By Emeka Nze
There is an erroneous assumption on the part of some Nigerian leaders that the led, those whose affairs they preside are gullible. That assumed gullibility is borne out of the false belief that they (the public) can accept anything, especially, when it is sprinkled with a few wads of Naira notes. But what they (politicians) forget is that the survival instinct of the average Nigerian pushes him to do whatever can, even in a very harsh condition, to earn a living. While this is viewed by the custodians of the commonwealth as weakness of the ordinary people, the psyche of the people is that since the public office holders revel in the perquisites of office to their exclusion, whatever has to be done to let the wealth trickle round must be done. Hence, sycophancy is not for the fun of it or love of those in power but a means of coming close to the corridors of power to eke out a living there from.
Recently, the emissaries of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Bala Mohammed, flooded the streets of Abuja .They harangued Nigerians, particularly, the people and residents of FCT with their message that the Minister was the Moses appointed to rescue FCT from stagnated development. The talebearers wanted Bala to rescind his decision to resign his appointment as Minister in order to pursue his ambition to be governor in Bauchi, his home state. At an event by a the Zimzelen women association, a women wing of PDP in FCT, the leader of the group, who doubles as the Legal Adviser, FCT PDP, Barr Chinelo Nnadi, although came to persuade President Goodluck Jonathan to continue in office beyond 2015, she also bore another message: “We the Zimzelen women pass a vote of confidence on the Hon Minister of FCT, Senator Bala Mohammed, and want him to rescind his decision to resign his appointment as minister in order to contest for governorship election in Bauchi state. We in FCT are happy with his performances and we want him to see his position in FCT as that of the governor of the territory. Abuja is even bigger than a state because it is made up of people from all the states in Nigeria. He should consider himself the father of all.” Then they continued with their message of the day – ‘Jonathan must continue beyond 2015.’
Subsequently, PDP Chairman, Dr. Yunusa Suleiman, who addressed the Zimzelen women, underpinned Mrs Nnadi’s address, dwelling on the goodies of having Bala continue as FCT minister. Suleiman in his comments said, “We thank you (the women) for the solidarity given the NEC for endorsing Mr. President to run for the 2015 general elections and to also support you for the solidarity with other FCT residents for asking the sitting minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, to rescind his decision to resigning to contest the 2015 general elections in Bauchi state. I want to appeal to you to continue in this spirit. This is what will take us to the Promised Land”, he said.
The FCT Chairman continued, “So many people in Bauchi state have called their son (Bala) to come back home and contest the 2015 governorship election. There is no doubt about it that their son is worth it, their son is able, and their son has the capacity to run Bauchi state. He too Bala has the right. But Bala has lived and shared most part of his fruitful life with the people of the FCT. Later he was appointed Minster of the FCT. He is staying with us and has done so well with us .This is democracy. He has virtually carried everybody along, no matter your religion, where you come from. That is why the FCT is created- to carry everybody along especially the indigenes where we belong and he has brought about initiatives that favour both the indigenes and other Nigerians including the non-Nigerians that are resident in FCT. This is what is what is deserving of the FCT. I think, among other reasons Senator Bala Mohammed needs to be called to rescind his decision to contest election in Bauchi to serve this country in the FCT, more so, that his principal the President, the leader of our party has been endorsed. If he has so built these bridges, he has mend this fences, he has touched several lives and that equates sowing good seeds and now is the time to reap it. Bala needs to be called to come and reap the fruits of his hard labour for the period of four years in FCT for the success of his principal come 2015.”
Few days later, another group, the FCT Geo-political Leaders Forum led by Alhaji Sidi Abubakar largely made up of FCT PDP stakeholders and along with other residents in another press conference told the gathering that “the FCT residents have witnessed commitment, purposefulness, forthrightness and objectivity in all facets of governance. There has been peace and harmonious existence among the residents of the FCT.” While Alhaji Abubakar’s preachment of Bala was still on, natives of the territory poured out on the streets proclaiming the Minister as a man on whose shoulders hangs the fulfillment of compensation promises made to the natives several years ago. Their leader even made an appearance in a popular radio programme to convince Bala to stay put in office so that years of unfulfilled aspirations among the natives can come to an end.
By their clamour, only Bala can do it.
Anti Bala campaigners are of the view that, like any other politician, the spontaneous clamour heralding the Minister will be good music to Bala and his supporters but saying that the reality of it will not lost to any cursory observer of the Nigerian political scenery. Analysts are of the view that it was quite glaring that the power calculations in Bauchi state has not favoured the minister having been schemed out by those who have the final say on succession in his state, hence this latest move. They believe that Bala, like a typical Nigerian politician, under the barefaced camouflage of a performer who cannot be rivaled did not want to lose at both ends. The holders of this view also do not believe that these pro-Bala groups are self ponsored. Typical of the nation’s politician, either Bala himself or the beneficiaries of his administration who prefer the status quo to remain were those who staged the ‘balamania’ campaigns.
This view agrees with the fact that after each event the organisers
run to the beneficiary of the campaign to ask for their reward which
is always in few millions of naira or juicy contracts.
However, the anti Bala elements feel that any attempt to let Bala stay on is an attempt to consolidate Bala’s grips on the huge budget of the territory, albeit his record of unimpressive performance. According to the critics, the empty talk of Bala’s supporter’s attests to his lackluster showing as the Minister of FCT which goes to show that no matter the fragrance of the perfume is sprayed on faeces, it would not quench the stench.
Grace Richardson is a native of Jabi in Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC). She is also a FCT PDP stakeholder. According to her, “the call for Bala to remain is uncalled for. The meeting is unorganised; they just called me an hour ago to be part of it. Why are they insisting that the President should retain Bala instead of praying for him to aspire for a higher office? We have been calling the FCT authorities for over five years. The graveyard in Jabi has been turned to a dumpsite for wastes. I have been pursuing this for five years. We have written several letters to the Minister up till now no response. What are the achievements of the Minister? When election periods come people will be organising things like this without really articulating their needs. We want the government to set up sanitation clubs, we cannot work alone; we have environmental laws. People there are ready to work but each time we go to the government they keep frustrating us. ”
But the North Central Chairman of the PDP Leaders Forum and supervisory Councillor in Bwari Area Council, Hon Mohammed Yunusa, President Jonathan needed to prevail on Senator Bala Mohammed not to resign before the election because “when you talk about party politics he has really made adequate provision for the success of PDP, he has ensured that the real stakeholders in PDP in FCT are adequately carried along. Now that we have a big one in 2015, we need a Bala to remain in office for us to deliver FCT, simple. It is like a structure, it is the man who put the structure that will understand how to use the structure to get what he wants,” Hon Mohammed said.
Observers note that now that Bala did not resign his ministerial appointment, it is like a prayer answered to the campaigners and for the Minister that he did not disappoint his numerous FCT stakeholders in the PDP but paid heed to their calls but to those who had wished that he joined the fray of gubernatorial contest to create a vacancy in the juicy ministry, they must continue to exercise more patience till the end of the elections. After the 2015 elections would Bala’s drum beaters not start again, many Nigerians ask.