Salihu Tanko Yakasai also known as Dawisu, former Special Adviser to Gov. Umar Ganduje of Kano State, wanted to both defend and strike his boss. But unfortunately, in politics, one must choose to either strike or defend his boss. This is especially so in a situation where one is an appointee of government. For, in the game of politics, one cannot be part of a government and concurrently be its critic. More so, it is against the rules of engagement in a political arrangement to go to the public to criticise the government one serves.
It is tantamount to embarrassing the government in the market square at the time of the annual Yam festival. This is irrespective of whether or not what one said is true. What matters in politics is that if one is part of a government, they must speak in its interest irrespective of whether or not they lied.
For instance, Dawisu wrote against the rising spate of kidnappings of especially boarding school students in the country. And without mincing words, the former image maker of the Kano State governor, pointed a blaming finger at the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), of which he is member for failing to secure the lives and properties of Nigerians.
And even the deaf and blind knows that the country is in a serious security crisis where virtually everyone is potentially an abductee. Apparently therefore, Dawisu said the truth which is like the proverbial double-edged sword that can hurt both the person attacked and the attacker. He therefore paid a solemn price for his courage to air it.
At first, he was picked up by yet unidentified men and later he was sacked by his boss, Gov. Ganduje. But this is not the first time Dawisu had a problem like this with his erstwhile principal. In October last year, he criticised the President, and Ganduje swiftly responded by suspending him. Therefore, the skirmish between Dawisu and his now former boss is not entirely new.
Mukhtar Jarmajo, Bauchi
