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Labaran Maku: Sycophancy Taken Too Far By Godfrey Dansabo

May 24, 2014

It is high time we called the bluff of this attention-seeker whose mission is to cause confusion in the land he claims to love and swore to protect.

That Mr Labaran Maku, Nigeria’s Minister of Information and former Deputy Governor of Nasarawa state is fast gaining notoriety in the act of dishing out puerile allegations and cheap diatribe against perceived or imagined 'enemies' of government is no longer news. Mr. Maku has earned for himself the unenviable sobriquet of a celebrated sycophant and garrulous government official who takes much delight in making more enemies for his boss instead of projecting the system in positive light.

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Think of a government official who is notable for making careless and unguarded statements in human history, the name Labaran Maku readily comes to mind. His latest outburst or what could be termed a gaffe when he conveniently blamed the ongoing security hiccups in some parts of the country on northern governors further reveals the true identity of Labaran Maku. Is this part of his desperate attempts to pitch these hardworking governors against other Nigerians? Could this be a joke or idiocy? This is simply a case of sycophancy taken to an absurd level.

If there is any good we can do to our dear country in this trying times is to support genuine efforts aimed at ending insurgency and not to fan the ember of disunity or civil unrest by making unguarded statements. The same man who wastes no time in cautioning politicians against heating up the polity through unrefined comments now takes delight in conveniently doing what he serially condemns. I am particularly alarmed by Mr Maku's repeated efforts to tag key northern elements, especially governors as those responsible for the mindless blood-letting, tension and uncertainty prevalent in the north. He hardly addresses attention-seeking issues, instead dissipates energy and resources on pedestrian and narrow-minded issues. Maku's actions are largely counter-productive. His position as the  number information manager of government requires that he makes tireless efforts to feed the masses with healthy information and not choke them up with falsehood.

We truly know those to call our enemies when we see or hear about them. Without fear of contradiction, Mr Maku is one of them! He should tell the world what he stands to gain in his desperate attempt to malign, discredit and maliciously accuse northern governors and their leaders of being responsible for rising insecurity in the region. The allegation is as puerile, hollow, baseless, shallow and cheap as the originator. In whose interest and sake in Mr Maku doing all these? Was he brought on board to tarnish the hard-earned image of respected northern elements? What in God's name do these northern leaders stand to gain in this madness ravaging their region?

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It is a statement of fact that most northerners are not happy with what has become of their once peaceful and enviable region. The north has lost its pride. Her economy is now in tatters. Her children of school age can no longer go to the schools for fear of being abducted or killed by terrorists. Nigerians in the north now live in perpetual fear. It is simply a case of sleeping with both eyes opened. This is how terrible things have become in the north, yet, one garrulous individual is adding more salt to injury through unrefined comments.

It is high time we called the bluff of this attention-seeker whose mission is to cause confusion in the land he claims to love and swore to protect. What are his missions? It is an open secret that he has his eyes on the Nasarawa state Government House in the 2015 polls. He is taking his political naivety too far. Why make efforts to plunge the entire nation into needless crisis just because of his personal ambition? We all know he has no visible political structure back home in Nasarawa. So, all he does is to use his present position as a federal appointee to force himself into the minds of his people. What a cheap way to gaining political prominence!

We cannot fold our arms and watch Maku and his cohorts reduce Nigeria to rubbles. We all owe Nigeria our very best. It is our responsibility to realize the lofty goals of our founding fathers. The situation in Nigeria, the entire north to be precise isn’t irredeemable. All hopes is not lost. Let’s all work against Mr Maku and his co-travelers. This is simply a case of sycophancy taken beyond the limit of commonsense.

Godfrey Dansabo, a public affairs commentator wrote in from Hotoro Quarters, Kano state.    

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of SaharaReporters

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