Baffa Bichi’s suicide

I personally know a how a brilliant young lawyer commissioner was unceremoniously dropped at the end of Sule Lamido’s tenure in 2011. Surprisingly, this very commissioner worked for the reelection of Lamido with so much vigour and fanfare more than all the then state executive council members. Ordinarily, everyone thought if Lamido will retain only one […]

I personally know a how a brilliant young lawyer commissioner was unceremoniously dropped at the end of Sule Lamido’s tenure in 2011. Surprisingly, this very commissioner worked for the reelection of Lamido with so much vigour and fanfare more than all the then state executive council members. Ordinarily, everyone thought if Lamido will retain only one person in his second term, the young lawyer remains the guy to beat.

Before you interject, this guy’s only offence was “political infidelity” and overzealousness. His political career started from the local government level as a political errand boy of a very close political ally of Lamido for about two decades. The commissioner was recommended for nomination by his village boss. Unknown to him, any unfettered access and privileges he got from Lamido and his family was courtesy of that boss, not his persona, sagacity or knowledge. Political gossips leaked to both Lamido and his boss.

His sycophancy towards anything related to Sule Lamido was unmatched, and his disrespect and rebellion to his erstwhile boss became glaring the moment he assumed he has arrived politically. This opulent commissioner was sighted spraying dollars in the presence of political big wigs, top government functionaries, family and friends during the wedding dinner of the governor’s son. For good or bad video clips were shown to the governor, who was said to be unimpressed by his conduct. He totally forgot that Lamido is a master of the game of politics and could discern and identify budding political ingrates.

Dr Baffa Bichi’s political journey, rise and catastrophic fall is akin to the story above. In the Buhari political home, Adamu Adamu was the political ladder for Baffa. The access and affection he got from Buhari and inner circle members were because of who brought him, not his intellect or brash ASUU comradeship. But somehow, he chose to completely play against the rules of the game and bypass his route to the master, Buhari. Both Buhari and Adamu Adamu won’t be comfortable keeping around Baffa close to them, for they know how dangerous such courtiers could be.

 

Dr Zahraddin Abdullahi, Kafin Hausa, Jigawa State.