Labour Party chieftain and the Obidient movement coordinator, Hon. Joseph Enan Maigari, has poked holes in Gov. Fintiri’s address delivered shortly after the infamous palliatives loot in the state saying the governor has taken for granted the excruciating pain Nigerians are passing through by suggesting that their suffering was not enough to cause the mass looting.
Maigari decries that there was no excuse crime and destruction but to in a simplistic and condescending tone attempt to shame the poor, show lack of empathy and at the end of the speech offer no solution to the grave hunger situation ailing the entire people of the country was cruel.
Joseph Maigari made this remark in press statement he tagged, “Adamawa Youths and the Danger of Gov. Fintiri’s Dangerous Rhetorics and Policies” which was made available to this medium, in Yola, Adamawa state.
The statement reads in part, “After the infamous invasion of government warehouse and looting of palliatives in Adamawa, State capital,Governor Ahmadu Fintiri spoke about the violence some youths imposed on the state . He inspected the warehouses looted by the youths and, after that, addressed the people.
“The governor acknowledged the current economic hardship, appealed for calm since the government was working on palliative measures, and promised the prosecution of the arrested “hoodlums.”
“Good talk so far. But Fintiri couldn’t resist the penchant for politicians to bury their heads in the sand. He soon went the cheap way of deflecting from the apparent issues.”
Maigari quoting Governor Fintiri to demonstrate his point said, “Hear him, Preliminary findings from the investigation suggested that besides the purported claim to the economic crunch, which is propelled by the imminent trend of criminality, is the inducement of some lazy politicians amongst us. There are some of us who contested and lost elections and feel that the only way to distract us is by inducing trouble that will sap our energy. We shall deal decisively with anyone who aided and abetted this callous slide into anarchy.”
He lamented saying, “The governor’s revisionism in this short speech is worrying. He trivialised and impugned on the reality of the people’s suffering and shifted responsibility to some politicians who “lost elections”. This is even though the state police commissioner, Afolabi Babalola, hinted that the violence may have been inspired by rumours that palliatives, which government didn’t want to distribute, were the warehouses.
Fintiri said “purported economic hardship,” suggesting that there was no economic hardship or that it was not enough to warrant an attack on a facility even if goods meant for the people were hoarded there. But the governor should know that hunger and deprivation are a debilitating pair, from which history records people turning into cannibals.
“A governor should not downplay the destructive impact of Nigeria’s suffocating poverty in the face of the ostentation in the government.
“Even though there can be no justification for crime, politicians must understand that there are limits to what a person can bear. They must also stop playing on the intelligence of citizens by attributing the fallout of the government’s failure to so-called opposition politicians.”
Maigari contested that,”In showing that this is futile, we should ask whether disgruntled politicians also instigated the serial vandalism of the new Second Niger Bridge since its opening in May 2023. Are politicians who lost elections also behind teenagers caught in the web of crimes like internet fraud, ritual killing, kidnapping, street robbery, drug abuse, and all such violent criminal tendencies that the country contends with? Why do Nigerian leaders pretend not to understand that refusing to pay attention to youth and children is a problem to national development.
“Adamawa’s story is compounded by the pandemic of poverty that has hit most parents. When parents cannot provide for children who are denied education or any means of livelihood, society has big trouble. This challenge worsens when children and youth have unfettered access to psychotropic substances and light weapons. With all these glaring difficulties, it is tragic when leaders sing the narrative of opposition figures and the related rather than swift actions to save the future.
“Most importantly is the deliberate education of every Nigerian child, regardless of the circumstances of their birth or where they come from.
“Education is the only irrevocable gift that this avaricious generation of ADAMAWANs can pass on to the next generation. And when we talk about education, we don’t mean piling children into blocks of newly renovated classrooms manned by half-baked teachers whose empty stomachs and minds conflicted.
“Functional education considers the whole value chain. From an adequately targeted curriculum and pedagogy to raising qualified and well-motivated teachers, ensuring that every child gets an education, at least for the first nine years of their lives, and giving vocational education pride of place, those who lead Nigeria must do much more than merely mouth their commitment to the future. They must walk their talk and deliver good governance. Without that, we are building a country that will one day swallow its people. The education of the Nigerian child must also include a re-orientation and re-evaluation of the values passed onto these children.
“Adamawa leaders should aim to register their names in gold. They cannot achieve this by making redundant accusations against political opponents. Governor Fintiri should get to work.”