This interview was conducted with a veteran journalist and columnist, SANUSI MUHAMMAD on issues of national interest. He praised the efforts of Governor Bala Muhammed of Bauchi State and described him as a detribalized politician and courageous leader that believes in equity, fairness and justice spiced with transparency and love for humanity.
Attacks on the position of Governor Bala on the Tax Reform Bill
Muhammad: This is the problem with Nigerians. Sycophancy and bootlicking in high places is what is derailing good governance because leaders are always deceived and denied the privilege of accessing true position of situations. They are always fed with lies and palatable stories by hypocritical aides and those, sycophants surrounding them or in desperation for recognition.
Governor Bala Muhammed was not the first to point out some gray areas in the Tax Reform Bill to warrant baseless and childish attacks on his person. Other governors made their voices heard on same issue and from the north but were not unruly responded to until the Bauchi State Governor added his voice as a concerned citizen, a state governor and the chairman PDP Governors Forum, sycophants and praise singers masquerading as aides to the president or whatever, went wild to justify their position as attack dogs. What is the offence in Bala’s statement that attracted those spurious attacks and high grade sycophancy? Are Tinubu’s policies far away from attracting anarchy if not handled with care?
Are Nigerians not hungry and poorer than he met them? Are his economic policies not disastrous to the survival of the people? What is there in Governor Bala’s statement that was laced with politics or not objective?
For instance, the globally recognized FCT shameless mad dog who betrayed the party that brought him recognition and provided him its platform to be a state governor and saved him from idleness, had the guts to make a derogatory comment on Governor Bala’s position while failing to rescue his already battered reputation torn to shreds by his state governor.
Nyeson Wike is a confused politician busy disgracing and cartooning himself in the name of politics. No decent mind wants to interact with him for fear of betrayal and hypocrisy.
There was this ignorant statement from Maitama Tugga of the Foreign Affairs Ministry who has lost touch with the reality in Bauchi State because he is politically inconsequential and wandering in wilderness without a compass. Â There were also some self-appointed groups parading themselves as Arewa this and that sponsored to release bullets against the honest advice of Governor Bala Muhammed for survival.
And sadly, the grapevine has it that in desperation for the bill to scale through in the national assembly each House of Representatives member was offered a ‘bribe’ of N1billion while Senators were given N1.5billion. Now, if that is a cogent report, why must the presidency offer bribe for the passage of a bill that’s of national interest and for good of the people? Why the persistent pressure and extensive lobby for the bill to scale the hurdle? There must be a hidden agenda associated with the bill which was probably exposed by Governor Bala Muhammed targeted at a section of the country that offended the authors of the bill and those end beneficiaries for the spurious attacks.
As a typical northern elite and senior stakeholder in the Nigerian project, Governor Bala couldn’t have kept silent watching Nigerians thrown into uncertainty under the guise of some tax reforms shrouded in secrecy. He alerted the president to do the needful which became an offence to the polluted minds of hypocrites and sycophants.
Northerners have to be extremely careful while dealing with this Tinubu led federal government. The North has already lost out in the game until 2027 if it cares to do the needful and salvage itself from the hands of its undertakers including some commercial Islamic clerics so desperate to confuse their ignorant followers for peanuts under the guise of Qur’anic Festival. What has a festival got to do with the Holy Qur’an in Islamic jurisprudence only God Almighty, Mele Kyari, Bala Lau and those invited greedy and gluttonous clerics know.
All Progressives Congress (APC) and Labor Party (LP) in 2023 introduced religion into politics as winning strategy in desperation for power. APC is still working with that formula against 2027 which must be resisted and rejected for unity to thrive. Despite all the attacks and hallucinations, Governor stands by his statement of truth.
In Nigeria today,  so many things are wrong deserving prompt solutions; high rate of corruption and stealing in every facet of life, look at how Buhari’s power minister Mamman stole over N33billion Nigerian money; take a look at the scandal of Buhari’s Accountant-General of the Federation Ahmed Idris; Godwin Emefiele and his itchy-fingers while in the Central Bank of Nigeria as a Governor; the National Hajj Commission scandal; Beta Edu and her stealing trick; Halima Shehu and her duping technique; allegations of land scandal against Wike in the FCT; lopsided political appointments, rising rate of insecurity, escalation of abject poverty and malnutrition, declining state of education, hyper-inflation and virtually every aspect of governance is in shamble. Nigeria is sitting on a keg of gun powder. We have no determined, sincere and committed leadership in virtually, all strata of governance today. And we are challenged when we cry out or threatened by overzealous security agencies. Should we allow the man in us to die while keeping silent? Is the government not for Nigerians? Is it a perfect system in operation? Our leaders have to listen to our cries for solution to our woes.
The country presently has very incompetent and insincere politicians in leadership positions that cannot paddle the capsizing canoe to safe coast. We must change the narrative to achieve greatness.
Scorecard of Governor Bala in Bauchi State
Muhammad: We can use the whole day discussing the achievements of Governor Bala Muhammed without exhausting the list. He has transformed the state to first class in infrastructural development. He has improved the standard of education. Healthcare is within the reach of the poorest. Economic empowerment has taken a lead while all the necessary infrastructures have been put-in-place for industrial revolution. Agriculture as the mainstay of the people has received great improvement while civil servants are happy and carried along as pensioners are smiling to the banks monthly. What again?
But annoyingly, despite all the efforts of the governor to change the narrative and leave his foot-prints on the sands of time, Tugga as a political turncoat had the guts out of ignorance and mischief to attack the commendable stewardship while his kith and kin are appreciating the governor’s efforts.
Tugga has really lost out in the chess game because even in their party (APC), he is not considered serious because he is a mere opportunist and spoiler in the political game of Bauchi State that lacks, the capacity to deliver even his electoral ward of Udubo to any party he belongs. Tugga is just a briefcase Abuja politician that believes in deceit and pomposity.
Reaction of Governor Bala to the attacks
Muhammad: He is not bothered because of his sincerity of purpose. He meant well by the advice and not for any political goal as claimed by Nyeson Wike. It is Wike that has more to do to stabilize politically in Rivers and to register his loyalty to President Tinubu for trust, which he may betray with time. Governor Bala has nothing to do with that and politically Wike, Tugga and all those traducers are too inconsequential to challenge Bala politically. Let Tugga for instance be bold to aspire to Bauchi State House of Assembly in 2027. He will be defeated hands down at the first count of votes in APC primary. Why should Governor Bala disturb his sleep with such insinuations from drowning deadwoods?
Presidential Ambition of Governor Bala
Muhammad: It is on course. He may be in the 2027 race if former president Goodluck Jonathan is not contesting because of the high respect he has for the former president as a committed leader that led with patriotism and nationalism combined.
The North and Goodluck Jonathan
Muhammad: The North has realized its mistake for voting against the reelection of Goodluck Jonathan in 2015. Northern voters were deceived with fiction and a fake Change Mantra as they were deceived with a Muslim/Muslim ticket in 2023 which they are regretting today.
The former president is now a northern bride with full acceptance and respect. They people are regretting missing the good governing style of Goodluck Jonathan. The former president as a peace loving and humble elite handed over a promising and progressing country to his successor which was bastardized within hours.
Qualities of Bala for Presidency
Muhammad: Let’s take a look at his political trajectory and his scorecard as a Senator, FCT Minister and Governor. These are enough to convince any decent mind to rally support for his aspiration. One outstanding quality of Governor Bala Muhammed is his love to service. He serves well wherever he finds himself. He is a compassionate leader and very trust worthy. He hates deceit and failure. He loves Nigeria more than himself. He has no time for a brawl or settling scores with anyone because he has a decent mind positioned for the good of humanity. He is a leader that hates sycophancy and bootlicking. He is a realist and very transparent.
Rating of the Tinubu administration
Muhammad: With all honesty, the administration is still snoring because it appears to have lost direction from the onset. Look at all the appointments made without due consultation with state governors as stakeholders and even the APC apparatchik. The president believes so much in the powers vested upon him by the Constitution. Let me elaborate further. From day one, the administration disappointed those who labored to install it to power within their APC which is not normal. Today, even the APC leadership is not carried along in the scheme of things. They are mere observers pretending to be relevant in the government.
Secondly, the administration has actualized its hidden agenda of Emi lokan. We have seen it and we are feeling it. Thirdly, there are no genuine efforts towards an agricultural revolution to fight hunger. Instead of an agricultural revolution, we have distribution of palliatives in place where bags of rice, maize and guinea corn are released to the wretched. There is nothing positive towards regain of the nation’s fading glory of greatness. There must be change of policies as suggested by Governor Bala Muhammed.
Finally, President Tinubu needs to sit-up and review the performance of his aides who have caged him away from reality. If he wants to test the loyalty of Wike and all those pretenders surrounding him, let them be transferred from where they are to other bits within the government. If that is done, the president may realize the sincerity of Governor Bala’s opinion.
Today, Wike is the FCT Minister, the Tinubu spokesman and attack dog, Rivers State warlord fighting virtually all those that matter in Rivers State affairs; Chief Edwin Clark, Dr. Peter Odili, Alphonsus Wabara including Ohanaeze Ndigbo leadership, Rotimi Amaeachi, Dakuku Peterside and several others. I am not talking of his unruly behavior to the state governor. Wike is more of a liability to President Tinubu than an asset because he is causing more hate than loyalty to the administration from his uncouth statements and primitive acts typical of an abandoned drunken sailor. President Tinubu must act fast to rescue his administration from serial betrayers that can betray anyone at anytime for personal interest.
