‘’The wild divergences between the probabilities and the statistics of a given circumstance, calls for explanation.’’
By Jimanze Ego-Alowes
TUE, APRIL 14 2020-theG&BJournal- She tells lies, perhaps involuntarily. Or, she is probably ignorant. Or both. Ms. Hadiza Bala-Usman, is the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA. That makes her one of the most powerful persons on earth in Nigeria.
NPA, we all may recall is one of the half a dozen or so most important government parastatals. But that is the bare fact. There are underlying facts. And it is that of all these parastatals, they are all manned by Hadiza-like personages. That is, they are all manned by Hausa-Fulani/Northern Muslims. For instance, the top three quangos, NPA, NNPC, NIMASA, and more, are exclusively under the rule and thumb of such persons – Hausa-Fulani/Northern Muslims. If you thought that is the scandal, you have only encountered the tip of the iceberg. Practically, Nigeria of today is a near complete Muslim-Northern Nigerian fiefdom. This is the new normal.
And it so happened that some three weeks or so ago, Hadiza, was out as a guest on a Television Continental show – ”It is your view, let it count,” https://youtu.be/GCyTeJjepsY.
For the brief period she fielded questions it was interesting. Along the line, she was asked for instance, if she made it to being the NPA helmsman on the account of being or having been a side chick to the irrepressible Malam Nasir El’Rufai. Rufai, the sitting governor of Kaduna State, is considered something of a brain-box and power-hub for the Buhari administration.
Anyway, Ms. Hadiza swore on her words, but not on the Koran, that she was never a lover to the governor. For us, it would perhaps have been better if she was or still is. Why? The reason will be made apparent soon.
More interestingly, she was asked on the dominance, and we did say unearned dominance, of Hausa-Fulani/Northern Muslims over nearly all Nigerian power hubs and or offices.
Well, it was in her defense that she proved herself a well rehearsed or reflexive liar. Or perhaps ignorant. According to her, the problem is with Nigerians, not the Buhari administration’s preferment. The problem, she says, is with Nigerians who see everything in terms of tribe, in terms of religion. Twisting the knives further she charged that the right question to ask is ”are those so appointed not competent?”
Well, television stations run on adverts patronages, and more so are shows, not inquiries into the nature of the universe. So, perhaps, expectedly, the anchor ladies had to leave things at that. That is, the rest of us can take up the matter for further investigations. That is what we hope to do.
First of all, if she is, was, Rufai’s favorite slut, it wouldn’t still have mattered, if Rufai fixed the job for her. This is because in her own words, all details save competence are extraneous to the one’s appointment into offices. But are they?
The point is that they are not. This is because the issue of competence is not absolute, is not axiomatic. Competence, to have any meaning is and must be competitive. Because there are too many hands wanting in, wanting to serve, to be chosen, competence has meaning only when and where it has been demonstrated competitively. Thus it is not competence that is in issue. What is in issue is competitive competence. The matter is as old as Confucius. In ancient China, appointments into government offices, were built not around competence – even a fool is competent, after his own ways. In old China, appointments into government offices, were built around competitive competences. In the course of this, it is on record the Chinese invented the diploma as a tool of [appointive] selections and public educations.
In other words, it is not whether you are competent that is in issue. What is in issue is, are you the best of the brightest, are you the best of the competent? The two are not the same. And whoever cofounds them as one is a liar. Or ignorant. Or both.
On the question of Nigerians being the evil eyes on the issue of tribe and religions, our ”dear and glorious” Madame was either mischievous or ignorant. The details are as follows. But first the following.
The Hauas-Fulani/Northern Muslims are for all practical reasons no more distinguished intellectually or otherwise, than the rest of the sub-nationalities – the Yoruba, Igbo, Ijaw etc. Of course it is on record that they have not produced any Newtons, Aristotles, or even Averroes, or founded new world religions etc. as black peoples’ global competitors, the Whites and the Arabs. That is there are no irrevocable proofs of the Hauas-Fulani/Northern Muslims distinguishing genius in contradistinction to the other sub-nationalities, the Yoruba, the Igbo, Ijaw, etc.
That is it can be assumed in justice that there is nothing to recommend Huasa-Fulani/Northern Muslims above their other compatriots – the Igbo, the Yoruba, the Ijaw etc. And this must be particularly so in being competitively in excellence, in being competitively superior, in being competitively competent, etc. more than the Yoruba, the Igbo, the Ijaw etc. nationalities.
Immediately, the self-evident non-distinction of the Huasa-Fulani/Northern Muslims is admitted as it must, then the following. If a group of bodies or assets or quantities or persons or sub-nationalities are equal in cognate aspects, the following is indicated. The probability of any designated activity outcome, will be distributed amongst the groups according to their relative numbers. In this event the designated outcome is competence for offices.
In the issue of Hausa-Fulani/Northern Muslim, it is clear they have the same relative or near relative numbers as the Yoruba/Igbo/Ijaw etc./Christian South. That is, the probability of the Hausa-Fulani/Northern candidates topping up as competitively competent, will be similar with the probability of the Yoruba/Igbo/Ijaw etc./Christian South. Simply put, the Hausa-Fulani/Northern Muslim kids are due, competitively, to take only 50% of all to be competed for positions – based on competence. That is the probability. Making allowance for our human all too human tolerance, they may garner 50 plus or minus 5%. That is at their best the Hausa-Fulani/Northern Muslim should not get more than 50+5 or 55% of competence driven choices.
Now what is the statistics? The statistics show that the Hausa-Fulani/Northern Muslim kids, kids like lady Hadiza, have priavateered nearly 91% of all the top brass posts under the current regime, by one account.
Thus the wild divergences between the probabilities and the statistics in the given circumstance, calls for explanation. And the only explanation for such divergences given equality of cognate assets is rigging. In other words, it is safe to explain that the Hadizas of the Hausa-Fulani/Northern Muslim extraction are in grace and in power, not because of their competitive competences, but because the systems is Hausa-Fulani/Northern Muslim rigged. And she being one, is a spoilt beneficiary and thus rabid self-promoter and defender of her Bantustan’s unearned perks.
Before we go further let us make clear a point. We are not for or against Hausa-Fulani/Northern Muslim dominance. It’s just as scholars, as lay historians, we are against lies, voluntary or otherwise. And the worst of it is when a fine lady wants to cuckoo her nation and pass on a love child as omooluabi, as a legitimate heir. That’s a sacrilege.
Thus it is indicated that fellow Nigerians should please sanitize and shine their eyes, wash it with soap at least for twenty minutes on waking up each day. If they did, they did notice something revelatory. And it is of the Yoruba. The Yoruba, have a proverb not even the gods won’t envy. It reads even better in pidgin: na person wey marry prostitute last na him go bury am.
In other words, please come to knowledge that Hadiza’s and Hausa-Fulani/Northern Muslim’s current Nigeria is like the old Yoruba prostitute. Don’t go to her for love and linger, cumming. Go for a fling, suck and screw her dry and flee. That is what the best of them are doing and telling tales of their competence – to love and be agent for the Nigeria, their old prostitute, and or ancient whore etc.
To summarize, Nigeria as is, is not a sustainable model. So making Nigeria great is a bad dream. Wake up. Treat her like the prostitute she is. Her modesty is rotten, smells, is putrid. Perhaps too, Nigeria like all prostitutes is in the business of messing or fucking up things, even the holiness in all things. Hadiza, things happen. Hadiza, Ahiazuwa.
Thinker’s Corner.
“We have had to build a country within boundaries drawn by Europe, among people who didn’t live together. So it’s always a struggle.” Chikwe Ihekweazu
”The kitchen is hot. It is only the salads that you may make in the cold. All else is in humor.” Mother A’Endu.
”The Buddha in his rags is superior to Caesar in his purples.. Mother A’Endu.
Jimanze Ego-Alowes (PhD) is Author and public commentator
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