RIGHT OF REPLY TO SENATOR SANI MUSA BAWA: ENGLISH IS NOT LEADERSHIP – FACTS ARE.
By Bala Salihu Dawakin kudu Northern Bureau Chief
May 17, 2025
It is with great disappointment that we address the unfortunate and utterly disgraceful remarks made by Senator Sani Musa Bawa, who chose to mock the English pronunciation of Senator Abdurrahman Kawu Sumaila on the Senate floor — an act that not only exposed Bawa’s pettiness but also his lack of understanding of what leadership truly entails.
Let us state clearly: communication is about conveying the message, not flaunting phonetics. If Senator Bawa’s metric of leadership is pronunciation, then one must ask — what has he delivered to his constituents aside from hollow ridicule and empty noise?
Senator Kawu Sumaila, by every metric of legislative performance and political courage, towers above Senator Bawa. We remind the public that Senator Sumaila played a historic role in resisting former President Obasanjo’s third term bid in 2007 — a stance that safeguarded Nigeria’s democracy at a time when silence would have been more politically profitable. Where was Senator Bawa during this critical period? Silent? Absent? Or just irrelevant?
Those who mock others out of inferiority often seek to disguise their own inadequacies. Senator Bawa must answer:
1. What are his legislative achievements that surpass those of Senator Sumaila?
2. What motion or bill of national significance has he championed or successfully defended?
3. Has Senator Bawa ever stood on the right side of history in any democratic battle?
4. Does he possess the intellectual maturity to engage in national discourse without descending into juvenile mockery?
5. Can Senator Bawa publicly present his academic qualifications and explain how they translate into real leadership?
It is public knowledge that Senator Sumaila holds a strong command of English language structure and expression — a fact seen in his articulate motions, legislative interventions, and advocacy for the people of Kano South. Leadership is not determined by accents but by action.
We challenge Senator Sani Musa Bawa to a public debate — not on grammar, but on governance, delivery, and the democratic struggle. Let us see who truly has the depth, the courage, and the intellectual competence to serve the Nigerian people.
Until then, we advise Senator Bawa to focus less on mockery and more on maturity. Governance is not a comedy stage; the Senate is not a playground for phonetic gymnastics. The people deserve substance, not sarcasm.
