Letter to the “New Governor of Bauchi State”

By; Abdul-Rahman Baban Saibo

babansaibo@gmail.com

Dear Governor Muhammad A. Abubakar Esquire,

I hope your first week in office is as hectic as never before in your previous ones, and would never come to be in your future ones as well. I know well the state in which you assumed your current seat is not a bit neither cozy nor comfortable, so, it is assumed natural that you find it worrisome, even disturbing.

As much as I am humbled to write these few pages to you Sir, that is as much as I am obliged.

Let me start by confessing to you Sir, that, I am not a pro-you and neither am I an anti-you, at least not yet. I am although a member of the APC, and yes, I am a progressive. For this reason I chose to sit on the fence, at least till the end of your first hundred days in office. But something tells me a hundred days is quiet too much a time for someone in your stand. The rumor already has it that you are still undecided as to whom you would appoint as the next Secretary to the State Government. That I think says a lot about the thirty days to come, where all focus will be strained to observing who you appoint as your executives, whereas those thirty days will have to define the sixty days to follow, wherein the people’s enthusiasm will be stuck in between what projects you launch, and how tenacious and efficient a leader you could be in supervising the assignments you oblige your Civil Servants with. As it always has been, the first ninety days of every leader in office, determines whether his tenure would be a successful one or not. At this juncture then, I will wish you the very bests of lucks in your first thirty days as the Chief Servant of my State.

Sir, you might have known well that your ascension to power came almost exactly as your predecessor’s. For, if not for the time, circumstances, and characters that took roles in making your victory a possibility, I would have declared it an exact scenario to that of Governor Isa Yuguda’s in 2007.

When you decamped to APC from the PDP just three months to the commencement of the party’s primary elections, you quiet clearly distorted the party’s political settings knowing well that the party was still juvenile and disoriented by the internal sentimental politicking being played. In seeing that, you ceased the advantage of taking charge using your former party’s tradition, it was said that you bought almost the entire party’s officials in about just a month. That in my opinion qualifies you to being an ‘opportunist,’ which in due regards to certain past events also aligns you with your predecessor.

I came to learn that after you became a member of the party, an offer, though secretly, was made to you to contest for the seat of Senator (Bauchi South)-to which you declined. I think that was rude. Those were people whom conduced a lot in the creation of this party both in the National and State levels, for that I think it was too much a generous offer to be declined. You as a politician must know that a courtesy of due regards is always relayed on to the people who marveled in such a formidable act.

Prior to your primary elections Sir, speculations were circulated that you are, but an element implanted by the PDP to cause confusion and distortions within the party. That same speculation I recall was spread about your deputy in 2011 when he came to contest for the seat of Governor under the flag of the defunct CPC Party. If the rumors were true, then your deputy must be considered successful for achieving your former party’s primary objective. You on the other hand would be regarded unsuccessful by your former party. And again, I would personally regard your victory as a “paradox of success” where dual purposes were achieved to sooth one interest. But of course that interest would be wholly yours, since your former party had its primary interests too. But that of course would depend only on if the speculations were true.

I wouldn’t stress wondering what school of thought your choice of picking Engr. Nuhu Gidado as your running mate might have created, knowing quiet well that a preponderance of the Bauchi State populace still have little or no confidence in him. Since in essence to his past political records, your pair could only at best be reckoned as “birds of the same feather”.

Subsequent to your victory in the gubernatorial primaries though, I must clarify to you Sir, two schools of thoughts were created. There were those who perceived that you had an agreement with Governor Isa Yuguda, where it was asserted that he will clear all grounds for you so your victory would come trouble-free. But that of course would go contrary to his interests, except, it was said that you guaranteed him that his administration would go un-probed if you happened to emerge the winner in the general elections. And that is where the former school’s pretext surmounts’ over the latter’s. The latter school believes that all these speculations were rumors architected by your fellow counterparts to diminish your credibility. A rather obscure third school was formed, although almost abstract. They perceived that these propagandas were spread by those who loss to you in the primary elections. Albeit none of these assertions was confidently supported by facts, neither of the aforementioned schools was wholly convincing. Thus the third school only aided in setting the ambiance of the polity in a ridiculous uncertainty.

I find it rather obliging to also remind you of the chaos your victory as Bauchi APC gubernatorial flag bearer brought about. After the primary elections it was speculated that you rigged your ways during the primaries to victory. I also think you did. My findings brought me to the awareness that the National Party officials asked your counterparts to let go off the case for if the situation surpasses, the State might come to lose the general bid to PDP, again, as it did in 2011 when your Deputy came to contest.

In 2007 though, then you were the INEC Commissioner for Rivers State, it was said that you announced the general elections results on an airplane. That I couldn’t believe. I mean, how could that be? One thing though, the election was undoubtedly rigged, and you still announced the results anyways. That is one reason why the people of Bauchi State still don’t find you trustworthy. You know Bauchi people and the man “Baba Buhari”, once they hear about someone going against him… I think you should take caution from what happened to your predecessor.

Sir, you should also recall that thence the primary elections you were heard almost not. Everyone, including myself was asking, “Is he still in the race?” Someone told me that you were waiting for “Baba Buhari” to come and raise your hand to the people of Bauchi State. At the end it appeared true. I mean it was obvious that your campaign went numb until after “Baba” came and granted your wish. Besides, that’s what succored the polity out of the “ridiculous uncertainty” it was in. With all due respect Sir, I think that says ill of someone whom wills to lead a people.

My sincerest concerns Sir are of you not making your best in deeds to see that you gain your people’s trust. You still are that ‘vague, uncertain, un-trustworthy, I am just lucky to be here’ person to the people of Bauchi State. Your actions are neither encouraging nor oomph boosting. Most people think you will at the end turn out to be the same person your immediate predecessor was.

I think you need a rethink on what to do to win the people’s confidence. My best advice to you would be Sir; to screen the people around you, then rid your cabinet from those people with bad past records, they possess potential threats that might come to cause distortions to your Governance. “I am a moderately successful lawyer”, so you told BATV in an interview. Making a moderately successful Governor won’t be bad either.

It is natural for every man to have weakness, yours’ as it appears is the ignorance of the consequences to your desires. You wanted to become a Governor, you have, but you still can’t settle for what’s next. Perhaps, you don’t even know what is next. Now everyone complains over why you are yet to appoint a Secretary for the State. I think that is the result to not having a blue print before coming to contest. But of course, for if not, how else do we define “Rebranding Bauchi State” program? I fear your phenomenon will come to be known as “a sudden swift rise of a long slow fall”.

When you declared that your basic salary and your deputy’s be halved, you quiet well took some people aback. But my interests are to know what, where and how the money can benefit the people. You ordered the State’s accounts be frozen. All questions are at their crucial, “why”? It can be investigated what happened in the past and yet still be open for regular operations. In my opinion, you are faced with two challenges at the same time. In consideration to what you inherited-two straight month’s salary being refused to be paid to the Civil Servants, you need to find the means to settle that debt, for that is now your burden. And again, regarding the condition to which receded the State back to this limit of economic depression, you need to put foremost the consideration to quicken the creation of revenues for the State. That I think might also walk us out of the troubles of unemployment in the State.

I learnt also Sir, that you took role in the sanitation that took place the last Saturday of last month. I’d be glad if a new law would be passed to stop the people from dumping their refuses on the streets. That being amongst the past administration’s biggest achievements in the State, it could also just come to being one of your best.

In conclusion, those who might have come across the appreciatory speech “To God be the Glory” I wrote in your name prior to the general elections, might wonder as to why I am still the same person to write this piece to you. I wish to clarify to them that what I did then I did for the sake of my party, and I find it absolutely compelling to offer to you my quota in advice where it appears necessary for this is my State, which I dear most. You are a leader, and like most leaders before you, you assumed a detrimentally rotten seat but that must not be an excuse for you to falter in your administration. You complained a couple of times over the debts and the ills that the immediate past administration left behind. Forgive my intrusion, but you need not complain Sir, you need just act, and if possible, with absolute immediate effects.

For that simple reason I wish to remind you again Sir, this time in the words of Thomas Paine; “If we consider what the principles are that first condense men into society, and what the motives that regulates their mutual intercourse afterwards, we shall find, by the time we arrive at what is called Government, that nearly the whole of the business is performed by the natural operation of the parts upon each other.” I see potential greatness in you Sir; I see more than four million populace willing to ascend themselves to greatness-no matter the cost; I see opportunities waiting for a well determined leadership to be made; I see hopes, hopes anxiously waiting to be attained in the most responsible manners. You’ve had your ills and weaknesses in the past, pardon me when I say they helped in bringing you to a stand of responsibility. You are here now, and by many, you are expected to fail. I expect you to excel. So at this point in time, allow me, though with all due humility, to order you to take charge!

I hope you find the due time to read this, and also the due time to reply. I shall await your response with a fervent expectancy. Thank you.

                                                                        Yours’ sincerely,

                                                               Abdul-Rahman Baban Saibo

In Nigeria III; President a Liar and a Betrayed Nation

By; Abdul-Rahman Baban Saibo

babansaibo@gmail.com

Prologue (Blasphemy);

“My husband is a messiah,” -first lady Patience Jonathan. “People do not understand the burdens this President is bearing. He’s like Jesus Christ. He’s bearing the burden of everybody.”- Doyin Okupe, Senior Special assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan. This is the same man, must I remind, whom claimed himself  a “Bastard” if the then newly born opposition Party APC (now governing party) do not disintegrate within a year “If they don’t crumble and disappear before 2014, don’t call me Okupe... call me Bastard”. Why he chose to be a bastard if that happens? Only people of his caliber could tell.

During that same program Mr. Doyin Okupe (Bastard) also asserted that, “I can’t see GEJ losing this election. It’s not possible.” I wonder what he would say had gone wrong today! Or may be “Lord” GEJ had sacrificed his ambition for the betterment of Nigerians just the way “Jesus Christ” did, Who knows?!

Also, a lawmaker from Rivers state Mr. Bipi Evans claims that Mrs. Patience Jonathan Nigeria’s first lady is his Jesus Christ. One must come to curiously ask, how on earth could these people be compared with this holy personality? Considering the fact that this same peoples’ acclaimed faiths regards him to be God, how then could one confidently compare him with these ill beings? Perhaps, those who see the first family as “Lords” hath faith only in power and wealth, as of result, the only thing they worship is it.

But hence, I’d say it has come to its ends, for those whom obeys not but ‘Power’ and ‘Money’ will so rot in jail as the vanquisher of ill acts and corrupt deeds have thus unveiled.

 
“Nigeria we hail thee, Albeit thy children fail thee, in mercy God’ll bail thee, Before thou thus derail thee.”- Hannatu Musawa      

President a Liar;

President Goodluck Jonathan’s fund of lies to Nigerians and to the world is rather becoming an act of disrespect to the people, as he continuous to undermine not alone his integrity and dignity, but also that of the country’s as well. Though as it appears both the Nigerians and the international communities, do apprehend the man’s endless shameless-shameful acts. But the question remains, ‘are Nigerians doing the ‘much’ in need to reintegrate their national integrity in proving they have a fragment of it left?’

“But if I’m voted into power within the next four years the issue of power will become a thing of the past. Four years is enough for anyone in power to make significant improvement and if I can’t improve on power within this period, it then means I cannot do anything even if I am there for the next four years.”- President Goodluck said on February 1^st 2011 in Addis-Ababa. How cunning, and yet the man’s despair to return to power took him the entire nine yards just to ensure all democratic processions are neglected and curbed to becoming absolutely irrelevances. Today the PDP as a ruling party grew to neglect entirely what are known to be democratic orders. The coming together of the sitting Governors of the ruling party to agree on a consensus that the presidency’s primary elections should be annulled and the incumbent is to be granted an automatic ticket proves it all. The party’s executives’ (chairmen) processes to office are rather such of which democracy entirely tabooed.

“Up till two months ago Mr. President you told me that you have not told anybody that you will contest in 2015. I quickly pointed out to you that the signs and the measures on the ground do not tally with your statement… and only a fool would believe that statement you made to me judging by what is going on.” Former president Olusegun wrote in his letter to President Goodluck Jonathan. But allow me to say Mr. Former President, but President Goodluck Jonathan honestly thinks of you and Nigerians as fools.

“Four years is more than enough to make all invaluable changes to a nation,” were the words of President Goodluck during his 2011 campaigns. O my! But allow me to say those are the words of a man whom had the privilege to govern the country for more than five consecutive years with no single diminutive achievement to offer his people. Or perhaps, Nigerians have heard of enough projects only Mr. President and his political dogs know about, Of course, for if they were real? Nigeria would be regarded amongst 1^st world nations.

I recall the Presidents’ interview with Christian Amanpour in 2013, the President did actually humiliated himself and Nigerians on global television when he was asked what he had to say about power (electricity) stabilizing in Nigeria for when he assumed office the first time he had her assured that power is Nigeria’s number one problem and he would do all in his strength to curb it. But three years after, in a second interview, President Jonathan had this to say to Amanpour, “I would have loved that you asked an ordinary Nigerian in the streets of Lagos and Abuja or another other city this question about power. That is one area that Nigerians are quite pleased with government, that our commitment to improve power is working. That is one area that even civil society members agree that government has kept faith with its promises.” “What should I tell the people who keep contacting us and saying they hope they have electricity just to watch this interview on their televisions…? Amanpour asked in response to the presidents’ submission, but the president assumed the stands of an “ordinary Nigerian” (himself) instead, and said, “We have not gotten to where we should be. The power infrastructure is one investment that must complete the chain before the bulb can light”. I have to be honest about this, I was stupidly abashed.

A week later the CNN correspondents walked the streets of Lagos and Abuja just to confirm from “ordinary Nigerians” as the president wished. Unfortunately all of those interviewed had not but to attest that the president indeed lied, and perhaps there’s no “area that Nigerians are quite pleased with the government.”

Regrettably, that degrading talk with Nigeria’s leader furthered to a point of self-contradiction. Christiane determined to continue with the president’s assessment of the Boko Haram insurgency, “Others believe Boko Haram is about resisting misrule and corruption.” But of course as a Nigerian leader, the person in question must retort contra to such attack even if the allegation comes true, “No! No! No! Boko Haram is not as a result of misrule. Sometimes people feel it’s as a result of poverty, definitely not. We should not play politics with Boko Haram.”

Wasn’t it during the June 5^th 2014 National Executive Council’s meeting of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) that president Goodluck whole heartedly blamed the opposition party (APC) Governors for Boko Haram’s dilating crisis? “There is no insurgency in PDP states because the Governors are performing.” That quite sounded to me like politics being played with Boko Haram by the president. And what was that again the president mentioned when Christiane asked “do you admit that there is a problem in the security dealing with it?” of course the president retorted “that is not correct. That is not correct. I have said it severally; those are insinuations by some interest groups.” “One of those interest groups is the state department of the United States.” Amanpour replied the president. “No! No! No!” (Again!?) “People get wrong information to the state department of United States.” Need I do remind of President Jonathan’s #AmericaWillKnow media chat? I still wonder as to what changed his mind.

A year now, since the Chibok girls were abducted by Boko Haram. I recall vividly when the President claimed to know the whereabouts of the missing girls that’s some 10 months back, but then on another submission, of course surprisingly, his own words were, “all the information that was volunteered to us (about their location we’ve used) and we have searched the places… and we have scanned but we have nothing.” Permit me to admit, this is my country’s leader.

But if I could meet the president, I’d sure would ask him, ‘and Mr. president, why should Nigerians trust in your coming back to office when your own words were “it then means I cannot do anything even if I am there for the next four years.” And you told even your predecessor that you do not intend to?’ does it then mean that the last four years you spent in office did not suffice you to make “significant improvements” and you still can’t and won’t “improve on power within the coming period”? Earnestly, what exactly do you intend to improve on? Or perhaps, “four years is too short a time for someone to make an impact,” as yourself accorded.

“I am concerned about your legacy and your climb down which you alone can best be the manager of, whenever you so decide… You may wish to pursue a more credible and more honorable path.”- Former President Olusegun Obasanjo to President Goodluck Jonathan.

A Betrayed Nation;

During his 2011 campaign, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan made some unscrupulous promises regarding the problems the country was facing. Mr. Goodluck’s toughest challenge being the serious insecurity bothering the nation, he assured Nigerians that curbing Boko Haram would be his 1^st project. But lest one reminds that at the end, all through his stay in office had never for once visited the states where the insurgency was badly corroding until a few weeks to the country’s national elections. The President’s excuse as he claimed during his 3^rd media chat in 2013 was because the Borno State airport was not functional at the moment he planned to visit, “And we did not want to land somewhere and fly into Maiduguri with a helicopter for obvious reasons.” “Obvious reasons” indeed, for that’s a President whom promised to secure his people no matter what it takes.

During that chat the President was asked why he had to travel to Brazil when Nigeria was in a serious delicate insecurity situation. The President’s responded, “The day the international community gets to know that the president of Nigeria couldn’t travel because of Boko Haram, then we are finished,” (finished!?) I think the president is confusing leadership with acting (my take).

Just a day to his declaration ‘ceremony’, President Goodluck Jonathan’s chief of army staff Mr. Alex Badeh announced that a ceasefire accord had been reached between the Nigerian Government and the Boko Haram terrorists. To further strengthen the hopes of the people, he announced even that the terrorists agreed to release the over 200 Chibok schoolgirls in exchange with their captured fellows. To Nigerians greatest dismay, it’s just a week to the long awaited Presidential elections (of which a majority of the populace regards as “Change”) but yet, there’s still no news of the whereabouts of the missing girls.

On the 20^th of this month, the BBC had an interview with the President, talking on the hopes to finding the missing schoolgirls, the BBC correspondent asked the president if he’d know where the missing girls are, regarding that the military saying that they have “no clues at all as to where they (Chibok schoolgirls) are.” The President response to that assertion was (am sorry to say) rather stupid, “if that’s what the military tells you then of course you have to take it.” He said, “But we ask that question every day, we are looking up too, we have not seen dead girls, that is a good news. So I believe they are still alive, I believe we’ll get them.” “Many people are questioning how on earth has it been that during this last just few weeks,” the interviewer went on, “less than six weeks, the whole picture has changed in the North-East, this towns and villages have been taken back, and they’re wondering why that couldn’t have happened months or years ago, why it’s happened right now?” the President replied, “Yes I agree that in the beginning of Boko Haram, we never expected that they will build up that kind of capacity, we underrated the external influence.” I think at that juncture, President Jonathan himself agrees that we are finished, and he in a sense did finish us.

“We shouldn’t have waited for a practically ‘non-existing’ government to give us the go ahead before mounting a humanitarian effort to rescue those girls.”- Senator John McCain of the Republican party of USA said in an interview. How I wish they didn’t?

“I would have loved that the Nigerians in Diaspora vote this year but to be frank with you that is going to be difficult now. Presently, the law does not allow the voting outside Nigeria and so this year Nigerians in Diaspora will not vote but I will work towards it by 2015 ‘even though I will not be running for election.”- President Goodluck Jonathan said in 2011. But Mr. President, if you honestly didn’t want to contest in this election, then why did you strongly and repeatedly emphasized on not contesting? O! Of course, “four years is too short a time for someone to make an impact.” Indeed.

In my remorseful opinion, a country can only be at its breaking point when its leaders whom hath not the tiniest fragment of shame, boldly face its people and ask them to vote for them ‘again’ when the only legacies they are about to leave them are but endless lies and seemingly unending disasters of which they (the leaders) deliberately allowed to hatch (if not incubated).

“Mr. President, there’s an election coming, can you win it?” the BBC correspondent asked his final question. I honestly adored the earnest with which the President replied that question. “I will surely win it.” Although the challenges faced by Mr. President were solemnly raveling, he still assumed he’d emerged the winner after all.

“If I go Nigerians will miss me.”- President Goodluck said in one of his media chats. Truth is many Nigerians (my-self included) will really miss this man and his company of lies and deceit.

“In a sick country, every attempt to cure it is an affront to those who feed on its sickness,”- Bernard Malamud

Epilogue (Defeat);

At 5:15pm the evening of Nigeria’s presidential elections, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan called General Muhammadu Buhari to congratulate him on his victory in the ongoing elections of which the final result was yet to be officially announced. That honorable gesture made by President Goodluck took almost the entire world aback. “An incumbent African President concedes defeat at an early hour, is this the first time this is happening?” the world seem to have never witnessed such!

Although as I said, that was an “honorable gesture”, could it have qualified as heroic? Many Nigerians regarded that doing as heroic, but I (for one) see it as an “ethic of leadership”. But profoundly, I see it more as a self vindication from the eyes of the international community, of whose eyes were interestingly glued to the country’s political uproar and a democratic transgression.

Prior to the presidential elections, I recall, two peace agreements were gladly signed by the presidential contestants of the two major parties PDP and APC, both agreements were signed in front of both domestic and international witnesses. Yet again, US secretary of states, John Kerry had visited earlier the country and had a one-on-one discussion with both candidates (separately).

Let the truth be told here, if President Goodluck Jonathan hadn’t have conceded defeat the result would have still been announced as him being the defeated and still the country would still have remained in peace. Why then would that little “honorable gesture” be regarded as “Heroic”?

In the arts of leadership (governance) power and politics are always the game tools, wherein the people are the players. But nature and time will always be the judges as well as the decision makers in their own respective perspectives.

To God be the Glory

Written By; Abdul-Rahman Baban Saibo

A statement of gratitude by Barr M. A. Abubakar on his victory to emerge Bauchi APC Gubernatorial candidate;

Bismillahirrahman al-rahim. All gratitude and appreciations be to Allah the most high.

Today, I,Barr Muhammad Abdullahi Abubakar, a son of Bauchi state, and at the same time an aspirant of the Gubernatorial position of the state under the platform of the party All Progressives Congress APC, wish to express my utmost appreciations, first to my hard working, selfless, tireless and vibrant campaign team whom speared not alone their time, energy and resources but also their trust, faith and belief to see and ensure that this victory was made a reality. I wish to remind them that this is not the victory but the beginning of it. Lest I remind of Herbert George Wells, a British writer who once said “The past is but the beginning of a beginning, and all there is or has been is but the twilight of the dawn.” Sure this victory has become a past, but it is a past that will forever be present in our future times, whilst this historical primary election, is indeed the “Twilight of the dawn” Insha Allah for Bauchi state.

This formidable team should also know that the strife, hustle, tussle and all struggles has just begun, for it shall end not the day we are declared victors of the general elections Insha Allah, it shall end not the day we take over our duties to the Government of Bauchi state, and yet, not again the day we chose to retire, but ‘to God be the glory’ it shall be the day the people of Bauchi state decidesto nod in agreement that we have achieved their ultimate demands which shall definitely be our ultimate goals.

To my fellow contestants, I wish to express to you all that there couldn’t be more worthy and dignifiedopponents, and yours sincerely must say, I hope as we worked toward achieving the congregation of this prestigious party, the unity has been made a success. And I also wish to humbly call upon you all to come join this quest of salvaging this great “pearl of tourism” from the hands of this selfish and self-serving ruling party, for ‘to God be the glory’ even God knows that this is not a one man’s fight. So as this victory is not regarded as mine alone, but the party’s,I call upon your supports, mandates and encouragement and I so hope that ‘to God be the glory’ I shall have it.

I also wish to give my overwhelming thanks to the convention committee, whom despite the stress, pressure and all constraints, maintained absolute order and conducted a free and fair election. If I must suggest, INEC should learn the methods of free and fair electoral conducts from these league of unbiased and transparentgentlemen.

And to the delegates who stood all day long to undergo series of challenges to start with accreditations processes down to the tiresome wait of voting processes, I earnestly hope and pray that you have made it back home in safe and sound conditions. I must say that you voted righteously and wisely, for I might not have been the entirety’s choice but I was privileged to be the majority’s and that is not my making but the making of good and wise decisions made by the majority and most of all the making of God almighty.

So, I must also urge them (delegates) to tighten their shoe laces, because the race has just been blown the whistle for. As the rest of the primary elections are set to take place, I urge them to vote again rightly and wisely the deserved people whom will be “faithful, loyal and honest” to the people of Bauchi state, and will serve our dear state with their “Hearts and Might” and will also protect the interests of our dear state, and “uphold her honor and glory” and so “help them God”.

To the entire people of Bauchi state, I humbly come to you, as a son, a brother, a father but most of all, a servant. A servant, whose motives will not stop at making mighty and great promises but a servant who will see to his words when uttered to his people Insha Allah. And Insha Allah, if God wills and I am elected Governor of Bauchi state, I will ensure that I aim at becoming the best Governor servant that has ever come and will ever come to being in the history of Bauchi state and in Nigeria. Hence, the name “Servant General” I shall bare instead of “Excellency” all through my stay in office, Insha Allah.

And, Unlike any other politician, I will pledge my promises to the people of this cherished state, but as I said I am a politician but not in promises, as Nigerian politicians are well known to be fund of empty and broken promises, especially those of the PDP, so mine will be more of personal promises rather than political ones, but if God decides to test my humanly weakness, I wish to plead to you that I am to you not more than a servant, a son, a brother, or a father. And I do hope and expect I get the proper toss to put me back to order.

To my family, friends and well-wishers, I hope you can see where your prayers has brought us, albeit, we all need to know that now, more than ever your prayers are mostly needed as they should be absolutely sacred. So ‘to God be the glory’ we shall achieve this all together.

Our father, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa in his “Maiden Speech” said and I quote, “Cooperation is for each man to be true to his religious belief and to reaffirm the basic principles of his particular creed. It may be that, when we hear the world crying out for peace, we may receive the inspiration to deal with these intractable problems and be able to really devote all our resources to the advancement of mankind by applying those eternal truths which will inevitably persist long after we ourselves are utterly forgotten.”

I quoted this quote to remind us(Nigerians) our basic responsibilities. The responsibility to come together as one people, one nation, one family, to achieve a common goal which is a “Great Nigeria”. The responsibilities of committing to the bringing back of a long lost hope of our dear Nation. The responsibilities to out-set personal desire and consider that of National building. The responsibilities that must promise the well-being of our people. That responsibility is indebted upon each and every Nigerian whom is eligible to vote.

So, ‘To God be the glory’, I wish, hope and pray that the forthcoming general election will bring an end to the corruption, bad governance and sufferings that this country have been dwelling within.

Long live All Progressives Congress party. Long live Bauchi state. And long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.