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, has always been maligned and attacked by some forces for no just cause.That is not surprising because it has been written right from time that no matter how good a person is, he will always have adversaries. And no matter how bad a person is, he will always have followers. This is an undisputable law of nature, and what gives life its balance.

We are in a democracy, and more so, as journalists we respect the right of freedom of speech. We are different individuals, created differently by God. It is only natural that we perceive and understand things differently. Information Minister, Labaran Maku, and erstwhile Governor of Kano state, Ibrahim Shekarau, are both entitled to their opinions regardless of whom or what it is about.
Therefore, the essence of this article is not to berate Maku and Shekarau for attempting to malign the man with the magic wand, Kwankwaso, but to set the records straight.

Maku has no relevance in Nigerian politics; he is only a minister of information. Though it is a political appointment, he does not have any political pedigree. He neither knows anything about being a politician nor has any political acumen. He is just the federal government’s mouthpiece. So, we really did not expect anything less from him.

Although Shekarau was a classroom teacher, he possesses all that Maku lacks in terms of political relevance. He was a two-term governor of Kano state – enough to give anyman a political history. Even as a political novice I know that Shekarau’s utterances are those of a man desperately trying to claw his way out of the pit of irrelevance and  seeking any  means possible to regain relevance in the polity.

Maybe it is because I am not a politician. But it beats my imagination why any sensible man would refuse to identify with the gigantic strides of the present Kwankwaso administration. Even an idiot knows that Kano state government is the most people-oriented in the whole of northern Nigeria. Kano state is the only northern state that is witnessing good governance and enjoying the dividends of democracy.
I had always thought that Kwankwaso’s developmental strides would endear him to everyone, including his political adversaries.  I had thought that the selfless and visionary services he is giving to Kano state and its people would make even the Shekaraus to throw in the towel of rivalry and get on the bandwagon. Alas, this is not the case!

It, therefore, points to the fact that it is not every politician that is out to serve the interest of his people. Otherwise, no right thinking politician will castigate Kwankwaso, talk less of maligning him. Now everyone knows that Kwankwasiyya is an ideology. And yes, that makes it a cult, but not the kind of cult we are accustomed to seeing in Nigeria – ritual killers, black magic and evil.
According to the Encarta Dictionaries, a cult is ‘the extreme or excessive admiration for a person, philosophy of life or activity’. It brings forth the notion that every man is a cultist because we all have an ideology.

Kwankwasiyya is a term coined from ‘Kwankwaso’, signifying a belief, an ideal and followership of people of like minds. The belief in Kwankwaso prompted the people to emulate his way of dressing – red cap on white apparel – without coercion. Kwankwaso himself dresses thus in emulation of the late Kano pro-talakawa political icon, Malam Aminu Kano. Yes, Kwankwasiyya is a political ideology, and a cult. Come to think of it, what is a man without an ideology? Nothing. Every one of us is cultist one way or the other because we all believe in something or someone including Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo whom Shekarau visited and made this psychopathic utterance.

As Governor of Kaduna state, Sambo had a slogan called ‘daram dam dam’ (whatever that means). Everyone in the cabinet including commissioners and permanent secretaries had ‘daram dam dam’ written on their  windscreens, file jackets or even wear a pin with Sambo’s face and his slogan on it. Sadly, that cult did not yield any useful fruits to Kaduna state or its people whereas the Kwankwasiyya cult is progressive, pro-masses, developmental, disciplined, just, equitable, corrupt-free and result oriented. This is something most Nigerian politicians cannot boast of, particularly Shekarau.

Kwankwaso’s only fault is being a progressive and people-oriented leader. If he had been a political stooge, he definitely would not have done theworks he is doing because they would not allow him. But his being an upright leader makes him the bad guy in Nigerian politics. Perhaps as Gimba Kakanda righty said, Shekarau is unhappy with the way Kwankwaso exposes non-performing governors in the North, but he should know that the masses are neither afraid norreluctant to be identified with this cult -KWANKWASIYYA.
Though I am not from Kano, I pledge to Kwankwasiyya as my ideology.