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Governor Boni Haruna And 2007 By Aminu Iyawa
The last time I met face to face with the chief executive of my state, Adamawa, was in either June or July, 2003. Almost two years ago, you could say. Being the VIP that he is, he was the last to board and the first to disembark the ADC Airliner that took us from Yola to Abuja. Having sat not too far away from the front business rows, I was one of the few passengers that joined the Governor in the waiting trump that conveyed us to the terminal building.
His Excellency started the conversation when he saw me come aboard. “You completely disappeared from this world, Aminu”; he said, at the same time stretching his right hand towards me for formal greetings. I told the Governor that I was around and doing well. The governor was right to observe that I disappeared from this world. When I was member of the Daily Trust Editorial Board, maintaining a column, I used to, from time to time, take him up on certain issues pertaining the way he delivered dividends of democracy in that poor state.
I suppose he must have missed the fair criticism and the sound advice that I offered in the end. Something that neither an ordinary Adamawa citizen could do for lack of opportunity, nor his Aides, majority of whom may be afraid to tell the governor what the executive ear does not want to hear for fear of incurring his wrath by loosing the confidence he has in them or worst still, their jobs.
Your Excellency, I must congratulate you for the good work of urban roads rehabilitation that you have just started in the cities of Mubi, your adopted hometown and Yola, the state capital. You deserve commendation because it takes a man with a large heart to change his mind, after you allegedly vowed not to do a thing, particularly for Yola, whose residents or is it indigenes you constantly accuse of undermining your office and for voting for the opposition.
I must confess, Your Excellency that I had long joined those who had given up on you and resigned their fate to 2007 for salvation. I said so because, I share the road that lead to the residence of your party boss, the National Vice Chairman of the largest ruling party in Africa, the PDP, Alhaji Ahmed Song, whose house faces mine, but we would sometimes have to park our cars miles away and trek home for wont of good road. Alhaji Song is one of the few humble people that Nigeria can boast of. I will bet my life that he has never complained about it and never will.
Talking about 2007 reminds me of the political kite being flown these days by the Governor’s aides- that His Excellency is going for third term. I have to admit that I was dump-founded when I first heard about it during the Easter Break in Yola. The first thing that came to my mind was that somebody must be trying to sabotage the vice president in his bid to realize his objective of becoming the number one citizen of this country.
The story goes that Boni Haruna’s first term was Atiku’s and not his, period. They argued that Boni’s first is the second term he is now serving. To them, the good people of Adamawa state voted in Atiku Abubakar in 1999 and not Boni, thereby making him eligible to contest the governorship in 2007. I may not be a lawyer, but I remembered his counsel arguing before a court of law that declared him “Governor” that Atiku was not elected alone, that the ticket was for the two of them; Governor and Deputy-Governor.
In any case, I refused to believe the notion that Governor Haruna will even contemplate such a stunt. If he cares for his mentor, Turaki Atiku Abubakar, he will not dare advance such a thing. As it is right now, the Vice President used his entire Easter Break trying to mend broken fences. You had to be in Yola at that time to appreciate the political effort of the Turaki. I had seen convoys of hitherto disgruntled groups being ferried to meet with him where he offered them the olive branch.
Governor Boni’s alleged third term bid (should the courts declare it possible) will certainly mar things for the Vice President; and if he lacked the needed home base support, he will have nothing to sell at the party convention that will choose him as its presidential candidate. No, Boni should not listen to such sycophantic tales of third term that will only further inflame the political ill feelings amongst the peoples of the state.
The fence-mending project by the Turaki should be supplemented by a reach-out campaign from the Governor as well as the political Aides of the Sardauna Ganye, who, by and large have been responsible for their master’s political troubles locally and on the national scene. Where they should court, they intimidate; where they should hail, they curse and where they should reach-out, they kick-out.
I remember constantly arguing with my “big”brother, Professor Musa Yakubu who I visit almost every weekend that both the Turaki and Governor Boni have been misunderstanding “Mutanen Yola” as we have been referred to. I told him that because the VP or Boni has political differences with the likes of Bamanga Tukur, Mahmud Waziri or Mahmud Tukur does not mean that Mutanen Yola or indeed even those mentioned, despise them. Instead of trying to woo us (the people) and even them as political opposition, they distance themselves and brand us enemies.
A mature politician should not have an enemy after he has been declared winner. He should be able to reach out to all and work for all. If the Governor for instance refused to rehabilitate roads in Yola as a means of vengeance as Boni had done until recently, he takes the most brunt for the simple reason that his lack of impact was there for all to see. It is easy for out-of-state visitor to compare his performance with those our neighbors in Gombe, Bauchi and Borno.
Comparism aside, the Governor and his Aides have the best houses and cars in town. They will live in Yola after all at the end of their tenure. Their Lexus Jeeps and my C-Class and the rickety beat-up vehicles of the not-so-well to do will all ply the same pot-holed streets. I don’t think my Governor would want to be remembered in history as “that that did not perform”. His Excellency still has two more years to go; he should be able to scale down on “PROJECT 2007” and utilize the four billion naira windfall share allocated to the state to uplift the condition of the people through rehabilitation of infrastructure and provision of basic amenities. After all, 2007 is about people and their votes. They need all the help they can get now and not on the eve of Election Day. Besides, no indigene of Adamawa state, Fulanin Yola or otherwise, will vote for anybody else other than the Turaki, should he clinch the party nomination. No more politics of imaginary enemies please. Let us have some development.
34, Hamman Nyallowa Street, Yola.
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