Recall Rivers Governor Wike’s demolish of a mosque weeks back; the flow of emotions thereafter, especially on the social/new media; Kano Governor Ganduje’s threat to sue Wike; and every other thing that followed so far were all exercises in cheap political scores and dogma of the type from the opium of the people – unnecessary bickering of blind religious sentiment and bias
They all were meant to cover-up and shy away from the main issue in public service – some governor’s abuse of public funds for infrastructural development and the need for public demand for that from truant few. Up to now, there is neither hero nor villain out of all the actions and bickering.
Of course Wike’s action touches on a serious national issue, which is the fact even to Wike’s own knowledge that his action was a huge breach of national peace and unity, and a gross violation of the federal constitution.
But because of the simple notion of two wrongs do not make right, all the actions and reactions in the saga do not seem to represent any sense of national responsibility, which again, trivialise serious matters and tend to invite yesterday’s shadow.
God has been merciful to Nigeria. Talking about God’s hand in the affairs of a nation full of churches and mosques and millions of devouts should be normal. But double standards and hypocrisy remain to becloud our feelings and thoughts so that we continue to pretend over issues on the surface, with deliberate purposes to ignore the facts beneath them.
Is it any coincidence both Wike and Ganduje have won their elections out of the cloudiest of electoral issues, irrespective of their party representations? Is it difficult to ask if they both so acted and reacted in order to retake, since maybe now that they cannot buy, political legitimacy and to win the majority back?
Anger is a human possibility at the slightest of offence, yes. But the reaction to it matters most. Some of us are disappointed at how Wike is disappointing Nigerians. Visiting Bauchi as Minister of State, Education back in the dark years, he was simple and avoided protocols to make the visit events smooth, quick and manageable, admired more the then President.
He was loved by the attendees and the story still hangs among the people here until that bad return from away home, years after, because he is now Governor with billions oil money no one dares ask him to account for. Many Governors up the Nigeria have similar behaviour but because they build mosques instead of construct roads or provide water, we chant in hail to their mispriorities.
So demolishing is not new. It is their hallmark and of every Nigerian who is not comfortable with the way things are working, making strong tides against even our own northern odds – the kidnaps, rustlings and killings in the northeast and west. So it is Nigeria at work against those who do not want it work and they can be anywhere, any tribe, of any religion, colour, region, bias, sentiment, ideology or party.
Wike is an agent of the disgruntled Ibos and Ijaws. I don’t know when he lowered so low into the quagmire of dirty politics. But you see, judging a man even at the helm of money and power is difficult. At first it was the thought that man changes with not just the test of money and power but also with circumstances.
Wike may be a subject of that but if you believe me, I tell you it is nothing more than politics, and it is the politics of bitterness against the north that bears Buhari to be so dominant and strong, against all the intimidations, the seditions and the destructions of the economy through the demolish of oil pipelines.
We ought to know that this is all remotely linked to the 2023 politics played too early by those who lost out on national affairs two times back and now swear not to fail a third time even if God so wisheth.
So it comes down to the self, the individual. In the past, I tried showing how individualism and our submission to it is the same problem undermining our nation progress. And instead of looking at the real problem and face it, we always escape it and lookout for the trivial and the mundane, with no apology even to the self.
Lots of good government programmes and projects would work better, multiply results but for our use of the self to be more important above common interest, even as God tells us that satisfying the self is a mission impossible, only God Himself can make.
Wike acted to offend The North. Unfortunately even the Muslim north is noth monolithic, not on the demolish, not on any issue, never. Muslims from different sectarian views saw and reacted differently to the story, and that is the main problem of the reactions toWike’s action and everything that followed it.
We pretended over mosques when our hearts as Muslims are destructs of trivial differences of the different sects we represent. As Northerners we are further partitioned region, state and north-south local politics garnished with more fractures of remote differences of religion.
That is why northern Christians were either silent of in defence of Wike. That Christian who must stand up from up the Niger and condemn the Wike action must have met yours faithfully in life, and will stand an outcast in both his church and the neighbourhood, right then.
The genuine intentions and concerns for national spirits in both actions and reactions since the story were only express. The impending danger of the tragedy that will eventually ensue after Buhari leaves is this single issue of Nigerians saying what they do not mean.
How many of us cannot be Wikes? Be honest, I dare ask you what you will do if you find yourself in such position. It is the same fair view Muslims should give first and then the laws of the land are there for the agents to take them up against a sitting Governor like that.
What is bigger than all we lived, live and bicker about to happen before we understand the need to take more important matters above sentiments and divisive tendencies? When do we stop unnecessary interferences with legal processes and let the law agents be allowed to take responsibility?
Sometimes a case is worn not by the suer but by the sued. If we understand the antics of a people as demonstrated in many failed action/events for national jeopardy since 2015, it takes to understand and forgive Wike, take great solace and to thank God for the Nigeria we now have under President Muhammadu Buhari, who defies all antics.
I have been referring to mirror theory for long now. It says in the event of a problem, always look at yourself first and then wait for some time before you jump at the beauty of your looks. It is difficult but you bear it for humanity.
Muslims ought to know Wike’s disposition with regards to national politics, and to forgive his frustrations in the loss of the south-south and south-east in national politics and relevance. His State, with billions of grant is the only den from which he can offend.
But we have not understood the motives. Dogma, bias and sentiments are the terrible social diseases we live with, as long as they last in our body, they will eventually kill us all. They blind us to our own problems and look a thousand miles away, just to heap blame at someone’s door.
Bickering can only make you worst than Wike just for asking why. But then is it not enough solace to just hold on to watch Wike’s stupidity and then see how he joins the great club of the Iboris and Alaighemesiyas? Where are they now? Doesn’t time heal again? What more a way to wait to see the enemies of Nigeria destroy themselves by their disservice to humans of Nigeria’s origin?
Look at you, the north: same tribe, people, religion, neighbours in the same state, kill themselves for reasons of poverty, land, hatred, economic power, social statuses and even ego. What reason pushes a Hausa kidnap, kill or rustle the cows of a Hausa or Fulani, or Jukun against brethren Tiv or even Jukun over massive northern land?
Look at some of your own governors trailing the old path of abusing public funds in the name of security votes, foreign trips and cheap recurrents to service and maintain elitist statuses and power. Only few of them are working, and the example of the few negligible does not invite massive attention of the majority to make a case against the erring and demand service for the people.
The energy that is needed to raise awareness campaign to demand more action from governors is wasted on a mosque demolish and bickering on the FGN, the President and the service chiefs who are doing their best but their best is not enough because of the behaviour and disservices of erring governors and the misdirected ideas and energy of their gullible followers.
Why is it difficult to understand and pray for a Governor who demolishes a mosque even if for political reasons or may be the mosque violates the metro plan? We didn’t ask when we jumped to conclusion and lash: drunk of the opium?
I thought we are healing wounds, picking pieces from scraps all over the country and to focus on tomorrow. Are we learning something at all, from the experiences of the ongoing killings, theft and kidnaps? Have we learnt anything from the past and are we interested in the focus on the future in order to consolidate on the achievements so far gained?
Now, those who say PMB is not talking about a Governor’s breach of national law will not expect him to do. Buhari has not disappointed you in many ways like that. He will not. He is not an idea of dogma. He is a national hero for all who believe, respect and work in diligence for the Nigerian Project. He remains so as God wisheth.
Feedback: A young man inspired by last week’s issue of mental laziness among journalists, wrote back. His words:
It is really great to read your piece on the above topic of discussion, and I am sure that I have learnt one or two things from it, inasmuch, only those who are ready to face the truth will know and acknowledge your position on the state of journalism and journalists in Nigeria today.
Sir, I will be brief in this reply as to give you time to engage in other things which might be within your capacity. As a young journalist, though I might not have had enough of experience in this field of work but at same time, I have been able to sit down, if not talk with but listen to experienced ones in the job, as they also relay out their feelings, thoughts and emotions, in the job, how they feel, and whatever else that it might be according to the job.
As we all know that “passion” is the main thing behind many people’s standing on the profession till date, yet some are of no beneficial reason or purpose why they are in the job, and these are those ones who sit down at home, copy and paste stories, formulate stories, without any means of getting their facts, statistics and data before embarking on the story.
These kind of people are mainly behind the ‘dirts’ found in the profession today. Also, our respective bodies of practising journalists have lost their purpose to the main core of why the profession is important first.
To bring it to an end, as I have promised earlier to make it short and brief, Sir, you expect journalists, who are even of passionate ideas on the profession to always follow due process of getting facts and figures, and also response a story, which make a story more balanced and not different from others.
Yes it is good but how many media houses today pay their reporters well, how many publishers give freehand to their reporters/staffs, how many reporters today undergo more and frequent trainings again….these and many more questions will help in finding solutions to the malaise facing our profession.
God bless you Sir.
Samson Adeyanju Uwala <[email protected]>
Hassan Alhaji Hassan can be contacted on 08032829772/08050551220 (text only with full names and address)a[email protected]
The views expressed in this article are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect WikkiTimes’ editorial stance.
