Lasisi Olagunju – MONDAY LINES, The Tribune, 27/4/2020
“A friend forwarded a message to me, said he got it from a colleague in Kano. The messenger appeared panting while saying what he had to say about the inhabitants’ stubborn refusal to acknowledge and give coronavirus the respect it deserved.
And he had an explanation for the endemic recalcitrance: “I am from Kano State, so I cannot be accused of unfairly profiling other people. But I know how difficult and lawless our people can be. People build houses without planning or permit. A Kano slum is like no other anywhere. They defecate everywhere near the wall – it was the reason why UNESCO disqualified ancient Kano Wall as a world heritage site. Nearly all the vehicles in Kano are not properly registered and the vehicle licences are never renewed.
Almost every motorist has no driver’s licence. The FRSC data is there for all to verify. We don’t pay taxes. We resist paying for electricity and water bills. Some mosques in Kano don’t pay for utilities. PHCN has given up on collecting revenue from them. Disconnection is resisted with violence. Kaduna State generates more IGR than Kano despite its huge population and business gap.
We are one state that resisted seat belt laws to a standstill and beat up FRSC and VIO officials. The FRSC has given up enforcing the law. Kano people invented their own version of seat belt law that says passengers don’t need to wear seat belts. Women are exempted from all traffic regulations. Hardly you see Hisbah, Police, FRSC stopping women because their husbands will react violently for having their wives questioned. We are prone to riots at the slightest provocation…”
If the above is truly true, how does a country grappling with a contagious disease convince such a people to obey healthy instructions? And it looks like the chicken of Kano’s recalcitrant unbelief is already home to roost. Disobedience bears fruits and I think a morbid harvest is going on there already.”
