The Fall Of A Dynasty: New Dawn In Kwara As Kwarans Uprooted Saraki’s Political Baobab Tree -By Hammed J. Sulaiman

Saraki dynasty is something worth writing of, as Team Otooge and Team Otunya sarcastically made Kwara politics to be more of situational irony, dainty with comic-relief: Team Otooge (Enough it is) falls under the auspice of Buhari-Osinbajo APC Next_Level while Team Otunya (Again it is) falls under the auspice Atiku-Obi PDP Get_Nigeria_Working_Again; It all began that early morning, on 23rd Saturday, when Kwarans trooped out in sunniness but in angriness with axes, machetes, pick axes, spades, hoes, rakes, as their PVCs to pluck Saraki’s political baobab tree. The sound made by the parading chopper in flight, was an excellent white noise, for the steady rhythm of that chopper blades could be heard above the sound of its engine, sending down signals of serenity – thus, making that task less herculean.

In a slight exaggeration, after the task, it was as if military men came to shoulder civilians, as if it rained golds – as social media was agog, as Kwarans judiciously rejoice, in sighting the slump of Saraki hegemonic tree – the tree that hardly sway, the tree that hardly whistle with the wind. It was a great feat as the joy was too much, as if handicaps were dancing to the song sung by the dumbs and the deafs were twirling to the piano played by the blinds – that was how joyous Kwarans were, in seeing that Saraki political baobab tree got fallen.

Baobab tree as known, most part of its leaves appear for just a few months during the wet season and look like the unnatural hair that emerges from a chia pet. Its most dynamic motions are during the roughly five minutes at dusk when its night-blooming flowers open for the bats and moths who drink its pollen. Its fruit—large, fuzzy olive-green pods that, cracked open, deliver sweet-tart chunks to suck on—can feed people during drought. Baobab is so strong, its bark is shiny and red. But now, the Kwarans’ baobab tree had fallen – seems to utterly got flattened, shredding as if to enmesh with earth, though still alive, but its prospect for surviving seemed dim. Why?

Maybe its hegemonic kingdom is seen as nothing, but tantamount to slavery. Out of 36 States in Nigeria, apparently, Imo State and Kwara State, no, Kwara state all alone political dynasty is as transparence as a glass. Over 40 years, the flame started getting much more ablaze when Olusola Saraki, who was the father of Bukola Saraki started as Senator from 1979-1983 before transferring it to her daughter, Saraki’s sister, Gbemisola Saraki, House of Representatives from 1999-2003, that’s when Bukola Saraki became two-term Governor of Kwara state from 2003-2011 together with her sister (again) Gbemisola Saraki as Senator from 2003-2011. Bukola Saraki made it to the Senate from 2011-2019. Could be recalled senator Bukola Saraki contested the Peoples Democratic Party’s presidential primaries in a bid to become Nigeria’s president but lost to former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubarka, before he was later made Director General of Atiku Abubarka’s  campaign group.

Well, whenever election approaches, all sorts of stories will come up about the personalities of the candidates, so the onus lies on the candidates of proving it to the masses in an accelerating speed of their clean nature. This time around, Bukola Saraki failed, maybe because this is God’s time. Though Bukola Saraki might have contributed immensely to Kwara state ranging from power generation and electricity, primary health care, agriculture and farming, infrastructure development, amidst his Governorship, Senatorial or  international appointments but claims of “political slavery, infrastructural decay in the state, embezzlement of citizens’ funds, ailing education sector, increase in social vices, dilapidated health services, unpaid salaries and arrears, absence of economic blueprint, unconvincing security setup in the land, many abandoned projects, absence of solid plan for agricultural revolution in the state and job opportunities at zero axis” screwed it all!

Few of cases to be touched – Bukola Saraki became the first Senate President in Nigeria to be issued with arrest warrants, when Danladi Umar , Chairman of the Code Of Conduct Tribunal, issued an arrest warrant against Saraki, in 2015. The EFCC also indicted the Senate President, Bukola Saraki and some of his aides in the alleged laundering of up to N3.5 billion from the Paris Club Loan Refund. Or is it of Saraki failed Societe Generale Bank; where thousands of depositors alleged to have lost their money. Worst it all, his linkage to the Offa deadly robbery bank attack on 4th of April, 2018, that claimed lives of over 30 can’t at all avail him. Saraki had not only implicate himself but also the youngsters with political stars that are struggling for awareness, some of whom are of good intention but fall under Saraki are also implicated – for the magic of reputation had made Kwarans to detest them, desert their party.

While after the task, the Sarakites with their cool stoned faces and bothered souls, flimflammed Kwarans as betrayers to have collected Saraki’s material stuffs, to have spend Saraki’s money, to have wine with Saraki during his campaign but turn against him on the D-Day; that ought not to be betrayal, real betrayal comes from not doing what one promised the masses during manifestoes. This is even evidential in Saraki senatorial district, where Kwarans surprised him!  One can even deduced that greediness, self-centeredness and selfishness fuel the fall of Saraki. One ought to even wonder why democracy must had turned to monarchy or business. It is crystal clear that Kwarans have seen enough. They are tired of pot holes on roads that is serving as gateways to heaven, they are tired of living rural life in urban areas, they are tired of backwardness that is bedevilling Kwara state.

The feasibility of APC winning the coming gubernatorial election is of high probability, for it is appearing that “no matter of great a man, he cannot be greater than his people”. The issues of rejection of election results by Sarakites are nothing but fluffs and smoke that would fade with breeze of time… “Sheybi na Kwarans don chop dem money with stomach infrastructure, next are lawyers with petitions”. Funny though, Saraki is desperately mean! Saraki even aided his fall for he had also shot himself on his limbs – when he maneuvered himself by joining APC and later decamped APC under Bubari whose major fight borders on corruption. Well, it is now left for the Saraki and Sarakites to plant another political tree maybe till Atiku Abubakar or Guba Galadima become president, “Lolz”, or by reforming their party as R-PDP (Reformed PDP) or by doing “Ashewo Politics” – crossing-carpetting to other parties or APC.

To cap it all, Kwarans hope Saraki loopholes will serve as headlights for Otooge movement. it is now a collective duty of right-thinking Kwarans to pray and hope that Otooge movement won’t be a disappointment by inheriting the claims claimed against Saraki dynasty, and that Otooge movement would retaliate the efforts made by the good people of Kwara in uprooting Saraki baobab tree by sowing seeds; seeds that will yield and make all Kwarans reap in heaps as it is now a new dawn, Kwarans!

Hammed J. Sulaiman

Poet/Essayist/Writer, a Student of Law from the Most Peaceful University in Nigeria, UDUSOK.
Concerned Kwaran.
Editor at Winsala Muses Ltd.

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