Stop whiping up sentiment. Stop the blackmail. Stop playing up the emotion of religion. Stop tarnishing an image that is hidden, waiting for the end of his tenure to come back alive.
Since his accession as the Executive Governor of Benue State it has been one attack or the other. One mayhem or another. He is not a Reverend on the seat of governance. He is a leader, a Politician and a citizen of Benue State with the right to vote and be voted for
See him not as a Reverend father. Though he is, but he is leader elected to lead, to drive vision, set goals, bring succor to his people not to celebrate masses, hear confession and administer Sacraments.
Life comes in compartment. Filled with diverse forms and features. Each serving a purpose when the need arises.
He is a Reverend father, but this compartment of him as a Reverend Father, is neatly shelfed, drawing out for use his politician compartment in the interim.
Mix the two up, one either becomes unfair to himor delimits the diverse potential in him.
For the next two years he remains a politician not a priest. One who is to build roads, construct bridges, provide security, food and other fringes of good governance. He wasn’t elected to officiate masses, celebrate weddings, hear confessions, officiate funeral services and annoit the sick in the State.
His Excellency, Governor Hyacinth Alia isn’t a Priest in the Benue Government House. He is rather a duly elected governor, with the backing of the constitution to do his work diligently .
Governance isn’t a religious activities. Not a Sacrament to be administered or Sacramentals to be hallowed. His priesthood for now is deactivated waiting for his exit to come fully back.
In the interim he is the Governor, the Chief Executive, judge him as a governor, like other governors not as a priest, who is expected to be like a lamb, saying yes to all, keeping blind eyes over attacks and strategic moves against his administration, policies, vision, absolving them as if he was at the confessional.
He didn’t go to the government house with his stole. His cassock and Roman collar neatly folded, I doubt if they followed him to the government house.
Stop this cheap blackmail of “He is a priest”. It won’t work. He is a priest who became governor, same way others are lawyers, bankers, ecomonist, medical doctors, engineers etc who became governors. All these are tertiary.
The primary thing is their leadership skills, efficiency and the level and capacity of their delivery on said promises.
Look Governor Hyacinth Alia from the lenses of a priest, you would have short changed the people of Benue State by seeing their state as a parish where nothing much happens except the celebration of masses, hearing of confessions, uniting couples in matrimony and giving out hand outs for charity
Be strong Governor Alia. Don’t allow yourself to be undermined because you are a priest. There are many hyenas everywhere around your state waiting to devour you. For now you are not a priest. You are The Governor!! Act it out! Play it out! Stand on it, proudly, firmly, daring with the bravery of a lion all that want to emasculate your power, influence and authority.
Jarlathuche@gmail.com
