Like you, I woke up to the news about Kwara Governor- elect, AbdulRahman AbdulRazak, taking the KWHA Members-elect to Ghana for a 4- Day Parliamentary retreat in Ghana, Accra which ended on Thursday 25th of April, 2019.
As soon as the news hit the airwaves, I saw commentators swinging to work tearing the issue from limb to limb. As usual, most of their submissions reflected discordant purposes, very harsh and uninsightful. The little that matters of the commentaries was a query on the venue of the event.
The experience, exposure and knowledge such a trip affords seemed lost on the critics. They must have forgotten to query the needs after all, since nothing seems beyond Kwara’s Social Media Oloyinbos activism nowadays. Every moves by the Government or Government officials not sparing the incoming, hardly qualifies for a praise. What’s commendation sef? All there is, to them, is condemnation.
But I do not even have a word for them, for I know, not every working ears hearken to the voice of reasoning. There are some whose two ears are perpetually shot. If not, at least when they are wrong and get corrected, they would quickly learn and move on. I doubt if these people takes to correction.
They were at it sometimes last week. Their issue for deliberation was on the timing of a dinner party and the veracity. You would wonder how such triviality means much for critics to dwell on. But that’s not it, they said AA may fail and and as such, a Socio-political group was wrong in dining and wining with the members of the public. Another wrong thought by the Oloyinbos who are either so anticipatory of magic or paranoid of failure. What has fear ever achieved? You let us live today please! There’s no logic to explain how a feast, dinner/ award night may necessitate an incoming Government to fail if at all they are serious before.
I wouldn’t have raised a brow over such triviality, but that, and the Ghana Retreat trip debacle coming hotly after the other, necessitated the needs to throw caution into the wind. If we say we should leave a mad man with his mother’s corpse, we never can tell if he won’t roast it for food.
There’s an urgent need for Kwara Social Media Oloyinbos to do an urgent evaluation and re-evaluation of their sincerity and passion for the State. It’s nothing intellectual when in the name of criticism, they become hyenas using the sharp mouth to cut the incoming government to shred before they even come. It’s like that of a proverbial bird called Ega, that uses her mouth to dissemble her house. Why even much ado over nothing?
The “AA and his 24 Babies” ( apology to my able Senior, Comrade Bolakale Saliu) was a very good initiative that we shouldn’t let sentiments and pettiness overshadowed. It’s a well thought-out plan to firmly place the new Kwara on the right path.
After all, it’s no more news that only one out of 24 KWHA Members- elect has cognitive experience in Parliamentary. And that’s Honourable Saheed Popoola, who by this advantage, was reported to be lording it over the rest to lay claim to House Speakership.
The 23 other members are greenhorns and tyros unacquainted with Legislative business. Should they have come unprepared like that? Would we prefer an inexperienced Assembly? There’s no better means for these Honourables to get intellectually equipped and mentally prepared for parliamentary business than such retreat.
As a student of Nigeria Politics, I had been worried before this time if it was fine for a state to parade ‘Sesedes’ (newcomers) in its Legislative Arm. Except one whose Legislative knowledge is inadequate, it doesn’t need a thesis to explain how bizzare it could be for the dreamed democratic Kwara state, if the Members-elect can hardly even follow the Legislative Protocol out of inexperience. So, why not look at the big picture?
Perhaps the most bizzare commentary i have seen too, was talking about the trainers’ competency. And I wondered if people do not just booble, goof and clinker on the social media for fun or that is really the depth of their sagacity. For Heaven’s sake, a Parliamentary retreat with Facilitators like Former Deputy Senate President Dr. Ibrahim Mantu, Sen. Khairat Gwadabe, Hon. Bashir Bolarinwa, himself a former Legislator,Amb. Kayode Laro, Clerk of the reigning Kwara State House of Assembly and Mr. Adetoro – Former Clerk House of Representatives could never be said to be short of quality. So what’s the point in demonizing them, was it a religious crusade or Parliamentary retreat?
It’s about time our people started looking at the big picture when critiquing issues. I have observed, though may be wrongly, that criticism to some of them is all about condemnation, which is not. Even, not fun. Not Comedy or Farce like they have began taking it.
And the effects if not checked and chequered, is an impending loss of respect and credibility. I imagine the respect in being seen as a mere rabble-rouser when in fact, you may be trying to make a salient point at that particular time. You need knowledge to be heard but need prestige to hold on to it. It’s not until the leaders started seeing you as noisemakers and not a critic before the reality should sink.
What should form the basis for criticism at all time is the passion to correct mistakes and possibly proffer solutions. The pen as mighty as they say it is, shouldn’t be weilded wrongly.
It’s only the high-wire trend of criticism premised on scholarship and erudition that could succeed in helping AA to be a ‘mad’ Governor. The concept of madness in Nigeria’s political trajectory, overtime, is reserved for the reformist. When they talk of performing political leaders in Nigeria they get described with madness and craziness. It’s not out of place to see a Nigerian describing El-rufai, Fashola and even Buhari as “mad” people. This is because they have made giant strides at one point or the other through unpopular but great reform ideology to achieve uncommon success. This, as at that time, made them to look so crazy and mad. Yet, they are praised today.
There’s no point criticising unless you would properly describe it as an attack, without dissection of the germane issue. And talking about issues, there should be none about the Ghana Parliamentary retreat unless we see it as novelty. It may be new anyways, to some of us.
If by chance you found the AA& KWHA Members-elect Ghana Parliament Retreat crazy, I can only hope for more ‘madness’ from him. Since it seems madness is the prevalent ingredient of successful office holders in Nigeria, only a “Mad” Man should rule Kwara for the next four years too.
Ibraheem Abdullateef, a Social and Public Analyst writes from Ilorin. He can be reached via email ibraheemabdullateef09@gmail.com.