By Lawal Ogienagbon
HIS mien is deceptive. It does no justice to his tough character. Merely looking at him, you will not know that Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State packs a lot of punch.
He does not brook nonsense and it is not in his character not to call a spade a spade. He is ready to take on people, no matter their status, as long as the cause is right.
The governor has time and again proved that he is not in power for the sake of it but to see to the well-being of his people.
He is not your archetypal politician who believes only in self. Zulum has consistently shown that he is there for the people, come rain, come shine.
When his people are in pain, he is in pain. Truly, when the righteous are in power, the people rejoice. The people of Borno have been rejoicing since Zulum came to power last May 29 because he feels for them. They know that they have their governor’s back.
So far, Zulum has not disappointed them. Each passing day, his popularity continues to soar because of his readiness to do anything for his people. If the need arises, he is ready to confront Boko Haram for them.
It sounds incredible, but it is true. If you have been wondering why his predecessor, Kashim Shetima, described him as the best man for the job, you now know why.
As a commissioner under Shetima, Zulum proved his mettle as a public officer who is ready to lay down his life for a worthy cause.
Unlike many of his peers, he has never forgotten where he is coming from. A man from humble background, he has not allowed his present station in life to get into his head. He is not carried away by the executive powers he wields as governor, rather he has remained humble and true to himself.
How would it have been if other governors were like him. How will they when all many of them want is to use their high office to intimidate others, especially their opponents.
They forget that power is transient and that, as the inimitable Nnamdi Azikiwe told Ukpabi Asika many years ago: ”no condition is permanent”.
In life, there are no permanent champions but current champions, who give way to others when their time is up. But what they will be remembered for is the impact they had on others in their own time.
Do our politicians really care about how they are remembered after office? If you do not remember where you are coming from and do not give a hoot about others while in office, how will you be bothered by the legacy you leave behind? Zulum is of a different hue.
A man who rode bicycle to work as a professor has shown that having a common touch does not remove anything from being a governor. Rather, it enhances the governor’s image and endears him to the people.
In some high places, Zulum may not be their beloved because he ruffles feathers. He does not do it to show off but because he is pained by what he sees.
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When the military introduced what it called Super Camps in some Boko Haram ravaged parts of his state, he quickly cried out that the camps were not serving the purpose meant for.
The camps, he explained, were too far from the people they were to protect. The military disagreed, but he made his point and today, we can see who is right and who is wrong.
To some, a governor must not buck the system of which he is a part. But is speaking the truth to your colleagues in power bucking the system? Zulum has charted a path for himself as governor and that is to protect the people who voted him into power.
On Monday, he was miffed when he saw hundreds of people at a checkpoint on the Maiduguri/Damaturu road kept under the scorching sun by some soldiers and policemen because they had no national identity card.
The military claimed that it introduced ”Operation Show Your ID Card” in order to rearrest fleeing Boko Haram insurgents.
But Zulum was shocked to see the soldiers and policemen ”extorting money” from the people because they had no identity cards.
How many Nigerians have these national identity cards which the military is asking people to produce on demand? Is it that easy to get this ID? Many who registered for the national identity card years ago are yet to get it. All they have are slips to prove that they have been registered.
When will their cards be ready? The government will do well to answer this question rather than allow some soldiers to use this to extort money from people who due to no fault of theirs have not been able to get their national identity cards.
Disgusted by what he saw at the checkpoint, Zulum flared up: ”This is unacceptable. How can you subject people to this kind of torture all in the name of National ID Card? And you are all here collecting N500 and N1000 from poor travellers who do not have a national ID card? Rebuffing the entreaties of a soldier, Zulum went on: ”This is not right.
The Federal Government has not created an enabling environment for our people to get their National ID Cards and you are here collecting N500 and N1000 as a fine for not having what the Federal Government has not provided for all”.
Reporting the soldiers to the Theatre Commander, Maj-Gen. Olusegun Adeniyi on his arrival at the scene, Zulum, who wondered why money was being collected from the travellers, said: ”I saw them with my eyes. I spoke with people that were asked to give money!
You must know that the government and people of Borno State are behind you and your men. But you must call call your soldiers to order; you must check their excesses”. Adeniyi promised to investigate the matter. I pray that something will come out of that investigation.
The military should not see Zulum as an enemy because of the way he spoke. It should see him as a concerned person because the security of the state is in his hands. If the people should turn against the military for subjecting them to such treatment, the consequences will be dire.
The Army Operations Media Coordinator, Col Aminu Iliyasu’s statement that the governor’s ”outburst was capable of reversing the gains recorded so far in the ongoing fight against insurgents and other criminal elements across the nation” is uncalled for.
The governor’s criticism was for the military to put its house in order before soldiers turn the war against insurgency into a money making enterprise. Their duty is to protect the people and not to extort money from them.
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