The Taraba tragedy
It seems that neither the health of the man himself or of the state he governed until that fateful accident 10 months ago is of concern to the puppeteers who are keen on a poor replay of the manipulation which marked the dying days of the Yar’adua Presidency. What is even more baffling is that […]
It seems that neither the health of the man himself or of the state he governed until that fateful accident 10 months ago is of concern to the puppeteers who are keen on a poor replay of the manipulation which marked the dying days of the Yar’adua Presidency. What is even more baffling is that some of the characters involved, albeit in a different role in the Yar’adua drama are now keen to elongate what could turn out to be a tragic comedy in Taraba.
Federal might appears to be in cahoots with the Taraba conspirators who are bent on using extra-constitutional means to prop up a man that sometimes seems oblivious of his own surroundings and continue to rule in his name.
Already the man who acted for Mr Suntai is now in the line of fire and should be lucky if he escapes with his job. All this will further polarize an already divided community in the state and possibly render the state government’s capacity to deliver services to its citizens even more difficult. In times such as now, what is needed is for more careful consultation by both those in government and out of it in order to find a way to handle a potentially combustible situation. This could hopefully help the state navigate the difficult days that lie ahead.
Summit on solid minerals
Someone who attended the recently convened meeting on solid minerals which held at the Banquet hall of the Presidential Villa and which was chaired by no less than President Goodluck Jonathan came away more worried than relieved. His concern does not stem from non-attendance of the big guns which is sometimes the case at public events. In this case both government officials and other industry players were well represented. As usual with such gatherings, the Dangotes and the Otedolas were all there in addition to the Chinese businessmen that are becoming ubiquitous in that sector. With the President and a number of ministers, including those of the solid mineral sector and finance all in attendance, you could not ask for more in terms of representation.
What shocked this particular businessman who is himself a player in the solid mineral sector is what happened in the closing part of the one-day event. As the venue of the event was equipped with facility for electronic voting, someone among the organizers thought it was a clever idea to use the facility to gauge the feeling of the attendees on all the talk that had taken place there. The result of that impromptu opinion poll must have shocked the organizers of the event especially because the majority of those who packed the venue were civil servants who are used to the mantra of “I am directed”. The vote was on whether all the grand speeches and talk will change anything in the solid mineral sector. Well, the result is such that if it were not electronic someone could have disputed and asked for a recount. Majority of the people who either gave or listened to all the speeches, promises, road maps etc did not believe anything will change in the way things are done in that sector. The vote clearly showed that even the civil servants do not believe in all the grand projects they are supposed to be executing!
Another Sokoto minister bites the dust
What is it about ministers from Sokoto State and the Jonathan Presidency? First it was Yusuf Sulaiman, who resigned to contest the last governorship election in his state, and now Inuwa Abdulkadir Magatakarda, who until two days ago was the Minister of Youth. Never mind that the first Sokoto minister to leave unceremoniously did not get beyond the primaries of becoming the state governor as the incumbent Aliyu Magatakarda Wammako showed him that his Sai Alu slogan was not for nothing. That may explain why in spite of being high in the federal pecking order and a long convoy to boot, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, another Sokoto man has refused to pick quarrels with his state governor. Indeed, Speaker Aminu Waziri Tambuwal has carefully cultivated his relationship with the governor to the extent that he is seen as a crown prince in Sokoto, in the event that his national profile does not catapult him to some higher national assignment.
Well, now there is also the one-time justice commissioner of the Wammako government who is now without a job to contend with. Interestingly even Yusuf Sulaiman who left the Jonathan cabinet to give room for the barrister to get into the revolving door is now being mentioned as a sufficiently pro-Jonathan man in Sokoto to possibly bounce back in the cabinet. If the current political atmosphere is anything to go by, being picked to serve in that cabinet may be a poisoned chalice for those with an eye on the state’s government house.