Sheu Sani: A patriot with knack for truth, by Kola Amzat

Very few Nigerians in all fields are stickler for truth, like Sheu Sani, a Kaduna born politician and social crusader of high repute.

Indeed, this virtue was his Achilles heels in his quest for a second term as Senator, Federal Republic of Nigeria, the plum office he was denied by the immediate past governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, with the former DG, Bureau of Enterprises justifying his ignoble action with puerile submission that Sani had the effrontery and temerity for continually attacking his government for non-performance and mismanagement of the state resources.   

Sheu Sani, a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (2015-2019), fiery, very cerebral, bold and courageous, very contemporary, acknowledged soldier of democratic struggles, and more importantly, a patriot of no mean feat, recently raised alarm concerning the visitation of some northern politicians to Daura, home town of the immediate past president, Muhammud Buhari.

As at the last count, the roll call in the list of who had visited includes serial presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, ex-governors of Kaduna and Sokoto states, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai and Aminu Tambuwal respectively, as well as highly controversial and belligerent Borno state politician, Ali Modu Sheriff.

Sheu Sani, frankly submitted that their visit majorly bothered on how to unhorse and ultimately truncate the expected second term bid of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

He reminded the North that Buhari administration thoroughly pillaged and squandered Nigerian treasury for the eight years that ex-retired military general reigned, and therefore questioned the rationality of the disgruntled politicians’ covert attempts to return the North to Aso Villa during next general elections, after they squandered opportunity given them in the past by mismanaging the affairs of the country. 

He also sternly warned the people of the region that they MUST be wary of the antics of this bunch of politicians, by out-rightly disowning them and their selfish and wicked political sermons, as well as their agenda, as they have nothing to offer the region and the country.

He also drew the attention of Northern people to the zero or insignificant achievements of the visiting politicians in their respective public offices which they were given mandate to manage in the past.

Who wouldn’t agree with the Kaduna’s distinguished senator? Of course, there is no iota of doubt that all his submissions are statement of facts.

At this juncture, let’s attempt to open the book of chronicles and reflect on the past stewardship in public offices, of those who had visited the former president.

Alhaji Atiku Abubakar remains the most rejected Nigerian presidential candidate in the annals of the country, following his abysmal performance and political misadventure when he was Vice President in Olusegun Obasanjo’s government.

Of course, Nigerian electorates have their justifiable reasons for rejecting him sixteen (16) years he’d contested to be president, particularly after Obasanjo has severally warned that the Waziri of Adamawa is unfit and morally deficient to lead the nation. The ex-general even vowed, that it’s only over his dead body that Atiku would become president.

In the Nigerian political sphere, Alhaji Modu Sheriff remains the most incongruous, contagious and irreverent figure who every politician prefers to keep at arm’s length.  Nigerians recall that it’s by whiskers that PDP escaped been thrown into extinction under his leadership as Chairman of the party. He’s also completely lost relevance in his Bornu home.

Meanwhile, despite the illustrious past of immediate past governor of Kaduna state, the fact remains that he’s presently enmeshed in an humongous financial infractions that it would be a mystery if he wriggles out.

The probe panel duly constituted by Kaduna state house of assembly had found him guilty of mismanaging about ₦487 billion of Kaduna resources meant for Rural-Urban development and transformation. He was also found wanting for diverting huge loans contracted on behalf of the state to other areas.

The former FCT Minister has also lost out in power struggle at the federal level following his rejection by the senate for confirmation for a ministerial slot. Isn’t now clear and unambiguous why he’s running skelter to unhorse the Tinubu administration?

Of course, the former House of Reps Speaker and immediate past governor of Sokoto state, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal is widely acknowledged to be unstable politician.  The Senator was a key member of the progressives’ bloc in the time past. Why was he shoved out? Was it not because he sold out?

This writer has a word of advice for ex-president, General Buhari (rtd).

For obvious reasons, he must resist the temptation of falling for the antics of those political pythons who desperately want to hide under his cover to start orchestrating evils against the administration of Bola Tinubu.

Indeed, it would be stunning if he panders to their entreaties.

It’s in public domain that many things went wrong under his watch as Nigerian president for the eight years he was in charge.

Under him, CBN became a loose cannon, continually printing trillions of Naira absolutely unbacked by productive activities. The same CBN flagrantly disobeyed his directive on the modality of the Naira redesign.

The Ministry of Humanitarian and Poverty alleviation became the conduit pipe where several billions of nation resources was been diverted into private accounts.

During his era, Hidi Sirika, the immediate past Aviation Minister had effrontery to mischievously and fraudulently package Ethiopian Airline as Nigeria Airways to rip the nation off, to the tune of about ₦6 billion.

Under Buhari watch, Rotimi Amaechi, the immediate past Minister of Transport became another ‘president’ on his own, single-handedly awarding contracts running into billions, with some partly executed, and many not executed at all.

There are many other sleaze and infractions of immeasurable proportion by ex-president’s aides that, for want of space this Piece would not chronicle. 

This is the loads of rot inherited by the present administration. This is why the economy is seriously troubled. This is why the domestic currency has continually worsen against other currencies.

This is why there is so much trouble in the oil sector, with Tinubu administration drawing the curtains on the petroleum products subsidy to create some level of sanity. This is why there is continual spiral inflationary rates all over, with millions of Nigerian households having challenges in putting food on their respective tables. This is why teeming Nigerian youths are leaving the country in drove in search of survival.  

These are the onerous challenges President Tinubu and his team are battling with.

The president had to sack the entire Board of CBN and reconstituted a new one to give proper and purposeful direction to the financial sector and the entire economy.

It’s the same approach the president adopted to NNPC, with the key federal Agency has to be converted to public sector, with a new name NNPCL, and with a new resourceful and tested & trusted Nigerians to manage it.

Of course, Nigerians recall how the president has restructured and reengineered the ministry of humanitarian and poverty alleviation, even, relieving a cabinet minister of her duty following huge financial infractions.

Of course, refocusing exercise is on-going at the nation federal service, and other federal agencies to return orderliness to the country.                          

Kola AMZAT (FCA, FCIB)

Lagos based Financial & Management Consultants,

09077509348.