By Kabiru M. Gwangwazo

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

. . . Martin Luther King (MLK) Jr

Like King said, where do we all stand today? In 2015 when BH was our problem, when it was not safe to walk the streets. At a time that it was not safe to go to our mosques even in the City Center of Kano at Sarkin Kano’s Palace we all stood for Change. In 1999, after decades of overbearing military rule and the despotism of its absolutist rule had all but suffocated Nigeria we all rallied for elective democracy. We were all forced to accept the contrivance of power shift to Yorubaland for the deliberate personal mistakes of the military lords of the day.

At different times, “of challenge and controversy..”, Nigerians always pulled together to pull out of the mess previous inaction dumped them/us into.

Tomorrow, Saturday another situation has caused a team of Nigerian Patriots believing in the need for True Federalism as one of the 5 Cardinal Principles guiding them to pull together to invoke the spirit of Change and Progress from the North. They gather at what is more or less a maiden Party National Delegates Conference for a Political Party that is not a Maiden as such. A reinvigorated 40 year old party whose roots are actually 68 years old on the 8th of the 8th month, ie August. The Late Aminu Kano led Peoples Redemption Party (P.R.P.) burst onto the Nigerian political scene on October 28th 1978. Its ancestor was NORTHERN Elements Progress Union (NEPU) which started out with Late Malam Abba Maikwaru also of Kano as Chairman before Malam Aminu Kano was drafted to lead it. The party (NEPU) was formed by 8 Northern Progressives on the 8th of the 8th month as aforementioned.

A committed team of Northern professionals, politicians, academics, businessmen, retired military and other services officers reaching out to colleagues all over the nation, invested with hope for genuine and progressive people focused Change are redesigning the PRP and rebranding it with the first public outing tomorrow and Sunday at a National Delegates Conference in Kaduna. Kaduna has been the second home of the PRP since the second republic. National PRP Chairman Malam Abdulkadir Balarabe Musa at 84 has decided to hand over the reins of PRP’s executive power to younger actors to keep it going. RIPPLES should post more on the resurgent PRP as from next week.

Kwankwaso’s Uncommon Courage

Kwankwaso’s declaration for the Presidency on the ticket of the PDP he reverted to after his short lived 3 year sojourn in the merger APC last Wednesday got me thinking that here was a golden opportunity to analyse 2019 from his perspective. At first, the title I had in mind was “Courage, Desperation or Folly?” With the ill-advised decision to deny Kwankwaso use of the Eagle Square came about it seems like there is a need for another look at my initial title. It seems more fitting to look at Kwankwasos outing as Uncommon and Courageous. With the consistency of the massive support for GMB from Kano inspite of all odds and failings of the GMB APC Government in Kano it takes a man of uncommon courage to even think of challenging him from his home base. It would have been more strategic to allow Kwankwaso use of the Eagle Square and even follow it up with congratulations for the belief in GMB’s integrity as excuse for making the attempt hoping he’d not manipulate the polls if he were to lose, unlikely as it may seem.

Whatever the case, the RMK (Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso) Presidential Campaign launch despite the hitches is a reaffirmation of the audacity and courage of the man Kwankwaso. It is an issue one would review and post more on.

“Almajirai”, a paradigm shift ..

Mambayya House, Late Malam Aminu Kano’s residence turned BUK Research Center on Wednesday screened a film on Almajirai.

At the very end of the screening that had His Highness Sarkin Kano Muhammadu Sanusi leading the public presentation Almajirai participants spoke up. He was particular about he need for a return to proper education asking that we have to review our education policy locally to accommodate those who are literate but condemned as unschooled simply because they haven’t attend western boko education.

Hanna,who presented the film as part of spoke most favourably of the child scholars to counter the negative propaganda on the Quranic schools.

The film that came about as a result of her Ph. D research traced the trajectory of the almajirai of Quranic scholars to counter all the stereotypes. She decided to produce a film to give he almajirai a voice.

The almajirai told their own stories. She shot the film in the heart of the City. There were three schools who took part. They were directly involved in the film scripting, acting and shooting. Five professional kannywooders participated and gave training to he almajirai.

She learnt first hand how they are not hoodlums or cannon fodder for the BH. The anecdotal stereotypes are poor arguments. That the larger society argues they are in bad times because of their parents. The education is education. The system gives them an identity they are proud of.

The film is available on YouTube as “Duniya Juyi-juyi”. Premium Times published he book. Now available in Libraries, BuK, State and Mambayya House. Dr. Hannan Hoeckner wrote it. A presentation of the book made to HH MSII followed by his address in Hausa at the event challenged the continuing colonisation of our minds. That despite the tons of knowledge acquired by the Islamic and Quranic education those who are so trained are still “illiterates”.

Sarkin Kano Muhammadu Rumfa over 500 years back used to send scholars to foreign lands to study the Quran and arabic.

We should review our educational policy. They are referred to as out of school simply because they dont read english. Being versed in english is assumed to be the baseline of literacy even when those who train in “boko” arent even able to read common Hausa in english texts as “Sauna Jak”. This is not about religion. It is about education. In every other society whatever you study is knowledge, is education.

English is merely a language. The Prophet of Islam had instructed Muslims to learn languages to be saved the evils of those who speak them. If you study agricultural sciences as a vet doctor do you speak to the cow in English? Or do you speak English to the airplane as a pilot?

Education should be properly cultural. Hausa or arabic can be used to teach.

But almajiri education must be reviewed. Quranic education, is the highest form of education for all Muslims. That is why the almajiri knows his own worth. We fail to appreciate his worth which is our own self worth especially in Hausa land where Islamic and arabic education are common fare today and have thousands of years of history and religion behind it.