A motley crowd of largely unruly youths carrying
screaming banners hailing Governor Mukhtar
Ramallan Yero of Kaduna State took over the Murtata Sqaure, Kaduna, on Tuesday, at a ceremony marking Yero's 100 days since becoming governor of a state equally shared by the Muslim North and the Christian South.
.
Kaduna State is perhaps where religion and ethnicity count very much in all spheres of governance.
.
Yero, ensconced by top guns of his government,
watched and listened to drummers, dancers, praise
singers and beggars all blaring different songs from
their megaphones at the same time, to create what
looked like a perfect state of cacophony.
.
But the most colourful of the groups were those that
looked like the official scumbags of the governor, or
"Yero Boys".
.
They wore fine adire flowing gowns with a hue of
green, over which a huge good looking face of the
governor stared out. Their trousers were white, with
green and red long strips from the waist to the edge.
.
But the trade mark of Yero was the green velvety
skull cap which they wore.
.
And, indeed, that seemed to be the governor's
political signature headwear – the green cap. All his
commissioners, local government chairmen, even
members of the state House of Assembly and
important guests wore the green caps, except Yero,
and his deputy, Ambassador Nuhu Bajoga.
.
Once a while, a VIP, happy with the outing of the the
"Yero Boys", would throw a wad of cash to the crowd.
.
They would momentarily suspend their performance
and dive at the cash, rolling and tearing at
themselves amidst profane languages in Hausa from the losers.
.
Street urchins or Alamajiris, as they are known here,
also had a good fill as they became emergency PDP
boys.