By Abba Anwar
Show of fearlessness, strategic coordination and enlightened engagement are some of the fundamental indicators of organized effort. Periscoping this from political standpoint, measures commitment, sincerity of purpose and responsibilities.
I know my readers will believe with me when I said, when it comes to engaging youth in Kano’s All Progressives Congress (APC) for strategic party positioning, genuine commitment without any recourse to material benefit, true survival of the party against all odds and aiding youth visibility from within, the trio of His Excellency, Murtala Sule Garo, Honourable Alhassan Ado Doguwa and Honourable Baffa Babba Dan Agundi are forces to be reckon with.
The model I proposed earlier, calling on our leaders to fuse together these fearless political strategists under one umbrella for protecting the party, APC, in Kano against external aggression, is still relevant and timely. Not because they are the only people to do the job. Not at all. But they are among the frontliners who can do it better.
For sustaining the efforts of our youth, within the rank of the party and outside, the control, close monitoring and unwavering support for meaningful direction of Garo-Dan Agundi – Doguwa Tripartite Initiative is unarguably needed.
While party leaders are managing the affairs of the party, in their own right, all youth groups and platforms need to be under close monitoring and scrutiny from Garo-Dan Agundi – Doguwa framework and any other arrangement party leadership deems fit.
But this intervention should be limited or applicable to only association linking themselves with the party’s name, APC. Because when party’s name is attached to a group, whenever that group engages in anything, good or otherwise, the credit or blame will always go to the party live and direct. As an organized party, APC, with Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, CON, at the helm of affairs, anything attached to the party should be monitored, assessed and evaluated on frequent basis.
As the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria guarantees freedom of speech and association, one can float an association of like minds and invite membership of his choice. And at the same time, run such association in his own terms and condition. Nobody can deny you that. So long as legal procedures are followed.
But if party’s name is added or build in association’s name, party has to have a hand in either the running of the association or in controlling, to certain extent, the association or both. This is because, party’s dignity, performance, direction and relevance, can sometimes be measured through the activities of such associations.
This is necessary, because, some of such youth platforms lack focused leadership, always swimming in ineptitude, excessive lust for power, inefficient coordination of purpose, divisive tendencies and unorganised modus operandi.
I am not, in any way, advocating for taking over of the leadership of youth groups by Garo-Dan Agundi – Doguwa arrangement. But I am rather advancing argument for checks and balances in the system and procedural setting.
Garo, Dan Agundi and Doguwa, without any fear of mincing words, fully understand clear strategies on how to protect the party from external aggression, if you like. They understand both sides of the coin. When it comes to protective tendencies.
Sometimes you find out that, some of these youth platforms, are more of liabilities than assets to the party. Hence, the emergence and deepening of distasteful relationship between different rival groups or platforms, without considering collective interest.
It is in such situation that you begin to wonder, why is it that, when people mess up, they don’t mess up at their own peril. But they mess up at the expense of the party.
Absence of checks and balances for streamlining the efforts and intervention of such groups spells doom. Nobody is saying we are not appreciating how vibrant the party is becoming with the visibility of activities here and there. All I am saying is let there be order, respect for one another, sincerity of purpose and purity of the process.
Fusing Garo, Dan Agundi and Doguwa together for this purpose, means a lot in bringing together youth and youth – related associations to truly work for the party with the much needed loyalty, unity of purpose, focus and proper coordination of all youth groups within the fold of the APC. All in the spirit of cohesion, survival, progress and development of the party. For deepening internal democracy and governance in general.
Anwar, was Chief Press Secretary to the former Governor of Kano State, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje CON and can be reached at fatimanbaba1@gmail.com
