Between erecting mansions and building a state

In a more ominous manifestation of the Al-Makura factor in Nasarawa State politics, two of the state’s leading traditional rulers barely escaped barbaric lynching at His Excellency’s swearing-in ceremony as if winning the governorship election was not enough to assuage the riotous rage of CPC’s supporters. And neither Al-Makura nor even General Buhari whose presence […]

In a more ominous manifestation of the Al-Makura factor in Nasarawa State politics, two of the state’s leading traditional rulers barely escaped barbaric lynching at His Excellency’s swearing-in ceremony as if winning the governorship election was not enough to assuage the riotous rage of CPC’s supporters. And neither Al-Makura nor even General Buhari whose presence expectedly fuelled the mob action raised a finger of disapproval. The new governor was obviously overwhelmed in a tumultuous crowd of irate supporters whose air-punching bedlam reduced his speech to a shrill voice in the wilderness. Of course the Al-Makura mobs did worse to visiting President Goodluck Jonathan whose entourage was pelted with sachets of water in the vicinity of the Emir of Lafia’s palace. All this leaves a distasteful doubt about the quality of the much-touted democratic change in Nasarawa State. Surely the new governor cannot run a mob-o-cracy without getting mobbed sooner or later.

Even the election results portend an artificial political configuration that defies both logic and history. For the CPC, there is just nothing to celebrate in clinching only Nasarawa governorship by a very narrow margin that renders it a disposable liability in the sprawling presence of the PDP in the state and indeed in Nigeria. Perplexed politicians in the state admit no less a dilemma when they acknowledge that Nasarawa State is still a PDP state with an Al-Makura figurehead draped in the borrowed robes of the CPC but hanging precariously on the flowing gowns of an intimidating PDP power bloc. Al-Makura is at wits end dispelling widespread postulations that he is a PDP fish out of water that is bound to leap back to his “true” party sooner or later to survive. The PDP hawks who are already challenging his almost questionable victory at the polls have only contend with a few days of rioting around Lafia should they opt for the more potent and prompt impeachment strategy. The people can now ponder over the “progress” they have made by jumping from the ruling party to the unruly party and what they will surely loose for such political immaturity.

But the real spoiler can be found in the evident exasperation of Governor Al-Makura at a time when the incited masses can’t wait to see the much-expected change. It seems to have finally dawned on the governor that coming to grips with the intricacies of governance and meeting the restless expectations of his exuberant supporters is easier promised than accomplished. He might just be realizing that a great deal of the political opposition to Aliyu Doma was actually motivated by the same personal agenda that triggered his own quest to occupy Government House, Lafia. Meanwhile, his exuberant supporters have been sobered a lot by seeing that two weeks after taking charge, Governor Al-Makura could not even continue with the community project road leading to his house which he started with so much bravado to score political points against the Doma administration.

Al-Makura will soon find out that what his predecessor was being blackmailed for is the result of mass ignorance and elite arrogance. The arrogant elites of Nasarawa hated Doma because he rightly refused to place their whims and caprices above the imperative of facilitating development of the entire state.

Al-Makura will soon be confronted with a miserable monthly federal allocation from which to meet the myriad demands of misled impoverished masses, the insatiable appetite of arrogant elites, salaries and wages and other overheads of an indispensible civil service and, above all, the monumental challenge of accelerated socio-economic development of Nasarawa State. We shall see how genuine his popularity is and whether governing Nasarawa State is as simple as owning estates in Abuja and building mansions in Lafia.

Akwati writes from Akwanga, Nasarawa State.