Daily Independent Online.
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Monday, August 16, 2004.
Reps special session in Katsina for ‘Ambassador
Masari’
By Uchenna Awom
National
Assembly
Correspondent
It was indeed a
special session in far away serene Katsina by members of the House of
Representatives when the Speaker, Alhaji Aminu Bello Masari, was turbaned the
‘Dallatun Katsina’ by the Emir of Katsina, Alhaji Muhammadu Kabir
Usman, in his ancient palace.
‘Dallatun
Katsina’, which became vacant when the last holder died late last year,
is as old as the Katsina Emirate. It means, according to Abdulmuminu Usman, the
Magaji Garin Katsina, the eldest son of the Emir who spoke exclusively with
Daily Independent, ‘ambassador of the Emirate’. He said that
Masari, who he described in a flowery anecdote as a person of high integrity,
honest and accommodating, by that title, has become the ambassador of that
ancient emirate spanning Funtua and Malumfashi, all in Katsina State.
Usman, who is also
the District Head of the Katsina Emirate and ostensibly the heir apparent to
the throne, pointed out that what qualified Masari for the title was simply his
politics and current position as the Speaker of the House of Representtives,
besides the qualities already enumerated. So as ambassador, he presents all
that goes on in Katsina to the outside world, and that places him at a vantage
position in the Emirate council as one of the palace councillors, adding that
Masari would occupy the position until his death.
Well, such was the
importance of the position that goaded the lawmakers to relocate to Katsina
State penultimate week, apparently to make laws this time not for the good
governance of Nigeria, but to symbolically make a law that will confirm to the
revered Emir that his choice of ‘Dallatun’ was not misplaced.
They came in
droves, beaming with lucid excitement and grandeur betraying their loyalty to a
man who has been accepted as the stabilising force in the oft
‘recalcitrant’ lower chamber. What was missing at the occasion was
the ‘hallowed’ chambers, as the lawmakers sat in the open, mixing
with the low and mighty under the scotching Katsina sun, to re-affirm that
Masari is their indubitable leader.
The striking point
was that the occasion successfully passed out as a melting pot of the new
members and the old. The old were led by no other personality than the former
Speaker, Ghali Umar Na’Abba. It was quite a solemn and significant
occasion, which drove home the point that the parliament still holds the future
and unity of this country. Besides, the occasion further accentuated the
popular maxim that power is transient. Its transience was elucidated by the
presence of Na’Abba who entered the palace quietly and unannounced. The
former infant terrible of the Nigerian parliament sat quietly beside Masari and
his Deputy Austin Opara, whose chief of protocol, Mr Chukwuemeka Ohaju,
frantically, despite the overzealous shoving by the security operatives, paved
the way for this reporter to have access to the dome-shaped inner chamber of
the palace where the speaker received very important visitors, who by protocol
came to pay obeisance to the man of the moment.
Na’Abba’s
quietude and demeanour inside the chamber painted in the traditional Arewa
colour of cream, yellow, green and
blue confirms actually his acceptance of the transfer of speakership from him
to Masari. But the import of his presence was not lost on the dignitaries,
including former Heads of State, Generals Yakubu Gowon and Ibrahim Babangida,
Abdulsalam Abubakar; Senate President Adolphus Wabara, Chief Justice of
Nigeria, Mohammadu Uwais; Deputy Senate President, Ibrahim Mantu; Governors of
Rivers,Abia, Imo, Sokoto, Gombe, Katsina, Minister of Finance, Mrs. Ngozi
Okonjo-Iweala; among other personalities who thronged the inner palace to greet
Masari..These people took time off to pose for a group photograph with Masari,
Na’Abba and Austine Opara.
Again, the presence
of Na’Abba and his colleagues speaks volume of the person of Masari and
his deputy Opara in their effort to build a solid parliament that will
encapsulate both the old and new members, thus making a profession out of
lawmaking and also make a point that the art of law-making ought to be a
continuous process, irrespective of whether you are in the House or not.
Besides, it shows the pragmatism of both Na’Abba and the current House
leadership in accommodating knowledge and experience in the art.
However, despite
this pomp and pageantry of the occasion, there are still some backhand reasons
and political musings behind the ceremony.
It was not
surprising that the occasion became a veritable ground for high-scale
politicking, especially with the presence of Babangida whose car got stuck and
had to trek from the outer recesses of the palace to the venue of the ceremony.
Like as become a tradition whenever large number of politicians gather, the
politicians fell over one another to register their presence before Babangida,
even before the occasion proper commenced. The seat of the former head of state
on the elevated platform became a cynosure of eyes, such that the man almost
took shine off the occasion.
Again, it painted a
picture of what may likely happen in the People’s Democratic Party (PDP)
in 2007 even though in politics you can never be sure until the last whistle is
blown. But going by what happened in Katsina, it is safe to predict that the
enigma in Babangida is already playing out his standing in the run up to the
2007 elections.
All through the
roads that led to the sprawling palace, his posters adorned the trees and
buildings. And surprisingly, Orji Kalu’s completed the ‘road
show’, even though Kalu’s posters were not carrying any specific
message. This evidently points all the way to certain ambition not spelt out, apparently
owing to the clay-footedness of the man.
But to Masari, the
gist is that it is the turn of the Malumfashi/Funtua axis in the Katsina North
to occupy the Government House, Katsina, in 2007. It was said that the
soft-spoken speaker enjoys a very good intimacy with Governor Yar’Adua,
as such it is not out of place to conjecture that he equally may be ambitious
and of course may be one of those favoured by the powers that be in the state.
Even though the truth of these postulations remains in the
realm of speculation, it may not be far from reality as the trappings of the
occasion portrayed. Activities in Masari’s camp in the days ahead may
provide the answer to this puzzle. For now, congratulations, the Dallatun!
