By Saad Umar
Giving president Buhari what he asks for, on Monday, January 23, 2023 in Bauchi – our votes for Tinubu, Sadique and Shehu Buba et al – is the way of Allah. Here’s why.
We read in the Qur’an, the 106th Surah and Ma’un before it, how Allah asked the Quraysh to worship Him for the favours He bestowed upon them.
Part of the favours Allah bestowed upon the Quraysh were 1) He defended them against and destroyed the invading Elephant Army of Abraha and 2) He kept them safe, free from fear.
Hence, for 1 and 2 above, Allah asked the Quraysh to worship Him thus: “Fal ya’buduu Rabba haazal Bait” as a token of their gratitude.
Buhari learnt lessons from the two cited Surahs and did something similar to Bauchi State. He protected us from the repeated attacks of murderous barbarians and removed the clouds of fear that hovered over our heads. Below is a reminder.
Buhari came in, in 2015, when we were gripped by fear. Fear of Boko Haram. Fear of bomb blast. Fear of death – miserable death. Fear of loss of limbs. Fear of loss of property. The fear was so palpable that we feared ourselves. We feared our brothers. We feared our neighbours. We feared our guests – and we were known to be the most hospitable lot.
Places of worship were barricaded. We couldn’t get into the mosque without being screened with a metal detector. Oh yes, we were that frightened.
Do you remember? Alas, we have short memories. And the PDP, under whose watch we endured those dark days want us not to remember. Well, we will never forget.
How can we, when we were hit hard, so close. The lives of our loved ones were ripped apart. Many souls, near and dear, were incinerated by the raging blaze of barbarous bomb blasts.
One of such bomb blasts rocked the Bauchi Central market in the evening of Monday, December 22, 2014. The Nation, amid manymedia outlets, reported the then Chairman of the market, Alh Adamu Musa Noma saying the bomb burnt 78 shops, destroyed goods worth over ₦1 billion, maimed many men and slew somesinless souls: not less than ten.
On that ill-fated evening, among the dead, there she laid asleep, our sister in-law, the beautiful spouse of our younger sibling. For privacy purposes, I will not mention their names here. Our sisterdied and gone forever with another tiny beautiful soul in her womb. She left behind two little kids; orphaned by the misrule and wickedness of the PDP.
She went to the market that day to buy some stuffs she needed on her way to Gombe where her hubby was working at. They never meet again. How can I and the victims forget this so easily? Sadly, the PDP wants us to. We will never forget.
Before the Central market bomb blast, there was another explosion at Bayan Gari. This occurred on Friday June 27, 2014 around 10pm. At least ten persons were killed and another fourteen people were injured according to police sources as reported by the Vanguard of June 28, 2014.
Similarly, on June 4, 2012 News Agency of Nigeria reported that a car bomb driven by a suicide bomber targeted the Harvest Field of Christ Church, Yelwa, Bauchi killing at least nine people and injuring 40 others.
These brutal bomb attacks were not limited to Bauchi town. Azare, the second largest city in the state, was not spared either. The hitherto serene city recorded quite a number of attacks under the watchful eyes of the then PDP government.
On October 23, 2014, a motor park in Azare was attacked with a big bomb which killed many people and destroyed property worth millions of Naira as reported by the TheCable.
Another bomb exploded at a First Bank branch killing no fewer than 15 people on Friday, November 7, 2014. The victims were on queue at an ATM trying to withdraw some money as reported by the BBC on the day of the attack.
There was yet another bomb blast in Azare that killed and maimed many innocent people and destroyed property. According to Reuters report on the same day “A female suicide bomber blew herself up killing at least a dozen of people in a cell phone market in Azare”.
The situation in Azare was so dire the Vanguard headline of December 8, 2011 screamed loudly thusly: “Bomb attacks cripple Bauchi council” (Katagum LGA). This followed an attack on Azare by unknown gunmen. The gunmen bombed two banks, 3 police stations and the house of late Ali Ƙwara. Indeed, Azare was brought to its knees as was Bauchi and other towns.
Then Buhari came in and turned things around. He secured Azare. Secured Bauchi and the entire state. Since the coming of Buhari NO SINGLE bomb blast has happened in the entirety of Bauchi State.
We no longer barricade our places of worship. Neither do we undergo the inconvenient metal detector screening to access our mosques. We no longer fear ourselves or our brothers, neighbours or guests. Thanks to Buhari we are now safe. The fear has gone. It’s now hunky dory.
So, on Monday, January 23, 2023 inside the sea of supporters that swamped the stadium, Buhari reminded us, like the Qur’an reminded the Quraysh, how he came and met us while we were being killed, crippled, maimed and destroyed under the government of the PDP, and how he has now secured the state and made us safe. So he asks us to vote for Tinubu as president, Air Marshal Sadique as the governor and Shehu Buba as Senator, Bauchi South. Buhari asks us to vote for APC.
Undeniably, Buhari has done something good to us. And “Is there any Reward for Good – other than Good?” (Ar-Rahman: 60) Again, one good turn deserves another, as they say.
We owe Buhari this and much more. We owe him a debt of gratitude. And, as a mark of that gratitude, we have to answer his call and vote for APC; vote for Tinubu, Air Marshal Sadique and Shehu Buba. Only an ingrate will turn down Buhari. I am not one. You should not be too.
Saad, a lawyer, is the Deputy Chairman of APC Publicity Committee, Bauchi State and former Director General BASEPA.
