hajia

Today marks the first anniversary of hajia, the blogspot. One year is probably not such a long time, especially when you consider some blogs that have been there for long. There are many who have been blogging for the past ten years or more like Dave Winer and Jason Kottke. But for someone like me who started blogging as a kind of experiment it is a big deal. I never expected myself to keep on doing it for this long. Surprisingly, I still enjoy writing on this blog and I truly believe this is the main reason why I keep on maintaining it. Of course, it is not always easy to even decide on what to write. It takes a helluva of an effort to write and it is certainly discouraging when you realize that very few read what you write. Much less appreciate it. At any rate I can say that I am somewhat satisfied with the experience so far.

However there are a few topics I would have loved to write on but somehow could not. Here are some of them:

1. Soludo’s CBN- I mauled over writing something on the Central Bank of Nigeria under Soludo’s stewardship but could not just put pen to paper and get it done with. I wanted to write about his failure and the failure of his so-called banking reform. The mega-banks he created are still lying in the shadows of the old ones they replaced. Nothing, repeat, nothing has changed with regard to their behaviour towards customers and in the way they conduct business generally. The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has concurred with me on this when they said in a newspaper report that “…a year after bank’s consolidation SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises) are yet to reap any benefits from it”. This story was on the front page of the Daily Trust of Wednesday 14 March 2007.
   Again I wanted to write on the systematic way and manner Soludo eased out Northern interests in all the banks thereby tightening the poverty-knot on all of us living on this side of the Niger. I wanted to also examine the staff distribution by states of the bank since he took over. Likewise the consultancy firms he gave jobs to during his tenure.

2. Dikko dynasty (1906-2006)- I wanted to write a congratulatory piece on this topic back in March, but always got taken away by million dollar questions regarding the events leading to the change of sarauta baton in Katsina. That is from Dallazawa who reigned since the Jihad (1804-1906) to Sullubawa. Of course the Sullubawas had always been around holding the title of Durbi up to 1893. But the jump to full emir by Dikko (in 1906) within a fourteen year period was phenomenal to say the least. And it appeared Dikko went after the title solo. As a student of history I am interested in what happened in those days. For example, how did Dikko manage to carry out the coup? Who helped him in the process? And what qualities in his possession helped him along?

Well my preliminary investigations revealed that several people helped him along. And they included a powerful prince and heir apparent, members of the emir’s household and majority of those holding various sarauta offices. This is not mentioning the then Emir himself, Abubakr Boyi, for doing and not doing things that somehow seemed to have encouraged Dikko tremendously.
However the whole saga appear to hinge on the relationship that existed then between Yarima Abdu, the crown pronce, and Dikko. They were about the same age which begs the question: were they bosom friends? It looked so if we recall that when Dikko advised Yarima not to go and buy camels for the colonial masters, he (Yarima) agreed and told the Europeans he was not going. But when they asked Dikko to go and buy, he willingly went and bought the camels. What did Yarima do after that? Apparently nothing, but why? Was Dikko having a hold on him?

And what about special qualities Dikko posessed that enabled him to swing the sarauta baton to his side? Well fore one Dikko was obviuosly a loyalist not only to Abubkr but also to the colonial masters. Perhaps too loyal beacause even Abubkr preferred dealing and confiding in him than in his own son.

Other questions that are reeling in my head include: who killed Sani, and ba-Dallaza? Sani was the first son and ba-Dallaza, the first daughter of Abubakr. Both were killed in mysterious circumstances and the killer or killers were never found. It looked like an insider job executed with the knowledge of a high ranking person or persons. Who could that person be? Again why did Abubakr Boyi appoint Dikko to be his intercessor with the Europeans? Was he trying to punish Yarima in the process? Why did he, Abubakr, also turban Dikko with his own head gear? But most important of all, what crime did Yarima Abdu commit to deserve all these seeming acts that were in breach with the norm?

All these questions have challenged me in a way that makes me feel like writing a book that will fill this void in the history of Katsina.

3. ICT palaver in Nigeria- This is another area I wanted to write on but always got bogged down with the sheer amount of research that is required. The provision of internet services for offices and schools have now become a goldmine for senior civil servants in Nigeria. Every year fat budgetary allocations are made for ICT but ordinary connectivity to the internet remains a mirage for such offices and schools. From federal to state, ministries and institutions squander money in the name of ICT but little or nothing is seen on the ground. The same thing occurs in our schools, polytechnics and universities. No office or school in Nigeria today can boast of having had internet connectivity 24/7 on a continuous basis. But huge amounts continue to be spent every year with little or nothing to show for it. Still on the broad definition of ICT, I wish to put on record that our GSM companies are performing below standard. Lack of connectivity, call drops and voice lss are the order of the day. Which reminds one of the old days when the ineptitude of NITEL ruled the communication industry. Are we back to those days?
   

3. You can dig in the archives at the end of this page to follow the evolution of this blog over the one year period. I want to thank you all my dear readers, and I want also to thank all those who helped me with my endeavors on the web. I will also mention Saudi female bloggers, especially Farah Sowaleef, for initiating me into the wonderful world of blogging.

# posted by hajia @ 8:45 pm