By Umar Bello Jada
What started like an innocuous slip, a harmless political dig, which many dismissed as a mere storm in a tea cup is snowballing into a Frankenstein monster in Adamawa State.
In the build up to the 2023 general elections, there were hushed insinuations suggesting that Fintiri has made a classically explosive comment that he was ready to deal a decisive blow to one of the dominant tribes in the state Fulani via the inglorious ‘I will break the Fulani calabash’ rhetoric which at a point almost became the catch phrase of Fintiri’s political movement in the state.
I realized with disgust that those whose prognosis of Fintiri as a weak and divisive leader with a penchant for vengeance have won the day
Some of us who know the level of malice some politicians could stirr to besmirch an opponent dismissed such allegation as the handwork of fifth columnist. It was on that note that we traversed nooks and crannies of Fulani settlements to diffuse such a potential landmine culminating in the victory of governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri in the highly disputed governorship election.
But reminisces of the days leading up to the election kept flashing in my mind when the Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri led government started mooting the idea of creating about 83 new districts with such a lightening speed.
What even gave me goose pimples about the whole project which smirks of a hidden agenda was the secretive and clandestine manner it was subjected to, while due process that should be followed when carrying out such a sensitive exercise was thrown to the dogs. To my utmost consternation, I realized with disgust that those whose prognosis of Fintiri as a weak and divisive leader with a penchant for vengeance have won the day.
A situation where a one man gang take it upon himself to destroy centuries old heritage by executive Fiat is a sure recipe for monumental disaster. That person does not only constitute danger to himself but a potential calamity to others.
Whose primary duty is to ensure the maintenance of peace, harmony, justice and fair play to all manner of people in the state
The situation is even more poignant putting into consideration that the person who is hell bent in provoking this danger on the populace is no other than the governor himself, whose primary duty is to ensure the maintenance of peace, harmony, justice and fair play to all manner of people in the state.
It is on this premise that discerning and peace loving citizens must speak out about the latest anomaly so as to avert the dooms day. At first I was reluctant to pen down an opinion on the matter but quickly change my disposition knowing that at perilous times like these, men of valour and courage must speak out in order to set the records straight and for the sake of posterity even though my position may provoke vile attacks from the apologists and protagonists of the establishment.
This project is an ill wind that does no one any good and instead of it to resolve any nuance of injustice
That is why I must be pushful in condemning the latest move by governor Fintiri which I see as divisive, an overdrive, and an ill advised project that is already dead on arrival. This project is an ill wind that does no one any good and instead of it to resolve any nuance of injustice, if there was any, it has the tendency for totally disrupting and eclipsing any remaining peace and tranquility in the land.
In its determination to defend the ill conceived project, the government has been feeding us with lies to the effect that the creation of the new districts stems from popular agitation from ethnic nationalities. But even a kindergarten can puncture that as a lie from the pit of hell considering the clandestine and covert manner in which the whole (sic) agitation was subjected to including the manner in which the state house of assembly which has apparently become an appendage of the executive arm hurriedly passed the bill.
No one will be opposed to any move for the creation of new districts if it is done in an honest and meticulous manner
In the whole of this tragicomedy, caution, truth, fair play and reason became the major casualties. No one will be opposed to any move for the creation of new districts if it is done in an honest and meticulous manner. The failure of the government to adopt best practices in carrying out the sensitive exercise made it suspicion and susceptible to fail as other such ill advised projects in the past.
By every standard, creating 83 new districts is not a child’s play and therefore, should have been given all the seriousness it deserve if the exercise was designed to endure. Because of the precarious nature in which it was conducted, the exercise will become the biggest baggage that Fintiri will have to contend with in his days in office and beyond. Those whom the governor want to impress will later become his staunch enemies because at the end of the day it will not serve their interest well and those he intended to relegate through the exercise will become even merciless in their unforgiving posture against him.
The failure of Fintiri to employ best practices such as proper mapping of communities to mark boundaries and identify analogous communities and situate them properly will surely bring fiercest infighting within the new districts as struggles for power and control ensues between disparate entities. Such infighting will surely nix any benefits derivable from the so called exercise. And most importantly, Fintiri’s political fortunes will be totally eclipsed by this monumental error. A case study is Kano State where APC lost woefully despite the fact that Ganduje appointed five brand new Emirates. During the state governorship election, non of the four newly crowned emirs won his polling unit. The ripple effect of Ganduje’s decision reverberates till this day going by the endless royal skirmish which is being derisively addressed as the Kano Royal Rumble.
Fintiri’s political fortunes will be totally eclipsed by this monumental error
In the same vein, during his vicious and cavalier rule in Kogi State, the white lion as Yahaya Bello is fondly called in one fell swoop created seven chiefdoms in his resolve to divide and rule. Where is governor Yahaya today? In Kuje prisons.
History is again handy here because during the days of Gongola when I was a kid, I could remember that governor Barde has balkanized the traditional institution to the extent that every clan was given a district. Has that exercise endured? No because you cannot build a castle in the air which is what Fintiri is trying to do now. What led to the dissipation of the districts during the Barde era has to do with infighting, lack of acceptable leadership and even fraternal competition.
Then another issue that is going to bug down the newly created districts is the issue of funding. Although the law stipulates that local government is going to shoulder the funding but the question is at what cost?
If we must be honest, local government councils do not have the financial wherewithal to adequately take charge of the new districts including payment of salaries. I envisaged two developments, either the local government will shirk all their responsibilities to take care of the district heads or the local government will abandon the district heads to their fate. Whatever happens, Fintiri is the biggest lose.
Read Also:Submit Your Memorandum for New Districts, Adamawa State Govt Tells Communities
To put the whole misadventure of the creation of the new districts into proper perspective, it is proper that I must bring my constituency, Ganye chiefdom which consist of three local governments of Ganye, Jada and Toungo into context here. For record purpose, none amongst the Fulani or Chamba people is clamouring for any additional districts as the people believe that creating new districts will alter the dynamics and equation of the traditional setting of our people. But because may be Fintiri has a score to settle against Gangwari Ganye, he was hell bent in bastardizing the chiefdom. He conveniently forgot that a number of people who supported his course will be seriously afflicted by his latest overdose of power adrenaline, we reject in strong terms carving out any part of our 3 localgovernment out of Ganye Chiefdom.
And again because he has a case against Nyako, he wants to relegate Mayo Belwa district to Jereng. A number of such instances abound across the state. So instead of creating harmony, the whole contraption will just help create another extraneous conflict area and add to the mix of our crises.
Read Also: DISTRICTS CREATION: Fintiri’s Masterstroke Deserves Praise, Says State Government
To make my point more clearer, if you create a chiefdom in Hong, and you appoint General Hananiya as the head, somebody like Dr. Aliyu Idi Hong will never be loyal, vice versa. The situation will only worsen our existential crises as a state. It is preposterous that in a global world where entities are competing to exert their influence in technology and ICT prowess, our leaders are obsessed with a primordial mindset of vengeance against their people at a time when hunger and hardship became the lot of our people. Such leadership is our bane as a people.
Finally Governor Fintiri and his co-Travellers no new Emirates can be at per in terms of respect and value with that of Lamido, Lamdo Mubi and Gangwari.
