Female lawmakers lament low membership of parliament nationwide

FROM the inception of his presidency on May 29, 2007 to date, President Umaru Musa YarAdua has exhibited attributes of his personality as a political leader and an administrator, which many Nigerians found unbelievable or simply misunderstood to be political gimmick.

First was the idea of a Government of National Unity (GNU) which he muted immediately he assumed office and invited the opposition political parties to join so that his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) can collaborate with other parties in unity to run the affairs of government. The initial reactions, as expected were that the idea was meant to gag other political parties, or outrightly kill the opposition.

Secondly, YarAdua refused to use his personal relationships and closeness with two of his leading opponents at the 2007 presidential elections, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar who was flag-bearer of the Action Congress (AC) and Maj.Gen Muhammadu Buhari of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) to influence their decisions to challenge his election at the election tribunal. Although the President has met with Atiku who he regarded as his elder brother and member of the YarAdua political family, he did not raise the issue of election petition against him during their discussions.

Also, YarAdua has a lot of respect for the Daura-born Muhammadu Buhari who he has on many occasions in the past described as his elder brother. Throughout the eight years of YarAdua as governor of Katsina state, Buhari remained chairman of the Katsina state foundation, Gidauniyar Jihar Katsina with which YarAduas administration collaborated to implement a wide range of developmental projects across the state. The personal relationship between the two is very strong as the ANPP candidate and late Maj.Gen. Shehu Musa YarAdua, president YarAduas elder brother were close military colleagues, and that alone should be enough for YarAdua to tap and use to persuade Buhari to drop his case. Yet, he refused to do so.

Another aspect of his style of leadership which he exhibited recently was the rejection and cancellation of a street named after him and the Vice President, Goodluck Jonathan in the Federal Capital Territory. While turning down this gesture by the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), YarAdua said naming a street after him or the Vice President while they are still at the helm of affairs of the country is improper. Such action, he reasoned is better left for the incoming administration to take in future if actually they deserve such an honour.

To many who do not understand YarAduas style and approach to official matters, the exhibition of these attributes are to blindfold and hoodwink. But his former political aides and associates insisted that he is acting to character. Those who spoke explained that YarAdua has been noted for the way he behaves presently and every action he takes has always been his style and characteristic way of doing things.

According to Alhaji Abdulkadir Sani, former member of the House of Representatives and close political associate of the president in Katsina, YarAduas call for a government of national unity to accommodate the opposition parties was a sincere political action, which he believes can bring stability and unity to the country. He said: This is not the first time YarAdua did this. He invited the opposition to join his administration when he was governor of Katsina state and those who heeded his call from the then All Peoples Party (APP) were appointed into influential positions where they contributed their quotas to the development of the state.

For instance, you will remember that Dr. Mustapha Inuwa of the then APP who joined YarAduas PDP government was appointed to serve in various positions. He served as General Manager of the most important Rural Electrification Board (REB) before he was appointed commissioner of education and later as Secretary to the State Government (SSG). There are others who joined from the opposition party but later became very influential in YarAduas government. All what YarAdua was after is the stability of government and ability of those he works with to perform and deliver the good, he said.

Reacting to Gen. Buharis allegation that president YarAdua has ignored him over the ongoing election petition at the Supreme Court, Alhaji Bashir Abubakar Mani, PDP leader in Katsina said that YarAdua could not have contemplated opening a dialogue with Buhari and Atiku over their petitions against him over the 2007 elections. YarAdua, he stated believes in the rule of law and he would not have not done anything to suggest that he want to influence the decision of the two leaders to pursue justice in the court of law. If northern leaders are pressurizing Buhari to withdraw his petition, then YarAdua did not send them. They are on their own.

Mani pointed out that throughout the eight years that YarAdua was governor and leader of the PDP in Katsina state, he did not prevent or prevail on any aggrieved party member not to go to court over any issue that relates to election disputes. If YarAdua has not reached out to Buhari to discuss issues on how to make Nigeria work, this does not mean that he has malice or a disrespect for the former Head of state who YarAdua has a lot of respect for as a former leader and an elder brother but based purely on his principle to protect the rule of law.

Speaking on the recent rejection of a street named after him in the federal capital territory, Malam Isah Yunusa Malumfashi, civil servant in the Katsina state ministry of works and housing said he was not surprised that the president turned down the gesture because he has always preached and practiced leadership by example. YarAdua, he added believes in strict adherence to due process in carrying out the affairs of governance.

Buttressing his assertion with an example, Malumfashi said YarAdua did not encourage Katsina officials to name any street or public building after him when he was governor for eight years and none has yet been named to honour him by the present administration in the state. In fact, when the state ministry of works and Housing under the commissionership of Alhaji Almu Banye, now a federal legislator listed for approval, the tarring of a close in which YarAduas personal house is located in the Government Reserved Area (GRA), YarAdua did not approve it.

According to him, YarAdua instructed that no close, including his own should be tarred when there are other major intra and inter city network of roads that are begging for immediate attention across the state. He said other major roads in the Katsina metropolis and other major towns in the state were either newly constructed or rehabilitated and the only close to his house still remained un-tarred even by the present administration in the state.

To President YarAdua himself, the word leadership simply connotes Service to the people. Leadership as he has always said means discharge of responsibility honestly, sacrificially and to the best of ones ability for the upliftment of the general good of the people.

A good leader, he believes should be upright, transparent and committed in his resolve to lead the people very well by ensuring that all he does would always gear towards alleviating the sufferings of his followers. A leader, he once told The Guardian in an interview must always be above board and lead the people by example.

Speaking in Abuja recently while receiving the report of a symposium on A New Leadership Culture presented to him by Governor Muazu Babangida Aliyu of Niger state, president YarAdua announced that he would soon launch a campaign to restore the virtues of good leadership. The concept of leadership, he noted has been bastardized in Nigeria as people now use leadership positions to display arrogance, oppress and misappropriate resources meant for the generality of Nigerians instead of service the people diligently and as directed by God.

He added: The opportunity to lead in whatever capacity on its own does not confer leadership but leadership is something of a virtue that can only and genuinely be earned after the discharge of a responsibility honestly, sacrificially and to the best of ones ability and it is only after those who benefited from the services selflessly rendered recognize such a person as a leader that he can actually regards himself as a leader of his people.

The president has not departed an inch from his philosophy and thought on leadership, which he held throughout his eight-year tenure as governor of Katsina State from May 29, 1999 to May 29, 20007.

In fact, sometimes in 2003 or thereabout, president YarAdua as governor then shocked this reporter during an interview when he declared that he was not a leader yet and that he was not living under any false illusion that he was a leader even though he is the governor of Katsina state.

When asked to explain what he meant, he stated that his holding a political office as the governor is not an automatic qualification to be a leader. As a governor, I dont think that I have done or achieve anything for my people yet and sufficient enough to confer the title of a leader on me. I am still aspiring and struggling to attain that height and until I achieve something concrete for the people to convince them and win their confidence, I dont believe that I should regard myself as a leader yet.

He went further, for instance a good leader should possess some attributes that will command instant respect from his people so that whatever he says or is his opinion on anything, will be automatically accepted and obeyed by the people without any question. God forbid bad thing, if there is any crisis in the state now, as a governor with political authority, I can easily go on air to appeal for calm and ask the people to be peaceful, yet the people may not listen to me even though I am the governor because I dont have that moral standing and authority yet that will command immediate respect from the people.

But for example, if somebody like the late Gen. Hassan Usman Katsina should talk to the people on a certain matter, his words automatically become the law and people will obey him. This is because he has genuinely attained that status of a leader and the people have come to see and regard him as their leader, he added.

When on Wednesday, June 16, 1999 he publicly declared his assets for public scrutiny to become the first public office holder to do so in the country, he justified his action by saying that anyone who aspires to lead the people must show good example for his followers to emulate. According to him, a good leader must strive to stand for the principles of honesty, integrity, sincerity, transparency and good public service. Therefore, in order for him to lead well and to be above board, he has to exhibit all these values of leadership so that those who are working with him and the entire people of the state can emulate him.

He took a swipe at the nations leadership, saying: The mere fact that there is such a constitutional provision for asset declaration by public officers is a shame and disgrace to the leadership of this country because it has shown the exact character of the leadership we have been having over the past decades. The provision would never have been necessary if we have a society where people and leaders have reformed themselves to become honest, sincere and have the fear of God in their hearts, he stated.

Therefore, if president YarAdua has promised to lead a national campaign to launch a new concept of leadership with the view to restoring virtues of good leadership in the country, Alhaji Abba Faskari, civil servant in Katsina state said those who know his antecedents when he was a governor will readily believe him because that is exactly what he will do. I expect that he will direct the National Orientation Agency (NOA) to embark on a national workshop on leadership and that series of symposia should be organized at the state level where the need for a new leadership culture at all levels of government will be propagated.

The type of leadership style under YarAdua in Katsina state in which due process, accountability, transparency and prudent management of public funds are raised to the fore will definitely gradually become a culture at the federal level and political appointees and other public servants would be expected to brace up to embrace the new concept of leadership where they will be held accountable to the people on the public funds placed in their care. Faskari added.

The people of Katsina state have benefited from this type of purposeful leadership under YarAdua and they are still benefiting same under Ibrahim Shehu Shema who took over from him (YarAdua) as governor. Shema said in a recent interview with The Guardian that the leadership and administrative style he inherited from Yaradua has remained the source of his strength and the various successes he has recorded so far as governor. YarAdua, according to him is a forward-looking leader who has the interest of the people at heart.

Shema said he is still in constant consultation with YarAdua to seek advices on the thorny issues of governance because every serious minded public officer who has had the opportunity to work under his leadership will always want to tap from his experience and leadership qualities.