By Dr. Godwin Onuh Odeh Few days ago His Excellency, Distinguished Senator Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko was awarded " Hero of Democracy...
By Dr. Godwin Onuh Odeh
Few days ago His Excellency, Distinguished Senator Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko was awarded " Hero of Democracy" by Network for Democracy and Good Governance in Nigeria preparatory to Nigeria's Democracy Day June 12, 2024.
It may be recalled that Nigeria's Democracy Day was annually celebrated on 29, May but later changed to June 12 by the immediate past president of Nigeria, Mr. Muhammadu Buhari. The aim was to honor the late Chief M K O. Abiola who was believed to had won the 1993 presidential election but was denied by the military government of General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida .
The point is, if the purpose of the dramatic change from May 29 to June 12, is to honor a man arising from personal sacrifice and service to humanity and society it is means the cumulative efforts and services of individuals leaders and politicians give birth to the true meaning of Democracy Day.
The understanding and perspective the above gives to the celebration of Democracy Day in Nigeria is that, individual political leaders who have remained steadfast to their callings and have significantly improved and impacted in the lives of the people should be isolated and talked about with the view to challenging and motivating others to do likewise. It is in the context of this individuality in political expolt that the personality of Wamakko comes into the sharp screen of the Day.
The man, Dr. AM Wamakko came into full political glare and prominent consequent upon the epic return to civil rule in 1999. Before then, he was actively involved and played prominent role in the power struggle between the National Republican Convention ( NRC ) and Social Democratic Party ( SPD) in the 1993 presidential election in which he was more on the side of the NRC as a progressive. However, the floodgates of his political fortune got widely opened which he judiciously exploited when he emerged as Deputy to Governor Attahiru Bafarawa.
Consequently, he emerged as the Executive Governor of the Sokoto and served his two terms between 2007 and 2015. Towards the end of his which has been widely adjudged the best so far, and even after that, he had greatly influenced the shapening of gubernatorial elections in the State namely: the 2015, 2019 and 2023 guber elections. The 2015 brought Rt. Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal to power and the 2019 almost consumed him after falling apart with his godfather, Wamakko while the 2023 brought Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto the estwhile Deputy to Tambuwal to power under the APC. These dramatic elections in the view of several commentators established Senator Wamakko populary and fondly called Alu, by the old, young and children as a Father Figure in the politics of the State.
Aside the above politics of power play and the avalanche exploit of Wamakko which cannot be documented in a single volume due to the challenge of time and space, in developmental politics he has done pretty well. In other words, his contributions to the overall welfare of his people is quite ennobling and humbling. In the area of philanthropy, his gesture is ranked number one. In the field of scholarships to indignes and non indignes to study in Nigeria and outside the country Wamakko is number one in the state. In the area of feeding the poor and the masses and holistic provisioning to the people he still number one. In the area of political groming of future leaders he is number one. He thus, appeared to be number in politics of welfare and development in the State. It is therefore, not surprising his residence at Gawonama is always heavily crowded whether Alu is in town or out of town.
The above essential political character displays by Wamakko is the essence of true democracy and defined the spirit and practice of the phenomenon. Professor Okpeh O. Okpeh Jr, apply captured the leadership style of Wamakko and the politics he plays in his fierce argument thus: " Democracy must tap into the prime needs of the people; a democracy that did not identify with the needs of the people is a democracy that is standing on one very bad leg; a democracy that is comatose and a democracy that cannot stand the test of time."
From the above, Wamakko no doubt has been doing well in the way and manner he identified the problems of his people and timesously solved them. However, the question Okpeh 's argument elicited is timely in the principles and practice of Nigeria's Democracy. Flowing from his question, one cannot but asked thus, can the type of democracy currently practiced in Nigeria stand the test of time going by the huge suffering and hardship suffocating the masses and even the high? The answer is certainly No. Expect there is a dramatic change of methods and tactics this type of democracy is doom to fail. The masses from whom true sovereignty lies flows should and must be the heart and hands of every true democracy.
Be that as it may, after a almost over a decade of a careful observation and watch at Wamakko's politics and leadership style, Toyin Falola, the Distinguished African Studies Scholar and Foremost Professor of History at the University of Texas at Austin USA in a foreword to the book titled " Wamakko Factor in the 2019 and 2023 Sokoto Gubernatorial Elections: A Preliminary Documentation" notes thus: " ... the unrelenting zeal of Wamakko to bring into fusion the true meaning of Democracy, that is, making the citizens worthy of their citizenship and national honor reveals the understanding of his political calling. Wamakko's journey to political excellence is like gold that has passed through fire - glittering and serving it's purpose -with much expectation from his loyalists and the State for excellent performance throughout his tenure".
The above observation fittingly capped all that one may want to say about the most famous politician in Sokoto since the beginning of the twenty first century, Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko. What is expected of other politicians and political leaders is to earnestly covet and cultivate the leadership style of Wamakko by identifying the prime needs of their people and get timely solved. Only then would Democracy Day makes sense and meaning to the masses and Nigerians.
Happy Democracy Day to Distinguished Senator Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko and happy Democracy Day to fellow Nigerians.
Dr. Godwin Onuh Odeh, Senior Lecturer, Department of History, Sokoto State University, Sokoto, Nigeria.
Nice write up
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