Tag: Bafarawa

Since three years or so, Nigerians have known no peace, following the way and manner things are going in the country. The present administration under the watch of President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is not helping issues. It has rather compounded the situation by exhibiting a high sense of incompetence and insensitivity. It I as if the president and his lieutenants are not prepared to lead the country, as they have little or nothing to show as their achievements since the inception of the administration some three years ago.

The economic weather in the country is not only harsh, but also scorching. It is quite regrettable, considering the fact that the immediate past administration under Dr. Goodluck Jonathan did well in the management of the nation’s economy.

In the area of security, I can say that Nigeria is not making any head-way. Nigeria is now a country where people armed with sophisticated weaponry, including AK-47s, rocket launchers, dynamites and machetes, operate with little or no harassment by the security operatives. Available statistics shows that over 50,000 innocent Nigerians have been killed by Boko Haram and herdsmen since 2011.

However, it is important to note that the present administration has not done much to address the problem of security in the country. This may be seen as why the herdsmen operate the way they like, terrorizing and killing people unnecessarily.

The United States Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), in its recent report, said that it had documented at least 19, 840 deaths in Nigeria, since 2015, just after President Muhammadu Buhari assumed office.   The United Kingdom-based Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) documented 1061 deaths in 106 attacks by the militia on communities in Adamawa, Benue, Plateau and Taraba states, with an additional 17 lives lost during the first quarter of 2018. CSW also documented seven instances of violence targeting herders or communities in which 61 people lost their lives”.

The point here is that virtually every sector of the economy is bad, meaning that there is a big problem in the country.

The question now is, who, among the array of presidential aspirants in the PDP and other political parties in Nigeria, has the capacity to lead the country out of the present predicament if given the opportunity to serve as president in 2019? This and related questions are seriously begging for attention, as the 2019 general elections draw closer.

Actually, there are many people jostling for the office of the president. Some are serious, while others are contesting for the sake of it. As citizens, they may like to exercise their constitutional rights, thereby making the game very interesting to watch. That is the beauty of democracy. But the concern of Nigerians now is not the number of people who have indicated their interests to run for the position, rather their antecedents and political credentials. Hence, what Nigerians want to know is the stuff they are made of before supporting any of them. It is a fact because the electorates are desirous of electing somebody who knows the game, as president. They are of the view that only a credible person who is familiar with the trend can effect positive change.

To achieve this objective, some political pundits in the country have painstakingly assessed all the presidential aspirants, including those in the PDP.  This is where the former governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa, running under the PDP stands out because of his track record, intimidating political credentials and experience in the field of politics.

Bafarawa, by the way, is one of the most experienced and oldest politicians in Nigeria, having joined politics in his early 20s, precisely in 1976. And it is worthy of note that he has been in politics from that time till date. His consistency, no doubt, makes him more popular than his contemporaries.

Amanze Obi, in a piece titled “A professional in the Saddle”, published in the Daily Sun of Thursday, August 16, under his “Broken Tongues” column captured it all: “A casual encounter with him will readily tell the story. His journey into the murky terrain of politics dates back to 1976, when he contested and won election as councilor. Upon assumption of office, he was made a supervisory councilor, a position that elevated him among his pack. Bafarawa was in his early 20s at the time. Since then, the man has remained in politics, traversing the political landscape with assured steps. He has contested election to the National Assembly. He has midwifed the formation of political parties, notably the United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP) and Democratic People’s Party (DPP). He has been party chairman at state and National levels. He contested and won election as a delegate to the National Constitution Conference of 1994 to 1995. He has been governor”.

With these credentials, one can simply testify that Bafarawa is grounded in Nigerian politics, that he has acquired much knowledge in the political sector. This is why he sees himself as a professional politician.

Amanze Obi would further note that “Bafarawa’s selling point is not his past romance with the highest office in the land. What goads him on is his long standing involvement in politics. The former governor prides himself on being a professional politician. He savours his wide spectrum of experience in politics, a quality that many politicians in Nigeria are bereft of. For Bafarawa, one of the reasons why many who delved into politics and governance in Nigeria fail is because they are not professional politicians. He readily reminds us that our politics is peopled by gatecrashers who, ordinarily, should not be in politics. Being not grounded in the science and art of politics, many who cross over from other professions such as the military, bookkeeping, farming, teaching, and the like get lost in the mix. The result is the amateurish politics that usually results in bad governance. If you ask Bafarawa, he will tell you that politics should be left for professional politicians like him”.

Nigeria needs an experienced person who can listen to the yearnings of the masses; somebody who has the capacity to transform the economic and security situation of the country, as well as other sectors that are beginning for attention, and somebody who can measure well in the provision of infrastructural facilities.  Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa is that aspirant that can give Nigeria what it needs in terms of governance. He stands tall among all the PDP presidential aspirants. He ranks first when it comes to political experience and administration. His landmark achievements as governor of Sokoto State from 1999 to 2007, is a clear demonstration of this. He will definitely replicate what he did in Sokoto State in the entire country if given the opportunity to serve as president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria come 2019. He aims at taking Nigeria to another level by redefining the political, social and economic landscape of the country. He wants to save Nigeria from the hands of mediocres and non-political do-gooders.