In Kano State, northwest of Nigeria, we have a practical demonstration of what ochlocracy means –mob rule. It disguises itself as democracy, which many scholars also see as mob rule because a mob, when they constitute the majority, will always elect one of theirs to rule.
Ochlocracy is defined as the rule of government by a mob or mass of people and the intimidation of legitimate authorities. This is now the rule in Kano as defined by its governor, Mr. Abba Kabir Yusuf.
Look at it this way, in his desire to rule Kano according to his own dictates, not according to the dictates of the law and common sense, Gov. Yusuf made some pronouncements that have set Kano on a road of reverse civility.
This he did in a May 29 tweet on @kyusufabba where he said: “In line with our transition advisory, I am announcing, today, that all public places and assets that were immorally plundered and sold by the Ganduje administration should be taken over by law enforcement agencies pending the final decision of government.” Immorally? Not unlawfully?
The governor also said in the tweet that: “We have noted that the last administration had sold lands in and around schools, religious and cultural sites, hospitals and clinics, graveyards, and green areas, and along the city walls of Kano. We have also noted that they indiscriminately sold numerous other landed properties and assets belonging to the Kano State Government within and outside the state to their cronies and agents.”
Yusuf would return to Twitter on June 3 with a tweet that reads: “In the early hours of Saturday, we witnessed the implementation of the first step in our pursuit to restore sanity to the Kano State Urban Development Master Plan.
“With the demolition of the illegal structure at the Race Course playground, we have set in motion to reclaim all encroached land on the identified public places that were used to erect illegal structures by private individuals or groups. I have also directed the demolition of all the illegally erected structures in schools, mosques, playgrounds, graveyards, markets, and hospitals to ensure strict adherence to the urban planning, beautification, and safety of people. We call on the residents of Kano to exercise patience as our administration is committed to ensuring a prosperous Kano”.
He also shared pictures of the demolished buildings on his Twitter handle in some kind of show of heroism.
In making the demolition order, Governor Yusuf did not make reference to any order of court which empowered him to demolish any property. The governor announced the commencement of demolitions on June 3. This was five days after he announced that he would take the action. Thus far, there is no evidence of demolition notices to the property owners, which would have enabled them to salvage whatever they could before his bulldozers moved in. The governor’s pronouncement and action on June 3 became the only motivation that the Kwankwasiyya mob needed to unleash themselves on the properties. What followed was unrestrained looting.
Properties listed for demolition were looted by the mob. Police were helpless. The Commissioner of Police disclosed that 45 persons were arrested in connection with the looting spree. But that signifies nothing because precedence indicates that the arrests are merely academic. Nothing will come from them.
Umar Doguwa, chairman of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in the state, said on ChannelsTV: “People are happy with what is going on in Kano”.
Get me right: I do not challenge the powers of the state governor to reset the urban model of the state and reclaim public lands that were illegally sold. I rather think, and argue, that he should approach this with decorum, using the instrumentality of the law – the court.
Respect for the rule of law in this enterprise will protect and save him from allegations of witch-hunt and vendetta. The governor’s pronouncements, and the logic produced by his acolytes in the defense of the demolition orders, suggest that Gov. Yusuf is approaching governance with a mind set on revenge against his predecessor.
Recall that the governor’s father-in-law, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, who is also the leader of the Kwankwasiyya movement, had hinted that his son-in-law’s leadership of Kano State, offers a much-sought opportunity to review, and possibly, reverse decisions taken by Gov. Umar Ganduje, who was his deputy between 1999 and 2003.
The ThisDay of April 30, in a publication titled “Kano governor-elect will revisit Sanusi’s dethronement”, quoted Kwankwaso as saying, “We are now back and, God willing, we will continue with the good works our administration left. This incoming governor and his team will take them up. As elders, we will continue to advise them to do the right thing. We tried not to intervene in the issue of bringing or removing any Emir, but now, an opportunity has come.”
This comment now comes to suggest that actions so far taken by Gov. Yusuf, many of which he explained as a continuation of Kwankwaso’s vision, are a vendetta against Ganduje. Many people in Kano are aware that Kwankwaso and Ganduje are no longer the best of friends.
Therefore, even where Ganduje is said to have abused the master plan of Kano City in the process of governing, acting in a manner that promotes excursion into barbarism will not in any way edify the good intentions the incumbent governor may have, if any.
As things stand, those demolished buildings are private investments in Kano. They also provided jobs of various kinds for the people. They are enterprise platforms in the state. The governor’s action will now scare investors and property developers from Kano because everyone will be wary of what happens after Yusuf is done with the state.
If the laws of Kano cannot protect investments in the state, as currently demonstrated, investors will seek safer havens. This way, the state’s rating on the national poverty index will take a dive. Private sector jobs will be shipped elsewhere and development will stunt.
When this is accomplished, the mob will have a field day and may descend on those that created the conditions. To prevent this, the governor may consider the need to govern by the law books, not on his whims and those of his father-in-law because, with this behaviour, he may have proven those who argue that investments in Kano are not secure because mob action is never rare, right?