Rules of the game has, since been replaced with selfish interest as an enterprise. Today’s political players are more of merchants than politicians. The fear of the God they so much claim to worship has been overtaken by corruption, lust for power, nepotism, stealing and in few cases sponsored violence and murder of opponents.
Present day Nigerian politicians are not the desired in leadership positions for their high rate of insincerity, deceitful mechanism and dishonesty. An honest politician is one whose political reputation has reached a messianic proportion by public rating. But there are those with sound political philosophies that include making the world a better place to live in through the exaltation and uplifting of lives.
This was the core and thematic values of the politics of the late Malam Aminu Kano who devoted his entire life on planet earth canvassing for the freedom and welfare of Northern Nigeria’s masses—-oriented government and won the laurel of the champion of the down trodden. Right from adolescence, politics began to find its way into Aminu Kano’s blood.
Luckily for Nigeria, the politics of the first republic wasn’t that ugly and dirty as for today. From the days of the Northern Elements Progressive Union (NEPU) to the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), it was high profiling for its ideological potency that fits the political settings of all times. His proclivity to politics of unwavering dogma was designed as a matter of noble purpose and direction and was an effective remedy in Nigeria’s tremendous socioeconomic crises.
Show me today’s political opportunists, I will show you the Aminu Kano who developed this cardinal leadership principle to emancipate the downtrodden from mal-administration, domestic slavery and abuse of privilege from those in authority. Anyone who wants to be a leader must be the servant, not the boss, of those he wants to serve.
Unveiling a paradigm shift to corroborate with the prevalent situation, some broadminded Nigerians saw his politics as very incredible and wouldn’t let it vanish from the political space without lending their unalloyed loyalty and support. The interesting list included; Professors Chinua Achebe and Wole Soyinka. Others were Umaru Musa Yar Adu’a, Dr Yusuf Bala Usman, Balarabe Musa, Musa Musawa, Abdulkareem Dayyabu, Dr Junaid Muhammed, Sule Lamido, Sabo Bakinzuwo, Chief Micheal Imoudu, Abubakar Rimi, S.G Ikoku, Uche Chukwumerije, Ojo Madueke and several others.
Aminu Kano’s politics teaches our contemporary politicians ideological essence and how it boosted national cohesion and development; his unquestionable faith in a united Nigeria; and his insatiable desire for a masses-oriented government.
Malam Aminu demonstrated secret strengths in resilience; exalted wisdom that never supported betrayals, gimmicks and deceits; soft calmness on profound thoughts and reflections on human development. If he had been entrusted with the mantle of leadership by generality of Nigerians, he could have transformed Nigeria to a super power and Africa’s economic hub.
He was once quoted to have declared that he believed in political party supremacy, loved to pass through the pains of his philosophy and disliked the opium of attaining power by all means. Till his last days on planet earth, he practicalised politics by resorting to some self-denial, believing that the needs of the body were simple and that devoting time and emotional energies on opulent lifestyle wasted the human spirit.
Aminu Kano, never for once subscribed to accumulating wealth for anything. He never believed public service was an opportunity to riches. He shared the little he legitimately earned with the downtrodden. He had neither a dining table nor air condition at his living room despite the positions he held in government. He lived a simple life, preached simplicity within legitimate earning, and emancipation of the poor.
In his applied politics, there was increased patience that remained within its sustained capacity for goals achievement; a domineering foresight that lived beyond ordinary challenges. Refined of ample humility and simplicity, he discarded cheap popularity, self-indulgence and self-aggrandizement among others. He was free of envy, jealousy; feeling less, yet contended and merciful. He treated all friends and foes alike, untouched by respect or disrespect (and not unduly) puffed up by praises, loved silence and solitude, had a disciplined reason and a single purpose in order to achieve his life mission and vision.
Significantly, he uplifted his ideological school to the admiring centre of people’s redemption without resigning to any form of political vendetta. Striving within the ambit of a defining goal, he designed and authenticated his politics to produce enigmatic and highly yielding episodes.
But like every prominent figure that had passed away before him, he abruptly disappeared from the battle field with a huge debt of an unfinished battle. Till his last breath, he was relentlessly combative with ideas and not people and left everlasting revolutionary effects on his people.
Aminu Kano was greatly inspired by the thoughts of the late Indian nationalist, Mahatma Ghandi. Drawing a similarity between Malam Aminu and Mahatma Ghandi, Chinua Achebe had this to say, “ Ghandi was real, Aminu Kano was real. They were not angels in heavens; they were human like the rest of us in India and Nigeria. Therefore, after their example, no one who reduces the high purpose of politics which they exemplified down to a swinish scramble can hope to do so without bringing a terrible judgment on himself.”
At the time of his death in 1983, Aminu Kano left behind two sets of clothes, a black and white television set, earlier received as gift, an old 504 Peugeot car and one low profile house.
While on a condolence visit to the bereaved family of Malam Aminu Kano, the Owelle of Onitsha, first President-General of independent Nigeria, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe was astonished as to his Spartan living. He then turned to Chief Adeniran Ogunsanya, former Nigeria Peoples Party (NPP) national chairman, and whispered to him that, “we ought to have come here earlier to learn politics,” whereas Chief Obafemi Awolowo, first Premier Western region and leader of Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), declared that, ‘Nigeria has cheated this man’ when he paid a condolence visit to Aminu Kano’s family.
Then Alan Feistein, an American actor as well as a researcher on African politics who met Malam Aminu Kano for the first time at a function in New York, United States. He was infatuated with Malam’s compelling ideas on politics. That indelible encounter propelled him to write and publish the book ‘African Revolutionary: The Life and Times of Nigeria’s Aminu Kano.’ In a beautiful tribute to him in that book, Prof John N. Paden, the author of the biography of Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, The Right Honorable Gentlemen, observed about Aminu Kano: “He will be remembered for many contributions and qualities. He was truly extra-ordinary in both his political and personal life. He served as a bridge or gateway within Nigeria and beyond: between young and old, nation and region, Western and non-Western, African and non-African, Muslim and the People of the book.”
Also in his book, ‘But Always As Friends.’ A onetime colonial Governor of Northern Region, Sir Bryan Smith depicted Malam Aminu as a compelling conversationalist with an original mind and considerable organizing ability.
For nearly 28 years into uninterrupted democracy, where are we now compared to Malam’s constructive and ideological politics? We are now embroiled in an enduring political mess! Almost every politician wants to contest and win election to enhance self- complacency. Political exodus is the venom poisoning the soul of party politics and the democracy. Several politicians are bossy both in theory and practice, while followers are either politically enslaved, or sheepishly and clownishly dancing to the tune for peanuts shouting On Your Mandate We Shall Stand, or We Have No Better Candidate, Than You!
Political corruption such as god fatherism, is a killing virus that prosper with immunity. The accrued dividends of democracy are converted into gains of the actors while the electorates are confined to receiving ends. Party supremacy has been ruined as political parties are pocketed by mischievous party goons and their appendages. State leadership is mainly a source of amassing ill-gotten wealth and displaying pomposity and other unruly behaviors as if the gullible are conquered slaves from the caves and mountains.
Before he left planet earth, Malam Aminu Kano prophesied that ‘Nigeria, will not know peace until the son of nobody becomes somebody, without knowing anybody.’ This is the original prototype of our socioeconomic and political turmoil created by poor political leadership and sheepish followership.
We are today left to mourn the death of a revolutionary, Malam Aminu Kano who stood against all odds to unchain the poor from the grip of criminals in power and political rascality. May the soul of Malam continue to Rest-In-Perfect-Peace, Amin thumma Amin. Nigeria truly lost a political giant and true emancipator of the downtrodden. We shall continue to feel the pains of his departure to the great beyond. Adieu Shugaban Talakawa!
Muhammad is a commentator on national issues
