May 17, 2009
While one agrees that the overwhelming need to promote one's selfish interests, couched in the garb of playing politics, is at the root of the persistent liberty the opposition in Kogi State is taking with truth and the people's emotion, there is need to counsel the few that take these people serious to think before they swallow their many lies. Even in the desire to win and gain from such victory, what should be sacrosanct is the time-honored instinct to preserve truth and cloak whatever interest we choose to promote with verifiable truth, which should be supported by facts and not the concocted invention of desperadoes that see nothing good in any setting that does not favour their selfish permutations. In Kogi State, it is obvious that the emergent jingoist, 'Dr' M.M Wokili, a faceless political jobber is at work. As the legal fireworks over the propriety or otherwise of the election of Alhaji Ibrahim Idris as governor of Kogi State resumes in the Court of Appeal Abuja tomorrow, the governor's political arch rival and candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party, Mr Abubakar Audu in his usual style, has called on his attack dogs to dust their bags of time-worn desperate tactics against the person of the incumbent. Their latest outing is an advertorial on page xxvi and xxvii of Thisday on Thursday 30th April, 2009 ,entitled “What Manner of A Country is Nigeria? Kogi State as a typical example,” and written by one 'Dr'. M.M. Wokili. Though, the author claims patriotic instinct and his conscience as license for the write up, But like the bleating of the Sheep and the lowing of the Oxen in Samuel's days, his real intentions which is to promote Audu, his pay master could not be disguised for too long. Hear him; “I consider Prince (Audu) to be the only viable alternative… at this point in time.” We do not begrudge Wokili or anybody for that matter, the right to free choice. That is what democracy is all about. We are however constrained to react that his obvious distortion of facts and figures is as usual a product of pure mischief. Anyway, When people work for money against their conscience, there is every predisposition that they are living with a dead conscience no matter the impression they might give. Albeit, some people perhaps don't know when they are going dissimilar to their conscience and that is why we have to call such people to order. For whatever it is worth, and in spite of his overwhelming labour to present the Idris' Administration as lame dock and non-performing, we agree with Wokili that “Development is not an abstract thing. It can be seen by everyone.” This is why he grudgingly acknowledged Governor Idris' records in the establishment of the International Market, Specialist Hospital and the Construction of Meme Bridge. Indeed, the achievement of Idris' administration are not hidden. Wokili may therefore, want to consider the following facts contrary to his allusions. • There was no general hospital in Lokoja town until Governor Idris established the Specialist Hospital with state of the art equipment, over 20 consultants and with several doctors and other medical staff. I hope Wokili is aware that all the hospitals in Kogi state are being renovated and upgraded. • The International Market is ready for commissioning. The cost has not changed from the initial 3 billion it was awarded in 2004. • Meme bridge did not witness any cost variation either. It has been in use since 2005. • Most of the roads in the state capital have been made dual carriage way. More than 40 other road projects including Lokoja-Ajaokuta- a Federal road are in different stages of completion. • The Screening exercise has been described as worthwhile and the recommendation of the consultant will be Implemented to the letters. • Work is on-going on the 40,000 capacity Stadium among other projects. • On the allegation of non-renovation of Government House, we expect Governor Idris to be commended for his prudent management of State funds. The governor does not consider spending millions of naira on the renovation of his residence in Lugard house as a priority over more important needs of the common man. • The first problem with this write up is that, Wokili could talk ill of Governor Idris as it relates to performance Could it be that, he suffers from amnesia? Or has bitterness blocked his brains? Well, if he has forgotten, we remember clearly that, Governor Ibrahim Idris was the one that saved the Kogi State University from being closed down, owing to the non-accreditation of over twenty-nine courses in the university. He went to work with faith tied to God and placing the interest of his people at heart, invested heavily in the university and got the National Universities Commission to give full accreditation for 29 courses in just 29 months. Has Wokili forgotten that Governor Idris built over 1500 blocks of classrooms to replace the sheds we inherited from his pay master? It is on record that Governor Idris' administration has instituted and completed hundreds of water schemes across the state. A feat the Governor has crowned with the contract for the establishment of the greater Lokoja Water Works that will supply more than 10 million gallons of water per day to the whole Lokoja and its environs. At the moment, there are about 40 road projects going on simultaneously in Kogi state. No other place in Nigeria is such number of earth movements going on. Wokili cannot see these. He must be deaf as well not to hear the sound of 'caterpillars' and bulldozers across Kogi state. We challenge him to go to any part of the state and check for himself! Without doubt, Wokili’s write-up laced with a large dose of hypocrisy looks more like a ‘Nollywood’ script. Certainly, not a true reflection of Kogi State. One wonders how Wokili felt after he authored that tawdry piece of trash. He must have felt the same way Mark Anthony, the Roman General felt when he roused the mob to rise against the conspirators that murdered Julius Caesar as he uttered, "mischief, thou art afoot". But while Mark Anthony knew that he was doing a patriotic job, Wokili knew very well that he was merely trading in mischief and reckless lies to suggest that Governor Idris is lame dock. The people of Kogi State will not accept the kind of bizarre norm 'Dr' M.M Wokili wants to impose on them through the kind of imputation he made in his article, there is need for most Nigerians to self-regulate their penchant to turn every issue to profit. At best, it violates long-nurtured and long-tended sacred values of decency, which one understands, is alien to Wokili and his pay master. But since we know where the advertiser is coming from, just days before the appeal court sitting, one can also hazard a guess on his destination. In fact, part of the disputed advertorial reads like the evidence of a witness in court. For instance, he wrote about how he drove round on election day without voting. We urge him to go a step further to avail the judiciary of his vast knowledge as an appellant witness. But on whose authority did Wokili drive round polling centres on election day, when there was supposed to be restricted movement of persons? Was he a statutory election monitor, a journalist, or on special duty for his pay master? I leave the rest in the court of public opinion. We advise Wokili, that is, if he is not faceless, to bury his head in shame as it relates to the issue of the Governor Idris' certificates. Has Wokili and his pay master forgotten their abysmal defeat at the tribunal on the issue of Governor Idris' certificates? Has Wokili forgotten that, Abubakar Audu using the company of his counsel, Winnibal Nigeria Ltd forged and tendered a statement of result purportedly belonging to Governor Idris at the lower tribunal? Has he forgotten that the two principal officers from WAEC, gave over twenty reasons why the Abubakar Audu-tendered certificate was fraudulent? Has he forgotten also that it was established at the tribunal that the forged document emanated from the company of Alex Izinyon-lead counsel to the ANPP governorship candidate? Has Wokili forgotten that in the face of overwhelming evidence, Alex Izinyon admitted to the authorship of the said document? The truth of the matter is that, the evidence of the principal examination officer with the West African Examination Council Headquarters in Lagos and that of a Senior Assistant Registrar and head of the Sokoto Zonal office of the examination body was conclusive and unambiguous about the fact that, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris posses and sat for the West African School Certificate which he used for the elections. A position the lower tribunal rightly upheld. We sympathise with Wokili over what he described as “My Saddest day on my 50th year on this Planet,” which was the validation of Governor Idris' election by the Election Petition Tribunal in Lokoja, which he claimed was on technical grounds. It is ironical that Wokili and his pay master are the ones talking about technicalities as it relates to the ruling of the lower tribunal after the re-run election. As bad losers this is to be expected .Two times the tribunal and the court of appeal ruled, nullifying the election of His Excellency Alhaji Ibrahim Idris based mainly on the technicalities of “exclusion”, not because Governor Idris did not win the elections. Rather than cry fowl, Governor Idris applauded the decision of the judiciary which he holds in high esteem, went back to the field and as usual, the people rejected tyranny and embraced humility, hard work and positive development. Victory it was for the people’s governor! Three times the people spoke in favour of Alhaji Idris by giving him their mandate and three times they rejected Audu's tyranny. It's a pity we cannot help Wokili at 50. We however pray to God to give him the courage to tell truth no matter the inducement to say otherwise. We have gone this length to show that Wokili and his paymaster specialise in these types of mischief just to gain advantage in their self-declared war of self-serving political interests. Their latest outing is not different from what they know how to do most; raking mud and mucks to score points especially when they have cases before the courts for adjudication. Governor Idris is too focused to be distracted. It is bad business weather for the Wokili's and their pay master in Kogi State. The people have spoken! Phrank Shaibu SPECIAL ADVISER TO KOGI STATE GOVERNOR ON PUBLIC COMMUNICATION AND STRATEGY
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