Tahir Ibrahim Tahir
Obasayero means upholder of the Yoruba nation; 7th in position in the line of titles given by the Alaafin of Oyo. Having such a title speaks for itself for the Alaafin does not create titles, nor does he give titles and recognition to anyone based on wealth or power, but on the person’s contributions to growth and development. Yesterday, newspapers were replete with congratulatory messages as Isa Yuguda (the Obasayero of Oyo Empire) clocks 58!
Overtime I had grown fonder of the title name ‘Obasayero’; my years as a kid in Lagos having taught me the prestige and meaning of Oba to mean chief or sarki as obtains here in the north. I was sure Obasayero must mean some kind of chieftaincy of a high order of some sort. At the time of the coronation/chieftaincy ceremony, I thought that only BiodunYuguda from amongst his wives would be at the ceremony since she is from the southwest. My guess at the time was that she must be from Oyo as I was searching for Obasayero’s ties with Oyo; research afterwards would enlighten me that Obasayero had even served in Oyo state and had a personal relationship with the Alaafin. I was to later learn that all of Obasayero’s wives, all 4 of them were in Oyo for the ceremony as I remarked that the Obasayero Ceremony was indeed a huge one.
From the ceremony then on, I have always humorously called Isa Yuguda the Obasayero of Bauchi; I liked the name and I was perhaps envious of Oyo for scooping off Isa Yuguda as their Obasayero.
Mallam Isa’s tenure as governor of Bauchi State is one I cannot bear much testimony of, especially in the first 6 and a half years of his service as the Governor of Bauchi; as I was away myself in Abuja as a Federal Civil Servant. Now, having spent the most of the past year in Bauchi, I have come to weigh for myself and see for my conscience what Isa is as a governor.
Opinions will differ; mostly along party lines, assessments abound as to how Isa has performed with his office as governor, but I am certain that the real measurement of what Isa’s 8 years have been will only come fairly after he has vacated his office. I have had cause to write in praise of Isa Yuguda for the first time in all my years of writing (on and off) at the occasion of the ground breaking ceremony of the Bauchi International Airport. The credentials of the airport, the equipping, and it’s ranking as the 5th in the entire country is not only awesome, but an asset in the event of the exploration of the Gas deposits discovered in Bauchi in huge commercial quantity. Maybe only then will Bauchi come to appreciate what the facility means and what it will bring as Bauchi tethers in the grip of poverty.
If I am to assess Isa today, right now; I will make him the Obasayero of Bauchi land, meaning the upholder of Bauchi Empire and my point and reason is simple. Bauchi has survived and escaped the forest fire of violence and mayhem that has engulfed the whole of the north eastern part of the country. If all the state’s that have been facing security challenges are constantly calling on the Federal Government for help, then it means so far, they have fared on based on their individual efforts and muscle and that is where I find MallamIsa to be a real Obasayero.
Even if nothing else has moved forward or changed, (and that is not even the case, things have changed) the peace and quiet that reigns supreme in Bauchi is commendable; knowing that the number 1 responsibility of any government is the protection of lives and property (security) of its populace.
The funding, the coordination and sustainability of the security vigilance arekey to what obtains in Bauchi and Isa must take that credit. The few and far between incidences in Darazo, Misau and Azare local governments have been tests for the security apparatus that our Obasayero has maintained. This is not to say that the people of Bauchi have not cooperated and contributed to very large extents in the fight against crime and terrorism.
Arguments will come, discrimination will blur our sights from the ‘luxury of peace’ that we now enjoy, and what not; but the undisputable fact is that Isa is a champion for peace and the walls of Bauchi will bear him witness for years to come; as they have borne witness to his predecessors in office, the good the bad and the ugly as well as those that have been forgotten. Happy birthday My Obasayero!