An established norm in Africa is that you do not speak ill of the dead. That probably flows from the fact that death is one inevitable debt every mortal owes the creator. But I remember that the late Gani Fawehinmi once defied this time-tested African tradition when the late dictator Sanni Abacha died. In the midst of sheer hypocrisy and crocodile tears being shed by so-called prominent personalities, Gani instead dismissed Abacha's death as good riddance to bad rubbish - a comment he premised on the many atrocities the goggled general committed against the people of Nigeria.

Since the death on Wednesday November 15 of former Senate Leader and strongman of Kwara politics, Abubakar Olusola Saraki, I have read and heard comments that amount to downright hypocrisy and undeserved insult to the silenced majority in Kwara State. I have also read obituaries in the papers that ran foul of basic facts about Saraki and the socio-economic and political status of Kwara in Nigeria. In what amounts to further attempt to rubbish recent history, the Senate has approved a motion calling on the Presidency to rename the Ilorin International Airport after the late Saraki.

I have no doubt that Saraki was a great politician - but in a context. That he deftly manipulated the people for selfish political ends for about 40 years spoke volume of his political/manipulative skills. But we must ask some questions, answers to which would determine whether we really want to move forward or not as a people in this country: what is the legacy of Saraki in Kwara where he held sway? How did Saraki affect the lives of Kwarans and the status of the state in his four decades of political leadership?

It has been established that Saraki single-handedly installed four governors in Kwara. Plus hundreds of commissioners, special advisers, board chairmen and members, ambassadors and so on. But to what end?

By naming a federal monument after Saraki, are we really convinced that a culture of politicians doling out N500 and pap and bean cake to the people is worth encouraging in this age? Are we convinced that politicians who specialise in giving fishes to the people are better than their counterparts who teach people how to fish? If Saraki's politics was really worthy of emulation, how come many political pundits (including many of those praising him to the high heavens) sarcastically dismissed Kwarans as 'Saraki's serfs?' Or is it a good thing to be a serf? Why should we honour a politician who ran a fiefdom in the 20th/21st century when he had the opportunity to use his influence to better the lots of the people?

Anybody who cares to know should check the level of development in Kwara against those of its fellow first generation states created in 1967. I will give an example: the GDPs of each of all the second and third generation states (created in 1976 and 1987) are higher than that of Kwara under the grip of Oloye. Kwara of course is no match for any of its fellow 45-year-old states. This means Kwara under the watch of Oloye fared worse compared to each of the first, second and third generation states in Nigeria. His politics practically killed the spirit of enterprise in the people he was privileged to lead because he kept giving fishes in exchange for political relevance. I read in one of his interviews (reproduced after his death) that he used his money to distribute water to Ilorin in the 70s when there was scarcity of same. He said failure of the government to provide such basic amenities made him venture into politics. Good. Today, in 2012, Ilorin the state capital suffers water scarcity and lacks basic amenities. My younger brother (currently on his four-month internship) who schools in Offa, a metropolitan city, recently told me what hardship his colleagues would be going through now on account of water scarcity. If things are this bad in big cities, can anyone imagine what the situation is in the remotest villages where people live in Gothic era? So how has he brought development to his people? Whereas whatever leverages the Yoruba have today (some say they are regressing now) they owe to the foresight and right-thinking of Awolowo, can we possibly compare Saraki to Awolowo for instance? History stands Awolowo out for his free education policy, for being the brain behind Africas first television station, and for establishing the still-surviving Oduduwa Group and so on. Perhaps nothing confirms the foresight of Awolowo than claims that the Western Region under him attained socioeconomic development comparable to what obtained in the Eastern Europe. Or Saraki to Sardauna? Not known to have any house or bank savings despite being Northern Nigerias Premier, Sardauna lives in the hearts of Northerners today for conscientiously leading the regions self-discovery in education and development. If the North was once monolithic, it owes that to the great Sardauna.

These two (Awolowo and Sardauna) will continue to live in the hearts of the people not because they were giving them porridge but because they gave them lasting legacies for which their people became distinct, even long after they were gone.  I have read an article by a former aide to Saraki who likened him to the Kennedys and the Gandhis. Americans and Indians would never pardon such comparison. It is an insult. The late Ted Kennedy spent his entire life worrying about affordable and sound healthcare delivery for the ordinary Americans. President Barack Obama, in recognition of Ted's influence in this area, repeatedly appealed to his memory to rally Americans when the hawkish Republicans seemed bent on stopping his healthcare bill. Ghandi is revered globally for his nonviolence politics, his support for the oppressed, and is a role model for several world leaders including Obama. He led India to independence. That is leadership. That is what working for people means, not giving them N500 or paying their wedding bill. What tangible project or ideal would Kwarans remember Saraki for? When people hailed Saraki's philanthropy, they failed to put it in perspective. Beyond going round villages with sacks of money on the eve of elections to poor farmers who struggle to pay their workers and Femi Fani-Kayode's incoherent and contradictory narrative about his (Oloye) NADECO-era gesture to a widow, how many selfless gestures can we remember Saraki for? If that is philanthropy, then all Nigerian politicians are great philanthropists without global equals because they all buy cars, feed people, pay school fees and even send people on the holy pilgrimage for reasons we all know! Bill Gates is a philanthropist. Our own Moshood Kashimawo Abiola was.

Some might argue that Saraki never had executive powers and so could not have achieved much like Awolowo and Sardauna who were at some points chief executives. Such argument falls flat when one considers the fact that Oloye reigned more or less like an emperor who enthroned and dethroned chief executives. He wielded more power than his proteges who held office.

I have heard and read people paying glowing tributes to his 'selflessness.' Of course nothing confirms such selflessness than the attempt to make his daughter succeed his son as Governor of Kwara State! Equally selfless (or transformational) is his son Bukola who deemed his fathers attempt to crown his sister the governor a selfish gesture but saw nothing wrong in him (Bukola) succeeding his sister as Senator representing Kwara Central. And were (Saraki)s peculiar politics truly worthy of emulation as our professional praise-singers would have us believe, then we should never condemn beggarly attitude. Truth be told, Saraki would be remembered for supervising Nigeria's most enduring poverty-oriented politics which fed fat on the helplessness and gullibility of the people! For me, I see the torrents of praises from outside Kwara as a deliberate mockery of the victims of Sarakis politics. The people qualified to hail Oloye are the ordinary Kwarans who yearned for freedom. 

Aso Rock, in granting or rejecting the Senate resolution on Saraki, may wish to answer the questions above especially whether Nigeria should embrace his patronage brand of politics. Also, is it desirable to give people money to offset their bills rather than secure for them an environment in which they need no big man to get basic amenities or pay their bills? The government should name the airport after Saraki if the answer to that question is in the affirmative. Else it would send a wrong signal to the world about what our values truly are as a people.

Anybody willing to gauge public opinion of the late Saraki should read people's comments posted under each of the stories the papers have published since Saraki died. Most instructive indeed are the comments posted under The Punchs story of November 15, Saraki dies after five years battle with cancer. That way, the Federal Government would know whether Saraki was a hero or villain to the people of Kwara. And if you care to know more, you may well ask those who lost their entire life savings, and in some cases breadwinners, to Sarakis Societe Generale Bank of Nigeria (SGBN) bankruptcy.

Ishaq writes from Ilorin, Kwara State capital