How Governor Buni is silencing critics

It’s, indeed, one of the qualities of a leader to embrace differences, ending the blame game and eschewing bitterness and, of course, being tolerant. There’s no doubt to this assertion that this is what the governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni, is doing to silence his critics. If you could recall, in his inaugural […]

It’s, indeed, one of the qualities of a leader to embrace differences, ending the blame game and eschewing bitterness and, of course, being tolerant. There’s no doubt to this assertion that this is what the governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni, is doing to silence his critics.

If you could recall, in his inaugural speech, the governor stated that his administration would run an all-inclusive government, with an open door policy for everyone with meaningful contributions to make in the interest of the state, stressing that his government would have listening ears to worthy advice and suggestions that will promote unity and people’s interest.

Gov. Buni added that there would be no room for distractions or diversions and other sentiments or promotion of personal interest against the collective interest of the people of Yobe.

And as for me, I see a critic as the voice in your head telling you what you’ve done wrong. Sometimes it can help you avoid bad decisions. The good news is that you have complete control over your inner critic and as a leader, not everyone is going to like every decision you make or action you take, and truly this is what the governor is good at: negotiation, mediation, mediation-arbitration, diplomacy and creative peace building.

Regrettably, instead of constructive criticism, some of our teeming youths take sycophancy as a profession by protecting lies and being enslaved  by trying to make someone happy; hailing and fabricating lies through their various platforms such as facebook, whatsapp, twitter and other social media platforms day and night. Writing and posting rubbish is their trade. They don’t want to hear anyone or any medium criticising their bosses or identifying their faults.

Mr. Henry Shield twitted, saying that there’s a difference between being a supporter of a politician and being a slave. Many have crossed to slavery without knowing it. A supporter will point out mistakes to the leader. A slave continues shouting; oh yes! oh yes! Then we should understand that pointing out a leader’s mistakes is not hatred but just like recommendation or observation, and I advise that criticisms too should be constructive and not destructive. Hate speech is not a solution to the problems of development or unity of our dear nation; it can only create disunity among the citizens.

Astonishingly, I observe that Hon. Mai Mala Buni silenced some popular critics like a Publisher of Desert Herald, Tukur Mamu, a lawyer, Barr. Bulama Bukarti, and a journalist, who is also a popular facebook user, Husseini Mohammed Isa. To back my assertion, let me remind you of the recent award given to Gov. Buni by the same Malam Tukur Mamu as the best performing governor.

I, personally, was among those that criticised Gov. Buni’s administration earlier before I realised that he has listening ears, eschews bitterness and takes actions with immediate effect whenever an issue is brought to his table. And that is why some people call him Baba Mai Sulhu (meaning, Chief Reconciliator). He said, “there would be no peace if there’s no justice” and this is exactly what the governor holds to reconcile his party members (APC).  And for me, if the party leadership will continue to imitate Buni’s kind of leadership, they will definitely win elections beyond 2023.

Mai Mala Buni’s uniqueness in conflict resolution has turned Yobe State into a one party system and ended the internal crisis in his party. It’s obvious that anybody who will eschew bitterness and rumour mongering will definitely succeed in running the affairs of his administration.

But the question here is; does that mean the criticisers should remain mute despite the fact that most of the critics are doing it constructively? The answer is no, the governor has created a platform for people  that will  give them the opportunity to log their complaints through proper channels of communication which will reach its destination without bureaucratic hindrances, and most of us continue through this channel.

I also found out that it’s through critics that the state government under the leadership of Mai Mala Buni, has been able to implement some of the policies, like declaration of a ‘State of Emergency on Education’ and the likes. Since he took over the mantle of leadership as the governor of the state, I have been reading newspapers, watching television, listening to radio and have been following social media platforms with keen interest, and have found out that the number of critics has reduced to a minimal point.

Believe me, I have never met the governor in person or spoken with him on the phone but the way he addresses issues is what discourages me and my likes from criticising him publicly. It’s on record that Gov. Buni is not quarrelling with anyone politically or socially.

And let me conclude by describing those leaders that are humiliating journalists and activists that are pointing out their mistakes as disheartening leaders that lack good human relations and, as well, as those that don’t want to excel in running the affairs of their offices. I then call on them to emulate the governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni, in order to eschew bitterness and be tolerant in their pursuits.

Abdulmumin Kolo Gulani, Damaturu, Yobe State  [email protected]