By Abdullahi Usman
“A single breaker may recede; but the tide is eventually coming in.” -Thomas Babington Macaulay (1800 – 1859)
Rather succinctly put: who is afraid of Kabiru Kassim or whose interest is being hindered by the current restructuring of Kaduna State Muslims Pilgrims’ Board (KSMPB) towards greater efficiency, accountability, honesty and above all dedication to duty? I will come back to this later but, first, let me accord the faceless blackmailers an underserved credence by riposte the so-called scandal in the board – a bye product of anti-corruption phobia. They stitch their tissues of lies using fake address, fake people, fake organisation, forged data, and obviously fade tricks of subtle intimidation.
Well, there are six issues raised in the said mischievous letter which has little or nothing to do with the performance and success recorded in the last hajj operation. Interestingly, the writer did not question or raised doubt about the competence of Kabiru Kassim to steer the ship of the pilgrims’ board. They have also not pinned any financial irregularities to him because there is none.
On the appointment of grade level 14 officers as overseer of the board; late Governor Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa appointed Alhaji Yahuza Makarfi, a grade level 14 officer who was then deputy director of operation as general overseer of the board owing to his experience. Office of executive secretary was vacant and no one else could boast of requisite knowledge of hajj operation like Kabiru Kassim – former pilgrims officer of Zaria and later Sabon Gari, former zonal coordinator in charge of Zone 1, holder of IATA certificate, certificate in aviation safety and security from Nigeria Institute of Transport Technology, Zaria, Bachelor of Arts in Arabic, certificate in airline transport and management, former director of operations and member of many committees at the national level of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria.
Therefore, appointment of KabiruKassim by Governor Mukhtar Ramalan Yero of Kaduna state deserves commendation.
It is clear that there is precedent in the appointment of grade level 14 officers to oversee the board. It was not started by Yero.
In my view however, if there is anybody that is senior to Kabiru Kassim, the governor should borrow a leaf from the armed forces by posting them out of the board to other establishment where their service might be needed most. This will enable the overseer to operate without hindrance.
It is unfortunate that the writer exposed his ignorance because appointment of pilgrims’ officers is the statutory responsibility of executive secretary of KSMPB. It is rather an insult to the office of head of service to be reduced to posting of pilgrims’ officers as alleged by these mischief.
Blinded by venom of selfishness and hatred, they could not take a second look at the table of the distribution of hajj seats to local governments in the state. The sub-head allegedly cornered by the overseer reads: “LGAs GS” meaning local governments’ government sponsored pilgrims. It has been a policy of the board to reserve seats for local governments which they use to sponsor their pilgrims.
Moreover, there is nothing wrong in overseer reserving hajj seats for his principals in as much as the seats will be subscribed and paid for.
It is said that “delusion injures others, brings hardship to oneself, soils the mind, and may well lead to hell.” References: There was Hajiya Fatima who once served as personal assistant to the executive chairman of the board. There was a lady (name withheld) NYSC attached to Bureau for Religious and Islamic Affairs in 2008 who served as personal assistant to the then permanent secretary. The personal assistant to the current permanent secretary for Bureau for Religious and Islamic Affairs in the state is a lady (BFRAI oversees all Islamic affairs in the state while pilgrims’ board handles only hajj matters).
Please, where do these religious illiterates got their own idea that a woman cannot be appointedpersonal assistant in a religious administrative set up? As for their malicious allegation of relationship between her and the overseer, they should be ready to prove their allegation when they come face to face with the Judgment of Almighty Allah, insha Allah.
Sultan of Sokoto ordered that all mosques should recite Al-Qunut for the sake of precarious security situation in the North. He did not ask people to use the Al- Qunut in such a way that is not acceptable to sunah. Moreover, the overseer has right to stop the Al-Qunut if there is insincerity in doing it. How can someone who leads Al-Qunut against injustice and other vices be involved in scandalous and illegal activities that have to do with the same religion he preaches? We have our facts.
The beauty of it is that they are not challenging the wealth of experience or competence of the special assistant rather they are more concerned on his payment which in itself is laughable because they are not accusing the overseer of not following due process.
Finally, if the motive behind their action is to intimidate the overseer, they have failed woefully as he is now more determined to weed out obstacles from the board.However we are keeping our fingers crossed and await their promise of further mischief under the same phony name of “Muslim Ummah and Awareness Forum.”
Usman wrote from Kaduna