A Talakawa Summit hosted by the Jigawa State government deliberates on sustainable means of alleviating the suffering of the poor and destitute
By Maduabuchi Nmeribeh /Dutse
On Friday 17 October, people from all corners of the world declared their solidarity with the poor and the destitute, as the world marked the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. The following day, Dutse, the capital of Jigawa State, hosted dignitaries who came to witness the maiden Jigawa Talakawa Summit, a programme fashioned towards emancipation of the poor through pro-active governance.
Based on the philosophy of Malam Aminu Kano’s Northern Peoples Element Progressive Union, NEPU, Governor Sule Lamido and his think-tank proved that in a system controlled by the elite few, the common man (Talaka) remains a stakeholder if meaningful development must be achieved. The Jigawa Talakawa Summit, a forum which gave the down-trodden the opportunity to express their problems to those directly involved in governance, witnessed testimonies of the market women, taxi drivers, mechanics, farmers, herdsmen, fishermen etc.
There were touching stories that sent a chill down spines. Women in labour and those who did not have the wherewithal for adequate medical attention also spoke. In bare words, these wretched people of the earth poured out their minds, sorrows and frustration. They also prayed that the Jigawa Summit, the first of its kind in the country, becomes a ray of hope to their long years of suffering. The people from the Hadejia axis lamented the state of River Hadejia. They called on Governor Sule Lamido’s government to ensure the urgent dredging of the river which has been muddled by growing grass. Fishing activities have dropped in the river and residents of the area live in fear during the rainy season, as floods from the river sack them from their homes. Peasant farmers contend with the devastation of Quelea birds and the invasion of herds men who cry for lack of grazing lands. According to testimonies, sometimes, alien herdsmen rape wives of indigenous farmers, maim them and loot their products. During school hours, children stay in the farms beating drums to scare the Quelea birds away.
According to the convener of the summit, Governor Lamido, the situation in Jigawa warrants an aggressive approach to issues of poverty. “Instead of discussing poverty in the comfort of penthouses, luxury of hotels and resorts, in an atmosphere of affluence, we decided to come to the commoners to hear directly from them, feel the pulse of their suffering and try to see how we could attempt to solve these problem from our own end,” the governor stated while delivering his speech at the occasion held at the Jigawa Library complex.
Lamido, a believer in Mallam Aminu Kano’s political philosophy, noted that the Summit is aimed at looking at the condition of the poor, appreciate their problems and fashion out ways of empowering the needy and the commoners. According to him, the core message of the Summit is care and concern for the common people. “Let us, for once, stop pretending that we are concerned about the condition of the people while we are really not; let us hear from them and find out the best way to save the situation…Today, we are changing the approach to fighting poverty in this country,” Lamido declared.
The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III stressed the significance of the Summit. Describing the event as a rallying point for the renewed fight against poverty in the country, the Sultan urged northern leaders to brace up to the challenges of fighting poverty and inadequate education in the region. The Sultan also called on Northern leaders to evolve a forum that will ensure collective effort towards eradication of poverty in the North. In the Sultan’s words: “I want to use this opportunity to join other world leaders and organisations in standing against poverty as the world marks the International Day on War Against Poverty which has been claiming 50,000 people daily…I want to call on the people to understand that unless they give education proper attention and send their children to school, support government’s efforts on healthcare delivery, agriculture and others, then tackling poverty will become difficult.”
In an eight-page communiqué raised at the end of the Summit, the organisers noted that the Sule Lamido government is guided by the philosophy of popular participation in governance and policy-making. “Citizens have shown concern on the continued implementation of several poverty alleviation programmes and initiatives by previous regimes, which have not made any impact on their lives. It is the belief of the Jigawa State Governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido, that no such programme can be credible without the full consultation and involvement of the Talakawa, to hear their situation, their worries and their suggestions on how to solve their problems,” the communiqué signed by the Secretary to Jigawa State Government, Dr. Aminu Abdullahi and CITAD Secretary, Y.Z. Ya’u, noted.
The communiqué captured issues raised during the Talakawa Summit to include: education, health, agriculture, rural development, hunger, economic empowerment, employment, provision of infrastructure. The communiqué also stressed the need to bridge the information gap between the common people and the government, noting that popular participation in empowerment programmes was important for the emancipation of the commoner from the shackles of poverty. The paper in a nutshell recommended a direct approach to governance which will provide a situation where government designs programmes that can directly enhance the lives of the farmers, fishermen, petty traders and their lot.
Situated in North-Western part of the country, Jigawa has a total land area of 22, 410 sq km. A flourishing agrarian state, it is also reputed for fishery and cattle-rearing. Considering its status as a border town, the Federal Government established a Free-Trade Zone at Maigatari. Many expected Jigawa to grow in economy and human development over the years, but the state, in the assessment of the Central Bank of Nigeria, remains the poorest in the country. However, Governor Lamido has vowed to deliver the state from the clutches of poverty. His first attempt when he came into office in 2007 was to clear the beggars from the streets of Jigawa. He included the physically challenged on the payroll of the state government with an average allowance of N7000. Though his critics have expressed fear that the gathering may end up as yet another jamboree, Governor Lamido maintains that his government is determined to turn Jigawa around through empowerment of the Talakawa.
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