By Bala Ibrahim

According to Wikipedia, the caption above, originates from the story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin. The town of Hamelin agrees to pay the Piper to get rid of all the rats. When they fail to pay him, he steals their kids. The simple meaning of the phrase is that, the person who is paying someone to do something, can decide how it should be done. This is the norm.

Jextapauze the ambition of that phrase with the ambition of democracy, which is a system of government by the people, where power is vested in the hands of the majority, through representation, the answer would say, those who give the most, would get the most. Unfortunately, Nigeria’s democracy today, or better said, the system in operation in Nigeria today, is heading for collision with those norms and ambitions.

Our memories are still fresh about the role played by the north, that made former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari, to become the first opposition candidate to win a presidential election in Nigeria. Buhari beat the then incumbent Goodluck Jonathan by more than 2.5 million votes, to enter the villa in 2015. Again, in the 2019 presidential election, Buhari won with more than 15 million votes, the bulk of which came from the north.

No leader, in Nigeria’s political history, had gotten the kind of solid support and goodwill given to President Muhammadu Buhari by the north. But that is the past, which would be dealt with by history. The reality now is that the north, which paid the piper, is now the whipping boy, because it had long been turned into a scapegoat, by unjustly making it to bear the blame for the mistake of which it didn’t do.

“Bandits kill another traditional ruler in Katsina”. That is the latest update from the Dailytrust this evening. “Northern lives matter, where is the commander in chief”? That is the trending story on the social media today. “Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un”, meaning, Verily we belong to God, and verily to Him do we return. This is the phrase commonly recited by Muslims in times of difficulty, and now being recited by some women volunteers, feeding refugees that fled their homes, after they were attacked by bandits in Katsina.

All over the north today, the feeling is same, the north is abandoned. There seems to be a consensus on the fact that, the man who paid the piper, is not the one dictating the tune. Either the flute is faulty, or those blowing it have flawed conscience, or both. Otherwise, there is no justifiable reason for the north to be subjected to such insult, indignity and ignominy, after chesting out for the man that was adjudged to be fair, and who promised to be fair.

Like the north east, which suffered unfair degradation in the hands of the insurgents, the north west, in particular Katsina state now, is taken over by bandits, who seem be having free days and nights to themselves. It’s either they have reliable intelligence on the weakness of the commander in chief, or they are working in concert with some strong saboteurs near the president.

Every day we hear, the military have been given matching orders to flush out the bandits, but the bandits always wax stronger against the military. Making some wonder if actually the country is not subjecting itself to international ridicule. While the north is not asking to be treated to the disadvantage of the rest of the country, it is also saying, it shouldn’t be treated in the reverse

According to the Dailytrust, “The Village Head of Mazoji and Sarkin Fulanin Fafu, Alh. Dikko Usman was reportedly killed by bandits last night. Usman was attacked at his country home in Mazoji Ward in Matazu LGA in Katsina state. His assassination was coming few weeks after a traditional ruler and district head of Yantumaki Atiku Maidabino was killed in his palace in Yantumaki village of Danmusa LGA.

The home state of the President is now virtually under the control of the bandits, and the country is being assured regularly of getting protection. There is a hausa adage that says, if someone promised to give you a dress, look at the one he is wearing. If the President cannot provide security to his home state, how sure is the rest of the country about getting security.

The most painful aspect of the whole saga is the President’s style of leadership in silence. While all these killings are happening in his immediate constituency without a word from him, another crisis is reportedly brewing with members of his immediate family in the villa.

Mr. President is in the habit of keeping mute on matters that require loud and unambiguous admonition. Many atimes, his allies, or those who stand for him would be touched, but the President would not show any sign of being touched. He may even refuse to recognize the anomaly.

From the look of things, those who know the shortcomings of the President are the ones exploiting his drawbacks, to the detriment of the north in particular, and the country in general. They have since begin using some security operatives to instill fear in the minds of those that dare to challenge them. They may succeed for some time, but they would not succeed for long.

The instruments of power are suppose to be in the hands of those constitutionally empowered to use them. Any person that attempts to abuse them because of association, must be reminded of the consequences, which would inevitably and inescapably come. A person may be powerful in one context today, and be completely powerless in the same context tomorrow.

The circumstances under which the president came to power in 2015, are not monopolistic, nor under any exclusive possession or control of anyone, that would make them unrepeatable, I think.

The north is bleeding, but it the blood would carry some repurcussions.
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By Bala Ibrahim

To many, today comes as a reminder of June 12, 1993, the day Nigerians came out in their millions, to elect a democratic President, after many years of military dictatorship. The election was adjudged the freest and fairest in Nigeria’s political history. It was an election that shamed the tribalists and ridiculed religious and sectional sentimentalists, because the Social Democratic Party’s (SDP) presidential candidate, late Chief Moshood Abiola, and his running mate, Amb. Babagana Kingibe, were widely believed to have won the election, despite their Muslim/Muslim ticket. That gave meaning to democracy.

However, to some, particularly the people of Katsina state, the home state of President Muhammadu Buhari, today is a reminder of the doomsday, because it came at a time the people are visited by deaths, destructions and daily devastations by bandits. To them, it only makes mockery of democracy.

“All the local governments that were taken over by the Boko Haram insurgents in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States have long been recovered and are now occupied by indigenes of these areas, who were hitherto forced to seek a living in areas far from their ancestral homes. The total collapse of the economies of these areas, which constituted a threat to our food security, has also been reversed with the gradual recovery of farming and other economic activities.”

Above is a quote from the Democracy day broadcast of President Muhammadu Buhari today, the context of which is the basis of this article, which is going to be a bit bias, especially when we jextapauze it with another paragraph from the same speech, viz, “I regret recent sporadic incidents with tragic loss of lives in Katsina and Borno States as a result of criminals taking advantage of COVID-19 restrictions. Security Agencies will pursue the perpetrators and bring them to swift justice”.

If we go by the dictionary meaning of the fundamental function of democracy, which says it is a system of government in which the citizens exercise power directly, or elect representatives from among themselves to form a governing body that meets their yearnings and aspirations, then today’s celebrations would not only be seen as skewed, but asymmetrically awry for some, especially those living in some areas of Katsina state. Something similar to the humiliation of the President, seems to be playing out in Katsina state, the home state of President Muhammadu Buhari.

If the actual meaning of humiliation is to make someone feel ashamed, or look embarrassingly incapable, then PMB is under an experimental humiliation at home. For more than a week now, Katsina state, the President’s home state is in the news for banditry. Reports have it that, last week, bandits numbering over 200 on motorcycles stormed villages in Faskari Local Government Area of the State, killing and maiming people freely. Despite the directives of the President to clear the bandits, Katsina state has remained home to the bandits.

Also, from about the midnight of Tuesday, another set of bandits operated easily till the early hours of Wednesday morning without any resistance from the security agencies in Sabuwa Local Government of the same Katsina State. According to Hon. Ibrahim Danjuma Machika, the member representing Sabuwa Local government at the Katsina state House of Assembly, he personally took it upon himself to contact every security operative that matters in the area, giving them details of the bandit’s movement, from the evening when they arrived, till the early hours of the morning of the next day, but no one came to the rescue of the communities under attack. This is in the same Katsina state, the home state of the President.

Another video is also going viral now, showing the bandits on motorcycles, riding in convoy with heavy arms through Funtua town in broad day light. They were even hailed by the people, perhaps out of fear, as they ride pass. An eye witness, who recorded the video, said they came from the northern part of the town, through the Sheme-Yankara highway, passed through the Sokoto bypass road and entered the bush, without any resistance. This is Katsina state, the home state of the President.

Police in the state said 20 people were killed and 20 injured during an attack carried out by bandits on a remote community late on Tuesday. They said, 150 gunmen on motorcycles opened fire on residents, looting shops and stealing cattle in the village of Kadisau. This happened in Katsina state, the home state of the President.

Last week, hundreds of youths took to the streets in one of the affected local governments, chanting war songs and making derogatory remarks on the President. Billboards carrying the President’s pictures were pulled down, while the party leaders, including the governor, were disparaged in the open. This happened in Katsina state, the home state of the President.

If we take the president by the words of his speech today, particularly where he said, “In the area of security, we remain unshaken in our resolve to protect the country, and ending insurgency, banditry and other forms of criminality across the nation is being accorded appropriate priorities and the men and women of the Armed Forces of Nigeria have considerably downgraded such threats across all geo-political zones”, we may be compelled to think that, there is a discrepancy between the directives of the president, and the reality on the ground. At least in Katsina state, the home state of the president.

To press home this believe, yesterday Thursday, hundreds of motorists and commuters were kept stranded and frightened, at Yankara town in Faskari Local Government Area, of the same Katsina state, as angry youths blocked the road in protest, because of the incessant attacks on their communities by bandits. Commuters from all directions were cut off, as the youths continue to register their dissatisfaction with the leadership style of their kinsman.

PMB needs to do the needful, by quickly overhauling the leadership of the security in the country. Refusing to do so, would only make some take advantage, to humiliate him more at home.