Cold War Between Governor Bindow and SGF Heightens  

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When on May 29, 2015, Jibrilla Bindow, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was sworn in as the executive governor of Adamawa State, the people of the state were ecstatic. This was for understandable reasons! That victory came after several years of misgovernance by the roundly defeated Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The expectations of the people for a sound footing and democratic dividends were high. Alas, little did the joyous crowd then know about what they will be in for.

Ten months into the administration of Governor Bindow, the situation has become pathetic that with every passing day, the hope of the people for better governance keeps receding into the dark crevices of hopelessness. There is the reason behind this. It is a result of misapplication of energy and resources.

Instead of concentrating on governance for which he was elected, the governor allegedly feels his time should rather be expended on fighting his enemies, real and imagined. Top on the target is most important personality from the state currently, Engineer Babachir David Lawal, who providence has catapulted to the exalted position of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).

All manner of allegations, from the ridiculous to outright bunkum is being bandied by a group of charlatans contracted to plant stories in the media accusing the SGF. Some of these mischievous allegations against Engineer B. D. Lawal include the unsubstantiated allegation of giving employment to Christians only in the federal civil service. This allegation is simply from the pit of hell, contrived to cause disaffection between the SGF and his boss, President Muhammadu Buhari. It is tantamount to standing fact on its head.

It really beggars belief that a member of the APC, would be fighting a fellow party member who is senior to him both in age and in virtually all aspects of human endeavour. There is simply no basis for such relentless war of attrition on a harmless character as the SGF, who is only on an assignment at the federal level to assist President Buhari in his quest to rescue the nation from the sentence of underdevelopment passed on it by the immediate past PDP administration.

It has been alleged that some of the bags of rice (five trailer loads, to be precise) donated to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp in the state through the state government to assist the victims of the insurgency have been diverted. For example, 1,500 bags of rice allocated to victims of the recent attack on Koh community in the state were allegedly re-packaged to 20kg before being given to the victims, which is a serious case of fraud.

In another instance, 2,000 units of Keke NAPEP tricycles that were given for distribution to victims of insurgency in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states through the office of the SGF were allegedly diverted as well. As at the time the governments of the three affected states took delivery of the tricycles, almost 95 percent of the victims had left the IDP camps and reunited with their families. Instead of reporting the matter of the huge reduction in the number of the IDPs, in Adamawa about 400 of these vehicles were repainted and used as if they were acquired by the state government by using the inscription “Courtesy Bindow for Social Justice” on them.

That is not all! The alleged misdemeanour of agents of the state government extends further. For example, instead of giving credit to the federal government and the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation for the renovation of 16 police stations and 18 primary schools destroyed by insurgents within the state, they erected signboards on all of them, indicating that the renovation was being done by the state government.

For the government that accorded no courtesy to a senior party stakeholder like the SGF in its appointments, from the nomination of commissioners to local government and development area chairmen, the only thing is to even deprive those perceived to be close to him with the appointments they judiciously hold. One of these was the vice chancellor of the state university, Prof. David Shall, who happens to come from the same local government as the SGF. He was unceremouniously removed from office for no just cause, less than 10 months after his appointment. A son-n-law of the SGF attached to the Adamawa State University liaison office in Yola is also recently sacked for no stated reason.

Judging from the foregoing, it is easy to discern that the Adamawa state government and its agents are not at ease with the rare honour of having an indigene of the state serving the country at such a high position as the SGF. The mission is to pull B. D Lawal down by all means, but the good news is all those machinations will not save the powers in Yola from the approaching volcanic end to their political career by 2019, or earlier.

Salaudeen wrote from Jimeta, Yola.

Source: Read more at https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/news/opinion/between-sgf-and-the-adamawa-state-gov-t/142415.html#8SSE0fUgbkU973mv.99

1 Comment
  1. Idris m Buba says

    We see on ground and we will vote for competency not a political party the era of sak is over so lets everybody concentrate of what would move Adamawa forward we dont care with religious or tribal politics all what we need is to see development on ground as we are witnessing today under Governor Bindow if he continue like this 2019 that you are saying if he like let him bring APGA we will vote for him for mow AdamaWa has never produce a Governor with a zeel of his masses like Bindow.

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