By Vincent Bodam
Chancellor, Gurara Forum.
Your Excellency,
When on 29th May 2015 you were sworn in as Governor of Kaduna State, most of us indigenes of Kaduna state were hilarious and excited. Needless to say what our efforts were prior to Election Day. Some discerning minds like us who were non partisan saw the zeal, efficacy and efficiency in you and we thought you were the real deal, so we sat back to watch your action.
Two years down the line, we are witnesses to your flip flops among your achievements. While this is normal since you are human as well, but most of them dont strike me as mistakes. However, I will narrow it down to the area I find very strange.
Your Excellency, your hatred for Southern Kaduna is unprecedented, no matter how you try to veil it but your utterances and body language give you away. And you must read my mail to you with an open mind because you also wrote a memo to the President because you were not happy about certain things.
From your utterances, it is clear that you listen to a section of the state only. Your take on 30/70 % Christian/Muslim population in the state was to me unintelligent, because an intelligent person of your caliber should have asked those who told him so how they arrived at that conclusion. What scientific method was used to so conclude. How about the "reprisal" killings you keep brandishing about? Pray, did you ask them to show you the location where those foreign herdsmen were killed? Did you ask to see their graves? In this 21st century with the rule of law, the word reprisal is criminal in a court of competent jurisdiction. When a man is killed, the killer is sought and brought to justice. But where an aggrieved party resort to jungle violence by annihilating a whole village in the name of reprisal using maximum lethal force is not only criminal but an effrontery to your office.
You also told the world that you have advanced monies to the said foreign herdsmen who claimed they lost cattle and kinsmen while on their way back to their home countries in the post presidential elections crises of 2011 in order to appease them to stop the wanton killings in Southern Kaduna. This has attracted numerous interpretations which I'm sure you find offensive, but blame must be placed on your doorstep. Sir, did you take your time to find out who were given these monies and why did the killings continue unabated? Many people link this statement by you to your tweet of July 15, 2012 " we will write this for all to read. Anyone, soldier or not that kills the Fulani takes a loan repayable one day no matter how long it takes" it appears your impression of reprisal is a philosophy!
Sir when we read press releases of ZEMDA ( Zazzau Emirate Development Association) and MACBAN ( Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association Of Nigeria), we shiver and shudder because most of the things they say are stuff you say in your interviews which means you are in tandem with these bodies while you leave out the SOKAPU. In my humble opinion sir, you cannot love Southern Kaduna people if you cannot love SOKAPU and listen to them. Even those people working for you and showing SOKAPU distaste is because you as their master has shown your disdain for SOKAPU. But note that your Deputy Governor was the one that created the logo for the SOKAPU, but curiously, your loyalists of Southern Kaduna origins seem to be at daggers drawn with them, no thanks to you! We understand that some of them are even claiming that they don't belong to Southern Kaduna. Sir, I was born in Ungwan Sanusi in Tudun Wada and Baptised in St Augustine Catholic Church there ( which no longer exists) but I know my origins!!!
Sir, you were stoned and pelted on one of your trips in SK because people were angry and frustrated with the unexplained killings going on in the villages. It is apparent you believe in reprisal so much that you decided to lock down the few higher institutions in that zone. The COE, School of Nursing and the Kafanchan Campus of KASU have been closed since then. Noteworthy is that you are not the only executive that has been pelted before. Backtrack to 2012, then Governor Patrick Yakowa was physically attacked in Zonkwa, in 2014, Governor Ramallam Yero was stoned and pelted in Bondon in Kaura LG, he was again stoned in 2015 with naked women protesting in Sanga. He was again pelted in Rigasa , a Kaduna surburb. Even then President Goodluck Jonathan was stoned and harassed in Katsina, Bauchi and Plateau States, none of these gentlemen reacted the way you did. When you returned to Kaduna you had a press conference in Hausa clearly to speak to a section of the state where you denigrated and emasculated the people of Southern Kaduna. Even during the Boko Haram madness, UnIversity of Maiduguri was never closed Which was in the epicenter of the violence! And with the heavy presence of the military in SK, why are the schools closed for over four months now? In Zaria where students were beaten up and raped in Nuhu Bamali Polytechnic and the FCE during sectarian crises, schools were not closed for more than three weeks. To my knowledge, no students in any of the aforementioned schools in SK has ever been harassed.
You have numerously arrested and jailed people from Southern Kaduna over what you term as cyber crime. You seem to have zero tolerance for criticisms. You have prosecuted people like Luka Binniyat, John Danfulani, Audu Maikori, Nasiru Jagaba, Midat Joseph., while you have forgotten so soon your activities on social media when on November 25, 2014 you tweeted that then President Goodluck Jonathan was going to Chad to plot attacks with the Chadian President. On September 8, 2014 you also tweeted Andy accused the then CAN President, Ayo Oritsejafor of being the commander of the so called Christian Boko Haram. You also tweeted that Oritsejafor received 50 billion Naira and a jet to tarnish the name of Islam. On november 9th 2013, you tweeted the picture of Jonathan kneeling down in prayer and you piqued thus " many prayers of the lazy, docile, incompetent, clueless, hopeless, useless leader!" Amongst others, and considering you were then an ex minister of the Federal republic, nobody arrested or prosecuted you But to my chagrin, you are involved in petty arrests and prosecutions !. To me this is unwholesome and petty. When the MACBAN accused the military of killing 12 of their herdsmen, and the military did a rebuttal and asked them not to drag them into their propaganda machinery, I for one, waited to see your reaction which never came, so you wouldn't blame me if I point at your prejudiced reactions of events in the state.
while I pray that you complete your first term well, I wish to remind you that the onus is on you to show a balanced reaction to events in the state Regardless of what impression you have and you must listen to all parties because there is always two sides in a story. I wish you well.
God bless Kaduna State.
Vincent Bodam
Chancellor, Gurara Forum.
Chancellor, Gurara Forum.
Your Excellency,
When on 29th May 2015 you were sworn in as Governor of Kaduna State, most of us indigenes of Kaduna state were hilarious and excited. Needless to say what our efforts were prior to Election Day. Some discerning minds like us who were non partisan saw the zeal, efficacy and efficiency in you and we thought you were the real deal, so we sat back to watch your action.
Two years down the line, we are witnesses to your flip flops among your achievements. While this is normal since you are human as well, but most of them dont strike me as mistakes. However, I will narrow it down to the area I find very strange.
Your Excellency, your hatred for Southern Kaduna is unprecedented, no matter how you try to veil it but your utterances and body language give you away. And you must read my mail to you with an open mind because you also wrote a memo to the President because you were not happy about certain things.
From your utterances, it is clear that you listen to a section of the state only. Your take on 30/70 % Christian/Muslim population in the state was to me unintelligent, because an intelligent person of your caliber should have asked those who told him so how they arrived at that conclusion. What scientific method was used to so conclude. How about the "reprisal" killings you keep brandishing about? Pray, did you ask them to show you the location where those foreign herdsmen were killed? Did you ask to see their graves? In this 21st century with the rule of law, the word reprisal is criminal in a court of competent jurisdiction. When a man is killed, the killer is sought and brought to justice. But where an aggrieved party resort to jungle violence by annihilating a whole village in the name of reprisal using maximum lethal force is not only criminal but an effrontery to your office.
You also told the world that you have advanced monies to the said foreign herdsmen who claimed they lost cattle and kinsmen while on their way back to their home countries in the post presidential elections crises of 2011 in order to appease them to stop the wanton killings in Southern Kaduna. This has attracted numerous interpretations which I'm sure you find offensive, but blame must be placed on your doorstep. Sir, did you take your time to find out who were given these monies and why did the killings continue unabated? Many people link this statement by you to your tweet of July 15, 2012 " we will write this for all to read. Anyone, soldier or not that kills the Fulani takes a loan repayable one day no matter how long it takes" it appears your impression of reprisal is a philosophy!
Sir when we read press releases of ZEMDA ( Zazzau Emirate Development Association) and MACBAN ( Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association Of Nigeria), we shiver and shudder because most of the things they say are stuff you say in your interviews which means you are in tandem with these bodies while you leave out the SOKAPU. In my humble opinion sir, you cannot love Southern Kaduna people if you cannot love SOKAPU and listen to them. Even those people working for you and showing SOKAPU distaste is because you as their master has shown your disdain for SOKAPU. But note that your Deputy Governor was the one that created the logo for the SOKAPU, but curiously, your loyalists of Southern Kaduna origins seem to be at daggers drawn with them, no thanks to you! We understand that some of them are even claiming that they don't belong to Southern Kaduna. Sir, I was born in Ungwan Sanusi in Tudun Wada and Baptised in St Augustine Catholic Church there ( which no longer exists) but I know my origins!!!
Sir, you were stoned and pelted on one of your trips in SK because people were angry and frustrated with the unexplained killings going on in the villages. It is apparent you believe in reprisal so much that you decided to lock down the few higher institutions in that zone. The COE, School of Nursing and the Kafanchan Campus of KASU have been closed since then. Noteworthy is that you are not the only executive that has been pelted before. Backtrack to 2012, then Governor Patrick Yakowa was physically attacked in Zonkwa, in 2014, Governor Ramallam Yero was stoned and pelted in Bondon in Kaura LG, he was again stoned in 2015 with naked women protesting in Sanga. He was again pelted in Rigasa , a Kaduna surburb. Even then President Goodluck Jonathan was stoned and harassed in Katsina, Bauchi and Plateau States, none of these gentlemen reacted the way you did. When you returned to Kaduna you had a press conference in Hausa clearly to speak to a section of the state where you denigrated and emasculated the people of Southern Kaduna. Even during the Boko Haram madness, UnIversity of Maiduguri was never closed Which was in the epicenter of the violence! And with the heavy presence of the military in SK, why are the schools closed for over four months now? In Zaria where students were beaten up and raped in Nuhu Bamali Polytechnic and the FCE during sectarian crises, schools were not closed for more than three weeks. To my knowledge, no students in any of the aforementioned schools in SK has ever been harassed.
You have numerously arrested and jailed people from Southern Kaduna over what you term as cyber crime. You seem to have zero tolerance for criticisms. You have prosecuted people like Luka Binniyat, John Danfulani, Audu Maikori, Nasiru Jagaba, Midat Joseph., while you have forgotten so soon your activities on social media when on November 25, 2014 you tweeted that then President Goodluck Jonathan was going to Chad to plot attacks with the Chadian President. On September 8, 2014 you also tweeted Andy accused the then CAN President, Ayo Oritsejafor of being the commander of the so called Christian Boko Haram. You also tweeted that Oritsejafor received 50 billion Naira and a jet to tarnish the name of Islam. On november 9th 2013, you tweeted the picture of Jonathan kneeling down in prayer and you piqued thus " many prayers of the lazy, docile, incompetent, clueless, hopeless, useless leader!" Amongst others, and considering you were then an ex minister of the Federal republic, nobody arrested or prosecuted you But to my chagrin, you are involved in petty arrests and prosecutions !. To me this is unwholesome and petty. When the MACBAN accused the military of killing 12 of their herdsmen, and the military did a rebuttal and asked them not to drag them into their propaganda machinery, I for one, waited to see your reaction which never came, so you wouldn't blame me if I point at your prejudiced reactions of events in the state.
while I pray that you complete your first term well, I wish to remind you that the onus is on you to show a balanced reaction to events in the state Regardless of what impression you have and you must listen to all parties because there is always two sides in a story. I wish you well.
God bless Kaduna State.
Vincent Bodam
Chancellor, Gurara Forum.
No comments:
Post a Comment