Religious leaders and political activists who ventured from their comfort zone into politics have been known to spectacularly fail. From Reverend Jean -Bertrand Aristide the former Haitian president, president Lech Walesa of Poland, a unionist who at personal risk took on the communist regime, to the unionist Fredrick Chiluba, who also served as president of Zambia, the report card is unfortunately nothing to write home about. Walesa was savagely described by History.com as “far more effective as a labour leader than president”. It wasn’t a surprise that Walesa was roundly defeated in his reelection bid.
Chiluba, like Aristide and Walesa, had gained reputation as a champion for the poor, but his purported economic transformation were short lived and more sadly he was to toe the same discredited authoritarian path of the previous regimes that he had fiercely criticised and on which he was elected. What finally sealed Chiluba’s place in history was his attempt to amend the constitution so he could run for a third term, and the damning judgment of the British court that he stole $46 million from the Zambian people.
It’s this sad fate of Chiluba that many stakeholders fear for Reverend Father Hyacinth Alia, the governor of Benue state. There is justifiable and palpable fear that Alia might get himself into trouble with the anti-corruption agencies, especially the reenergised Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), not because he would have engaged in corrupt practices, or benefited from the proceeds of corruption, but due to his alleged failure to respect due process in the transaction of government business.
Corruption has many forms. It’s not by any means limited to embezzlement or public servants accepting money for services, because conflict of interest, influence peddling, cronyism and failure to follow laid down regulations are also corrupt practices that have legal consequences.
The “people’s governor” is alleged to relate directly with bank officials, and contractors without the benefit of guidance by public servants, acts that are in clear violation of government’s financial regulations and public service rules. The only people happy with this state of anomaly are the bankers and the contractors, who are getting away with blue murder in their transactions with the government, without the disturbance of alleged “corrupt public servants”. There is real fear that Alia might have unknowingly mortgaged the state, because of his failure to consult the public servants.
On March 18, 2023 Alia made history by becoming the second Roman Catholic priest to be elected as governor of a state in Nigeria. Before Alia, the people had pitched their tent with late Reverend Father Moses Adasu, another Catholic priest, who is fondly remembered for establishing the Benue State University.
Though highly educated, not much was known about Alia beyond the shores of Benue state, until he declared for the governorship position, but he is certainly not in the mould of Mathew Hassan Kukah, Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, whose positions on the issues of governance and other national burning issues are well known. Alia, though extremely popular with the people because of his healing Mass, a sentiment on which he rode to power, he is not known to have managed any organisation beyond some rural parishes, reason he might be finding it difficult to run the state. Clearly, Senator George Akume, Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF) and political leader of the state, only aligned with the choice of the people, which is a credit.
Without adoption and support of the Akume political family with its solid structure, and financial backing, Alia would never have become the governor. Becky Orpin, member representing Gboko East state constituency, was a prominent member of the Akume political family that God used to help the governor realise his burning ambition.
Like they say, the morning shows the day. The manner and the extent to which the “people’s governor” went to stop Becky from becoming the speaker indicated that the governor intended to be a lone ranger and not because he wanted to resist “control”, the tale by moonlight being dished out to the unsuspecting masses. Alia, reportedly, opposed the choice of Becky because he feared being impeached. Aondona Dajoh, member representing Gboko West state constituency, his candidate, prevailed, but only due to the unholy alliance with the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). That he needed allied forces to defeat Becky shows he is an emperor with a clay feet.
But while Governor Alia might be getting away with demonising the party and the other critical stakeholders that sponsored him, the tactics that has allowed him carry on unchallenged as the imperial emperor of Benue state, he should be wary of his appointees who are angry with him for treating them with levity. He is being accused of inaccessibility, being incommunicado most often, which has led to jokes that Alia might be praying for divine intervention on how to clear the huge mess Samuel Ortom, his predecessor, left and his own political misadventures.
How on earth does Alia believe that he can accomplish his assignment without the assistance of his team and other stakeholders? If Alia doesn’t want to deal with the Akume group, why is he also refusing to deal with his appointees?
No matter how much experience Alia has as a leader, he can always make do with more because being a leader is all about decision making and your appointees providing inputs and recommendations to help make decisions. Great leaders know when to yield their own opinions when someone offers a superior opinion, but Alia seems not to be getting these inputs and support because of his I know it all attitude. Alia, should watch it because he has the unflinching loyalty of his appointees.
Is Father Alia’s problem his training as a priest? While in the Catholic Church, a parish priest is a near mini god, whose actions are hardly questioned by his parishioners, except when they get tired of his excesses and revolt, at which stage the bishop would be left with no alternative but to post him out, but in politics it’s a different ball game. He is no longer on the pulpit when after his sermon parishioners will chorus amen. Alia, must consult widely and listen to other stakeholders.
But for how long will the people of Benue state put up with Alia’s alleged lack of respect for the constitution, which he swore to protect and defend, subversion of the due process and running the state as he deems fit? Will Alia be thoroughly demystified and what will be the implication for him if he fails to get a second term because he has already been suspended by the church from his priestly faculties?
So far, Alia’s sponsors who are versed in politics have adopted a wait and see strategy, knowing that it’s only a question of time before the governor would come crawling back for assistance. The problem is that Alia may find it difficult to convince anyone to support him for a second term, because he has shown that he can’t be trusted with power. Alia has failed to understand Politics 101; that godsons don’t rebel in their first term.As at today, Alia’s pathway to a second term is only known to him.
In the battle of wits between both parties, Alia has failed to remove the state chairman of the party, a sign that the party structure is not in his control and a determination by the other party to teach him the political lesson that he wasn’t taught at the seminary
Alia, unlike Suswan and Ortom, is paying salary. That should be no news as states are swimming in money except for a state like Kaduna that is heavily indebted due to its domestic and foreign loans. The honeymoon seems to be over, as the people who believe that a Daniel has come to judgement, are beginning to ask when the outstanding arrears from the Gabriel and Ortom eras would be paid. In February 2024 federation allocation, the state received N9.7 billion, so Alia has no reason not to pay, especially with the president’s admonition to governors to pay.
Alia is a reminder of another good man;Tai Solarin, who failed as chairman of the People’s Bank. Tai Solarin, a known opponent of Ibrahim Babangida (IBB), the self styled military president, slept while the bank was brazenly robbed in broad daylight. With his failure he lost the right to criticise the Babangida government.
Will Alia, in future, be in a position to postulate and condemn politicians for exactly the same crimes he is allegedly committing?
Musa writes from Makurdi, Benue state
