Nasarawa through 2012’s mirror
After blowing hot and cold with political exuberance, Governor Almakura had exhausted all his initial bravado of having all the answers and blaming his predecessor Aliyu Doma for everything wrong with Nasarawa State. Obviously, seeking political office just to pursue personal political grudge is the worst form of ambition because the aspirant is totally blind […]
After blowing hot and cold with political exuberance, Governor Almakura had exhausted all his initial bravado of having all the answers and blaming his predecessor Aliyu Doma for everything wrong with Nasarawa State. Obviously, seeking political office just to pursue personal political grudge is the worst form of ambition because the aspirant is totally blind to anything except his vaulting ambition. Important issues of governance such as the burden of leadership, the paucity of resources, the legitimate expectations of citizens for a better life, the need to carry everyone along and the principle of continuity of government are hopelessly overshadowed by flame of self-actualization. As a result of these frailties, Governor Almakura did not even have a road map to his illusionary Eldorado yet he bragged about the simplicity of transforming Nasarawa into heaven on earth.
It came as no surprise that the roaring lion squeaked like a cornered rat in the face of budgetary limitations, demands for settlement of political bills, increasing vandalism of misguided supporters and above all his sheer lack of leadership and political experience. On all fronts he emerged vanquished leaving him with no option but to face the grim realities of governing Nasarawa State complicated by the draw backs of his own myopic vision. For too long he dilly-dallied where he should have been decisive and displayed a disappointing lack of initiative that left even his most ardent supporters aghast. Mere appointment of commissioners became an uphill task despite abundance of candidates. Relating with an opposition-loaded legislature confirmed Almakura’s mediocrity as it was the legislators that acted responsibly by not impeaching him for constitutional breaches.
At the end of the day and after wasting so much time and resources in ego-tripping and shadow-chasing, Governor Almakura’s encounter with humbling challenges sobered him to the point of finally accepting to build on the achievements of his predecessor Aliyu Akwe Doma whom he had spent months accusing of “doing nothing”. Of course Aliyu Doma left him with no option but to lap up his own vomit by going to town with convincing media supplements on his impressive performance in all sectors. Meanwhile, the robust legal challenge of the freak CPC election victory by Doma and the PDP further clipped Almakura’s wings when one of the three tribunal judges made a powerful case for returning Doma as elected. The handwriting on the wall does not spell Almakura !
This then is the scenario as Nasarawa people welcomed the New Year and it is hardly inspiring about the maturity of the political stakeholders in the state who are responsible for the election fiasco that sought to replace a known achiever with a begrudged explorer. The prayer on every patriot’s lip is for an end to this nightmare which could take Nasarawa back to the days of arrested development that preceded the Doma Administration. You need to see the daily “pilgrimage” to Doma’s Abuja residence by stakeholders and commoners who now know better to understand the anguish that has replaced the orchestrated euphoria following the election upset. If nothing else, the aftermath of the 2011 governorship election miscarriage has taught people not to be so easily hoodwinked by political upstarts especially when what Nasarawa State needs and has benefited most from is mature political leadership hinged on vast experience and a pedigree that is respected far beyond the remote precincts of Nasarawa State as Aliyu Doma has quietly but surely demonstrated.
Current machinations by certain elements claiming to be working to revive PDP or to rekindle the unity of the people of the state is bogus because they are clandestine opportunists trying to reap where they did not sow. The freak victory of Almakura was greatly aided by the ulterior motives of these latter day false leaders whose track record is full of the same self-serving anti-progress body movements that Almakura has shown by disrupting Nasrawa State progress just to elongate his naturally short shadow. Let all true leaders of Nasarawa State display their credentials in the service of the state before they start promoting dubious political cliques which can only divide and diminish the people and their aspirations. May 2012 be a turning point back to the development days of Nasarawa State.
Akwati wrote from Akwanga, Nasarawa State