Leadership (Abuja)
Yusuf Dingyadi
13 November 2008
opinion
"A baby that denied his mother sleep will not sleep either"
This proverb best illustrates the recent happenings in Sokoto, a place known for peace and understanding to both the indigenes and non- indigenes. But all these are now bygones as a result of the reported clash over power control between political gladiators and their dreaded area boys. The recent clash left a lot of casualty in both human lives and valuable property worth millions of naira.
This clash and many of its kind have occurred a long time before now in the state, which is known and respected as the seat of the Caliphate. It is too shameful for the political class, religious leaders and those who constituted themselves messiahs of the Caliphate. About six clashes occurred in the state in the past three years. Three of them were bloody, and each claimed many lives of innocent victims.
Our so called elders and some political gladiators of Sokoto are responsible for the breeding of what is known today as Area Boys.
They habour and turn majority of poor youths into becoming criminal by using them to annihilate and create fears in the mind of ordinary citizens of Sokoto State to achieve their political goal.
They have turned the youths into killing machine. They preach peace, then provide dangerous weapons to these youths through the back door. They created monsters out of them by diluting their minds with a message of hatred. Monetary compensation include motorcycle gifts to intimidate and attack; vehicles and Hajj seats compensation are also given to encourage these dastardly acts.
Worst things happened to these youths because they are not in the cycle of power brokers. They are mere children from the less privileged in the society. Those who cannot afford sitting on the same dining table with their children, holding cutlery to eat like them. While their own children are living in luxuries thousand miles away, sleeping on the most expensive beds, attending the best schools free from such polluted ill characters known as Area boys. What injustice!
The open political greediness of our political class cum lack of truthful approach towards the wellbeing of people, encourages this particular attack among these youths. It is true that they are aware that the political class have misused them and now, they are being about to be abandoned; only solution for them to be heard or become relevant again is to fight back through violent clashes.
Just take this scenario as your food of thought: "a very strong area boy is sent to attack his neighbor for not supporting their master's party or for not pasting their party's poster on his wall. After the mission, nothing is done to compensate him. What do you expect?
Or just take this comparison: only two powerful groups are given money to share, but the other group being more superior or may be close to power that be, outsmarts the other. It buys expensive materials and displays the wealth to the disadvantage of others.
The above examples are the realities in Sokoto today. It is not a secret any more that Wamakko's government have through other means, harbored the breeding of these area boys, as it accused the former government. Today, these youths are out of control from both the government and the police, which for long, was accused of giving protection to their activities when they attacked opponents of Wamakko's government.
It is not news to hear that area boys of Sokoto are above the law, because they are the law. It was said that nobody can penetrate government house without them. How can anybody defeat Bafarawa and the likes of Umarun Kwabo without these dreaded Area Boys?
The recent clashes are seen as repercussion of what is coming ahead. Nobody knows how many lives of innocent citizens of Sokoto are to be sacrificed before Governor Wamakko takes drastical action of controlling them .
Wamakko's recent responses by sending away illegal occupants at the government owned Rest House, along Kano Road, is very decisive and impressive, but how about some of the members of his cabinet who are still moving and patronising them? Why did it take long for such a decision to be taken?
The government needs to act decisively by promoting moral training through government assistance and creating enough job opportunity; promote educational values and poverty alleviation programmes towards encouraging the youths to be good citizens in the society.
A clear objective should be fashioned out for committed people who are ready to assist and rehabilitate the youths.
Since the advent of the Wamakko's government, majority of its publicised policies aimed at bringing succor to the people of the state have not been successful. The much celebrated loans given to traders to boost their businesses ended in failure, as hundreds of so called traders turned out to be commissioners, their siblings and some senior civil servants.
Just recently, a report confirmed that a commissioner in the government, who was reported to be living in rented house in Kano suburb before his appointment, had purchased a hundred million naira choice mansion in one of the GRA, Kano State.
The sycophants are already on the loose through their use of the government owned media to air their "Barka da Sallah" to Wamakko, without telling him the truth that people are dying from hunger and shortage of clean drinking water. The reported cases of outbreak of gastro and cholera, which claimed hundreds of lives in Sokoto is still beyond control.
In Sokoto town alone, water shortages is now over thirty five percent. Another area of concern is lack of clean hygienic environment in the state; the ugly sight of waste refuse are still visible in some areas of Sokoto metropolis.
Some of these youths that are being accused of bringing problems to the community have been known to be intelligent and refined. Some were professional carpenters, engineers, meat-butchers, tailors, drivers and traders before venturing into these acts.
In Sokoto town, especially Sokoto South and North, there were almost twenty thousand youths not doing anything, but depending on what the government gives out as political bonus.
Majority of our traders, marketers and civil servants are solidly depending on the government for their income.
The traditional institution in Sokoto needs to do more if they are interested in becoming part of positive development of the state. The type of legacy bequeathed by the late Sultan Abubakar III and Sultan Maccido of blessed memory should be sustained. Wamakko should understand the huge responsibility he is faced with.
Let him face the huge reality of solving the problems by taking the bull by the horns. We need security and peace for our dear state.
Dingyadi, a freelance journalist writes from 88, Emir Yahaya Road, Sokoto
Read comments. Write your own.
Copyright © 2008 Leadership. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
"Such is Nigerian politics" We pray for better future.