It is important that I state in this write up that I am not responding to this criticism of Senator Ishaku Abbo on Bishop Stephen Dami Mamza as the spokes person of the Catholic Diocese of Yola or the spokes person of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Adamawa State, where Bishop Mamza holds sway as Bishop and Chairman respectively and not even as his personal spokes person but that I am doing so as a devote indigene of Adamawa State, who has been an ardent follower of both Bishop Stephen Dami Mamza and of events in Adamawa State.
It has become expedient for me to react and bear my mind on this very vital matter as a way of not just enlightening Senator Ishaku Abbo but also those like him, who seem to be strangers in Adamawa State for whatever reason they may choose to so be.
Bishop Mamza like most of us has been in Adamawa State and his stay has transcended many administrations since the return of democracy in 1999, especially in Adamawa State, where legal dramas have brought more governors than any other state in the country.
We have all witnessed the same Bishop criticise non performing governors and also praising the performing ones. A critical look at the turn of events in our state has shown that the performance of Governor Ahmedu Umaru Fintiri in the last three and a half years has outclassed those of his predecessors.
Michika Local Government Area for instance has never had it so good in terms of infrastructure and human capacity development when compared to the previous administrations of the state. If that is the case, what is wrong in a Bishop commending the efforts of the governor? If he fails to commend the governor when he has done well, what justification will he have to reprimand him when he errs? The governor has done well by all standards and it is often said that the prize for good work is more work. If the governor has done well in his first attempt, the implication is that given a pat on the back and encouraged with another term, he could do more for the state.
Who knows what direction a new governor would drive the state? It is only natural that a performing governor gets another opportunity to do more. We have seen governors before him and will still see those after him, there are bases for comparison and there will still be when a new governor comes after him.
Bishop Stephen Dami Mamza like every other human being is entitled to his opinion. If his opinion does not go down well with any individual, he can afford to him his own. Bishop Mamza has committed no crime in airing his personal opinion. He is first and foremost an indigene of Adamawa State before a Bishop.
As a Bishop he has been at the receiving end of the crisis of Adamawa State. How many of his critiques converted their homes to an IDP Camp as Bishop Mamza did when indigenes of Adamawa State were homeless? How many of them asked if they ate daily? How many of them were concerned about the well-being of the people? Politics has come today and everyone must pretend to be lovers of the people.
Who is Senator Ishaku Abbo? Since when did he become the voice of the Christians of Adamawa State? What are his credentials as a seating senator? Does he think pretending to be for the Christians in his Senatorial District will make the people forget his antecedents and misplace their priority again? How does the governor offer a people the position of Chief Judge in a state? That is strictly a matter for the National Judicial Council based on seniority to confirm. How does a house of 25 members with 15 Muslims and 10 Christians produce a Christian speaker when it is a matter of number to decide that? Adamawa State already have a balanced ticket, where a Muslim is governor and a Christian is deputy governor. Every well meaning Nigerian today is frowning at a Muslim-Muslim ticket staring us in the face but Senator Ishaku Abbo supports it supports it at the national level and frowns that Muslims hold positions in the state. What a double standard?
For the records, Senator Ishaku Abbo went to the Senate on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on arrival at the Red Chamber, while his colleagues were thinking of what to do for their people, our ‘distinguished’ senator got his baptism of fire with a sex toy scandal. As a face saving measure, he migrated to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) , where ‘all his sins were forgiven”. Three and a half years down the lane, our ‘distinguished’ senator holds the distainful record of the only senator in the Red Chamber, who is yet to sponsor a bill or move a motion. We are yet to see our own dividends of democracy. Our senator has zero percent projects to his credit neither has he given a single job to a single individual nor empowered anyone in Adamawa State. Instead of sit back to to have a sober reflection on his activities as a representative of the people and considering using the few months left to mend his ways, our senator wants to use propaganda as the strategy to return to the hallowed chamber through the back door.
One wonders how a man, who still harbours three women in his house as wives would be more Christian than an ordained and revered Catholic Bishop. Who can be more Catholic than the Pope? As it stands the most appropriate thing for Senator Ishaku Abbo to do right now is to tender an unreserved apology to Bishop Stephen Dami Mamza and indeed the people of Adamawa State, if he most regain an infinitecimal fraction of the regards of the people. This is without prejudice to any excuse.
David Simon Dzalla is an indigene of Adamawa state, a loyalist of Bishop Dami Steven and Governor Ahmadu Fintiri
