“A handful of crumbs does not satisfy a hungry man, yet they call it generosity.”
By Eld. Yusuf Solomon Danbaki, PhD
danbakiyusufsolomon@gmail.com
NEWSDAILYNIGERIA: Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, has announced a fresh round of appointments and constituted governing boards for several state institutions. Among the appointees are Chief Strategic Adviser on Inter-Governmental Affairs, Senior Special Assistant on Community Relations, Senior Special Assistant on Policy Communications. Boards for institutions such as Kaduna State University, Kaduna Mining Development Company, Schools Quality Assurance Authority, Livestock Regulatory Agency, and Kaduna State Media Corporation have also been inaugurated, with zonal representation carefully distributed.
For some of us from Southern Kaduna, this development is less about genuine inclusion and more about calculated tokenism, a sophisticated tool designed to pacify, divide, and secure votes for the 2027 elections. A few individuals from Southern Kaduna receive advisory roles whose counsel is unlikely to shape major decisions, and ceremonial board positions with limited executive authority. These appointees are expected to celebrate their elevation, not because the offices equip them to drive transformative impact for their people, but because they represent crumbs from the master’s table while their brothers and sisters receive nothing meaningful.
As I have consistently highlighted in previous writings, tokenism in Kaduna State is not accidental, it is systemic. Despite Southern Kaduna contributing significantly to the state’s voting population (estimated at over 40–50%), our share of meaningful appointments has remained shamefully low across successive administrations:
- Ahmed Makarfi (1999–2007): ~20%
- Namadi Sambo (2007–2010): ~22%
- Patrick Yakowa (2010–2012): ~40% (only because he was from the zone)
- Mukhtar Yero (2012–2015): ~30%
- Nasir El-Rufai (2015–2023): ~15%
- Uba Sani (2023–present): ~25
- %
These figures are far below our demographic weight. The highest office routinely conceded remains Deputy Governor, a position rich in ceremony but poor in real executive authority. Other appointments are often limited to a few commissioner slots or heads of less strategic agencies. These are individuals paraded as evidence of “inclusion,” yet they operate within a system designed to limit their impact. You can put a man in a big office, but if you remove the authority, you have only enlarged his cage.
The latest appointments follow this familiar pattern: advisers whose advice may never be taken, and board chairmen with largely ceremonial powers. They become symbols of managed expectations rather than vehicles for genuine empowerment.
This recurring tokenism has fostered a dangerous psychology among some of our people, a mindset of diminished expectations. Many now appear conditioned not to demand or envision occupying the pinnacle of state power, the Governorship, the Speakership, or the Chief Judgeship. Instead, the horizon shrinks to aspirations for Deputy Governor or Deputy Speaker positions. They celebrate these crumbs, not because the offices will give them real opportunity to make impact, but because they are “better” than their brothers who got nothing. They throw you a bone and call it a banquet.
Tokenism is offering a man the crown while hiding the kingdom from him. This is the tragedy of learned helplessness. Who really did this to us? When will we deliver ourselves from this cycle? Who will take the first sacrificial step? Who will lead an honest negotiation?
It does not have to be war. It should simply be frank, mature dialogue with our northern brothers on how to share power equitably so that we can live together in peace and mutual respect. Someone must rise above sentiment and articulate a coherent, unifying vision for Kaduna State.
The path forward is negotiation, not resignation. The 2027 season is approaching. Will it be another round of the same ceremonial inclusion, or the beginning of deliberate self-liberation through principled negotiation?
Southern Kaduna deserves more than tokenism. We deserve real power, real development, and real respect. The time to break this cycle is now. The time for honest negotiation is now. The time for courageous leadership that thinks of the next generation, not just the next election, is now.
Let no one deceive us with ceremonial appointments. Our eyes are open. Our resolve is stronger. We will no longer accept the tail of the cow when the milk belongs to all of us.