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That Carnival In Yola By Babayola Toungo
I had vowed not to say anything about Atiku Abubakar and Boni Haruna in this new Hijra 1427 because whatever is to be said has been said a thousand times and it didn’t make any difference to the duo, apart may be increase the texture and the number of wrinkles on Boni’s forehead. The duo seem to have developed a thick skin for criticisms and wouldn’t be shaken from their set ways no matter the tones of ink and paper wasted in the course of pointing out their follies to them and their lieutenants. I had also decided to declare a unilateral cease fire on Atiku because the heat coming from the Aso Villa kitchen towards Atiku is more than enough to take his attention away from issues of statecraft. Besides, his altercation with the OBJ boys has suddenly made him a champion of democracy. As to Boni, I decided it is not worth the trouble just to add to his wrinkles. But I have been forced by Atiku and by extension Boni to put pen to paper with the wedding of Atiku’s kids which took place in Yola on the 20th of January amidst pomp and pageantry in the midst of excruciating poverty among the local folks.
The not so secret objective of Obasanjo’s desperation to die in office has unwittingly made Atiku a rallying point for those opposed to the brazen illegality that the illegal and illegitimate Obasanjo government is trying to do. NGOs, civil society groups and many others that are not card carrying members of political parties looked up to Atiku, as the political arrowhead to lead the fight against Obasanjo and his gang of shameless thieves. Sceptics like me found it very hard to believe that Atiku has turned a new leaf in his political career and therefore need our support to fight Obasanjo. I was not convinced that the man has suddenly found his democratic garb and is ready to fight and if need be die for democracy just like Obasanjo was reported to have said he will fighting for the cause of constitutional amendment as it relates to tenure. I strongly believe Atiku was fighting for his very political survival, all the same if his fight and ours dovetails at a particular point, so be it; we will willingly fight on the same side of the street to dislodge these enemies of democracy who have lost all sense of purpose and are suddenly megalomaniacs if not outright kleptomaniacs. Well, whatever may be the case, we have decided to sit out the fight between Obasanjo and Atiku to see who triumph.
But Atiku and Boni went back to their old insensitive ways by staging a wedding jamboree in Yola unseen in recent times. The people of Yola, the Adamawa State capital got lucky once again when Atiku Abubakar decided to stage the marriage ceremony of his son and daughter in the state capital. This is the second time such an occasion is taking place in Yola since the ascension of Atiku. The last time the Yola township roads got a facelift was in December 2001 when Atiku was giving out his daughter. Certain roads from the Airport to the Lamido’s palace where the wedding fatiha took place were resurfaced to give the visitors a semblance of good road network in the capital city. The moment the visitors left town, Julius Berger, the construction giant handling the construction of ABTI Academy and University, a school that belong to Atiku, packed their equipment back to their original site. And the roads of Yola remained un-motorable ever after since then. Yet another occasion to celebrate in the Atiku household came the way of Yola residents. Julius Berger had to once more abandon their ABTI site to concentrate on filling potholes in Yola.
Am happy for Atiku for his double wedding (hi gave out his daughter and received someone else’s); but my beef with their jamboree is the impression this creates in the minds of many (mine inclusive) that Atiku’s kids are more important than all the residents of Yola combined together. That no one should enjoy a smooth ride within the town unless Atiku or Boni has guests. As matter of fact, the Adamawa state government constructed a brand new Banquet Hall within the vicinity of the Government house in record time to host the Banquet/ Gala night. It was even rumoured that Boni Haruna personally supervised the project. There was steady supply of electricity throughout the period immediately preceding and immediately after the occasion, but the guests left with the electricity.
The duo seems to have learnt nothing from their past follies and the wave of unwarranted sympathy for their perceived stand on the third term agenda. Atiku and Boni have become so unpopular that they had to resort to intimidation and strong arm tactics in order to project a semblance of followership. The carefully cultivated ‘compassionate man’ image of Atiku overtime was exposed for what it is – a ruthless, calculating businessman who was simply investing in politics to reap ten fold. The edifice known as ABTI schools is a testimony to this. A world standard school sprouting in a state where not a single public school has complete functional structures. Many in Adamawa state are of the opinion that government resources are used to develop this particular personal endeavour.
Atiku also messed up big time at the inception of their only legitimate mandate in 1999 when he thumped his nose at his constituency more than once all in an effort to please his new found political master, Obasanjo. With the realisation that the same Obasanjo is out to scuttle his life-long ambition of becoming the next President of Nigeria, he has crawled back to the same people he bullshitted earlier. With our forgiving spirit, we accepted him with open hands. We were ready to give him the benefit of doubt. But Atiku, being insensitive by nature, messed up again. The extravaganza that took place in Yola in the name of wedding has shown us in no uncertain terms that nothing has changed. We might have been hasty to have accepted the man with open arms.
A leopard, they say, never changes its spot. I have always said that it will be a miracle for Atiku to be a democrat but other people have tried strenuously to convince him otherwise. For sometime I have had to hold my counsel; watching out how events are unfolding. I had vowed not to write or discuss anything to do with Adamawa state till after Obasanjo is gone for good. But I have been forced to write because Atiku has clearly shown that he doesn’t care a hoot about those that made him. We have shouted ourselves hoarse about the dilapidated condition of our public infrastructures in Adamawa to no avail. As far as Atiku and Boni were concerned, we could go jump in the River Benue.
I was therefore shocked to see Julius Berger patching up roads day and night to ensure that the township roads are made smooth for Atiku’s guests and not the residence of the town. It is pathetic that the people had to always wait for a celebratory occasion by Atiku to have a semblance of functional infrastructures. Things that are taken as given by other people in other states, comes once in a blue moon in Yola and Adamawa state generally. This has been my quarrel with Atiku and Boni all along. I had wanted to give them a wide berth now that we have a war of sorts on our hands.
They have made me break my vow – but this may be the last time. I intend to sit out the reminder of their tenure – see no evil, hear no evil. The heartaches and high blood pressure is getting through to me. For now we should all concentrate for now on how to physically shove away that old man in the Aso Villa back to his piggery in Ota. They have had their Carnival in Abuja in November 2005; they have again open the year 2006 with another Carnival in Yola.
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