Picking Up The Gauntlet: A SWOT Analysis Of The Kaduna Restoration Group
The Oasis Reporters
April 28, 2018
By Col. Gora Dauda (rtd)
In my last outing just a few days back, I attempted a SWOT analysis of my political party the APC. I provided a background as to what a SWOT analysis is. I also tried to explain why such analysis is very important to businesses and or organizations. A curious reader who is a staunch member of the Kaduna Restoration Group (KRG) and a friend at that upon reading the post commented thus ” It will be beautiful Colonel, if we (members of KRG) have a SWOT analysis of the KRG in the light of distinguished Senator Othman Suleiman Hunkuyi’s push for Sir Kashim Ibrahim House.”
I agree with the Engr (Dr) friend because it is very important that we know ourselves as well as our opponents very well. Sun Tzu put it very clearly in words to the effect that ” If you know yourself and you know the opponents (Enemy) well, you cannot be afraid to engage him in a contest of wills. Where you know yourself but know not the opponent, for every victory recorded on the battlefield, you will suffer a loss.
But where you know not neither yourself nor the opponent, you will be a complete fool to engage in a battle because you will be defeated in every engagement”.
I have decided to pick up the gauntlet in order not to let my good friend’s appetite die out.
The KRG is one of the many groups in the Distinguished Senator Othman Suleiman Hunkuyi for Governor movement as well as the only viable opposition group embedded in the APC in Kaduna State. It was stated in an earlier post that Strengths and Weaknesses are internal to the organization under focus while Opportunities and Threats are external all of which ought to be accorded serious consideration. Let us now consider the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats of the KRG.
STRENGTHS
The KRG is officially the only viable opposition grouping in the politics of Kaduna State. This group is not doing the bidding of anyone. It is completely independent and is made up of people of character who are concerned about the wellbeing and political health of Kaduna State. When it became apparent that the electorate in Kaduna State had inadvertently voted in a dictator as governor, a few concerned and foresighted members came together to form the KRG. This became necessary as major stakeholders had been completely sidelined in the decision making process in the State. The KRG quickly realized that promises made to the electorate in the State were not being delivered on.
There was this obvious slide to dictatorship in Kaduna and members being true democrats risked everything to voice their opposition and disgust. We are supposed to be operating a democracy but it is naked dictatorship that is at play. The totality of the efforts of the KRG has been well received by the suffering, thoroughly humiliated and demoralized people of the State. Advocacy in defence of the democratic rights and interest of the people of Kaduna have been and are still being carried out on Social media, radio and television programmes. These programmes are well received by the people given their active participation and comments.
The KRG has a very strong and formidable leadership under a man of character, material substance, experience as well as a media mogul in Alh Dr Tijjani Ramalan. His leadership capability has sustained the vibrancy of the group. We have in the KRG a group of sound legal minds who provide legal advice and always ready to take up cases if any in the law courts.
There is also an array of academicians of repute. In the ranks of the KRG are religious leaders from the 2 leading faiths just as there are business men/women.
A major area of strength in the KRG is that there are experienced retired military officers as well as civil servants who are deploying their experience to provide direction to the group. Above all, the KRG is not all about APC, there are members from other political platforms who are disenchanted with the style of governance in Kaduna State. The KRG was the first to raise objection to the dubious $ 350 million US dollar loan which was on the cards to be taken by the rapacious dictatorship carefully guided by a gang of economic vampires in guise of consultants. Eventually, other concerned indigenes of Kaduna State including all our Distinguished Senators rallied round to defeat the loan request. This is a big plus for the KRG and the suffering masses of the State.
WEAKNESSES
As with any organization, there are some weaknesses in the KRG. The main weakness lies in the fact that the group is not a registered political party and there is no desire for that at least in the foreseeable future. The group has no members in the State House of Assembly who could possibly have acted or advanced the interest of the group.
Finance is yet another area of weakness as the burden of finance is borne by the Chairman, a few friends and sympathizers. It is possible that in an organization of this nature, there is the possibility that the dictatorship could have planted fifth columnists who could secretly be working against the interest of the group. Recently one such mole who fell prey to peanuts offered him by the dictatorship sought to make political capital by going on radio to announce his defection. He failed woefully because he had earlier been identified for the fifth columnists he has always been.
The group has no political power as it were and therefore susceptible to intimidation by agents of the dictatorship as evinced by the crude demolition of the APC factional headquarters at 11b Sambo Road not long ago. The KRG is operating through the goodwill of friends who have been offering their offices for meetings.
OPPORTUNITIES
There are many opportunities for the KRG which could, if well harnessed extend the political frontiers of the group. There are so many frustrated and disenchanted people who are ready to join the group if an invitation was extended. The resort to crude intimidation, blackmail, and naked violence against some members of the KRG by the dictatorship which has the constitutional responsibility for securing all citizens is winning sympathizers to our cause.
The disastrous performance of the dictatorship on a continued basis is exposing their flanks which should be the focal points of attack by the opposition. The propensity by the dictator for reckless and irresponsible speech clearly portrays his contempt for the people of Kaduna State. The swelling number of our people sacked from their places of work without their allowances paid provides the KRG genuine opportunities of advocating for their cause. The very fact that the dictatorship is not performing in line with its campaign promise of Making Kaduna Great Again is providing the KRG the opportunity to put the Prof of politics as well as political General, Distinguished Senator Othman Suleiman Hunkuyi in Sir Kashim Ibrahim House come 2019, God willing.
THREATS
As has been clearly demonstrated by agents of the dictatorship, physical attacks on some members of KRG remains an existential threat. The dictatorship’s controlled judiciary is used to serve their interest. As things stand the dictatorship is not only a threat but is actually deploying unlawful means to pull down property belonging to KRG members as was the case with number 11b Sambo Road in Kaduna. Pressure/intimidation conflated to compelling Danladi Wada, the former State APC acting Chairman to resign his post.
Actions such as these are instilling fear in some weak minded members of the KRG.
In perusing this post, it is important that the reader does not situate his/her mind. Efforts like this will encourage self introspection which should clearly bring to the fore those areas in an organization requiring action aimed at providing strength and growth.
Written by Col. Gora Dauda (rtd)
