By Rogers Edor Ochela
“Nobody has ever been honoured for what he received; honour has always been the reward for what he gave” – Calvin Coolidge As 2015 general elections gather momentum, candidates with verifiable proofs of performance are receiving endorsements from different segments of society. And President Goodluck Jonathan and his faithful ally, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, CON are not left out of such endorsements. Aside the uncountable endorsements the President has received from all over the country, the icing on the cake is the recent one from Abuja natives.
The latest endorsement for President Jonathan and Senator Mohammed was by HRH, Alhaji (Dr) Adamu Baba Yunusa, MFR, Chairman, FCT Council of Chiefs, on behalf of FCT Chiefs and Indigenes at the Presidential Villa Abuja on Wednesday, October 29, 2014. On the occasion, Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo described the FCT minister as an action minister who has done so much to fast-track the development of the Federal Capital Territory.
National Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Adamu Mu’azu, also posited that considering the endorsement of the minister by the FCT Traditional Council, he (Bala) may as well be the first Mayor of Abuja. Yunusa, who led a high-powered delegation of traditional rulers and indigenes of FCT, described President Jonathan as a listening leader, stressing that his administration has done a lot in tackling insecurity, terrorism and the dreaded Ebola Virus Disease (EVD).
From whatever angle one looks at this seemingly overdue endorsement, the support of the Abuja natives for Mr. President and the FCT minister was premised on an inter-play of several factors, most outstanding of which is the generally acknowledged superlative performances of both the President at the national level and that of his protégé, Bala in FCT.
Some of their achievements, especially in FCT reverberated in the speech of Dr Yunusa who acknowledged that since both of them assumed offices, a lot of developmental activities have been going on with frenzied speed and so much has been achieved, citing the recent appointment of sons and daughters of FCT into high positions such as directors in the civil service, ambassador and commissioners in federal parastatals and agencies.
Acknowledging the able leadership of FCT minister and the president’s support to the FCTA, FCT Council of Chiefs further said that a lot has been achieved in the last four and half years in terms of provision of infrastructure, especially roads and above all, the land swap programme, which they described as a sound policy for accelerated opening up of more districts in FCT while addressing the issue of resettlement and compensation.
They appealed to the president for greater funding of the resettlement and compensation programme to give a sense of belonging to original FCT inhabitants, so as to contribute their quota to national development, just as they canvassed for the provision of amenities for places like Garki Village, Utako Village, Jabi Village and Guzape where the indigenes are still living in squalor.
Dr Yunusa further said: “Finally, we also urge Your Excellency to provide more funds for the steady implementation of critical projects in the FCT such as mass transportation, health, education road construction and expansion. In this direction, the expansion of the ever busy Nyanya express road and alternate routes in that axis require more funding. It will not be a bad idea if FCT is given special funding for the development of the territory, in view of its ever expanding population.
“The extra funding of FCT will also be useful in fast tracking the development of area councils and the satellite towns to decongest the city centre and enhance living standard in the rural areas. Today the FCT population is over 5 million which is more than the population of many states that have three senators and members of House of Representatives”, he concluded.
Of all the groups that have performed political pilgrimages to the Villa, in a manner of speaking, to urge the president to re-contest in 2015, this last one from FCT Council of Chiefs towers above the rest in terms of its epochal significance on account of the minister’s verifiable scorecard, which they used as a handmaiden to justify the visit and support for both the president and minister.
It is clear as daylight that FCT natives, just like other segments of the Nigerian society, are enamoured of Jonathan and Bala’s dynamism, largely gleaned from their proactive nature in handling official assignments. This dynamism is driven by their socio-psychological experience that man, no matter his background, cultural milieu and even views on issues, is the epicenter of economic, social and even political development. This ideology, according to those at the penumbra of the Jonathan administration, has defined the essence of the administrations of these two great personalities and has also reflected in their relationship with their followers.
In executing their mandates, both Jonathan and Bala have so tattooed their names in the consciousness of fellow countrymen so much so that a high preponderance of them who admire the duo do so with evangelical obsession, while a fast vanishing few who hold them differently do so with acidic emotion. This is understandable from the fact that legends all over the world are usually admired by the majority and hated for their guts by the minority.
Another noteworthy attribute of these men that won them the plaudits of FCT natives is their resilience in surviving in Nigeria’s shark-infested political waters against all odds. Several times in the past, their presumed obsequies have been written after some major setbacks and each time, they have resiliently fought back all the way to the top. They have barreled through their opponents with single-minded determination yet have maintained their humility and dignity, and stayed true to their nationalistic selves, wearing it like badges of honour. It is these trademarks of quintessential leadership in Jonathan and Bala that informed the decision of FCT natives to throw their weight behind the duo ahead of 2015 elections.
Ochela, former newspaper editor and now media consultant, wrote from Abuja (070-35109174).
