Date: 2016-01-17

Once again, the man with many identities who has presently chosen to be called Is'haq Modibo Kawu has decided to revisit his familiar topic, the Saraki family. In a piece titled 'Father and Son Incorporated', Kawu tried to further cast aspersions on the noble family who happens to come from the same home town with him.

In the piece dripping with bile, he libelled and sought to incite the numerous supporters of the Saraki family against the family. Kawu is among the few disgruntled elements in Ilorin who could not understand while the overwhelming majority of the people in Kwara State have chosen to support only candidates endorsed by one family in the past four decades. Elements like him therefore do all within their powers, mostly indecent acts, to stain the reputation of members of this highly successful family.

Kawu wrote without any basis that the "Saraki family is the most successful example of a family that has taken full control of the political and economic space in Nigeria...The funds of Kwara State literally became an extension of the Saraki purse and the family through Bukola Saraki has remained in control for 12 years and counting".

He added that "the Saraki process of political and economic control as well as financial domination has no parallel in Nigeria....This unique template of grab and control has also largely escaped interrogation. The family seemed able to weather any and all forms of political , economic and financial control of their states, in the same suffocating bear hug way that the Saraki clan has held Kwara State for decades".

These are empty allegations which have no basis. The Sarakis are responsible democrats whose members at different times offered themselves for leadership positions and were voted for massively by the electorate. The members of the family who served either in the legislative and executive capacities as mentioned in the piece contributed immensely to the development of the state.

Thank God that Modibo Kawu is from Ilorin. I challenge him to mention any politician, either from Kwara State or another part of Nigeria who invested so much of his personal fortune in helping the masses, the ordinary folks, like late Dr. Olusola Saraki, the patriarch of the Sarakis. And this the old man did in and out of politics since the 1960s till he died in 2012. That is why since 1979, the politics of Kwara State has always been about the Sarakis. Not up to five Nigerians, dead or living, enjoyed such a long, enduring political influence on the people. The legacy of his consistently good relationship with his people and willingness to always come to their aid is what other members of the family are building on.

Up till today, nobody can accuse the Sarakis, particularly the former Governor of the state, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, of mismanaging, misappropriating or diverting the resources of the state. That is why Senators from around the country found Bukola Saraki fit and good enough to move up to the position of the President of the Senate, the number three man in the nation's hierarchy.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) under Nuhu Ribadu in 2007 had investigated such frivolous claims like the one made in this article by Kawu against Saraki and found him not culpable. Also, the Commission under Farida Waziri equally probed the Saraki administration and came out with a no-guilty verdict. The records are also there that when some disgruntled elements filed a petition against the Saraki administration over the utilisation of the bond that it took in 2008, the anti-graft agency under Ibrahim Lamorde also investigated Saraki and did not find anything wrong in its handling of public funds.

If Kawu has any evidence or information not available to the EFCC, he should put it in in the public domain. I am also an Ilorin man like him and we are tired of people who hide under the guise of fighting for public interest while pursuing personal agenda. For Modibo Kawu to now employ the free platform of online sites to disparage a man who has served his state and country selflessly, accountably and responsibly is highly unfortunate.

Today, the achievements of Bukola Saraki in the eight years that he served as governor of the state remained indelible. ?His government made positive and landmark impact in the agricultural, health, economic, social, infrastructural and education sectors. His performance in office made his colleague governors to elect him as Chairman of Nigerian Governors' Forum, a position that enabled him made the hitherto obscure body became a major national political force which the Presidency later struggled to control.

The article by Kawu completely manifest falsehood, blackmail, attack on the dignity and hard earned reputation of both individuals and entire Saraki family. It is a complete shame that Kawu has brought the noble profession of journalism and its ethics to disrepute due to his personal hatred against the Saraki family.

One will expect that at this time, any objective commentator on issues of corruption will mention ex-Governors who are on trial and those who are being investigated by anti-graft agencies to illustrate his point. Kawu, however, only set out from the beginning to further pursue his campaign of calumny against the Sarakis.

For the past two months, the information in Ilorin is that Modibo Kawu has been begging Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara State to appoint him as General Manager of the Kwara State Radio or Herald newspapers. His frustrations arising from the failure to convince the Governor to give him the job he so much desired and needed must have inspired his article, particularly since he is fixated on the belief that Senator Saraki must be behind the Governor's stand.

A discerning mind can deduce that Kawu's article adds no value or has no positive contribution to the present debate on the economic and socio political developments in our nation. Rather, it is mere manifestation of the sadistic pleasure he derives in launching serial media attack against Bukola Saraki and his extended family.

To achieve his usual objective of always attacking the Sarakis, Kawu pretended as if he was examining a national issue. He therefore decided to make false allegations and empty claims which he can never substantiate. We challenge him to prove his assertions against the Sarakis.

I think the Sarakis have left this kind of persons unchallenged for too long. Now, I challenge the Senate President to defend his integrity and reputation as well as that of his family by going to court. Saraki should file a suit against this hack writer. One will like to see the evidence he has in support of his claims in this article when a defamation case is filed against him. Enough of this character assassination!

Muhammed writes from Ilorin, Kwara State.