sometimes, its really difficult to understand how deep certain prejudices run. a lot of people, myself inclusive, consider themselves above and beyond any form of tribalised sentiments and feel that with education comes the enlightenment to live beyond stereotyping. however, i found out while catching up on the news today that the late governor of kano state, alhaji abubakar rimi, was the first governor to introduce the May 1 holiday as workers day to commemorate the contributions of the worker to state building.
somehow, i live with the impression that because the north is so low on the western education scale, that it translates to a leadership class that is bereft of ideas. i am always intrgued to find out that almost every government parastatal has a hausa fulani man at the helm of affairs who can hardly read a document correctly...sometimes, one may put it down to the ability of the northerner to be his brothers keeper and ensure that another norther replaces him in office (or so it has been rumoured) but then they must be doing something right to hold these positions for years and even move up to higher positions!
so the fact that i am surprised at the accomplishments of the late governor jolted me out of my latent prejudices and reminded me that initiative can come from anyone no matter what part of the country or the world he has come from. with this new respect for the man, i have decided to join the multitude of people who feel his absence, to wish him God's speed on the journey to the after life.
the late governors death over shadowed other sad news. two serving senators from Gombe state (Gombe North and Gombe South senatorial districts) passed on within 48 hours of each other. death is never a good thing, but it is often ridiculous how the government chooses to use the most cliched of expressions to share its condolences.
in the past, whenever the government issues a statement recognizing the passing away of a citizen, it was seen as a stamp of sincere accomplishment on the part of the departed. today, its seen as an indication that the deceased was part of the charade that characterizes the failed leadership prevailing in the country. the lack of innovation in the words used make it even more "recycled" and of zero value. the federal government issued a statement describing the death of both men as a "great loss", noting that both men "died at a time when the nation needed their contribution the most" and how they would be "remembered for their vibrant contributions to issues on the floor of the Senate"...and blah blah blah.
for the records, the word vibrant indicates some passion and frankly i don't recall any debate or matter wherein these two were known for any vibrancy. using generic words like these to describe personal attributes of an individual does nothing for the credibility of the statement, or for the memory of the deceased. but thats just me. all the same, my utmost respect for these fine gentlemen and sincere condolences to the family of the deceased. (see how easy and genuine that sounded, mr. "speech-writer-to-the-government"?).
i'm still catching up on the news and will update appropriately but the following headline just caught my eye: "PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL SETS UP ANTI-GRAFT MONITORING UNIT"...i wonder how crazy people know that there is corruption going on in their hospital? considering how they can just stab the corrupt doctors to death and claim insanity, i'd not go down that road if i was working there. but hey, ce la vie!
later, peeps
somehow, i live with the impression that because the north is so low on the western education scale, that it translates to a leadership class that is bereft of ideas. i am always intrgued to find out that almost every government parastatal has a hausa fulani man at the helm of affairs who can hardly read a document correctly...sometimes, one may put it down to the ability of the northerner to be his brothers keeper and ensure that another norther replaces him in office (or so it has been rumoured) but then they must be doing something right to hold these positions for years and even move up to higher positions!
so the fact that i am surprised at the accomplishments of the late governor jolted me out of my latent prejudices and reminded me that initiative can come from anyone no matter what part of the country or the world he has come from. with this new respect for the man, i have decided to join the multitude of people who feel his absence, to wish him God's speed on the journey to the after life.
the late governors death over shadowed other sad news. two serving senators from Gombe state (Gombe North and Gombe South senatorial districts) passed on within 48 hours of each other. death is never a good thing, but it is often ridiculous how the government chooses to use the most cliched of expressions to share its condolences.
in the past, whenever the government issues a statement recognizing the passing away of a citizen, it was seen as a stamp of sincere accomplishment on the part of the departed. today, its seen as an indication that the deceased was part of the charade that characterizes the failed leadership prevailing in the country. the lack of innovation in the words used make it even more "recycled" and of zero value. the federal government issued a statement describing the death of both men as a "great loss", noting that both men "died at a time when the nation needed their contribution the most" and how they would be "remembered for their vibrant contributions to issues on the floor of the Senate"...and blah blah blah.
for the records, the word vibrant indicates some passion and frankly i don't recall any debate or matter wherein these two were known for any vibrancy. using generic words like these to describe personal attributes of an individual does nothing for the credibility of the statement, or for the memory of the deceased. but thats just me. all the same, my utmost respect for these fine gentlemen and sincere condolences to the family of the deceased. (see how easy and genuine that sounded, mr. "speech-writer-to-the-government"?).
i'm still catching up on the news and will update appropriately but the following headline just caught my eye: "PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL SETS UP ANTI-GRAFT MONITORING UNIT"...i wonder how crazy people know that there is corruption going on in their hospital? considering how they can just stab the corrupt doctors to death and claim insanity, i'd not go down that road if i was working there. but hey, ce la vie!
later, peeps
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