By Comfort Obi
You know Aminu Masari. You should.
He has been around. He had been the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
That position made him the number four man in the country.
Ordinarily, that should have been the ultimate, unless he became the President, Vice President or the President of the Senate.
But you know Nigeria. Being a Governor, an Executive Governor, with executive powers is the ultimate.
So Aminu Masari became the Governor of Katsina State. And, as an icing on the cake, Muhammadu Buhari, from same State with him, became the President. That’s a privilege.
An advantage. The President must give attention, special attention to his State. And so would attention and patronage seekers, even members of his cabinet and Service Chiefs. They do things for the State to make the President happy, to curry his favour.
If in doubt, check the number of high profile tertiary institutions and other projects domiciled in Katsina since Buhari’s Presidency.
When the Katsina Central market went up in flames, the Jagaban, Bola Tinubu, flew to Katsina and gave them N50m. Some traders in Lagos, the State where Tinubu was a two-term Governor, and still the emperor, and who had suffered the same fate as their Katsina counterparts, made some noises, asking why they were not that lucky.
They forgot something.
President Buhari is from Katsina, not Lagos. Tinubu didn’t need to do that in Lagos to attract anybody’s attention. Katsina is important to any future aspiration.
The latest largesse to Katsina came from Senator Rochas Okorocha. Yes, Okorocha, former two-term Imo State Governor. The one who wants to be our President. Yes, Nigeria’s President in 2023!
A few days ago, Rochas announced he would build a University in Katsina, an Islamic University, free accommodation, free feeding, specifically, in Daura, President Buhari’s Emirate.
So you see, Masari should be happy?
Not true.
He says the President’s office has not helped the State security-wise. He has given up on the President’s ability to protect the state.
Ever since he became Governor, he has had no peace of mind. He has been humiliated in every which way by bandits. The State is bandit-prone. On, at least, one occasion, he was reduced to sitting down and negotiating with heavily armed, gun-toting bandits.
Bandits, who has made hell out of his Government.
They have no respect for him. And they have no respect for Mr President.
At a point, remember, Masari declared himself a failure as a Governor. He said he couldn’t protect his people, and so, a failure.
This order day, recently, he declared he was not happy being a Governor. Why, in the face of all these, Masari wouldn’t quit his office is a story for another day. Otherwise, when one declares oneself a failure as a Governor, one should quit. But Masari is still there,offering nothing but failure.
Yet, nothing compares to Masari’s latest submission. It takes the cake.
Masari Has given up on himself. And worse, he has given up on President Buhari. He has lost confidence in both them. He says both of them are incapable of protecting Katsina people. His State, the President’s State.
Both of them are overwhelmed by insecurity. By Bandits. The disrespectful bandits.
Some schools in the President’s and Masari’s State are closed. If they open, Bandits would abduct them. And both men are seem helpless, or so Masari tells us.
This order time, the cheeky bandits were so disrespectful that they kidnapped over 200 students the day President Buhari arrived Daura to rest.
Speaking in not too many words, Masari has told his people they are no longer able to protect them. That the people are on their own. That they should buy arms – guns, matchetes, daggers, cudgels – anything to protect themselves. He advised them not to watch, sit by, while bandits kill them.
Fight back, he told them.
He told them to pray, but insists prayers are not enough. That prayers are not the only weapon. They should fight back, and pray.
Hear the Governor: “We must intensify prayers with clean minds to seek God’s forgiveness and intervention.
“We must rise up to counter the insecurity challenge. We must not sit and watch some people buying guns and attacking our houses. We too should buy the guns and protect ourselves”
Governor Masari didn’t stop at that. He blames the people for their fate. He blames them for being meek. He says their meek submission embolden the bandits “to continue with their heinous activities.”
And, as parting shot, he said the usual: Security is not the sole responsibility of the Government.
Of course we know. But when a Governor gives up the way Masari always gives up, it is a problem. What does the Governor expect the people to do?
In case Masari does not understand the implications of what he said, here they are:
He has given both the State and Federal Government a vote of no confidence as far as security is concerned. And by encouraging people to buy arms, he has encouraged lawlessness.
The President should be worried. My suggestion:
Quit office Mr Governor. Go home. And since you also declared, recently, that you have no interest in another political office, the retirement can start earlier than May 29, 2023. It can start now. That is the most honourable thing to do.
Enjoy.
