Category Archives: Opinion

By Sani M. Lawal

I just stumbled on an article purportedly written by a certain Comrade Mashema claiming to speak for one Haruna Ibrahim who the writer said is a Bauchi state civil servant in the Ministry of Environment and Forestry with registration number PSN821312.

The writer said he was pleading on behalf of the said civil servant for the Governor of Bauchi state and relevant organs of government to intervene and facilitate the payment of his salaries withheld for 38 months.After reading the article, several questions jumped into my mind that called for care and caution and above all suspicions of the motive behind the article and of course the writer. Firstly, the writer, essentially obscure, could not have been pleading in good faith as he claimed by choosing the media option and not through direct contact with the officials concerned.

Secondly, the writer, evidently unschooled, went to town without the necessary background check that could have given him a solid ground to lay his claim upon; instead, of achieving the objective he claimed, he ended up dancing stark naked in the market square and exposing himself as one of those hatchet men at hand to do mischief for a fee. In order to avoid the kind of embarrassment Comrade Mashema subjected himself to with his slanted story, I undertook a fact check before venturing this response as a concerned indigene of Bauchi state.First, it does not require any deep search to recall that the Bauchi state government of Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed did indeed set up a committee under Adamu Gumba verification to verify staff strength for consolidation with the state salaries bill in order to sanitize the civil service. Every genuinely concerned indigene of Bauchi is as well aware that the Gumba Committee had concluded its assignment and submitted a report with far reaching recommendations.It was therefore the verification committee that discovered the said Haruna Ibrahim as a non-verifiable staff and suggested appropriate measures including the suspension of payment of his salaries. In that report, the said Haruna Ibrahim was uncleared as he was discovered to be redundant without defined schedule or even a duty post.

The committee also found fault with Haruna’s claim to be attending school which he failed to back up with evidence of official release issued to him at anytime.All these facts, Mashema overlooked in his writeup in an obvious haste to deliver his dubious assignment.It is important to place on record here, that Bauchi State had in a bid to boost the state’s workforce employed over 4,000 new staff, has been paying minimum wage, and has implemented consequential adjustments and implemented financial benfits of all employees that have been promoted since previous administrations. One wonders therefore, how much is Haruna salary’s could be, that the State cannot pay if not for reasons of his been found to be an illigimate staff.

It also beats one’s imagination that Haruna Ibrahim could only find his voice now after 38 months and even that through a proxy who turned out to be unprofessional. If only Haruna Ibrahim and Gulumba, his self-appointed voice were not up to some mischief, they ought to have taken the matter up with the ministry they claimed or the Office of the Head of Civil Service. Finally, alternatively, Haruna ought to have shown decent remorse by humbly apologizing for the detected misdemeanor and seek reinstatement by the State and the Governor rather than going the wrong way of unwarranted blackmail in the media.

(Lawal a bona fide Bauchi indigene, writes from Azare)

-By Rev. Emmanuel Olorunmagba

It is so pathetic and hypocritical that the Atiku Abubakar that had consistently said the presidency was the turn of the north since 2014, has not bought his way to jettison the PDP zoning he had insisted must be followed when it was in favour of the north. And he as a northerner, Fulani and a Muslim is now desperately canvassing and plotting the possibility of taking over from another northerner Fulani who is also a Muslim man, without caring about the consequences to the north.

However, despite the fact that it’s obvious Atiku knows the consequences, but chose to ignore it due to his inordinate ambition; it’s important to clearly state that:

After eight (8) disastrous years of a northerner, Fulani who is also Muslim man; for another northerner Fulani and Muslim man to take over immediately will definitely result in the following:

1. A confirmation that the north assume they are the “born-to-rule” and other tribes are mere slaves or glorified second class citizens.
2. A total breakdown in anything that has to do with political alliance between the north and the south, which will clearly manifest in future elections.
3. Total collapse of trust between the north and the south, since it would have been so clear that despite the north holding to power more than the south during the military era, they have decided to play on the intelligence of the south during the democratic administration, using rotation as a tool when it favours them and jettisoning it when the rotation now favours the south.
4. Complete collapse of the rotational system resulting in avoidable unhealthy rivalry even in all major political parties in Nigeria.
5. The serious challenge that will bring about selfless and unbreakable alliance between the South East, South South and South West that will eventually results in the south also retaining power for minimum of sixteen (16) uninterrupted years or even more.
6. In summary it is obvious that Atiku Abubakar actually does not care about the political future and image of the northerners and has decided to sacrifice them on the altar of his desperation to achieve his inordinate ambition at all costs.

Just as a reminder, it was Atiku Abubakar who, when he insisted it was the turn of the north, quoted John F. Kennedy that, “those who make peaceful change impossible will make violent change inevitable.”

And in 2014 when former president Goodluck Jonathan was about to complete six years as a president and was seeking for one more term that he was constitutionally entitled to, Atiku Abubakar insisted it was the turn of the north. And he (Atiku) did all in his power to frustrate him (Jonathan) as he led five governors to storm out of Eagle Square. He then sponsored them to form New PDP (NPDP) before they moved to All Progressive Congress (APC) to support Muhammadu Buhari, a northerner to emerge as president in fulfilment of the turn of the north.

Again in 2109, Atiku insisted it was the still the turn of the north that the north is entitled to eight (8) uninterrupted years as president. Hence he offered himself to contest under the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to serve the term of the north according to the constitution of PDP on power rotation. In agreement with the gentleman principle of power rotation between the north and the south, we massively supported Atiku Abubakar in 2019 to complete the tenure of the north. But his fellow Fulani man defeated him and continue to complete the eight (8) years for northerners.

Despite that it was the same Atiku Abubakar that was screaming that it was the turn of the north and the north had consistently occupied Aso Rock it in the last two administration; the same Atiku Abubakar has in 2022 used his dollar power to conner the leadership of PDP and bought over the delegates of PDP to still take PDP presidential ticket when it’s now the turn of the south.

The questions to ask Atiku Abubakar and all of the people promoting him are:

1. After eight (8) disastrous years of a northerner, Fulani man and a Muslim, are they assuming that the northerners remain the so called “born to rule”?
2. Are they insinuating that the Southerners are totally subdued slaves, especially the South East people that have not ruled Nigeria since the first Republic?
3. Do they want people to believe that there is no Southerner that is good enough to also be the president of Nigeria at this time?
4. If by mistake Atiku Abubakar, a Northerner, Fulani and a Muslim becomes the next president after eight (8) years of a northerner, Fulani and a Muslim; can there ever be political alliance between the north and south again; since the northerners would have succeeded in confirming the notion that they believe they are the “born-to-rule” while others are second class citizens?

In conclusion, it is now the turn of the south and precisely the South East that has not produced any president since the first republic. And the South East has credible candidate, a man of integrity who has vast understanding of the myriad of problems befalling Nigeria and how to tackle them towards the birth of a new nation.

Come onboard and let’s rescue our beloved country together through ballot revolution on Saturday 25th February, 2023. We can do it.

SIGNED:

Rev Emmanuel Olorunmagba,
Candidate for House of Representatives,
Kabba-Bunu/Ijumu Federal Constituency
Of Kogi State.