As the saying goes, the pen is mightier than the sword. In Nigeria today, critics appear to be from the side of those not opportune to be part of government in all ramifications.
The famous columnist who was an accountant by profession from the prestigious Ahmadu Bello University Zaria and a career journalist was popularly known in the Nigerian Dailies for his talent in writing a column in the past on issues like education, politics, and Government, to be mention but a few deserved to be reawaken on his job which had already sold him to the people.
Vividly, let me start from his state of origin“Bauchi” where one of his columns was said to have given a sleepless night to the then Governor Ahmadu Adamu Mu’azu during his second tenure in office on the “Attahiru Bafarawa Street” just opposite the VIP 9 in the state capital.
The then write-up focused on overspending of the contract sum by the former Governor, which according to the columnist the street was a small, short, or even minor to consume such an amount.
If I could go memory lane to the Federal Government Level, Mal. Adamu Adamu as a columnist had criticized various Administrations from military to civilian rule. Most especially the Jonathan administration where one of his columns named “WHY ASUU ALWAYS ON STRIKE” dwells on the then government’s failure to provide ASUU with the needed funds to call it a day on the industrial action instead of spending unnecessarily or even suggested to cut down the cost of Governance. Perhaps, saying how much is the union looking for, that could not be addressed.
Apart from such kind of comments as his opinion, previous Federal Government policies and programmes were also pushed under the cover by not only two of his legs but including his two hands.
Though this is his first time to occupy any political office from both state and at the national level. But still many see him as among the cabals or kitchen cabinet of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s Administration because of his previous records on the pen profession.
My question here is apart from the ASUU strike embarked in previous administration which had posed a serious challenge on the country’s educational down turn, has the Government of the day under Mal. Adamu Adamu as the minister of education and member of the Federal Executive Council overcome the problems or rather learnt from the past mistakes?
Presently the ASUP is on strike,pressing home its demands on enhancing the welfareof its members as well as other entitlements not long ago after the suspension of the prolonged ASUU strike, which lasted for almost a year. Khalas, the Federal Government was spending huge amounts of money for the provision of additional Astrazaneca vaccines which many citizens or Nigerians do not even welcome the idea as a result of its effect on human lives globally.
Moreover, opinion differs from all character of personalities, but mine is doing the columnist became over heated by the polity that he feels not to write columns again, or he has no time for that again neither he cannot go against the Government of the day which he is serving with outmost priority.
Finally, many eyes of the watch dogs would be left open to see if the columnist will continue to write and challenge other Governments in future after leaving the office or that is the end of his writing career as one of the best columnist in the country is proud to be blessed with and ever had in history.
Adamu Yalwa Gabi writes from Fadaman Mada, Bauchi and can be reached via [email protected]
