My attention was drawn by a friend on a latest report posted on various internet forums, including 247ureports.com with the title, “2015: Sule Lamido is a laughing matter” made by one Ibrahim Waiya of a so-called Northern Youths Assembly. I do not what led to make such a frivolous statement, who is he representing & with whose consent?
I tried without success to figure out why he made the statement, and believe you me I was left with no option than to write this rejoinder.
Comrade Waiya as he was so-called, stressed that “…especially Governor Sule Lamido who was earlier in 2011 was in support of the zoning formula, but only for him to back slide later by supporting those that were against the zoning formula, he became the supporter of the current president, Goodluck Jonathan even at the detriment of the north and now because he has the interest he wants people to support his candidature, this is a laughing matter”.
“A laughing matter” he stressed. My first thoughts were to let it pass, rE in the course of my interactions with some leaders of some youth organizations and activists particularly in the North, I saw a need to bring to public knowledge Ibrahim Waiya’s clandestine scheme of grand deceptions, calumny, betrayal of trust and above all fraud activities he’s been known of.
I was also surprised why he picked Sule Lamido only to attack him directly despite the fact this very person does not come out to declare his interest on presidency nor started any moves towards that project.
Over the past six years, Waiya has resorted to cheap blackmail whenever he felt he won’t have his way to window dress his target (whom he wants to defraud), in the course of his dubious activities in the name of non-existent Northern Youths Assembly.
Waiya is known of dubiousness and betrayal. During the 2011 election process, when Arewa Leaders were trying to come up with a consensus candidate, and Waiya was fortunate to be picked as one of the youths representative in which he pretended to be part and parcel of the consensus stuff, only turned around at the 11th hour to leak the information concealed by the stakeholders to a non adopted candidate for the quest of money and material acquisition in person of then Governor now Senator Bukola Saraki because of his excessive greed and lust for money. This is the genesis of what start causing disintegration and a crack in the process of adopting a consensus candidate and subsequently spoilt the whole agenda.
His assertions had nothing to suggest that he is an advocate of unity, social justice and progress, but instead, it smacked of the familiar vibes of a political hireling.
If really he is a youth advocate he always claim to be, his advocacy must be people centered, not self centered. Ibrahim Waiya ought to have known better that even an opposition in Jigawa State has nothing to say against Sule Lamido especially when it comes to laudable achievements in governance. Before making such a frivolous statements or claims, he could have gone back and scrutinize the scorecard of Sule Lamido as a Minister and then as a Governor before making pronouncement of it.
Development is an open process which everyone sees wherever and whenever it is taking place. I have been following the development and I can say the governor is one of the few Nigerians, if not only among the governors whose conducts have been commendable. Nowhere in the world is achievement on paper equated to hard facts on ground, moreso when Nigerian politics and politicians are involved.
The good people of Jigawa state duly elected Lamido in 2007 & gave him another chance after being tested and trusted in 2011. He has attracted attention and development to the state more than anybody else. I know Waiya is being sponsored by some unscruplous elements but the good side of it, is that his sponsors cannot even think of
encouraging the establishment of a ‘mushroom’ higher institution in a state talkless of a high-flying instutions like School of Nursing at Birnin Kudu & a State University at Kafin Hausa to the Governor’s credit. So what is Wayya talking about?
All the development Jigawa has today was as result of the Governor’s ingenuity and the subjects’ love he has, because the state was rural in inception. More so, he has invested in people he believes would carry on after he would
have left the stage.
On his assertion that Governor Sule is supporting President Jonathan, the Governor has every cause to do that for the fact that it was during Jonathan’s administration that Jigawa State is awarded with a Federal University in Dutse, a Cargo Airport in Dutse and other tremendous developmental projects. Beside Governor Lamido and President Jonathan belongs to the same political platform; the PDP. Thus, is not a taboo for Sule to support Jonathan.
Ibrahim Waiya has made spirited efforts and attempts to get close to Sule Lamido and dupe him with the notion to launder the Governor’s image, but fortunately Sule Lamido needs no introduction nor marketing in Nigeria’s political scene, and for the fact that Sule Lamido is a veteran in politics and exposed in human interactions and relating to them, he (Lamido) was blessed with foresight and reading human beings, he easily identifies the serious and dubious ones and that makes him (Waiya) unsuccessful in his mug’s games whenever he approaches Governor Sule Lamido.
Expectedly, even the Northern Youths he claims he is representing with an association that is virtually non-existent, do not acknowledge him as a serious promoter of the North. He is no longer considered as an advocate, so cheap blackmail and fraud is the way to go.
If the intentions of Ibrahim Waiya were genuine and he is passionate about the region (North), why has he failed to work with other Northern progressives and activists like the ACAC, NEF, NOYIF and others? Why did he betray elders like Adamu Chiroma and his former benefactors? (I’ll mention them if he dare repeat such a blunder). Why does he always resort egocentricism and blackmail whenever he doesn’t have his way on his target?
Much more worrisome is how Ibrahim Waiya doesn’t have respect for our higly reverred elders which is not in our culture and upbringing.
Waiya also claimed that he is not a politician, yet he had a meeting with eighteen governors in the North including Sule Lamido. The question here is, what took him to the governors and what do they offer him after every meeting held? Let him come out and tell the world particularly the Northern Youths he claims he is advocting for them. If not let him come out and contest on his own instead of scheming, waiting, blackmailing and name-calling perceived opponents to seek relevance. Let us see the alliances, political networks and goodwill he has ratchet up over the years. I believe Waiya’s ways of advocacy is consumed to hatred, greed, seflessness, short-sightness, bias, ingratitude, sycophancy and arrogance.
I will conclude here by letting Ibrahim Waiya know that he should rather be a smart, street-wise, constructive, responsible, patriotic and productive area boy than be a greedy, bootlicking, dubious, selfish and irresponsible mercenary that readily makes himself available to be used against the people.
Haruna Abubakar,
Kinkinau,
Kaduna – Nigeria
harunaabubakar82@hotmail.com
08081429313
