Buba Galadima, the garrulous politician from the far-flung enclave called Gashua in Yobe State, is constantly courting attention. He likes to dramatize; and he takes himself much more seriously than his worth permits.
You do not need to meet this man to know that he is self-opinionated. He does not think that he can be wrong on any subject matter on the surface of the earth. He believes that he knows too much. As a matter of fact, he imagines himself as infallible as the Pope.
At 73 years of age, the man arrogates to himself the knowledge he obviously does not have. Whereas most Nigerians of his age and exposure preach patriotism in deed and in truth, Galadima sees patriotism as an entitlement. He believes that he should necessarily be recognized as one by virtue of his age and forceful arguments on national issues.
When, recently, he granted an interview to Vanguard, Galadima was at his elemental worst. He addressed the issues before him as if he was on a mission of conquest. As is usually the case with him, his will and viewpoint must prevail over those of others. He was brash and incorrigible. His position on the issues before him brimmed with insensitivity.
He is not happy, for instance, that President Muhammadu Buhari succumbed to the pressure to brand bandits as terrorists. He said the President’s action was a waste of time. Bandits, he argued, do not qualify to be called terrorists because they have no name and no face. As if that illogic was not bad enough, he violently went off the mark and brought the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) into the mix. He said the Biafran agitators have a name, a face and a bank account. Galadima, in a way, was re-echoing the position of Sheikh Gumi, the known face of banditry, who had earlier argued that bandits commit terrorism but cannot be called terrorists. This grammatical sleight of hand from Gumi certainly makes sense to the Galadimas of the world of banditry.
But are the bandits of northern Nigeria faceless as Galadima would have us believe? They are not. The authorities know them and where they are. Gumi has told us that much. He is their spokesman. He mediates on their behalf. They, therefore, have a face. They also have an address. The problem is that they are being shielded by those who should expose them and bring them to justice. Here, we are talking about blood suckers who have made northern Nigeria one nightmare of a territory. Rather than express worry about their nefarious activities, Galadima chooses to draw parallels that do not exist.
As a matter of fact, Galadima betrayed his innermost biases when he chose to compare bandits with those agitating for a separate republic from Nigeria. How do the two compare? In what way are they similar? One is on a killing spree for whatever reason. He kidnaps mindlessly for ransom. The other is agitating for self-determination, a fundamental human right, which has further been legitimized by the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which Nigeria as a member of the African Union subscribed to. Unfortunately, the Nigerian government chose to throw itself into hysterics over an issue that could be approached with civility. It is this fundamental error of the government that those who visited the President to request for the release of Nnamdi Kanu set out to sort out. They were driven by patriotism. They know that the President will be toeing the path of peace and progress if he grants their request. The overall objective is to bring an end to the agitation that has gone awry.
But Galadima will understand none of this. Instead, he is calling for the arrest of those who are seeking legitimate solution to a problem. He is putting them on the same scale with a Gumi who attitudinizes with and justifies the action of blood-sucking bandits. This is bizarre through and through. Who then between Galadima and these wise men from the East is a patriot? The likes of Buba Galadima are hate-mongers who do not want peace in the land. That is why the quest by the Igbo for the office of President unsettles him. It is unacceptable to him. He is out to ensure that it sounds scary to other Nigerians. In fact, Galadima actually described the move as scary. He said the quest is the same thing as Biafra agitation.
For an Igbo to become the President of Nigeria, Galadima has raised the stakes very high for him. He must meet certain criteria, which the Galadimas of Nigeria have set for him. Otherwise, Nigeria will be enthroning a President of Igbo extraction who will come into office with the belief that he has conquered the Yoruba and the North. Galadima’s hangups on this matter are huge. How many examinations did past Nigerian Presidents and the current President pass before they were adjudged fit and proper for the office of President? Why is Galadima setting a different standard for the Igbo aspirant?
And what has conquest got to do with it? What does he mean by conquering the Yoruba and the North? This is incitement at its most banal. All these strange expressions because of the Igbo quest for the presidency? Someone needs to remind Galadima that hatred solves nothing. It is ultimately counterproductive.
Galadima is simply saying: I do not want an Igbo man to be the President of Nigeria. An Igbo man at the helm at the Presidency will lead to the actualisatiion of Biafra. How can an old man who should be interested in seeing Nigeria work spew such venom? What an undisguised hatred for a people. Galadima belongs to the class of Nigerians who are intent on setting the country ablaze while pretending to see it move forward. Nobody is deceived by the antics of a Galadima who has said that he does not understand what restructuring means. He will not understand it because he wants the status quo to remain. Is this the stuff patriotism is made of? Certainly not.
Regardless of the discomfort which the Galadimas of this world suffer over the issue at stake, he needs to be reminded that Nigeria is at the crossroads over the Igbo question. The country is at a historical juncture and those who are interested in a better Nigeria have put on their thinking caps. They are not promoting division and hate. They are not consumed by the past. They know that it is unhelpful to do so. I invite Galadima to borrow a leaf from these patriots. He should start by weaning himself of Igbo-phobia.