The current political dispensation has thrown up a number of persons across the country in positions of political responsibility, and also given the people the opportunity to assess those who have held such positions in their areas, at least for a consistent period of ten years. In some areas, leaders are beginning to emerge, and people are beginning to look up to specific people around whom political activities revolve, to provide the guiding light. Such persons have, over time, shown consistent connection with the people, by way of supporting people from their areas to secure employment in the highly competitive job market in Nigeria, citing of projects in their areas, supporting educational development of the youths, or even showing empathy to people who lose loved ones in one way or the other. Examples like the Shagari family in Sokoto, the Saraki family in Kwara, and a few other similar examples come to mind. Such people have built so much trust with the people over time, that whatever they say is highly respected, and the people trust them to take the right decisions on their behalf. Indeed, many politicians hope that they could assume such positions in their areas, but trust of this level takes time and selfless sacrifice to build.
In Idomaland, there appears to be an interesting development, which needs to be brought to the fore for public discussion by interested sons and daughters of the area. I was driving through the streets of Otukpo recently, and I saw a bold billboard in front of Joy FM radio station, a radio station owned by Senator David Mark, the current Senate President. This billboard has the picture and name of his son, Igoche Mark, fully regaled in Idoma attire, sending some form of message to the people. When I asked around, I was informed that the young man was being profiled by his father to run for a political office in 2011, and that the billboard was to herald the ambition when the whistle for political activities is eventually blown. It was being speculated that in fact, two sons of Senator Mark, Igoche and Tunde, (who currently works as his father’s personal Assistant) were warming up to run for the positions of House of Assembly and House of Representatives members respectively.
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It was also being speculated that their father, Senator Mark, is actively nursing the ambition of contesting the Senate seat for Zone C, Benue State, for a record fourth term, making him the longest serving senator in Nigeria for 16 years, if this misplaced ambition were to be realized.
As I mused over this development, I expressed the wish that, wherever such thoughts were coming from, the good Lord should give Senator Mark the wisdom to know when his time is up, to enable him bow out of political life with some grace left. Apart from the fact of his highly questionable electoral victories all these three terms he has been in office, with the final epic contest between him and the energetic and indefatigable Alhaji Usman Abubakar (aka Young Alhaji) after the 2007 elections, roundly believed in Idomaland and the entire country to have been won by Young Alhaji, a frank assessment of Senator Mark’s foray into the politics of Idomaland shows clearly that the Idomas have benefitted nothing from his public life and prominence all these years. Right from the early 70s, when as a young Major in the Nigerian Army, Senator Mark was appointed Chairman of the Abandoned Property Task Force in Rivers State, through his emergence as Governor of Niger State, Minister of
Communications, member of the Armed Forces Ruling Council, to his present position as Senator and Senate President, the Idomas cannot point to anything tangible that David Mark can lay claim to having done that is of benefit to the generality of the people of Idomaland, beyond his immediate family. Indeed, it is widely believed that if your surname is not Mark, or you are not related to him in some way, either by marriage or by close family lineage, he does not consider you a human being. The few Idomas who hang around him and he finds menial roles for them to play in his affairs are perpetually kept at the level of servitude to ensure that only himself and members of his immediate family are the shining stars.
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Much as no one begrudges his apparent financial and social success, as it is not in the nature of Idomas to beg for crumbs from any man’s table, it is clear that these are not the traits of a leader who nurses any ambition of building a political dynasty. In addition to his nonchalant and individualistic attitude to life, Senator Mark also has little or no regard for the traditional institutions in Idomaland, as he has been known to openly insult and make disrespectful utterances towards the Och’Idoma, Agabaidu Elias Ikoyi Obekpa and other traditional rulers in Idomaland on several occasions, for flimsy reasons.
One would expect that in his current position as Senate President, he would influence key projects to Idomaland during his tenure from the Federal Government, as he can clearly do through the budgeting process and his overbearing influence on fellow Senators, but two years hence, there is no sign that anything will happen in this direction. Indeed, speculations are that he deliberately refused to include the Makurdi – Adoka – Ankpa road, a key Federal road in Benue State in the 2009 budget, because he said that Adoka people did not vote for him during the last election. But if that is the case, even his own village of Akpegede in Otukpo did not vote for him, because the current member of the House of Representatives from that area is from the same village with him, as an ANPP candidate. It is such small mindedness that creates problems for politicians and stands in the way of any ambitions they may have of building a political dynasty, as people can only assess their leaders on the basis of concrete things they have put on ground when God bestows the privilege of leadership upon them. Also, in his usual manner of playing negative politics, even with the most important of issues to the people, he was quoted recently as blaming the young member of the House of Representatives from his area, Hon. Nelson Alapa, for being responsible for the non creation of Apa State, an issue which is very dear to the hearts of most Idoma people. Many right-thinking Idomas wonder how, a young man who has barely spent two years in the House of Representatives can deny the Idoma people their State which they have long agitated for, when Senator Mark as third-time Senator and current Senate President, cannot influence it otherwise. It is very clear to discerning people that as usual, Senator Mark is looking for a ready scapegoat for all his failures, but the Idoma people cannot be fooled and know a lot better than his little intellect will allow him to give them credit for.
At the end of it all, Senator Mark will be well advised to know that he has outlived his usefulness, if he ever was, and that the Idoma people no longer want him anywhere near where their issues are being determined. It is shameful enough that he has hoodwinked his fellow Senators at the National Assembly to keep him there as Senate President all these years through questionable practices, but he needs to know that the long suffering Idoma people in Benue State have never wanted him, and will never allow him to use his self imposed position to create an illusion of a political dynasty in Idomaland, as he has done nothing to warrant the trust required to make that happen. And since rigging and thuggery will be practically impossible in the next political dispensation, Senator Mark needs to heed wise counsel and tell himself that enough is enough.
**Gabriel Oche Adama lives in Kaduna, Nigeria.
Email: [email protected]
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