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10Th Assembly Speakership: The Silence Of Shettima And The Baggage Of Betara’s Confident

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10Th Assembly Speakership: The Silence Of Shettima And The Baggage Of Betara’s Confident

By: James Bwala

Reading various scripts about the raging desires of some politicians circling around Borno legislator and Chairman, Appropriation Committee, Hon. Muktari Betara Aliyu over the problems of Speakership of the 10th Assembly is amusing. I respect Hon. Malik Salihu for having the guts to convene media in Abuja and discuss the vice president post with them. He might not have learnt anything about the relationship between the executives and lawmakers while he represented his own constituency in the green chamber. He may have been a bench warmer at the green chamber throughout his time there because his electorate did not vote to have him re-elected.

Let me just add that everybody who knows Kashim Shettima, the vice president, understands that he is a man of eminent intellectual character. Some of the accusations that Hon. Malik Sahihu wishes to discuss why his confidence Hon. Betara was unable to get domestic support for his speakership; desires are unfounded, particularly given that he is now contrasting Kashim Shettima with Muktari Betara Aliyu in his conversation with journalists.

When some of our elders in Biu were discussing it, that’s when I first learned that Betara Aliyu was applying for the office of Speakership. According to what I heard; they were upset because he did not consult them. I’m unsure of their ability to change whatever it was that they found offensive about his refusal to consult his constituents. But regardless of how compelling his arguments are, the individuals speaking I am aware of have experience with the system and have assisted Muktari Betara Aliyu in influencing his political ascent.

They are not speaking with one side of their mouth, I am certain of that. Since Betara Aliyu and Hon. Malik Salihu were close friends, he must be aware of how important the domestic front is to politicians. As a result, if the player loses control of the game’s main character on the domestic front, there is a potential that nothing he accomplishes outside of his stronghold will have an influence.

Kashim Shettima is not that less intelligent to speak of matters as presented by Hon. Malik Salihu in the manner he wants his readers to believe. Speaking about two presidential jets landing in Maiduguri would never change who is the Vice President and who is the Speaker of the house even if Hon. Muktari Betara Aliyu becomes one. There are no way that Hon. Muktari Betara Aliyu could out-shine Kashim Shettima in Maiduguri, Borno state or anywhere in Nigeria and outside the shores of this country. Number two and number four in the rank of numbers are not the same. There is a far and wide gap in the differentiation.

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Before becoming the governor of Borno state for eight years, Kashim Shettima served as a commissioner in five powerful ministries in the state. He served as a senator and is currently the Federal Republic’s vice president, holding the second-highest honor of GCON. Hon. Malik Salihu has demonstrated a lack of knowledge of his subject by stooping to the level of speaking like a child about the political climate that gave rise to the issues he was attempting to defend for his buddy and confidence. His argument lacks the material gains since there is no basis to which he argued.

Kashim Shettima was not the cause of Betara’s problems; rather, Betara’s loyalty-related mindset was. In creating political strategy, loyalty is essential. Politicians in the making and political science students should learn something from the race for the Speakership of the 10th National Assembly. In order to prevent disloyalty when it comes to the rise and fall of the players in this empty Chamber, I chose to look at the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, Hon. Muktari Betara Aliyu as a case study.

Hon. Muktari Betara Aliyu was unquestionably adored and given favors throughout his political ascent. It’s not an easy chance to take the chairmanship of the committee on appropriations. He was helped, nonetheless, to advance to the point where opportunities for money and respect in the arena opened for him. This is a crucial stage in the courtiers game when the table holder must exercise caution because there are always greater forces at work, and only complete allegiance may propel such a table holder to the next level.

Some theorists contend that power induces intoxication. But I had the impression that one could only become inebriated by choosing to sip from the euphoric wine. When it comes to decision-making in this man-made chamber of power play known as democracy, many have welded power and stayed with the concept that devotion should matter—unless you reach the point where there is unquestionably no more god-father to serve. At that time, you become the alpha and omega.

Betara Aliyu has been moving from one political table to another while garnering praise. He dominated the field for a decade, earning acclaim from both sycophants and party men in the halls of power. He was too self-absorbed and overwhelmed by the money and admiration bestowed upon him until he started to disobey “the powers that be”—to use Major Hamza Al-mustapha’s phrase—when he spoke up for himself at the Oputa panel. I don’t want to go into details here but I will say a few.

I recalled that the All Progressive Congress’ (APC) Borno state chairman, Ali Bukar Dalori, talked angrily about the attitudes of Hon. Betara Aliyu allegedly demonstrated when he allegedly disregarded party summonses. Many high-ranking politicians, both inside and outside the ruling APC, have criticized Betara’s views, particularly the way he handles the phone. I thought of several of his close friends, including Hon. Malik Salihu, who supposedly shared his confidence, may have heard these criticisms and offered advice.

When Betara essentially refuses to surrender to local politics within the state gates of the APC, his pride also takes a hold of him. His ongoing displays of dominance over the deputy governor, Hon. Usman Kadafur, have exposed him to issues surrounding his allegiance to both the deputy governor and the Borno state administration. Any duplicity of the deputy governor, who holds the position of second-highest authority in the state after the governor is a direct challenge to the authority of the governor. These steps Betara fails to acknowledge.

In the recently completed Presidential and Gubernatorial elections, Hon. Muktari Betara Aliyu has also been accused of anti-party behavior. Participants in the federal constituency where Betara wields influence claim that his attitude nearly assisted the opposition in winning the day. The leadership of Borno state and significant APC players did not take kindly to this.

The appeal to abandon Hon. Betara Aliyu’s ongoing campaign to become the leader of the green chamber is fueled by further transgressions committed by Betara. Political considerations that determine who emerge victorious from this current conflict take seriously any hint that he has lost popularity at home. Betara Aliyu may have been vulnerable to a knockout blow by self-destruction but I strongly believed that the Vice President, Kashim Shettima wish-well for Betara.

10Th Assembly Speakership: The Silence Of Shettima And The Baggage Of Betara’s Confident

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THE BIU FORUM: FEW THINGS TO KNOW

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THE BIU FORUM: FEW THINGS TO KNOW.

By: A G Abubakar

The Biu Forum was a child of circumstances. It was born in response to the fall out from the August 1991 state creation exercise by the Babangida military regime which initially located Biu in Yobe but removed same after a couple of days. To push for a redress or for an answer, the Forum was initiated. Its drivers came from the entire spectrum of the present day Biu Emirate and Shani Chiefdom, who were then resident in Lagos, the former federal capital.The first meeting was held in October 1991 at Block 4, Flat 3, the Bar Beach Towers, Victoria Island.

The inaugural and subsequent meetings of the forum were attended by such personalities as Shettima Saleh, Saidu Pindar, Tahir A.Musa, PC Abdullahi Mohammed, Musa Yamta, Hassan Bdliya, John Balami, Audu Shettima, Sanda Usman, Adamu Abdullahi, Musa Shani, Major (now Gen) Usman, Muhammad Dili, Ahmed Kuru, Jibrin A.Jibrin, A.G.Abubakar (Convener along with Musa Yamta), Mamman Audu, Paul Mari, Ishaku Abdullahi, Sale Mari Maina, Major. Ibrahim Bantam, Samaila Mamman, Sule Usman, C.D.Gali, and many more. These foundation members nurtured the Forum for years in Lagos before the seat of government was formally moved to Abuja.

Some of them are of blessed memory (may the Almighty grant them His mercy, Ameen), though a lot more are still living. The major objective of the forum at inception was to build a unity of purpose to tackle the challenges facing Biu Emirate, particularly its excision from the then newly created Yobe State. Plus, the need to call for attention to the brazen discriminations visited upon Biu people in the state’s civil service, while also pursuing the creation of a Savannah State. Same, with extending moral and material supports to victims of natural disasters and others like the then Waka-Biu crisis.

It would be recalled that after the Babangida military government decided to split old the Borno State, late General Abacha, then the Chief of Army Staff and the defacto number “two” man, who happened to be of Borno extraction, was assigned to consult with the Shehu as well as other opinion leaders on the government’s proposal to curve out a new state out of Borno. Late Bunu Sherrif, a son of the soil (Goniri), who was then serving as Minister of Labour among others, was to serve as a facilitator. The rough edges were therefore smoothened.

Eventually, Yobe was created. The configuration of which comprised three emirates, namely Biu, Fika, and Bade. Borno and Bama emirates were to remain as the New Borno State. The number of local governments was equally balanced at 22 each. Now, it is lopsidedly 17 and 27 LGAs for Yobe and Borno, respectively.

Along the line, some forces opposed to the inclusion of Biu emerged. The first one was the supposed friction between the Emirs of Biu and Fika regarding the order of protocol. A smokescreen, however, because the real reason was that Fika Emirate was promised the State capital (precisely Potiskum), but that was if Biu wasn’t part of the equation. The other reason was that Biu and Borno Emirates had a historical tie that made the duo almost conjoined. This was also untenable in that Ngazargamo that served as the capital of the old Kanem-Borno was severed into Yobe State. In the end, Biu remains part of Borno.

This development polarised the citizens of Biu Emirate into two. The Elders were not so favourably disposed towards leaving Borno, while the larger youth groups were at home with Yobe.

The advantages they averred included the possibility of playing more dominant political and economic roles in the new state, given the fact that Biu used to hold and still holds the Deputy Governor portfolio in Borno. The emirates (Fika and Biu) equally serve as the manpower base of the region . State politics could turn out to be like Adamawa, where all ethnic groups and/or stripes of faith can become the number one citizen of the state. The Emir of Biu would naturally be the most senior, in addition.

Based on the foregoing, Biu made a case for inclusion or, better still, a re-inclusion into Yobe. A move that was resisted vehemently by certain quarters under the umbrella of BEDA. Others who lent their voices included the Birma, Galadima Stanley Balami, PC Ali Biu, and Alhaji Ibrahim Damchida, all of blessed memory.

The Biu citizens who were pushing for the readjustment initially got the support of His Royal Highness, the Revered Mai Umar, who gracefully endorsed the demand document titled, “A Call For the Adjustment of Biu Emirate into Yobe State.” Or rather agreed for the document to be endorsed on his behalf, which was done. However, under pressure from all corners, His Royal Highness had to reconsider his support, as the Emirate found itself in a difficult situation. It was this development and regardless of the push back that the Biu Forum was formed as an alternative platform to still pursue the inclusion of Biu and Shani into Yobe State.

A petition to the government, was subsequently produced and forwarded. And to get a wider publicity and forestall suppression the Forum’s document was sent to the press . The rested influencial national newspaper, the Sunday Concord of 6th October 1991 carried the entire document. Yours faithfully picked the bill.

One of the the committed and highly articulate members of the Forum at the time, Alh. Muhammed Shehu Birma had his relationship with his principal, the Hon. Minister, Bunu Sheriff strained because of his role and support. Alh. Birma was one of the Special Assistants to the Minister who worked tirelessly to obtain the concurrence of major stakeholders to buy into the Forum’s activities.

When the misunderstanding so created on account of the state creation seemed unabating, formal meetings were called by the late elder statesman Alh. Damcida at his Probyn road, Ikoyi, home to sort things out. The “family” gathering enjoyed the presence of late Dr.Saidu Muhammad, PC Ali Biu, A.G.Abubakar, Muhammad S.Birma, Amb. Saidu Pindar, Alhaji Madu Biu, Shettima Saleh, with apologies from Dr.Bukar Usman.

One of the resolutions that came out of the series of dialogues was an undertaking by Mallam to seek an audience with General Abacha for possible reconsideration of the petition. The outcome was the creation of Hawul and Kwaya Kusar LGAs, while Biu as a whole stayed in Borno State.

As time went on, moves got started to merge the activities of the Forum to those of the senior Biu Development Association, BDA. The BDA is now BEDA (Biu Emirate Development Association). The move never materialised and the activities of both slowed down. It took the efforts of patriots like Engineer Ibrahim Usman, Dan Masani Muhammad Ibrahim, Adamu Abdullahi, Amb. Saidu, Ibrahim M.Kwajaffah, Muhammad Buba, Mai Musti, Bukar Umar and a host of others to revive the Forum and keep it going.

So for all intents and purposes the Biu Forum was not a Biu Local Government outfit. It was initiated to protect and promote the interest of Biu and Shani Emirates. And indeed every Aburwa on the planet. How it became a Forum exclusively for Biu Local Government Area was maybe a later development to give the Forum a sharper focus. And maybe to ensure a seamless coexistence with the senior BEDA.This has been a short story of the now, 33-year old (1991 to –) initiative.

A.G.Abubakar agbarewa@gmail.com

THE BIU FORUM: FEW THINGS TO KNOW

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Nigeria: Why the youths must say “NO” to protest. 

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Say "NO" to Protest

Nigeria: Why the youths must say “NO” to protest. 

By: Dr. James Bwala

History should teach us lessons. And we have so many examples that are part of the history of some countries around us. Protests as being engineered and called for are never in the interest of the young Nigerian; rather, they are a way to further suppress and darken the future of young ones, and therefore, I see this as another evil rising on Nigeria, which I hope the youths will see as reasons not to be tempted to join those who do not mean well for them and for Nigeria. Those who want to cash in on the protest to their advantage are pushing their own evil interests to deny the young Nigerian his or her own hope for the future. 

I followed many calls on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and listened to many voices calling on the Nigerian youths to join them on the days to demonstrate and show their displeasure to the government over hunger in the land. They claimed it was about a policy, and I did not really understand the truth about such claims. Some pointed to the issue of insecurity that people cannot go to their farms and blamed the present administration led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Senator Kashim Shettima, and on this too, they are not speculating on facts that are leading them to want to express anger through protest. 

I could not understand why all the things they are pointing to have been on their doorsteps for over 10 years and they would not protest until now. Does it mean that their eyes are now open to the situation we all found ourselves in? I have lived in northeastern Nigeria, and I have seen situations created by insecurity where children, young men, and adults hold each other’s hands and cry out for help to have a drop of grain and for one cut of a handful of mold grain flour to go through their mouths and down their throats for the day, but they could not have the assurance of such a meal. No one came to the rescue; no one called for a protest, and the people built their resilience until the heavens brought succor. 

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The situation in which certain individuals are coming to tell young Nigerians to protest or to demonstrate against the administration requires a deeper look into their motives. It may not be about hunger in the land afterwards, for we have endured many hungers and we did not protest, so why now? Politics is still in the play, and a few individuals—I mean, very few individuals—who are not happy with the Tinubu and Shettima administration are orchestrating the wind horses. Some young Nigerians may think otherwise, but believe me, there are many more evils behind the call for protest than what you are hearing on social media, and these are about destroying a whole lot of what you have hoped for. 

I will suggest that no Nigerian youth should join or listen to calls from those who have sent their children abroad for you to continue to be their foot soldiers, and in the end, they achieve something and you achieve nothing. Take a look at the protests or demonstrations in the past. Not outside Nigeria, but within. Some of you have participated, and you are still on the street after that protest. Your peace and happiness have been taken. Those you fought for—have they come to salvage your situation? Unless you want to remain perpetually a fool on the street with very little to gain and no knowledge of what you are bargaining, then you may choose to go with the evil callers; otherwise, say ‘NO’ to protest as it is not actually in your interest. 

This administration, which you are being instigated to demonstrate against, has won many battles in the last year. The latest in the Hope initiative are the achievements of the court ruling on local government autonomy. This government has achieved free imports for drugs and rice and brought peace through the establishment of the livestock ministry. These are a few achievements from the last six months. We have waited for eight years in hope through the Buhari administration, and no one has seen positive changes, but we waited. Herein, with the Tinubu and Shettima administrations, we are seeing the moves and the results. Can we not hold on to this renewed hope since we are seeing the changes coming? 

Nigerian youths, let no one deceive us into doing their bid. They have places to go; we only have Nigeria, which is all we have. When they moved out, we remained here. They cannot come from Europe and America to ask us to set our houses on fire while they go back to their second homes and leave us in the shackles that we used our own hands to perpetuate their desires against us for their selfish and evil interests. No, we must not come to the level they want us to reach. We must rise with renewed hope and join this administration to build a Nigeria where peace and justice reign, just as we pledged to build in our re-engineering calls for a better tomorrow. 

Dr. James BWALA, PhD, writes from Abuja.

Nigeria: Why the youths must say “NO” to protest. 

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Why Borno residents should support the Zulum Administration

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Why Borno residents should support the Zulum Administration

By: Yusuf Adamu

Unfortunately, the lack of electricity and shortage of water in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital, have continued to turn some sections of the state against the government. While many are thinking it is the government job to provide electricity and water, a lot of people are not looking at the efforts the government is putting in during the phase of challenges from saboteurs and terrorists as it affects the issues of electricity in the state, particularly.

Borno State has been in darkness for the last two weeks, and the governor spoke with concern from faraway Saudi Arabia, where he went to worship, and he was informed of the electricity issue back home. Professor Babagana Umara Zulum has done tremendously well in ensuring that Borno State overcomes the issue of electricity, to the extent that he went beyond his jurisdiction to ensure that he solved the problem.

He went further to collaborate with the NNPC, which informed the setting of a gas plant in Maiduguri to support the epileptic power supply as a result of the continuous attacks on the electricity supply lines feeding Maiduguri. However, the activities of saboteurs, who would rather, out of their greed, overload the gas plant, have constantly resulted in the disruption of the gas plant’s capacity to provide adequate supply.

Rather than people condemning the government for some of this man-made distraction, I think the people of Borno State should pray for an end to the activities of terrorists and the saboteurs who continuously take advantage of the situation to speak ill of the government. If the opposition is speaking, we would understand, but when citizens say otherwise, we would like to remind them that the governor of Borno State has been doing everything possible to make Borno State great. 

The collaboration with NNPC and the purchase of electric vehicles to ease pain for people are things to see and agree that the governor meant well for his people. This is aside from the numerous projects he was able to achieve in the state. We are also lucky to have the Vice President, who is our own and whose focus is also to see Borno State become great again.

Just yesterday, he was speaking on the issues affecting the state when he arrived in the state for the sallah celebration. He gave hope for a better Borno state and spoke well of the collaboration the federal government is having with Borno state to end the perennial challenges facing the state at the moment. Let us continue to uplift our leaders in prayer and support their dream of making Borno one of the best things that happens to its people in the current administration.

***Yusuf Adamu writes from Maiduguri and is the former political adviser to Kashim Shettima.

Why Borno residents should support the Zulum Administration

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