In Jigawa, a need for limits to hypocrisy
The Lamido administration appears to be desperate to exploit the gullibility of Nigerians by diverting attention from its own moral hypocrisy. The Jigawa State House of Assembly, which hastily packaged the report together, is Lamido’s rubber stamp and therefore, lacks the credibility to accuse anyone of any dirty conduct. That same House of Assembly is […]
The Lamido administration appears to be desperate to exploit the gullibility of Nigerians by diverting attention from its own moral hypocrisy. The Jigawa State House of Assembly, which hastily packaged the report together, is Lamido’s rubber stamp and therefore, lacks the credibility to accuse anyone of any dirty conduct.
That same House of Assembly is now indicting the former administration for one misdeed or the other. This hypocrisy is disgusting. The Speaker was Saminu’s man before and now shifted to Lamido’s side and is ready to be used to discredit the former governor as means of destroying the influence of Senator Saminu Turaki. In fact, the latest report by the Jigawa State House of Assembly against the former governor has nothing to do with public interest. It is a political move to stop Senator Turaki from throwing Lamido out of power.
The allegations against Saminu have been rehashed and regurgitated with monotonous frequency by Lamido, yet he couldn’t emasculate Saminu Turaki politically. Nobody should be fooled by Lamido’s propaganda as a means of surviving the ACN onslaught. The military once accused Alhaji Umaru Dikko of stealing one billion dollars in 1983, but the man was eventually vindicated as a victim of propaganda.
The investment of the Turaki administration in Jigawa State in terms of information technology and infrastructure are still visible and verifiable, yet Lamido is claiming that the entire budget of Jigawa State and subventions were diverted. Does it mean that all the projects Saminu initiated and executed were carried out with stones? Governor Lamido is on slippery moral ground. Why didn’t a report by the House of Assembly show interest in how a company belonging to the governor’s son is allegedly executing government contracts, including the supply of official vehicles?
Before Lamido takes the pulpit to preach accountability, let him clear the air about the overnight riches of those closest to him. You cannot claim to be an Aminu Kano disciple and then be found wanting.
The so-called report by the Jigawa State House of Assembly was a political propaganda document designed to help Lamido stop the political hurricane of the ACN from sweeping him out of power. But can he stop the momentum of change despite this desperate measure? It remains to be seen how this can help him. With many moral questions demanding answers, the Jigawa State House of Assembly should be courageous enough to focus attention on such an important issue of public interest.
Birnin Kudu wrote in from No. 18B Badarawa, Kaduna ([email protected])