Democracy dies in silence. Silent as cemetery, Bauchi’s dying. A death by billion bullets, shot behind her back by bad Bauchi boy bullishly masquerading as it’s liberator. The Bauchi masquerade thinks he is God; before whom not a whimper of opposition must be heard. A god who can question anyone, including President Tinubu, but cannot be questioned. When Senator Shehu, on that Saturday, questioned him, he made a storm in a teacup.
When Malam Idris Abdul-Aziz questioned him for owing workers’ salary and gratuities amongst others, he first quieted him in jail and hounded him out of Bauchi, if not out of Nigeria. It took the intervention of the NSA and Senator Shehu to restore Idris’ liberty. Yet, Idris’ lips are sealed. Never speak again against the masquerade. Silence.
Similarly, when the masquerade fell out with Yakubu Dogara, Speaker emeritus, a key backer of his, in 2019 general election, he coerced the Bauchi Emirate Council to strip Dogara of his traditional title of Jakadan Bauchi, in January 2022.
The masquerade’s witch hunt of Dogara didn’t stop at that. He wanted Dogara dead —by charging him and 28 others with culpable homicide! Capital offence. Death penalty. Silence.
When the masquerade had political differences with elder statesman, Bello Kirfi, the then Wazirin Bauchi, he deposed him through the Emirate Council. The DailyTrust rightly reported Waziri’s deposition as politically motivated, in January 2023. Ironically, Bello Kirfi, like Dogara, was instrumental in helping the masquerade, the challenger, to dethrone the champion in 2019 gubernatorial election.
Like Dogara and Bello Kirfi, Hon Yakubu Abdullahi Shehu, former House of Representatives member, Bauchi Federal Constituency, suffered the same fate in the hands of the masquerade. His title of Wakilin Birnin Bauchi was suspended indefinitely, at the behest of the masquerade, when he professed he’s re-joined APC from PRP in May 2021.
The list is endless. Everyone is silenced or must be silent. But, again, democracy dies in silence.
To make Bauchi alive again. A David stood up to the thin-skinned Goliath. The masquerade didn’t deter or cow Senator Shehu, Mujaddadin Talakawa. He stood, spoke and called his bluff. He exposed the masquerade as a bully who silences dissenting voices and a fraud, who couldn’t account for the goods and funds he received from Abuja. Senator Shehu won’t even mention the one trillion naira racketeering charges against the masquerade. Of course a faint feather fell off Mujaddadi’s cap but it’s worth the fight.
A friend told me a story of a gentleman. On hearing Senator Shehu’s war of unmasking the masquerade, he screamed in elation: “Alhamdulillah, now we’ve a man —the masquerade who tried to turn men into women was taken on and beaten by Senator Shehu.” The candour and bravery shown by Shehu has restored his masculinity. He felt alive and emancipated.
Like that gentleman, we all feel alive, freed and unafraid of the unmasked masquerade. No more silence. That’s the bottom line.
Thanks to Mujaddadi; now we can question the Bauchi State Governor:
Why did you borrow over ₦53 billion while you received ₦87.4 billion from FAAC in the first half of the year as contained in your 2024 Q2 Budget Performance Report (BPR 2024 Q2)?
Why did you pay “Financial Consultant” ₦11.6 billion (extra budgetary expenditure) but couldn’t pay the outstanding gratuity? (BPR 2024 Q2)
What did you do with the ₦44.75 billion Local Governments share of FAAC for the first half of 2024? (TheCable, 14 August 2024)
Why won’t you pay the new minimum wage of ₦70,000 while you expended over ₦33.5 billion in 6 months as overhead cost of governors office or Government House? (BPR 2024 Q2)
Saad is the Chairman, APC Publicity Committee Bauchi State Chapter. [email protected]
