When slaves gather to a leader, they are going to become warriors. A leader does not turn people to slaves, but a leader changes them from being slaves to sleek – men.” This quote is opposite of what obtains among the leadership in Nigeria’s political arena as most of the political elite see themselves as demigods to the people they are supposed to help and salvage from poverty and then significantly raise their standard of living.
Rather they are busy fighting each other, putting on a show of shame of the kind that played out recently when the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) traded accusations on whose members were the most corrupt by publishing conflicting lists of looters. It is so sad.
So I do not blame the likes of Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State, who now sees himself, just like some others of his political ilk as gods that must not be challenged or called out for their wrongdoing or any shortcomings as rulers of the people.
Governor Yahaya Bello’s Gestapo-like utterances and actions against the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Nigeria reminds me of the Abacha military era, when no one dared challenge the tyrant and goggled one, whose word was taken as law.
Governor Bello should be reminded that without the credible entities and organisations like the Conference of Catholic Bishop of Nigeria, who joined forces alongside other pro-democracy groups to dislodge the military from governance and their got them confined to the military barracks he would not have become governor of Kogi State today, where he can no longer pay workers’ salaries and we hear of cases of workers committing suicide just because life has become worthless to live with no salaries and pensions for retired civil servants.
Granted that the governor might have tendered an apology for the great disrespect he showed to the Conference of Catholic Bishops, just for telling President Buhari the truth about the worsening state of the affairs caused by his style of governance. The bishops called for improvement in the delivery of good governance and the need to carry Nigerians along without any form of nepotism in terms of appointment as well as the need to come to terms with the urgency to address compelling needs of the masses and the country.
There was absolutely nothing wrong and no mischief intended by the Catholic Bishops Conference in the advising President Muhammadu Buhari, whom some of us supported for his integrity as only person who could fight corruption in the desired manner and with vigour while also tackling the economy. Governor Bello should realize that most Nigerians did not support Buhari based on his party affiliation but because of his integrity and hatred for avaricious accumulation of wealth which most members of the political class in his administration are engaged in, as well as the lawmakers who are needlessly earning what they are not supposed to collect while the masses still live in perpetual penury, poverty, joblessness, unpaid pensions, unpaid salaries and insecurity. And it is good that the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Allocation Commission has come out to deny the fact that they agency never recommended what the senators and members of the House of Representatives are currently getting. What this means that the legislators are carrying out pure pen robbery and this has vindicated former President Obasanjo, who first challenged members of the National Assembly on the enormity of what they earn. And why would the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Nigeria not rise when herdsmen’s attacks against farmers in the north, from Benue, Taraba to Nasarawa is now becoming a daily occurrence to the extent that General TY Danjuma has called for self-defense and in addition to that Governor Ortom of Benue state has called on Benue people to defend themselves with stones? Why would Catholic bishops not rise when Boko Haram that was said to be defeated are becoming stronger and daring every day, kidnapping, bombing and killing innocent Nigerians? Why would the Conference of Catholic Bishops not rise when priests are now being kidnapped at will? Why would the Conference of Catholic Bishops not rise when it appears the country might break up without restructuring that IPOB is still out there insisting on Biafra but Ohanaeze is insisting on restructuring as the way forward? It is a fact that Buhari would have done more in terms of improving living condition of the citizenry and fighting corruption but what do we get when he is surrounded by some leaders who fill their bellies first before the masses, especially greedy lawmakers who had even gone the extra mile to really show to Nigerians that they were not there for them but their pockets, by asking for amnesty for looters. So Governor Yahaya Bello has carried his overzealousness in his passion for Mr. President too far. And if he loves Buhari just like some of us for his integrity, he should have advised the president on the way forward based on advice of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Nigeria, when they visited him rather than resorting to assaulting and abusing the bishops to the point of holding a press conference just because to abuse these men of God. And it is also a welcome development that Cardinal
Olubunmi Okogie had replied Governor Yahaya Bello via his world press conference for his assault on his former colleagues and putting him where he belongs and further demanded for good governance for the masses of Nigeria people from President Mohammed Buhari. Education without any show of wisdom in reasoning on the way forward is no education at all. It is very unfortunate that despite that most of our leaders have gone to the best of schools up to Oxford, Cambridge and Harvard they still lack wisdom without any form of moral education that most of them have become looters of our common wealth that most of them appear richer than Nigeria.
Parading of looters list is not the ultimate, the ultimate is to send looters of our common wealth to jail.
The masses must not votes base on party affiliation but base on capability of the person to perform to the point of leading us out of Egypt. And above all the country is in dare need of servant leadership for egalitarian society. Finally, since Governor Yayaha Bello has asked for forgiveness, as a Christian he is forgiven by me. And I also find it necessary for Conference of Catholic Bishops of Nigeria to find it necessary to forgive Governor Yahaya Bello for his misdeeds against them. Of course, we are all not perfect but only God. I rest my case.
► Emeka Anozie, Director General of the Barrister Ubani Nigeria Solidarity Youth Movement, wrote from Ikeja, Lagos.