Gawuna/Garo and the gift of the game changers
By Bala Ibrahim
It was John Maynard Keynes, the influential economist that is reported to have said, When events change, I change my mind. When the facts change, I change my mind. And when my information changes, my conclusion changes. No where is the application of these quotes more apt than the political circumstances in Kano, and with the receipt of new information, specifically on Murtala Sule Garo, yours truly is going to change his conclusion about the appropriateness of making him the running mate of H.E.Nasiru Gawuna, for the 2023 gubernatorial election. Yes, when my information changes, my conclusion changes.
In a previous article, I made a near injurious remark about the character of Murtala Sule Garo, wherein I referred to him as arrogant and poorly schooled in western education, based on my assessment of him from afar. Thank God I said I don’t know him.
No sooner than my article came out, those who know him contacted me with a rejoinder, which seems to give the opposite to what was previously stated by me, particularly with regards his political encounters and experience in public administration. One of the rejoinders came thus:
“Hon. Murtala Sulen Garo was elected state organizing secretary under PDP in 2007 . Appointed special adviser to the Kano State Governor in 2011 on intra party affairs. Appointed First Organizing Secretary APC caretaker committee Kano State. Elected Chairman Kabo Local Government in 2014, also elected ALGON Chairman Kano State Chapter . Appointed Commissioner, Ministry For Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs from 2015 to 2022. Hon. Murtala Sulen Garo has the support of 44 local government chairmen as well as 22 members of state house of assembly. He also has the support of 38 local government party chairmen, local government caucus chairmen. Also 49 out of 53 state and zonal party executive are with him”.
If the information above is correct, then Murtala Sule Garo is not a novice in politics, even if those of us who assess him from afar, are assigning the title of arrogance to his character.
Although people generally see the arrogant as one who has an inflated sense of ego, and think of himself as being better that everyone around, the psychologists, who specialize in the study of mind and behaviour, sometimes think differently.
Some psychologists think accomplished people, who mind their businesses and don’t play the busybody, by meddling or prying into other people’s businesses, are mostly mistaken for the arrogant. May be Murtala Garo belongs here.
Another rejoinder to me said, “Murtala Sule Garo is the type that mind his business only, and doesn’t have the time for poke nosing. As such, like Prof. Jibril Aminu said, he stands the risk of being called the arrogant. But in real life, he is humble and amiable.”
So now that information about him has come with a change, the conclusion of yours truly about him would also come with a change.
On the issue of western education, I would share the story of late Muhammadu Ribado, the Nigerian politician and the first Minister of Defence after independence. He was educated only to the middle school in Yola but had a good Quranic education. According to Sidi Hamid Ali, in his book, titled, The Power of powers, while serving as Minister under Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Muhammadu Ribado once travelled to Saudi Arabia for the lesser hajj. In his absence, some senior civil servants of northern extraction were promoted to the position of Permanent secretaries. However, because they had no degrees, the Prime minister was persuaded to reverse the appointments.
On his return from the lesser hajj, Ribado was informed, and he rushed that night to meet Tafawa Balewa at home, where in anger, he told the Prime minister to go in and pack his baggage, so that the two of them can move back home, because non of them had a degree. If a degree is a must for senior positions, you and I have no business being Prime minister and minister, he said. The message quickly sank on Tafawa Balewa, and the decision was reversed.
I also remember the story of late Wada Nas, who was once elected the Legal Adviser of his political party at the state level. The press went gaga with ridiculous stories on how a tailor, without a degree in law, was elected a legal adviser. Although Wada was quick to reply that he was not a tailor, even though he had great respect for the profession, late Gani Fawehenmi, SAM, SAN, was the first to come to his rescue with a question, thus: In matters of politics, who said a tailor is not fit to be a legal adviser? And that put paid to the ridicule.
In Kano, we had the experience of late Sabo Bakin Zuwo, who was elected Senator and went there to perform wonders with colloquial English. Without any formal western education, Sabo served at the senate with amazement, to the admiration of all, in and out of the red chamber, such that he was awarded the tittle of FIRE.
The same Sabo came back home to become the elected Executive Governor of the old Kano state, comprising present Kano and Jigawa state, which now has his replica at the House of Reps, in the person of Hon.Gudaji Kazaure.
Although his tenure was short lived, Sabo succeeded in making nonsense of those with the believe that eloquence in English is a prerogative for political positions.
So when the facts change, we should change our minds. And when the information changes, our conclusions should also change. Mine has changed about Murtala Sulen Garo, as I feel a team of Gawuna and Garo, is for Kano the gift of the game changers.
Gawuna/Garo and the gift of the game changers