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  • All Nigerian pilgrims‘ll be accounted for, says Tambuwal

    All Nigerian pilgrims‘ll be accounted for, says Tambuwal

    Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal yesterday said all Nigerians who went to Saudi Arabia for this year’s pilgrimage would be accounted for.

    He gave the assurance following the twin tragedies of the crane crash and the stampede that befell this year’s Hajj.

    The state will today hold a prayer session for the repose of the souls of its dead in Saudi.

    Tambuwal gave the assurance when he visited families of those affected by the tragedy in Sokoto.

    A statement issued by Imam Imam,the governor’s Spokesman in Sokoto, noted that “Hajj officials are working round the clock to ensure that all victims are properly identified and documented.

    “The areas most affected in Sokoto State are Illela, Binji and Wamakko local government areas.

    Addressing the families during a stop in Jamali village of Binji Local Government Area, Tambuwal said government was still collating the number of pilgrims who died, suffered injuries or missing.

    He announced that as soon as the collation was done, government would assist the families in the best way possible.

    The governor appealed to the people to exercise more patience, adding that many of those earlier thought to have died had been seen receiving treatment in hospitals in Saudi Arabia.

    He said: “as Muslims, we are encouraged to have faith in God at all times, especially in our difficult times.

    “We will organise prayers for our country men and women for God to heal the injured, bless the dead and bring the missing ones back to us in good health.” Other communities visited include Gidan Hamma, Binji and Wamakko.

    The number of Iranian pilgrims killed in the Hajj stampede had risen to 465, the Iranian authority announced yesterday..

    According to state IRIB Television, a full list of the victims had been released.

    Tehran said about 64,000 Iranians travelled to Saudi Arabia to perform the Hajj rituals this year.

    It urged immediate transfer of the bodies to Iran, blaming Saudi Arabia’s “inefficiency and mismanagement” in handling the largest gathering of Muslims.

    The Saudi authorities had earlier put the total number of pilgrims killed in the accident at 769.

  • Tambuwal, Oshiomhole, Fashola, Orji mourn ‘nation’s mum’

    Tambuwal, Oshiomhole, Fashola, Orji mourn ‘nation’s mum’

    Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal has described the death of Mama Hannah Idowu Dideolu (HID) Awolowo as a great loss.

    In a statement, Tambuwal described the matriarch of the Awolowo family as a unique human being whose virtuosity, influence and charisma will be sorely missed.

    The governor urged the Federal Government to immortalise her.

    His Edo State counterpart, Adams Oshiomhole, described Mrs. Awolowo as an avatar and a “pillar of Christian propriety and fountain of humanism, who was always eager to dispense goodwill to all”.

    Oshiomhole said: “The Awolowo family and the people of Ogun State have lost a good woman, the towering figure who stood strong behind her children.

    “Mama H.I.D was a pillar of Christian propriety and fountain of humanism, always eager to dispense goodwill to all who came to her.

    “Although Mama was advanced in age, we appreciate the depth of the grief of her children and family, knowing how affectionately close and tightly-knitted the family is. Our hearts are with the family at this difficult period.”

    Former Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola has said “the nation’s mother has translated to immortality”.

    “I condole with with the Awolowo family at this moment of physical separation and bereavement.

    “No words will suffice to describe how sorely mama will be missed. But I am confident that the memory of mama’s legacy, her national service without a title, and the pride of her life’s work will build bridges of comfort for the family,” he stated.

    The senator representing Abia Central Senatorial Zone, Abia State, Senator Theodore Orji, said: “I had looked forward to her 100th birthday in November which would have been announced with pomp and pageantry.

    “I had known Mama over the years as a woman dedicated to her husband. She was in a class of her own. Always working in the background, exhibiting the real meaning of the virtuous woman King Solomon spoke about in Proverbs 31.

    “She was kind to all she came across and was never known to discriminate; rather she treated everyone equally.”

  • Tambuwal seeks Fed Govt’s help for flood victims

    Tambuwal seeks Fed Govt’s help for flood victims

    Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal has urged the Federal Government to resettle some villages ravaged by flood.

    The affected communities are in Tangaza and Gudu local government areas.

    The governor, who visited Sakkwai and Kutufare villages in both local government areas yesterday to sympathise with them, noted that the damage the flood caused was unprecedented.

    Tambuwal said his administration would assess the damage the flood did to homes and farmlands, adding that many victims had been camped at government approved sites across the state.

    The governor directed the road maintenance agency to repair the road linking both local government areas, which had been submerged by flood.

    He cautioned the residents to desist from acts that could block the waterways.

    Tambuwal advised the people to pray against a recurrence of the floods to prevent further destruction of property.

    The governor was assisted round the affected areas by the Director-General of the State Emergency Management Agency, Alhaji Hassan Maccido, who said the flood destroyed over 152 houses and many farmlands.

  • Tambuwal submits 22 commissioners nominees to Assembly

    Tambuwal submits 22 commissioners nominees to Assembly

    A list of 22 nominees for appointment as commissioners has been sent to the Sokoto state House of Assembly Thursday for confirmation.

    This was contained in letter send by the state governor Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal and presented in the Assembly by the Clerk Alhaji Muhammad Mainasara.

    The letter by Tambuwal stated that, “The nomination is in line with section 192 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended.

    “The nominees are selected after wide consultation within the spectre of our society and in conformity with section 14 (4) of the Constitution, they are person of proven integrity with good track record in their various vocations.

    “I am confident that, they will bring to bear their wide experience in
    propelling the formation and execution of government policies and programmes for the overall development of the state “. The letter added

    It added that the nominees are, the state Deputy Governor Alhaji Ahmad Aliyu, Alhaji Sahabi Gada, Alhaji Umar Tambuwal, Alhaji Saidu Umar, Alhaji Abdulkadir Jeli, Alhaji Arzika Tureta, Alhaji Jabbi Kilgore, Alhaji Sirajo Gatawa, Alhaji Mani Maishinko.

    Others incude: Alhaji Tukur Alkali, Alhaji Muhammadu Sifawa, Alhaji Bello Gwiwa, Barrister Suleman Usman, Alhaji Nasiru Zarummai, Alhaji Isah Achida, Alhaji Aminu Bello, Alhaji Bala Kokani, Alhaji Bello Goronyo, Alhaji Manir
    Dan’iya, Hajiya Kulu Abdullahi, Dr. Shehu Kakale and Alhaji Musa Ausa.

    In a related development, the Speaker Alhaji Salihu Maidaji Thursday received the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) on a solidarity rally in support of President Muhammadu Buhari’s fight against corruption in the country.

    The Speaker who spoke through his deputy Speaker, Alhaji Abubakar Magaji while receiving them, expressed his readiness and commitment to partnership with NLC and all workers in Sokoto for the development of the state and the Country at large.

    However, the rally was organized by NLC in collaboration with students’ union bodies to support the anticorruption crusade by the President.

  • Take-aways from Tambuwal’s 100 days in office

    When former Speaker of Nigeria’s House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, was sworn-in as Governor of Sokoto State on May 29, attention of the nation was shifted to the historical state, with genuine prospect of ‘continued change’ rising among citizens. This was expected largely because of the pedigree Tambuwal built while representing the people of Kebbe-Tambuwal Federal Constituency in the National Assembly and his subsequent success as the Number Four citizen in the hierarchy of protocol in the federation.

    Tambuwal had campaigned for the new position on the premise of continuing with most of the programmes of the previous administration of Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko in Sokoto State. This was much evident in his numerous speeches before, during and after the elections. The need for the ‘continued change’ mantra was necessary since both politicians not only belong to the same political party, but were from the same political family whose cord was coupled together years back. But like all individuals, it was an established fact that even though continuity of policies is guaranteed, governance style is a product of individual peculiarity since all persons are born different and unique.

    Rather than feel any difference in individual composition between the last and present administration, the foundation laid by Tambuwal in the last 100+ days have heightened the already spiraling expectation from the public. The new approach to governance has galvanized the populace and attracted attention not just nationally but among development partners and other interest groups. The people have been co-opted and their inputs sought in efforts to improve their well-being and build on the foundation laid in preceding years. A priority to him at the moment is institutional reform. He has repeatedly said that when the institutions are on sound footing, the journey will be smoother.

    What we have been served by Tambuwal is a development module that integrates Sokoto’s historical peculiarities and huge potentials while seeking to modernize all aspect of its life. Knowing fully-well that no human endeavour will move successfully without quality education, Tambuwal made the revamping of the sector his number one priority. Within days of taking over the reigns of affairs, he received an unusual request from Sultan Sa’ad Abubakar to introduce school transportation system for kids in the state. His thinking was that with this kind of arrangement on ground, learning will be enhanced. Tambuwal promptly took up the challenge. Modalities for implementation are currently being developed pending budgetary approvals from the state legislature.

    In a bid to boost enrolment figures and halt historical anomaly, government announced a policy that will criminalise refusal to send children to schools. The policy, seen as both radical and revolutionary, has drawn wide applause from social commentators and other stakeholders. This was followed immediately by recruitment of 500 teachers to address shortfall in teaching personnel in public secondary schools.

    At a meeting with UNICEF, Tambuwal ordered immediate payment of counterpart funding for training of primary school teachers whose services will be employed upon completion of the trainings. The government has also abolished the discrepancy in the payment of school fees between indigenes and non indigenes in all public schools in Sokoto State. The entire operational manual for the tsangaya system of education, which integrates western and Islamic school system, has been redrawn. From the next academic session, designated teachers will lecture the students in their areas of learning pending when better facilities are provided to create a condusive learning environment.

    Then also, in Sokoto, emphasis is now on technical education to ensure all students who graduated from O’levels are equipped with necessary skills for self reliance. Feasibility studies have been completed for the opening of entrepreneurship development centres in the three senatorial zones of the state.

    In the areas of employment and youth empowerment, few weeks back, government started registration of 25,000 youths expected to benefit from a skills acquisition scheme over a two-year period. In the coming weeks, government will unveil a special training scheme for artisans and semi-skilled professionals to enhance output and marketing potential for their products. Sokoto government has also signed an MoU with the Usmanu Danfodio University for the training of nurses and birth attendants whose services will be deployed in all parts of the state.  To appreciate Sokoto indigenes studying health related courses, government has offered automatic employment for them upon successful completion of their studies.

    Much has happened in the health sector in Sokoto in the last 100 days. After paying unscheduled late-night visits to public hospitals to assess things for himself, Tambuwal announced an increment in allowances paid to itinerant health care workers who frequent rural areas daily to render services to those in need. To enhance use of life-saving drugs, government began distribution of free drugs to pregnant women and those who gave birth in public hospitals or private health care centre under government supervision in the rural areas.

    Consultations have also started on efforts to introduce health insurance scheme in Sokoto State. The scheme is part of measures to decentralise the National Health Insurance Scheme for optimum performance. Governor Tambuwal said seeking the views of religious scholars and traditional rulers is essential for its future success. Due to space constraint, let me say that social welfare schemes met by Tambuwal have been enhanced, with the ultimate objectives to ensure all citizens feel the impact of government at all levels.

    In agriculture, Tambuwal started off by reclaiming a huge irrigation land abandoned since colonial times. With it on board, the new drive to enhance rice farming received a boost. Government has also opened discussion with the Central Bank of Nigeria to open a new credit line in addition to existing facilities so as to modernise the farming, packaging, storage and export of rice from Sokoto. Tambuwal has already appealed to the federal government to stop granting waiver to rice exporters in order to assist local producers.

    In housing, Tambuwal last week laid the foundation stone for a 250-housing unit Caliphate Workers estate to be sited at Kasarawa, along airport road in Sokoto. Three other estates, initiated by the last administration, will be commissioned early next year with a combined capacity of 1300 housing units. At the last Sokoto Business Forum, Aso Loans and Savings Ltd announced that it will construct 4000 units of houses over four-year period in Sokoto.

    On security, apart from sustaining cooperation with various security agencies serving in the state, Tambuwal ordered all hotels in Sokoto to, from next year, ensure that all guests present valid ID cards as a condition for lodging.

    An innovative approach to environmental sanitation was unveiled where government gave a monetary incentive to the cleanest neighbourhood in Sokoto. The policy has attracted interest from all parts of the state. On days designated for sanitation, huge crowd flock to streets with brooms and shovels in bid to win Tambuwal’s N2.3m Naira on offer.

    On the important matter of bills and legislations, to demonstrate government’s commitment to have legal framework and institutionalise reforms, work on nine bills have been completed. They are the Sokoto Commodity Board bill, Sokoto Criminal Justice Law Reform bill, Anti-Child Pornography and Cyber Crimes bill, State Mortgage bill, Sokoto Education Reform bill, Sokoto Geographic Information Systems bill, Sokoto Transport Management Agency bill, Sokoto Primary Healthcare Development bill and Sokoto Environmental Protection Agency bill.

    ‘In a bid to boost enrolment figures and halt historical anomaly, government announced a policy that will criminalise refusal to send children to schools. The policy, seen as both radical and revolutionary, has drawn wide applause from social commentators and other stakeholders’

    • Imam is the Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs to Governor Tambuwal

     

  • Tambuwal dissolves 23 councils’ caretaker committees

    Tambuwal dissolves 23 councils’ caretaker committees

    Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State yesterday approved the dissolution of the 23 local government areas’ caretaker committees in the state.

    The secretaries of the councils were relieved of their appointments.

    A statement by the governor’s spokesman, Malam Imam Imam, made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Sokoto, said the directors of Personnel Management in the councils were directed to take over the leadership of their local governments.

    Also, Tambuwal approved the appointment of Prof. Bashir Garba as the new Secretary to the State Government (SSG).

    Until his new appointment, Bashir was the Rector of the state’s polytechnic.

    Born on June 6, 1966 in Minanata area of Sokoto, Garba holds a Ph.D in Applied Chemistry, MSc in Applied Organic Chemistry, PGD in Management and BSc in Applied Chemistry.

    He attended Magajin Rafi Primary School, Sokoto, from 1973 to 1979; Government Secondary Technical School, Talata Mafara, from 1979 to 1984; Usmanu Danfodio University, Sokoto and University of Jos.

    The new SSG served as the Director of Sokoto Energy Research Centre of the Usmanu Danfodio University between 1999 and 2005.

    Tambuwal also appointed Alhaji Abdullahi Danko as the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Public Affairs and Hajiya Aisha Musa Maina as SSA on New Media.

    Danko was the Chairman of Sokoto State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).

    Until his appointment, he was the Director of News at Rima Radio, Sokoto.

    Hajiya Aisha is the State Chairperson of the state’s chapter of the National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ).

  • Tambuwal’s campaign to keep Sokoto clean  

    On 1st October 1968, the then Prime Minister of Singapore, the late Sir Lee Kuan Yew launched the “Keep Singapore Clean Campaign” programme. The aim was to make Singapore the cleanest and greenest city in the region by addressing the problem of inconsiderate littering. It also sought to instil in Singaporeans the importance of keeping their homes and public places clean. Two decades after the launch of the campaign, the tiny island-nation did not only emerge as the cleanest in the region, but on the global map as one of the cleanest and neatest cities in the world. Till date, Singapore has consistently remained among the 10 top neatest cities on the globe.

    The recent initiative to keep Sokoto clean by Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal who made a pledge of One Million Naira to the cleanest street in Sokoto should be a welcome development and something worthy of emulation by his co-Governors in Nigeria. Waste management has become a serious challenge which many developing nations have not given a proper attention despite it hazardous implications. In the case of Nigeria, it’s a phenomenon as even the capital city of our nation is not immune or can boast of proper waste management and refuse collection method.

    Campaigns are meant to have a long term impact. However, human errors, wrong judgement or a lack of foresight during the introduction of campaigns can sometimes lead to failures or even disasters. For example, in 1958 the new China launched the Four Pests Campaign in a bid to eliminate rats, flies, mosquitoes and sparrows. The sparrows were targeted because they ate the farmers’ grain seeds. In a short time, millions of Chinese were mobilised for the campaign. Sparrows, as well as other birds, were shot, with their nests and eggs destroyed. Soon, the Chinese government realised that, besides eating grains, sparrows were also natural predators to many insects. It was too late then. By 1960, rice farms in China were swarmed by locusts, leading to the Great Chinese famine in which millions died of starvation.

    Singapore had launched over 200 campaigns in the seventies and eighties. Many of these campaigns have had positive effects. They include: water-saving, speak mandarin campaign, Greening Singapore, keep Singapore clean campaign, public health campaign, wash your hand, anti-drug, Breastfeeding, safe water, anti-spiting, anti-smoking, anti-littering and keep Singapore crime free.

    The Keep Sokoto Clean scheme will require intensive usage of media and campaigns in other to achieve its goals. Sometimes, a campaign represents an era, and some of its posters go on to become iconic representations that are even remembered after decades.    The masses should be educated to know the merits of living in a clean environment and also to make them recognize why it really matters to their health. But this could only be possible with the support of citizens whose cooperation with the government is very essential to make the environment clean, safe and fresh.

    The government should use posters and banners in major languages to be displayed in public places such as shops, markets, restaurants, offices, factories, community centres, motor parks and public notice boards. Mini-posters, stick-up strips, leaflets, pamphlets and car-bumper stickers should also be distributed with the Clean Sokoto campaign slogan. In addition to the distribution of collaterals, various public and education activities should be organised in major languages. These include talks and lectures by health officials, inspections and spot checks by government officials, rallies, exhibitions and estate cleaning exercises by the residents.

    The cleanest offices, streets, estates, shopping complex, restaurants, markets, government buildings and schools should be rewarded. The information should be announced publicly, highlighting both the cleanest and the dirtiest. Not only would the offenders be branded as litterbugs; film clips and photographs of dirty premises, streets or people caught in the act of littering should be shown and broadcast in the mass media.

    Besides the use of social pressure, the Keep Sokoto Clean campaign should not only be rewarding as promised; the governor should lead the campaign alongside top government functionaries as did by the late Sir Lee Kuan Yew in Singapore in order to give the scheme prominence. In order to enforce the campaign, specific amounts of fine should be used as a way to control the offenders. The state environmental agency and other stakeholders should from time to time send officers on patrol to counsel members of the public against littering and its consequences.

    The government must empower the unit saddled with the responsibility of implementing the scheme with adequate budgetary allocation, technical and logistic support. There should be adequate provision of waste roll-off containers at vulnerable streets, refuse carts, development of proper sewage systems and drainages. In other to enforce the scheme, laws need to be enacted to make it compulsory for all commercial and public offices to have refuse disposal bags and containers at their business and operations premises. The collection of refuse and waste for proper disposal by the concerned authorities at least twice or once in a week should be timely in other to avoid pollution of the environment. With recycling technology, waste collected in the city can be successfully recycled for economic benefit.

    To ensure that good habits are cultivated from a young age, children and students should be special target groups of the campaign and teachers should be involved to remind students not to litter the environment. The cities of Calgary, Luxemburg, Zurich, Adelaide, Freiburg, Singapore, Kobe, Stockholm, Vienna and Oslo which are today ranked as the cleanliest cities in the world didn’t just wake up in a day and achieved the status. The idea was initiated, nurtured and sustained just as Governor Tambuwal has indicated his willingness and zeal to make Sokoto a clean city. It is an undeniable fact that a cleaner city would lead to a more pleasant life, safe drinking water, low level of diseases and pollution, thus creating the necessary social conditions for higher economic growth through industry and tourism. The administration should place more importance on educating and enlightening the citizens on the need to be more conscious and thoughtful about their actions in relation to cleanliness.

    The Keep Sokoto Clean initiative if well implemented, nurtured and sustained would have a positive impact on the city throughout the coming years. While lauding the foresight of Tambuwal’s administration to make Sokoto a clean city, it is imperative for his administration to evolve and broaden the programme by making “Greening” of the city part of the “Cleaning” campaign just as the Singapore model.

    • Yahaya wrote in from Kado-Estate, Abuja
  • We’ll partner govt on security, says Tambuwal

    We’ll partner govt on security, says Tambuwal

    States and local governments will partner with the federal government to ensure protection of lives and properties, Sokoto State governor, Aminu Tambuwal, has declared.

    Tambuwal spoke at the weekend Friday when the newly-posted Commander of the 1 Brigade, Nigerian Army, Sokoto, Brig. Gen. Olufunmilola Solale, paid him a courtesy call.

    He said: “These two tiers of government would continue to complement the efforts of the federal government in providing adequate logistics to the nation’s military and other security agencies.

    “This is a collective responsibility, which should not be left to the president or the federal government.”

    The governor, who also extolled existing cordial relations between the state government, security agencies and the public, assured the military that his administration will ensure total collaboration and access to all its officers and men.

  • How the nation can have peace, by Tambuwal

    How the nation can have peace, by Tambuwal

    Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal was the guest at a conference organised by the Faculty of Social Science of the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS), where he gave tips on how the nation can surmount its security challenges. ISMAT ANIFOWOSE (300-Level Economics) and YASIN OLAWUMI (300-Level English Language) report.

    The fifth conference of the Faculty of Social Sciences of the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS) was aimed at enlightening the public on the role of security in national integration and development. And the special guest of honour – Governor Aminu Tambuwal – believes security is critical to any effort aimed at rebuilding the nation.

    The nation’s security challenges, he said, would be solved if people gave useful information about criminal activities in their areas.

    Tambuwal, who spoke on Security, National Integration and Challenges of Development in Nigeria, said security of lives and property remained the challenge facing 21st societies, stressing the need for a partnership between the people and security agencies.

    He said: “Without doubt, insecurity is the most daunting challenge undermining the growth and development of Nigeria as a nation. As the chief executive and, by implication, the chief security officer of this state, an event of this nature is necessary in enhancing our understanding of the dynamic and complex requirements of the challenges that could inhibit sustainable peace and security in the state.”

    He said insecurity had led to the diversion of resources meant for the development of key sectors of the economy to respond to the challenges of security at various levels. Tambuwal said the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration was alive to its responsibilities of providing adequate security to ensure sustainable political and socio-economic change.

    He said: “The turn of events in the last two months attests to the commitment and resolve of the present government to liberate the country from security challenges. The various arms of our security forces are being repositioned to reduce the nation’s battered image. At the state level, similar responses are also underway to institutionalise coherent security mechanisms that will consolidate the peace and security that our state is famous for.”

    Tambuwal charged the participants on enlightening the public to join hand with the government to secure the state. He said adequate security would promote economic growth and human development, but he said it could only be achieved if people are vigilance and give information about criminal activities.

    The chairman of the occasion and Vice-Chancellor (VC) of Sokoto State University, Prof Nuhu Yakubu, said the event’s theme was timely, given the current security challenges in the Northeast. The Boko Haram insurgency, he said, has led to extreme poverty and bred corruption in the management of security budget. While saying security of the lives and properties should be the primary focus of government, Prof Yakubu said people had key role to play in proffering solution to their challenges.

    The UDUS VC, Prof Abdullahi Zuru, said economy could only thrive in a peace environment, adding that insecurity had hampered the nation’s development in the last five years. He believed said he expressed national integration could be achieved if there was security.

     

    A lecturer of the Department of Economics, Anas Sanda, hinged the cause of insecurity to income inequality and unstable growth in the economy. He said he carried out a study, which examined relationship between income inequality and economy growth in African countries.

    His findings, he said, suggested that income inequality has a negative effect on economic growth, which means a country that has high level of inequality is to experience decline in economic growth.

    Sanda said the study showed that income inequality could generate tension in the society. He urged the government to implement policies that would close the gap between income and economic growth. He said there would always be security challenges in a society where majority of the citizens are hungry and could not have access to the basic needs of life.

    The session was followed by question and answer session, after which the Deputy VC for Administration gave the closing prayer.

    The university auditorium, where the event was held, was filled to the brim. Guests at event included the Deputy Governor Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto, Head of Service, Alhaji Suleiman Shinkafi, Governor of Zamfara State, represented by Secretary to the State Government, Prof Abdullahi Shikafi and Ssultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammed Sa’ad Abubakar, represented by Alhaji Buhari Abubakar, among others.

  • Tambuwal’s Dogara and other stories

    Politicians all over the world, especially the herd mentored in Nigeria, are masters of the act of treachery. Those who get trapped in the sheer oratory of the spoken words usually wake up too late to realise the hollowness in the elevated pitch. The problem really is not in the cadence of the delivery but rather in the emptiness of the cacophonous grunting. You just can’t hold them to anything or trust them to walk their talk. This is not saying that there are no exceptions but that is a rarity. Not with the kind of do-or-die politics that we play here. Wolves in sheep’s clothing people our political landscape and that is why Nigeria is steeped in this miasma of a motion without movement. Behind that convivial façade of bohemian friendliness etched on the face of a typical politician is a dagger of treachery tailored to pierce the heart. Sometimes, you just cannot help but marvel at the stone-cold calmness with which they pull the rugs off one another’s feet.

    It was that kind of chilliness that enveloped one, listening to the former Speaker of the House of Representatives and now Governor of Sokoto State, Mr. Aminu Tambuwal, justifying his decision to back Hon. Yakubu Dogara as his successor against a man that risked all for him in his four-year turbulent reign, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila. Now, let us get this clear. I am not particularly intrigued by what I have heard about Gbajabiamila as a person. Not that I have ever had a one-on-one encounter with him but the testimonial people give about him leaves much to be desired. He comes across as someone who wears his perfume of arrogance on padded shoulders. That, in my estimation, is sad. Though said to be a brilliant chap and dependably loyal, many hold the view that Gbajabiamila’s Achilles heel is his bloated ego. That said, I do not think Tambuwal’s treacherous gloating over Gbajabiamila’s loss deserves anything less than outright condemnation.

    From Tambuwal’s revelation, it is clear that the ruling All Progressives Congress is a party in crisis even at this embryonic stage. It has neither an identity nor an ideology. The APC, as it stands today, is a floating disaster waiting to happen if the gang of pretenders in its fold continue to live by the deceit of having cemented a coalition that would take Nigeria to the next level. Day by day, the party gets soaked in a self-inflicted mess that defies common sense. At a time when logic dictates that its leadership should have learnt a lesson or two from the now wailing opposition, the Peoples Democratic Party, it is mind boggling that the leadership kowtows to the condemnable antics of the irritants within its fold. Should the party crumble before the next general elections, the road to that perfidy would definitely be traced back to the moment when its leadership sat back with folded arms as the hawks of power wilfully subdued the key tenets of party supremacy. Democracy is nothing without a strong party structure and the APC simply does not qualify as one for now.

    Truth told, it is only a party without form and structure that would celebrate Tambuwal’s vomit on Gbajabiamila with loud silence.  It is not just what Tambuwal said that rankles, but the dismissive mien with which he giggled through the babble. It would have been better if he had simply admitted that Dogara, who is eminently qualified to assume the office of Speaker of the House of Representatives, got his nod because he is a northerner who has proven his competence as a serial chair of the House Services Committee. For the uninitiated, that committee is critical to the survival of every lawmaker who is keen on reaping the dividends of his adventure in the National Assembly. And so, it is easy to dissect the meaning embedded in Tambuwal’s pregnant allusion that: “The acknowledgement of Dogara’s competence did not start with me. It started from the time of Hon. Patricia Etteh and Hon. Dimeji Bankole when they entrusted him with a sensitive position of the Chairman of House Services Committee. The committee is one of the most sensitive in the legislature. Apart from taking care of the welfare of members, the committee oversees all procurement processes. As the Speaker, I only did what my predecessors did by giving Dogara this sensitive position”.

    It is strange that Tambuwal never realised how “incompetent” and “unfit” Gbajabiamila was throughout the four years he practically pranced all over the place, in defence of a person who rode on the back of the then opposition party to become Speaker. It was the same tenacity displayed by the opposition, through the Lagos State lawmaker as Minority Leader, which sustained Tambuwal up until that moment that he jumped ship to become a registered member of the APC. Ironically, when it was time to pay loyalty back, or, at best, stand on the fence as an unbiased umpire, Tambuwal kicked a man he claimed to maintain a “strong affinity with” in the groin. What a vain triumphalism!

    In all this, we should not miss the point about Dogara’s competence and his ability to address the welfare of his colleagues. After all, what matters is a discreet, proper and fair handling of issues relating to the personal interests of the lawmakers. Therefore, it is meet and proper that Dogara gets the credit for the rancour-free sharing formula of the humongous allowances the lawmakers allocated to themselves. Unlike the seeming furore over the controversial way the leadership emerged, not a single voice of dissent was heard when the naira rain drenched their pockets. By now, Nigerians ought to come to the reality that nothing unites warring legislators than the smell of minted notes. One of my friends muttered with sarcasm that, “every legislator looks forward to that special moment when members retire to execu-thief session where none sees evil, hears evil and bears no grudges!”

    But for the exclusive report published by this paper last Sunday, how would we have known that these folks were getting themselves soaked in naira rain instead of sweating their damned asses out with the business of passing laws for the good governance of the nation? In a country where millions of unemployed persons slap the streets in endless forage for the next meal, Dogara and Senate President Bukola Saraki’s dexterity in packaging ‘welfare’ for friends and ‘foes’ in the comity of national lawmakers was said to have bled the national treasury to the tune of N12.9bn in two months of heckling! Well, you are right if you argue that this blind rape of the treasury and callous abuse of power did not start with the 8th National Assembly. The difference is that we have never had it this bad. Or have we?

    It is unbelievable that these jesters, comprising of 109 senators and 360 Reps have gone on another six-week break carting home about N13 billion in perquisites and allowances. The breakdown is simple. For a 15-day sitting mostly used to bicker over leadership positions and a recess of 12 weeks, each senator was rewarded with N36.4m while a Rep gets N25m paid in tranches under different kinds of curious subheads. In fact, things would soon get juicier for this set of lucky Nigerians going by an exclusive report published by Daily Trust, that Dogara may increase the number of house committees from Tambuwal’s 89 to 95 with a financial burden of N2.66 billion annually. And we had thought that the change bug has equally penetrated the blood streams of these persons who rode to the legislature on the back of the Buhari Tsunami. Added to this is the fact that Saraki is also under pressure to compensate the forces from the PDP who, with his condescending treachery, planted him on the Senate President seat. Do you now appreciate why this particular National Assembly would not make any reasonable cut in the N150 billion first line charge from the national budget? If you ask me, I believe President Muhammadu Buhari should be prepared for a bumpy ride with the legislature as his change train may just hit the brick wall. It appears these ones are too far gone in their selfish proclivities to give a hoot about how we got to this sorry mess.

    But can we really blame the lawmakers for displaying a high sense of unity of purpose when their welfare is the issue? What other vocation could be more lucrative than the one in which you continuously harvest loads of money from a leadership that understands the soporific power of making the welfare of an indolent lot paramount in the scheme of things. This may not be what Nigerians bargained for when they trooped to the polls to elect a new set of leaders to redirect the fortunes of a nation in crisis. Unfortunately, this is where high-wired treachery and stone-cold ambition has led us to. Sad, Very sad.