Has governor Mal.(Dr) Isa Yuguda heard about the tale of “the
Emperor’s new Clothes”. If has not,I will tell him. The story is
about a self-centered Emperor who is deceived by two weavers(like some
of the people around Bauchi State governor to day)in to believing
that,they have made a new set of clothes for him that is invisible to
those who are unfit for their position,stupid or are incompetent to
occupy the office they hold.
While the clothes are being worked on,the Emperor who can not see the
clothes pretends he can for fear of being branded incompetent to
occupy his office. His cabinet also buys into the game of pretence
acting as though they can indeed see the clothes and that it is the
most beautiful thing they have ever seen.
Soon,the two weavers report to the Emperor that they have finished
working on the clothes. They mime dressing him. The vain
Emperor,motivated by the remarks of His cabinet decided to hold a
public procession to show the whole his new clothes. The Emperor then
parades in his new clothes which in actual fact is no clothes. His
cabinet and courtiers are careful not to point out to the Emperor the
fact that he is walking around naked lest they be called ‘stupid,unfit
for their positions or incompetent’.
They therefore,pretend that they can see the Emperor dressed in the
most wonderful clothes even though the Emperor is stark naked. The
townsfolk also pretends that they can see the clothes and praise the
quality of work done.
But a small child however,uncontamineted by the course of flattery or
bothered by the tag of ‘stupid,incompetent and unfit to occupy public
office’ shouts ‘but the Emperor has no clothes on at all’. All at
once,the. Emperor realises that he is naked. The cabinet realises that
indeed the Emperor is actually naked. The people also gasp that the
Emperor who they have been flattering as being beautifully adorned is
naked. The Emperor,though realising he is naked,continues with the
procession amid a general consensus that the Emperor is naked.
Though this story was written over a hundred years ago,the concept is
so true of the kind of government we have in Bauchi State today.
On assumption office in 2007,as the Executive Governor of Bauchi
State. Our Emperor-governor have been paraded around naked with every
one applauding him. His cabinet made every one to believe that the
Emperor-governor had the midas touch,that He was the best thing that
ever happened to Bauchi State. All the positive titles in the book
were exhausted on him. ‘Gwamna Talakawas,Gwamna Gwamnoni,the Action
Governor,the peoples Governor to mention but few.
Despite the generosity of the monthly federal allocation to the State.
The State is still marching backward in terms of social,infrastructure
and human development. The shamelessness that are been demonstrated
by this government of Mal. Isa Yuguda lack a word to describe it.
Governor Isa Yuguda need to look around him self. He has no clothes on
and yet his political associates and friends are telling him that he
has the most gorgeous clothes on.
None of his political appointee of the naked governor has the courage
to call His excellency to order or tell him that he has tragically
lost touch to reality. In other words Mal. Isa Yuguda does not have
the advantage of that little child who screamed that the ‘Emperor has
no clothes on at all’.
I have been a critic of Mal. Isa Yuguda’s government for years for
what I see as lack of focus, incompetent and insincerity,with fervent
hope that the naked governor will sit up
For I,believe that constructive criticism is one of the pillars of any
promising democracy. All over the world,critics are regarded as the
third eye of the community,State,Nation or group. They are the watch
dog and guardian angels that constructively put the government on the
hot seat.
So what we have here is the Emperor with no clothes but no one,even a
small child,is not allowed to point out that he’s starkers.
Truth is constant while other things are merely ordinary variable.
I REST MY PEN
