As hope rekindles in Zamfara…

In all societies and every humanoid clime, honest and sincere leadership are basic undergirds for rapid development and economic prosperity for the betterment of such societies.

As a matter fact, any society which misses the tenets of good governance is bound to have insecurity, inequality, corruption, bankruptcy, developmental deficit and so forth. The list of the accompanying deleterious waves effects is endless.

Conversely, however, on the other side where the goose that lay the golden eggs thrives under virtuous governance, things work according to the yearnings and aspirations of the people.

To buttress the above submission, let me bring in the history of the two Nogales; Nogales Arizona which is a city in the United States and Nogales Sonora which is also a city in the northern part of Mexico. The two cities were separated by a river (Rio Grande) but share almost all the natural endowments, something upon which to fall back for development. 

Of course, the two cities are so close but yet so different because of the type of leadership in the two cities. While the one in the United States sees its people enjoying productive atmosphere with committed leadership and access to all the basic amenities and in which democracy is a second nature, the lives of the people at the other part of the river is rather different. It is a life with less social amenities, high crime rate, and glaring underdevelopment. The reason for the difference between these two was due to nothing other than the nature of leadership.

Like Sonora in Mexico, Zamfara state has in recent years one of the Nigeria’s States unlucky not to have committed its institution of government meant for ridding it off poverty and insecurity to the pitiable stewardship of erstwhile regime of Abdul’Aziz Yari who ran the state like an emperor.

Under Yari, whenever the name of an hitherto peaceful northwestern state is mentioned, what quickly comes to the mind of an ordinary Nigerian is the possibility of the incidence of attacks on the hapless villages or innocent persons being kidnapped for ransom.

Also, in lieu of proffering urgent and sustainable solutions to curtail the ceaseless insecurity challenges bedeviling the state, the political czar in the state was immodestly reportedly busy manipulating electoral processes and thrashing his party, the APC’s guidelines to illegally foist his anointed candidates (including himself) for the 2019 general elections.

It’s ironic for the regime that failed and woefully so, to provide security for its citizens and unblushingly admitted  to have staged a comeback through their political pinch hitters. The state has in the past become the hotbed of political crisis as it has always occupied the front pages of national dailies for two obvious issues; either on the security (kidnappings) or political crossroads.

Yari’s indifference on the security issue and his hard-nose to further shortchange the despairing and despondent people of the state through illegalities has caused a lot of damages to his party, the APC and worse enough, it has given a black eye to President Buhari’s hard-earned reputation in the eyes of Nigerians, particularly the people of Zamfara state.

Yes, there’s always light at the end of the dark tunnel. For Yari, after all the bragging that no one could stop him from realising his political mission and to end the abysmal neglect of his responsibilities, one person has always tenaciously led the struggles that not only stopped him, but exposed his crass incompetence and gross administrative excesses.

It’s evident that the former senator representing Zamfara Central in the 8th Senate, Kabiru Garba Marafa, has stood his ground on the floor of the senate and other exploitable avenues on several occasions to seek a solution to the menace of banditry and kidnappings in the state.

Today, apart from leading the successful political liberation of the state, Sen. Marafa has championed the establishment of the Presidential Initiatives on Zamfara State (PIZAMS) where the Senate has approved the sum of N10 billion and also urged the federal government to set up an adhoc committee with a 10-year life span to manage the said funds and subsequent allocations and donations‎.

Basically, in life one can choose to either contribute his or her quota to the well-being of the people or fold his hands to see things going wrong in all manifestations. But depending on either of the sides one can decide to fit in, posterity will surely always judge them and their individual consciousness and participation will depict their values and position in the society.

In either ways, when the society is free of all social vices and crimes while serious and assiduous efforts are being put in economic and infrastructural development, the gains are become conspicuous and people will benefit irrespective of one’s political inclination and social status.

Consequently, with the emergence of Governor Mohammed Bello Matawalle and the relative peace recorded in the state, there is no gainsaying that Sen. Marafa and the G8 members have beyond individual or political interest liberated the people of the state and the assiduous efforts shown by Governor Matawalle in ensuring peace has not only been restored in the state but also sustained with corresponding developmental strides.

This has clearly demonstrated the fact that, with collective effort, the state will surely regain her lost glory.

Sen. Marafa’s recent visit for the first time to the governor while reiterating his loyalty to his party, the APC and sustained support to the governor, has demonstrated his love for the state beyond party inclination and with this synergy, one can unequivocally say that, the hope of the Zamfara people has been rekindled.

As a concerned Nigerian, I have written several opinions on the pages of many newspapers to bring to the attention of the general public Mr Yari’s indifference towards providing security to lives and property in the state something which is the cardinal objective of any serious government. 

I will continue to call on the authorities concerned not to handle the recent alert by Governor Matawalle that some disgruntled elements are trying to undermine the security effort in the state especially with the recent attacks in which some soldiers were killed.

Kera, a Media Consultant and Communication Strategist writes, from Kaduna.