|
Sidi H. Ali & Adamawa’s Bornyface By Babayola Toungo
The response by one Hon. Sidi H. Ali to a piece by Mr. Lookmann, the Audacious Onlooker of Leadership Newspaper, a satirical column more in the traditions of the long rested Candido in the New Nigerian of yore, in the September 18th, 2005 edition of the paper titled Adamawa’s Boniface makes an interesting reading. It is interesting in the sense that Hon. Ali tired to play on the intelligence of Adamawa State indigenes by painting failure in the garb of humbleness. The writer is of the opinion that Boni’s style of governance tends towards “discretion” rather than “flamboyant”. That Mr. Lookmann has not been fair to Boni Haruna and he was happy that the audacious onlooker at least agreed that Boni Haruna was “elected”; and that Adamawa is one of the “poorest states”, whatever that may mean. He went on rambling for long without actually saying anything new. Boni Haruna has experienced the ups and downs of life or something to that effect. This, to my understanding, may be the only new thing or angle introduced by Hon. Ali to the Boni Haruna phenomenon – a personification of monumental failure and grandiloquent ego.
There was a Sidi H. Ali, a member of the second republic House of Representatives from the then Kano state who became famous or his toy gun totting escapades than any legislative prowess and who faded out with time and when a certain Sidi H. Ali died about a year or two years ago, I thought it was him. If the writer and the Sidi H. Ali of the second republic are one and same, then Nigeria is in more trouble than I thought. Because if someone who was a member of the House of Representatives between 1979 – 1983 will reduce himself to a boot licker to someone like Boni Haruna in 2005, then indeed Nigeria is in trouble. The piece was more a pathetic attempt to stand the truth on its head than a response to the said article by Mr. Lookmann. If it were meant to launder Boni’s diminishing image, it succeeded in doing the opposite with most readers of Leadership just like what Boni Haruna tried to do with the invitation of Uche and Demola, erstwhile employees of the newspaper to Yola.
But to us Adamawa indigenes, it was more a slap on the face by Sidi Ali than anything else. He cannot sit down in the comforts of his Kano or Abuja residents and lecture us on Boni’s mirage achievements. The fallacy of a “deliberate policy” of completing abandoned projects has since worn out and Boni’s apologists are yet to find another fulcrum to anchor their arguments. The said state secretariat and the state House of Assembly were completed in 1999 and have since been in use, so are we to infer that governance begins and ends with the completion of projects that were 95% and 80% completed in a span of six years? Granted that the abandoned projects were completed, then what? As for completing a telephone exchange, this is more of fairy tale than anything else.
I would like to enlighten Sidi H. Ali on some other achievements of Boni Haruna that he may be ignorant of. After completing the abandoned projects mentioned by Mallam Ali, the Boni Haruna administration undertook the rehabilitation/ renovation of educational institutions all over the state. For this, the princely sum of eight billion Naira was expended. The other sector that got Boni’s attention was the health sector with five hospitals rehabilitated/ renovated. I took time to visit one secondary school and one hospital so as to stop being an “unrepentant critique” of the Boni administration as someone uncharitably described me. I decided to visit the Government Secondary School, Uba, being the alma mater of my friend, who was a pioneer student of the school and the General Hospital Yola, a place where I first landed on reaching this sinful world.
At the Government Secondary School, Uba we met two hundred and eighteen female boarding students. These future leaders of the state share one pit toilet; fantastic, isn’t it? We could not find one window or door pane with a glass and there was no ceiling in all the classes or hostels we visited. The reader should please take note that the visit took place after the school was rehabilitated/ renovated. At the General Hospital Yola, we decided to visit the famous male medical ward, Ward 13. There we encountered about sixty patients with different ailments – AIDS sufferers, liver cirrhoses, typhoid, malaria and many other daily killer diseases. The ward is made up of about forty beds spread around two wings. The Nurses on duty looked gloomier than the patients and their relations. We were presently to find out the cause of their gloom. In a rehabilitated ward of about sixty patients with various ailments and with only 40 beds, the Hospital authorities cannot afford to provide a single litre of disinfectant or a tablet of toilet soap, or a 450g packet of detergent. Yet they are expected to handle the most dangerous diseases. There wasn’t even a drop of Izal to cleanse the floor and other surfaces of the ward. So much for rehabilitation.
If the Boni Haruna administration could expend over eight billion Naira to rehabilitate educational institutions but along the line forgot to supply laboratory chemicals, reagents and equipment or even a descent lavoratory. Or renovate health institutions without making available working tools and chemicals for the workers. Where could you these days find people that could endanger their lives so that others may live. I doff my hat at the Yola General Hospital workers, for devising ways to take care of their patients.
Is this the kind of balderdash that Sidi H. Ali is asking the people of Adamawa State to take? At least the Paul Wampana petition to the EFCC seem to be working as some top government functionaries are now guest of the EFCC. We may yet come to know where and how our monies were expended. I just hope for Sidi Ali’s sake, he was not among those that got the “traditional gift” from Adamawa State government. I am not gloating that some pickpockets have been picked by the EFCC; I rather feel sad because I know some of them. But the EFCC action may yet signpost the end of sycophantic politics.
If this is an image laundry project by Sidi Ali, then in my opinion he should refund to Bornyface whatever monies advanced him for the project. Sidi Ali might have done more damage to his client than any good and therefore left him more soiled than he met him. At least Bornyface and his people never claimed any project that isn’t theirs – like completing a telephone exchange. As to Mr. Lookmann admitting that Boni Haruna “won” elections, this opens a window into the minds of these jokers in Adamawa State. The whole world, including Boni Haruna and Sidi Ali knows Boni was ‘rigged’ into office by his pardrone that may be the reason why they never hesitate to reiterate his success at the polls.
I can only advice Mr. Sidi to tread softly. Some things are more than meet the eye.
|