Between Yuguda and Jibrin

It was also said that Jibrin had no stake in Bauchi politics and that he made no contribution to the coming of Yuguda’s government, but it went further to say that he was in the payroll of the Yuguda campaign organization. Which one do you want us to believe? I personally know the kind of […]

It was also said that Jibrin had no stake in Bauchi politics and that he made no contribution to the coming of Yuguda’s government, but it went further to say that he was in the payroll of the Yuguda campaign organization. Which one do you want us to believe? I personally know the kind of man Jibirn is and I am sure he is indignant to corruption and this explains why he lost face with the former Governor Ahmad Muazu and decided to join Yuguda in the battle that ushered Yuguda to power. But jibrin, like many citizens of Bauchi were deceived by the ostensible innocent qualities of Yuguda.

It is funny and shameful if Yuguda would come down too low to the demeaning level of telling the world that he contributed the sum of one million naira to his aide at the latter’s wedding. Even if that was true, it will never be compared to what had been wasted during the governor’s wedding that reportedly cost over a billion naira, all from public funds.

One thing I have found interesting is the issue of indigeneship of Bauchi State which from the look of things, Yuguda uses as a weapon to intimidate political opponents, but before I comment on that, there is need to look back so as to refresh our memories on who started this on Bauchi State, why he did it and against who.

We are all living witnesses to the intense hostility between Ahmed Adamu Muazu and Isa Yuguda which seriously affected the latter’s gubernatorial ambition. We know the difficulties and travails Yuguda went through.

He was subjected to all kinds of maltreatment to force him retreat, but he showed some courage to keep on against all odds and the public, out of sympathy, rallied round him.  The climax of the intimidation was the disqualification of Yuguda from the list of gubernatorial contenders on the platform of PDP. The reason given was that he was not an indigene of Bauchi State. This led to his decamping to ANPP. Surprisingly, similar claim was also made against Yuguda’s former Chief of Staff when their relationship turned sour and now the same thing is repeated against Yakubu Jibrin.

This latest incidence made me have an interest and in attempt to satisfy my curiosity, I conducted research on the family background of Yuguda and Jibrin from neutral and independent sources. We will see at the end when comparison is made who really has a stake in Bauchi politics.

According to my sources, Jibrin Jiya,  the late father of Yakubu Jibrin, hailed from Niger State. Jiya however, is not a name of a place in Niger State as claimed in the rejoinder but a clan name. Jibrin Jiya came from a traditional ruling family. He acquired modern education and his contemporaries as well as schoolmates were the late Prime Minister, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Sir Ahmed Bello, Sir Kashim Ibrahim, Malam Aminu Kano, Alhaji Isa Kaita, Alhaji Abdurrahman Okene, Ladan Kontagora, Alhaji Umaru Gwandu, Alhaji Musa Daggash and Alhaji Husaini Mashi to mention a few. Those were either his classmates or schoolmates in the famous Katsina College. He later obtained a diploma from the School of Forestry, Ibadan and Higher Diploma from Accra, Ghana, and some many other courses on forestry and wildlife.

Jibrin Jiya worked under the Governments of Northern Region, North- Eastern State and Bauchi State. He founded and established the Kainji Park, Gamsheka Park and the most popular Yankari Game Reserve in Bauchi State.

Jibrin Jiya came to Bauchi over sixty years ago. All his children were born and raised in Bauchi. His associates in Bauchi were the Late Emir, Malam Adamu Jumba, Alhaji Umaru Santuraki (Santurakin Bauchi), Sarkin Kudu Ahmadu, Alhaji Ahmadu Kari (Garkuwan Bauchi), Alhaji Yakubu Kirfi, Alhaji Adamu Bazamfare (Sarkin Kasuwan Bauchi) just to mention a few.

Jibrin Jiya also worked with late Brigadier Musa Usman and the then Colonel Mohammadu Buhari as former Governor of North- Eastern State and Colonel Mohammadu Bello Kaliel, Colonel Garba Duba, Alhaji Abubakar Tatari Ali, and Brigadier Sani Sami as governors of Bauchi State.

Jiya collected national and international awards such as MON, OON, OFR and Wildlife International award. He presented papers on wildlife and forestry in international conferences in U.S.A, U.K, Portugal, Tanzania, Germany, Ghana, Kenya, India, Ethiopia and Sudan etc.

However, taking a peek into Yuguda, one will realise that Mahmud Yuguda, the father of Isa Yuguda was a typical Fulani nomad who came into Bauchi from Niger Republic. He settled in a place called Natsira near Kundum about 25 kilometres north of Bauchi metropolis.

With the passage of time, he left the village and came to a place that was more of a hamlet to stay. Soon, the name of the place turned to Unguwar Yuguda. After some years, Yuguda kept moving northward until he came to Cameroun. He spent some years there when the development in Cameroun with regards to Sardauna province caused his return to Nigeria where he lived in Gindiri in the present Plateau State. During that period, he sold his herds of cattle and became a night watchman before he relocated to Gindiri in Plateau State.

Older children of Yuguda including Isa were born in Gindin Akwati in Plateau State.

Now it is up to the readers to ascertain who really has a stake in Bauchi State.

Ahmed Ibrahim Madugu writes from Works Dept, Bauchi L.G Secretariat, Bauchi