Bauchi: Between democracy and anarchy

I will want to intimate all well-meaning and patriotic Nigerians of the tide of turbulent waves is ebbing in Bauchi State and to facts and possibility of some turncoats or merchants of double standards are among our (APC) fold. If care and repositioning is not done now, we will have ourselves to blame come 2019. […]

I will want to intimate all well-meaning and patriotic Nigerians of the tide of turbulent waves is ebbing in Bauchi State and to facts and possibility of some turncoats or merchants of double standards are among our (APC) fold. If care and repositioning is not done now, we will have ourselves to blame come 2019. The experience learnt by the PDP should not be lost on all of us which will be taking collective amnesia too far.
The intrigues and political philandering displayed in Bauchi State can at best be synonymous to anarchy, where all rules of governance are relegated to the background and self-serving interests are brought to the fore. The inherited PDP Caretaker Local Government Chairmen can only work against this new administration’s policy of zero tolerance to corruption and its appurtenances. This will be an antithesis to the belief’s and tenets of President Buhari’s government.
The most amazing thing that happened in the last few days of the fasting period is Governor Mohammed Abubakar’s extension of his goodwill to some of the PDP primary stakeholders like Ahmadu Mu’azu; former PDP National Chairman and Bala Mohammed; former Minister of FCT in Saudi Arabia.
This gesture has confirmed the long accusation of the core APC members and concerned citizens of Bauchi State. I have no crises of him having relationships with his buddies; Ahmadu Mu’azu, Mallam Isa Yuguda, Bala Mohammed and co. The APC cannot justify this political suicide. We all know those that are under the searchlight of the anti-graft agencies and those the Governor blamed for the collapse of order in the state. This is a clear indication that he does not have the interest of the party at heart but only believes in his exuberance and his whims, regrettably the people are the ones that suffer.
It’s okay to have friends across political divides but not friends that destroyed the system which we are trying very hard to revamp. The APC government in Bauchi has now become a laughing stock in the social media and other forums. It is not only political misconduct but lack of wisdom, tact and organizational skills. If he is a man of honour, which he is trying to claim, he should resign honorably. If he refused to do so the people will vote him out in 2019, as they did his former governors PDP friends. What he has in common with his cronies is common interest and not PDP or APC ideologies. The common man in Bauchi is now aware of this common interest among cronies, exchanging the mantle of leadership among them and will no longer allow it to continue.
Imagine a state where there is no interaction between the key stakeholders in the state leadership of the party, the Governor, the National Assembly members and the grassroots. Imagine this scenario and add the untold hardship permeating all sectors of the state. Mix it with the fact that you will get persecuted through queries and outright dismissal, for stating the obvious misconduct of governance in the state and proffering solutions to make a way forward.
It is not about Ahmed Yerima, it is about the detribalized and tolerant Bauchi common man who has exemplified love for one another irrespective of their origin. What he got is a travesty of justice and shortchanging by elites.
Silence in this case would be misconstrued by the folks in the state to mean complicity in this ubiquitous rape of democracy. “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing”, stated Edmund Burke. As things stand now the Governor is caught in a state of doublethink. The high sentiments always win in the end; the leaders who offer blood, toil, tears and sweat always get more out of their followers than those who offer safety and a good time. When it comes to the pinch, human beings are heroic.
146 prisoners were recently released in the state. The irony remains in the fact that the Governor is sending them back to the same place they left, with no support for their parents who are salary and pension earners. They will surely miss the meals provided by the federal government in the prisons. What happens after that? Will he give them employment to remove the possibility of returning to crime? His use of thugs as his personal security is an offshoot of the existence of such elements that are ready to do anything to get out of poverty and unemployment.
The statutory allocation for the LG’s is about N2.5 billion, an average of 120 million naira per LG and about 3 billion naira, for the state every month, over 5 billion in total. Bauchi local government, with the highest allocation, got 170 million, in January and shared in February 2016; Bogoro and Dass Local Governments got 76 million each, in the same period which was the lowest, but what is on ground is not commensurate to these statutory provisions.
My best wishes still goes to the good people of my constituency, Bauchi State and the country at large, who have sacrificed a lot for Democracy. On a sad note I pay tributes to the departed souls of Justice Niki Tobi (rtd), Ojo Maduekwe and the renowned poet; Captain Elechi Amadi.
Mu ce ce Jihar Bauchi (Lets save Bauchi State)
Ahmed Yerima is a member, House of Representatives