In the words of Thomas Jefferson, the American President, “Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter”. In like manner, if you ask Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State to choose between Power and Intellect, he would prefer the latter. In the like of Thomas Jefferson, Kashim Shettima rest his choice on education which translates to knowledge. The press is a medium of entertainment, education and information. According to Harold Laski, the British political thinker, “The education of the citizen is the heart of a modern state” and in Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s saying, “An educated Nigeria is a free Nigeria.”
Education is not only the best instrument to fight poverty, but it remains the best instrument to sustain good governance and democracy. Indeed literacy increases awareness among citizens, awareness is vital to development of democracy, democracy has the attributes of harmony, tolerance, cooperation and sacrifice and these attributes promote global peace. Education kills the blight of disease, ignorance, superstition, fear and poverty. To the popular saying “If you want to know the essence or importance of education, try ignorance.”
When you celebrate education, you celebrate knowledge and when you celebrate knowledge you celebrate excellence. Recently in Maiduguri; Governor Shettima did exactly this when he showered encomiums, gifts and scholarship on Galadima Israel Zakari, the boy from Borno State, a state embroiled in insurgency war, who came first with a score of 360 among the over 1.6 million students who sat for the 2018 Joint Admission and Matriculation Board examination. The occasion took place at the Government House recently where the celebrated Israel was received in the council chamber along with his mother, Jummai by the Governor.
Elated Kashim Shettima, who could not hide his joy at this trying period of Borno State, proclaimed Israel “king of JAMB.” He stated the celebrant has re-awakened the world to the fact that the appellation of Borno goes beyond the current Boko Haram imbroglio as the zone remains attestation of academic and scholarship excellence. The interest in scholarship and learning as well contributions to the cause of education are not new to the people of Borno and have in fact pre-dated the coming of western education.
Commending Israel for his excellent performance Kashim Shettima declared: “I am fixating on his achievement because it has also put me particularly in the spotlight. An orphan raised by a single mother, a son of Boko Haram ravaged Borno, who triumphed against all odds. He has proven to us that adversity should not lock us down. Adversity should bring the best out of people. We have to identify with this young man. We have to identify with the boy and his family. This is the fundamental reason why we have invited the Zakaris so that we can all come together and celebrate this young man who is a symbol of excellence, resilience all odd so that young men from Borno can be inspirited.”
Then before the shout of Jack Robinson, the governor poured encomiums, gifts and scholarship galore on Israel before the dumb founding audience. Hear him: “I am in the last lap of my time in office as a governor, so I want to pay the full scholarship for five years even though who ever that would succeed us will sustain whatever commitment we have made, but I felt that when opportunity beckons like this, one should utilize it optimally. So, to keep the mind of his mother at rest, we are going to pay full package of his scholarship now. The full scholarship for five years include the cost of books, cost of living in the campus and all other related expenses. While we are giving you the offer of letter today, the Commissioner for Higher Education will hand over to you a cheque of N5 million which covers all that will be needed till graduation. And I want you, the mother, to make the payment upfront so that this would not be affected by any kind of inflation.” Convenant University in Otta, Ogun State is Israel’s choice.
I am more enamored with intellect than power. Honestly, I am drawn to intelligent people than to powerful people. And in this country, I am tapping the potentials of all those geniuses who have remained unutilised
This story sounds like tell tale or borrowings from the Arabian Night, but it is a dream that comes to Galadima Israel Zakari and his single parent mother, Jummai, who through thick and thin, has to raise Israel and his two siblings in Lagos following the death of their father who was in major in the Army in 2004.
It is pertinent to recall here that celebrating excellence is a known disposition or characteristic of Kashim Shettima. This is more so where this borders on intellect as well its application.
In his words; “I am more enamored with intellect than power. Honestly, I am drawn to intelligent people than to powerful people. And in this country, I am tapping the potentials of all those geniuses who have remained unutilised.”
Shettima manifested this since assumption of office in 2011 in his appointments at various levels in order to maximize results. He taps to the full, the potentials of highly resourceful persons irrespective of social and political divides provided Borno would be the better for it. For example, the governor gave reason why Engr. Ibrahim Ali, who contested the governorship election with him on the platform of Action Congress of Nigeria and Chief Audu Ogbeh, another chieftain of then rival ACN became his honorary advisers. On Engr. Ali, Kashim said: “Ibrahim Ali is about the most intelligent person in Borno, with all sense of humility. He was my opponent in the last election, he contested for the governorship on the platform of ACN, but he is somebody who is passionate about the country, he is somebody who wants to uplift the poor state of affairs in the country and believe me, I am to harness his potentials, his intellect, his knowledge and that of everybody because I am more, enamored with intellect than power. Honestly, I am drawn to intelligent people than to powerful people.”
Victor Izekor, a journalist and current affairs analyst, is a member of Board of Advisers of The Point Newspaper.