Ngilari: A virtual view
When Murtala Nyako, the impeached governor, left the PDP for the APC Ngilari stayed put. But the turks who ousted Nyako had no confidence in him to revamp the badly battered state, so they jumped at him, took from him whatever they wanted and left him in the opposition lurch,Opposition politicians generally have a lot […]
When Murtala Nyako, the impeached governor, left the PDP for the APC Ngilari stayed put. But the turks who ousted Nyako had no confidence in him to revamp the badly battered state, so they jumped at him, took from him whatever they wanted and left him in the opposition lurch,
Opposition politicians generally have a lot in common with ambulance personnel, undertakers and insurers. Their livelihoods depend largely on the possibility of calamity. In the end, ambulance nurses secure a patient on whose back they hope to make a fast buck, the undertaker gets a body and profits from its funeral, and the insurance agent secures a commission on our certain knowledge that we will die some day. Opposition politicians that lack imagination, hope that governments will crash and burn so they can secure office, regardless of the cost to the state.
I quite naïvely believe that the priority for seeking political office is the saving of the state, not whipping up sentiments. In the middle of the hysteria over the Adamawa governorship, the new Governor deserves all the bashing he took for what is palpably poor judgment on his part. Not that we support opposition leader, Atiku Abubakar who has vowed to extinguish Jonathans political fire at whatever cost, the PDP too has shown no leadership quality in this whole affair. Scoring political points in the face of danger to the nation might be therapeutic to the narrow-minded party supporter obsessed with the coming election, but it is definitely not exemplary. I cannot imagine that a constitutional lawyer who commits the type of constitutional blunder that the governor committed would be entrusted with running the lives of close to four million people. If as a constitutional lawyer you commit a constitutional blunder you deserve a “constitutional coup.”
Yes, PDP handled the issue like any typically over confident Nigerian politician: It sought first to downplay the reality in a misguided attempt to protect its image. It thought that the state was its own to lose. But when campaigns intensified and Atiku became helpful to Bindow, the PDP woke up. It probably calculated now that since Atiku is in the forefront of the Bindow campaign it had become too potent and had to be stopped. It miscalculated on all counts, and suddenly Adamawa started looking like the wave that the APC could ride back to power.
‘The PDP needs a hot-button issue to pounce on’. The suggestion that this panacea might be the solution, made me profoundly sad. I understand our politics, but things are really more hopeless than they seem, if in a time of deep social and economic challenges, the best hope for the opposition is that the ruling party will crash and burn, particularly on an issue like the choice of a governor. Surely, hope is gone.
I cannot fathom how people are expected to afford their basic needs with no income, or limited income, and high cost of living. While the Government seems resolved to look toward a magical better day with Yola as a logistics hub, the state is booming with political activities, but slacking in the economic sector. Austerity again will soon become its middle name as the tension and despair among the people remains palpable. The question is does Bala Ngilari have a plan? How will he contain the people’s suffering differently from what he tolerated under Nyako?
These are questions that a party hoping to retain power should be prepared to answer in the face of serious questions of our ability to provide for our own needs now and over the long haul, irrespective of our relationship with the centre. Our size, limited official competence, and susceptibility to natural thieving make us especially vulnerable. Plus, there are the social problems that our political leadership have exacerbated over the years rather than correct, and now have morphed into the hydra-headed monster we are unable to tame.
A dispassionate presentation of our problems provides some interesting insight on how we are presented to the outside. Yola which until recently, is rated as on its “critical” bed was waking up. It saw a reduction in the poverty rate and other violent policies, but overall, the number of months owed workers and the dearth of infrastructure had been addressed. Road construction had begun in earnest without which our driving habits and road conditions had made night time driving especially dangerous and advisably avoided where possible. Our roads were often poorly marked, pedestrians, cyclists, and, occasionally, livestock crossed the roads at will. Driving habits ranged from aggressive speeding and disregard for others, to arrogance and road rage, creating uncertainty and hazards to all.
I reiterate my sincere belief that had started something in Adamawa. A part of that comes from what I feel is his genuine belief that the mass of our people deserved much better than they got. What I would love to hear, though, other than the “silly skirt” approach to problem solving that has happened are not merely political or marginal solutions but a vision of how we can solve these systemic problems without resorting to backhand tactics. But that is not what the Ngilari option is bringing to the table.