“We believe that mass education ought to be the true pivot of educational policy of our Government. We will therefore urge the Government to make elementary education progressively free and compulsory “ ~ Chief Obafemi Awolowo
Like every politician, we can count all Kwankwaso’s faults, multiply his tactical mistakes twofold, treble his inevitable errors of political choices but when matched against his stubborn vision for education, good intention to set his people free from illiteracy, relentless yet fierce ambition to put his homeland on a straight and solid foundation of good governance, vigorous and superlative achievement in public office, the net verdict is ineluctable – that he, Kwankwaso, is a legend of his own time. His life journey, the philosophies he has been espousing and the whole gamut of his intellect are the case study in Human Development, Capacity Building and welfarism. Kwankwaso In the absence of a better description, is a prophet who enjoys unflinching support and loyalty in his homeland all because he believes in human development.
Like Chief Obafemi Awolawo, nationalist, statesman and the former premier of Western Nigerian who was the midwife of free universal primary education the first African leader to implement it and knew that sound education was the bedrock of development for any egalitarian society, Kwankwaso’s stubborn thirst for sound education will surely give him a soft-landing. Today, the Western Nigeria is what’s its because of Awo’s progressive policies of free Universal Basic Education which have turned the Western part into literate and dynamic society today. No wonder Yoruba’s rate him(Awo) only next to their progenitor, Oduduwa.
Kwankwaso wasn’t the first person to be poured with scornful insults on his advocacy for free education and scholarship. Chief Awo too was accused of that legacy in order to score political points, that, nothing will be free without a charge, using scholarship program to catch votes and to gain more followers. They’ve gone far to dismiss this giant policy as election gimmick. Would they stop him(Kwankwaso) from this project, could he be distracted by their hateful words on him? Certainly not. Lest I forget, Chief MKO Abiola was a beneficiary of Awo’s scholarship program.
Come to think of this, at a particular time when some of big politicians are buying Hotels of 1BN, at a moment where some of our politicians are stashing monster dollars in their pockets, at a pace where some of our politicians arrogantly displaying colorful cars worth millions of dollars behind their gates, at a heyday where some of our leaders focus more on boarding flight than to stay put for their primary assignment at home, here comes a leader, a visionary one, who’s establishing a sunny reputation publicly declared his intention to sell out his plots of lands across the country just to sponsor best brains who has no strings attached to him to further their respective studies abroad. This is as if Kwankwaso is in a race against history to leave his mark in every department of human developmet and endeavors. I am energized by his vision and I’m feeling like leaving my mark on the sand of time. Time shall tell!
Go, I mean go to extra lengths for thorough yet fact-checking of Kwankwaso’s fascinating accompaniments, you may agree with me that, he’s political guru whose master plans transformed Kano State from its sloppy state of underdevelopment into the state of glory. If anyone thinks otherwise, he may have good cause to change his/her mind after factchecking.
The British still idolize Winston Churchill and Lloyd George, their two great wartime prime ministers of the last century. Ghanaians worship K.Nkuramah and J J Rawlings(Junior Jesus). Indians are still sentimental about Mahatma Ghandi, even though he never held a public office. Singaporeans still revere their founding father and first premier, Lee Kwan Yew and pore over his fear in taking their country from ‘Third World to First World’ within three decades. Ditto Malaysia. Anyone who denigrates Kemal Attaturk, founder of modern Turkey, risks jail in that country. Americans adore George Washington and Abraham Lincoln and have declared annual holidays in their honor. Likewise South Africa’s Nelson Mandela, imprisoned by his white adversaries for 23 years, was president for only four years after his release but at 91, he still a national and international hero.
Kwankwaso, in my opinion, deserves kudos for his good work. Even if he’s not everybody’s hero, his landmark achievements as Nigerian politician speaks volumes and ought to be an for the coming generations of politicians and leaders to turn the fortunes of their moribund country around.
Kwankwaso, our father, our leader, our subject is a legend in his own time and to his followers and admirers, he’s the sage of ours.
Haroun Muhammed is a follower of Kwankwasiyya Movement and writes from Port Harcourt City.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Sky Daily
