No, Adamu didn’t work against Doma
First, who brought Doma to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2007 in the first place? Who took him round and not only introduced him but mobilized party members to accept and adopt his candidature? It is still very fresh in the minds of the good people of Nasarawa State that the political fortunes Doma […]
First, who brought Doma to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2007 in the first place? Who took him round and not only introduced him but mobilized party members to accept and adopt his candidature? It is still very fresh in the minds of the good people of Nasarawa State that the political fortunes Doma enjoyed were as a result of the goodwill freely given by a former governor of the state, Senator Abdullahi Adamu.
When Doma took over Nasarwa State in 2007, against the promise to retain the local government chairmen he met, he sacked them and elected another set, which he again sacked about three or two months to the general elections of last year. Doma was busy antagonizing, prominent political leaders and party officials, and as a result, built an army of political enemies who turned around and worked against him during the 2011 governorship election in the state.
One unthinkable thing Doma did was having to start his second term campaign 48 hours to election. And this was coming after he sacked the local government chairmen who could have facilitated his re-election as it is customary in modern day Nigeria election process. Party leaders, stakeholders and people were not only worried, but crying. When he finally set up his campaign team when his concept of task force failed, he made Abdullahi Adamu, Senator John Danboyi and Senator Sulieman Adoke ‘GOCs’ of their respective senatorial zones. Even with this Adamu went to campaign for President Goodluck Jonathan, Doma and himself.
In Doma area, where Adamu campaigned, when he mentioned Jonathan, the people would clap, when he mentioned Doma, the people would not only boo; they also stoned him. Is it with this kind of setting that Doma sponsored Adamu for the Senate?
Instead of looking at where he tripped himself, Doma is vainly, through his sponsored writers, holding Senator Adamu responsible for failing in the last election. Doma has no records of winning democratically contested election. He only got the slot of deputy governorship to Chief Solomon Lar on a platter of gold, when the actual deputy could not make it on account of ill-health and Doma had to come under. In 1999, Doma contested election in the then All Peoples Party (APP) and failed woefully. He contested again in the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) in 2003 and failed even more woefully; and on each occasion, Doma went to the tribunals only to return home completely empty handed.
May be Abdullahi Adamu did all that. It is funny how Doma is going about saying that he sponsored and bankrolled former Governor Adamu’s Senatorial aspiration. Who really sponsored who, if we look at this scenario? Abdullahi Adamu handed over power to Doma at the Lafia township stadium on May 29, but Doma handed over power to Al-Makura’s deputy in the four walls and corners of the governor’s office with an insignificant number of people. Why would Doma, who claimed to have the political power to sponsor Adamu, hide to hand over power to a deputy governor instead of the substantive governor who was not only healthy, but equally present in town at that material time? One of the baseless allegations Doma has made against Abdullahi Adamu was non-performance when the later was governor. It is only those who are on ground who can tell the true story of things. I was on ground and I dare challenge anyone to come forward and dispute the following. Abdullahi Adamu established the Nasarawa State University, state Polytechnic and School of Health Technology, and during his first term, the National Universities Commission (NUC) not only accredited all the courses in the university, it was adjudged the best state-owned university in Nigeria at that time. So it was with the polytechnic.
Senator Adamu, as governor in 1999, met the then 14-year-old College of Agriculture in tatters, but revamped and upgraded it as the college commenced immediate delivery of certificates, diplomas and higher diplomas courses after they were accredited. So it was with the College of Education, Akwanga.
In addition, the Farin Ruwa project was there for ages before Abdullahi Adamu’s governorship era. He, however, set to work given the potentials in it. Adamu tapped it accordingly, first by turning it around and started tapping water from it and made it a tourism spot, which placed it on the world’s tourism map, built a hotel around and a hydro electricity plant from it. The initial cost of all these gigantic projects stood at 4 billion naira, but had an increase of 500 million naira, out of which Doma paid 200 million, leaving the balance of 300 million naira to be settled. Doma allowed that project to be vandalized, even though he commissioned it, an indication that he had accepted it. It is, therefore not true that the project went up to N7 billion. He is better placed to know how the extra cost came about.
Yes, Abdullahi Adamu spent eight years, but he did not get the kind of funds Doma got in four years. Adamu had to contend with deductions at source from the federation accounts to pay for debts he inherited from the Paris Club. When eventually the debts were forgiven and the monies in two batches were remitted, it was Doma’s government that took delivery of the two separate funds – $89 million and $40 million. For a rural state like Nasarawa, that is a huge money for any governor who wants to deliver. Doma only delivered collapsible Government House auditorium, collapsible water tank, and the paper yam project that has still not left the drawing board.
In all ramifications, Doma is no match for Adamu. The distinguished senator means well for Nasarawa people, which is the reason why despite not being the governor, he is still not just liked, but also troop to the Sarkin Yaki’s house in Keffi daily. Doma and his writers should let Abdullahi Adamu be.
Kuju wrote from Shabu, Lafia, Nasarawa State