Yobe 2011: Time to redefine our future

In a bid to gain public acceptance, many public officers resort to buying titles, honours and awards from traditional institutions and organizations. Such gullible public officers, in desperation for honour and recognition, were recently swindled by fraudsters claiming to be from Amnesty International but, for Jigawa Governor Sule Lamido’s exposure, he refused the award from […]

In a bid to gain public acceptance, many public officers resort to buying titles, honours and awards from traditional institutions and organizations. Such gullible public officers, in desperation for honour and recognition, were recently swindled by fraudsters claiming to be from Amnesty International but, for Jigawa Governor Sule Lamido’s exposure, he refused the award from the fraudsters while the international body refuted honouring the acclaimed beneficiaries.

However, few public officers who serve their people diligently with humility, dedication and commitment were spared from this tradition of suspicion, distrust and hate between followers and leaders. One of such revered public officers is Senator Ahmed Lawan representing Yobe North in the National Assembly.

Senator Ahmed Lawan will live to respect the honour done to him as Garkuwan Talakawa by the farming, fishing and nomadic communities of the Yobe/Kumadu River Basin. The contributions made by Senator Lawan in the fight against the construction of the proposed Kafin Zaki dam by the Bauchi state government and the return of farm and grazing lands and fishing waters to the owners in his constituency by the National Park Service that took possession in 1994 and prevented their utilization by the owners did not go unnoticed. The communities had keenly followed arguments made by the legislator on the national and international media when he convinced the world that the construction of the dam would be a threat to the lives of over 10 million people, 25 million cattle, goats, sheep, camels and 100,000 hectares of land cutting across the downstream states of Jigawa, Borno and Yobe as well as Chad and Niger republics.

His brilliant submissions on the popular Voice of America (Hausa service) debate programme Tsaka mai wuya are still fresh in the minds of the peasant farmers. Little wonder why the communities, on Saturday 11th April, 2009 gathered at the palace of the Emir of Bade and protested against the proposed dam. During the event, people from different communities specifically honoured Senator Lawan as Garkuwan Talakawa for identifying with their cause and protecting their age-long means of livelihood.

Alhaji Usman Dan Malam, chairman of the farming communities, argued that the Kumadu/Yobe River meant life to them.  “The arguments on the dam construction have exposed those for us and those against us and Senator Lawan has proved to be a worthy leader of pride who is ever ready to defend the interests of his people”, he said.

The stiff resistance by Senator Lawan against the dam construction forced the federal government to engage a consulting firm on Environmental Impact Assessment programme for the Kumadugu/Yobe river basin making state governments to react almost belatedly. Dan Malam argued that the downstream communities were willing to support Senator Lawan’s political ambition for any office in 2011.  

Similarly, in far away Kano State, the MURYAR TALAKAWAN NIJERIYA, a non-governmental organisation, equally found Senator Lawan’s contribution to the lives of the ordinary man in Yobe as outstanding. Hence, on Saturday 30th January, 2010 the organization honoured him along with 15 other prominent Nigerians and corporate organizations in recognition of his contributions towards liberating the masses and for touching the lives of the people in so many positive ways.

These unsolicited awards by the people signify appreciation of the valuable contributions and selfless service to the people by the distinguished senator.

Senator Lawan’s indefatigable energy, dynamism, wealth of experience, versatile academic and political exposure makes him a hot bride and is earning him admiration among supporters of both the ANPP and PDP in Yobe state. While the ANPP sees him as a worthy ambassador and an asset, the PDP sees Senator Lawan as the long awaited messiah whose wide acceptance will take the party out of the woods to actualize its ambition to change the leadership of the state in 2011.

Stakeholders in the PDP view with great concern, the chances of the party in 2011, describing it as certainly brighter in the hands of tested, trusted and experienced politicians like Senator Lawan, rather than risking endorsing a new entrant into politics, attempting to test the political waters for the very first time and, whose popularity does not go beyond their immediate communities.

Concerned party faithfuls also see PDP as going into political suicide and risking its chances if newly retiring civil servants with little knowledge of politics are fielded to aspire for the sensitive office of governor.

For the ANPP, it will soon lose another great fortune in Senator Lawan after losing General Muhammadu Buhari and for Governor Ibrahim Gaidam; it will be a personal loss and threat to its second term bid to let Senator Ahmed Lawan leave the party. He is undoubtedly a national and state treasure to ANPP whose contributions to national development and his people has brought acceptance and credibility to the party. Already, the recent defection of Honorable Baba Gishiwari from ANPP to PDP was a political misfortune for the party and the party may be further devastated by a possible loss of the vibrant legislator of the upper chamber to another party.

The scramble and agitation for Senator Ahmed Lawan to remain with the ANPP or join the PDP will have great impact on the political atmosphere in the state in 2011. However, his silence on these arguments have left his admirers and the electorates generally at cross roads and confused.

We invite the senator, all progressives and everyone with passion for the development of our dear Yobe state to act fast and join hands in the efforts to redefine our fate and future come 2011.

Bukar is of No 12 Gashua road, Nguru, Yobe State