Alhaji Muhammadu Gidado Abba Kalli is the Wamban Katsina in Katsina. Born 14 years after the creation of the geo-political entity called Nigeria and 32 years before it became an independent, sovereign state, he was already an official of the then very powerful Native Authority. Though not a very visible partaker of the struggle for independence, he, nonetheless, followed its progress and he was very clear about the vision of the country’s post-independence leaders. 50 years on he has a story, full of pathos, to tell. He spoke recently to Muazu Elazeh in Katsina. Excerpts:

I’m sure, for a start, your royal highness wouldn’t mind giving us an insight into your past.
I’m Muhammadu Gidado Abba Kalli, the Wambai of Katsina. I was born in 1928 and I started elementary school in 1936. I enrolled in Katsina middle school in 1942 and worked as a nurse from 1945 to 1955. In 1956 I attended some administrative courses in Kongo campus of the present day Ahmadu Bello University Zaria where I trained as financial controller for the Native Authority and was posted to Kaita as District Accountant and later served as District Area Secretary. I retired in 1976 and joined active politics and was appointed supervisory councillor in Katsina local government council. I served as member of Operation Feed the Nation, Arts Council and Sports Council before being elected member of the old Kaduna state House of Assembly. I served as the deputy speaker of the Assembly in 1983.

As someone who had started working before Nigeria got independence, what were your experiences of the pre-independence days?
It was in fact a mixture of good and bad. Good because we had the Native Authority (NA) which provided the best leadership you can ever think of. And except for few instances, the colonialists were very helpful in setting the standards for a better society. It was bad because we were controlled by the expatriates. But the beauty of the whole thing is that the struggle for independence began early enough. As at 1948, when I had started working, we were engaged in the struggle for independence. Of course, the struggle led to the formation of pressure groups and later political parties. In the north, two political parties were formed, the Northern People’s Congress (NPC) and Northern Element Progressive Union (NEPU). By 1954 when another constitutional conference took place, the political parties had fully matured. The parties and the nationalists contributed immensely to the struggle for independence.

What were the expectations of your generation that struggled for independence at the time you did?
The desire for independence was driven by not only the need to administer ourselves but to provide quality services to our people. Of course, our expectations then included an egalitarian Nigeria where everybody will be free to contribute to the development of the nation. We dreamt of a nation where the standard of living is improved and all the citizens are provided with education so as to live a quality life. In fact, the first generation leaders like the Sardauna and Tafawa Balewa were driven by the desire to move Nigeria forward. What those who struggled for independence believed and envisioned was a Nigeria of equal opportunities for all, a land of the proverbial milk and honey which we all believe is possible since we have the resources. We envisioned an improved health care delivery system, improved agriculture, and importantly, general improvement in the peoples standard of living.

But 50 years after, can we say we are anywhere near achieving those expectations?
Well, we aren’t there yet but I know we have achieved a lot. If we don’t appear to have moved fast enough, it’s due to lack of foresight on the part our leaders, especially the current leadership that has tended to derail. us. The thinking of our early post-independence leaders like Sardauna and Tafawa Balewa was how to safeguard the future of this country. In fact they lived and died for that. Unfortunately, years after their death and even with the promises of good governance which the independence brought, we are nowhere near those expectations which preceded the independence. So even though we have achieved a lot with more schools and more intellectuals, the expectations we had during the independence were rarely met. A lot of us are disappointed.

Years after independence and even with enormous resources, poverty still stares us in the face. What could be responsible for this?
The main factor, again, is poor leadership. The leaders have not been up and doing. If we can get good leaders who are truly committed to the cause of this country, who have the interest of the masses at heart, we will succeed. I remember very well that in those days, only 12% of the revenue generated was given to Native Authority. But with this little amount, the Native Authority builds hospitals and provides other essential services yet had some reserve which is deposited in a bank in London. But what we have today is a situation where millions of naira are generated and expended recklessly. Under a situation like this, why won’t poverty linger when few are feasting on wealth meant for all. I wonder why our leaders won’t commit to making life better for the masses through judicious use of national resources. We have to address the issue of leadership squarely or else, poverty will continue to ravish the population. As we celebrate 50 years of independence, we must ask ourselves if we have lived the dreams of our heroes past.

Dr. Mustapha Mohammed Gwadabe is a history lecturer at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. In the early 1990s, he was neck deep in partisan politics, accepting to be the coordinator of late M.K.O Abiola’s presidential campaign in the Northwest geo-political zone. After June 12 debacle, he switched over to Alhaji M.D. Yusuf’s Movement for Democracy and Justice (MDJ).