MA Abubakar’s critics and burden of truth
For quite some time now, a few media houses and a cross section of the social media in connivance with some spurious elements masquerading as journalists, columnists or commentators have lent themselves to the unholy enterprise of running down the reputation of Bauchi state Governor, Muhammed Abdullahi Abubakar ostensibly- for political recognition, blackmail and cheap […]
For quite some time now, a few media houses and a cross section of the social media in connivance with some spurious elements masquerading as journalists, columnists or commentators have lent themselves to the unholy enterprise of running down the reputation of Bauchi state Governor, Muhammed Abdullahi Abubakar ostensibly- for political recognition, blackmail and cheap sympathy.
Most of the negative publications against this humble man were full of half-truths and innuendos. All this while, the good people of the state restrained themselves with considerable effort, of course from joining issues with those laggards with the belief that with time, they will realize the futility of fighting a man that has a noble and holistic vision for the people.
In Nigeria, like all contemporary societies of the world, the challenge of leadership is daunting. How do you ensure that you satisfy the generality of the people with pandering to the whims and caprices of the stakeholders? By stakeholders, I mean those whose main desire is a government that caters for their needs and messages their over-bloated egos. I mean those who think rightly or wrongly that power must be misused to their selfish advantage against the collective welfare of the people whose mandate the governor has in trust.
The core of these people are the elite who either feast on government without adding any value in return or, the opponents of the man in power who are bent on destroying him at all cost to create a window to attaining power or accessibility to public treasury.
In Nigeria, an opposition has acclimatized to seeing the negative side of things against their contender, smoke screening the positive ones.
To be constructive in criticism is to enjoy sympathy from the hapless listeners or readers who will in the affirmative hail the critic as a hero. These armies of irredeemable politicians masquerading as critics do not criticize Governor Abubakar with the holistic intention to correcting his perceived mis-governance but to divert his attention to trivial issues of no value.
Rather, they attack him in the market square with the aim to undermine and destroy his reputation and political career.
Overtime, Governor Abubakar was under strident criticisms of some spoilsports who maliciously accused him of imaginary offences ranging from seizure of plots from ‘legal beneficiaries’; purchase of SUV’s for members of the State House of Assembly; muscling out members of All Progressives Congress, APC to other parties; corruption; nonperformance and inability to pay civil servants and pensioners regularly to mention but a few. A cursory look at all these allegations reveals that they lack an iota of truth to trouble a mind or worth a rejoinder.
It is simply comical that the governor would be so daft to illegally retrieve lands from legitimate beneficiaries without genuine reason. No sane person bites the fingers of his own people no matter the imaginary political difference. The administration works with the ideology of change from the old order of grab to legitimate ownership through due process.
Also accusing public officials of corruption is becoming the usual refrain of desperate elements shut out from getting closer to the state treasury without genuine reason. That is why pages of newspapers are daily filled with various allegations of corruption running into billions. The nation’s anti-graft agencies, particularly ICPC had invited all the 36 governors for a brief interaction to strengthen the facts and Bauchi governor was the first to honor that invitation which was televised nationwide. That sends a signal to his detractors to at least sheath their swords for peace. Their expectation was dashed. It was not the strength of a petition that took him to ICPC but an invitation to brainstorm on certain gray areas hitherto in the dark.
Despite the downturn of the economy, the governor within 365 days of his administration in office, awarded contracts for the construction of over 200 kilometers of roads across the state, settled the Bill Gates and Melinda Foundation counterpart funding, paid inherited backlog of civil servants salaries, carried renovation works on some government dilapidated houses, paid NECO and WAEC registration fees for the state’s final year secondary school students, constructed and equipped 20 Primary Health Care Centres (PHC) in the 20 local government areas of the state. These laudable objectives were appreciated by the Canadian Government who extended a handsome donation of health services delivery materials worth millions of naira. The administration sponsored free eye treatment to over 10,000 patients as other serious cases were referred to accredited hospitals for further treatment free. The list is long but is there for any doubting Thomas to see.
M.A. Abubakar, it must be pointed out, is institutionalizing a brand new style of leadership in Bauchi state that has vision or better still, demonstrates clear ideas anchored on sincerity, which exemplifies an ethical disposition and willingness to pursue those ends, even against the current of moral and ethical permissiveness prevalent in the society.
It is my ardent hope that the kind of obsession that his critics have so far displayed will not dovetail into an incongruous situation whereby if they are unable to fulfill their marital responsibilities to their wives, they will not blame this amiable, gentle and peace loving man called Muhammed Abdullahi Abubakar.
Maigamo wrote this piece from Toro, Bauchi State.