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…Blames governors for lingering insecurity in North
From Sola Ojo, Abuja
Former media aide to the former of Sokoto State Governor, Attahiru Bafarawa, Abubakar Yusuf Dingyadi, has dismissed suggestions that President Bola Tinubu could face a 2015-kind of political upset in 2027, saying that the current opposition is too fractured, and uncoordinated to mount a serious challenge.
Speaking with Daily Sun, Dingyadi, who until June this year was a media aide to the National Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Umar Damagum, faulted the northern state governors for the lingering violence in their states.
Excerpts:
At the recent Kaduna citizens – government meeting organised by Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation, one of the northern leaders from the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), said that President Tinubu has not done much for the region, particularly in terms of security, infrastructure and budgetary provision, was that correct?
Well, I disagree with him. You cannot say that President Tinubu has done nothing for the North. Even by sending the Secretary to the Government of the Federal, Senator George Akume, a son of the land, his ministers and other members of the cabinet from northern origin, as well as the security chiefs, to Kaduna to meet with those organising the programme and to explain to northerners what has been done so far about insecurity, its challenges, prospects, and solutions, is an achievement. It showed he is listening, willing to make corrections, and ready to address mistakes where necessary.
Are you sure that Mr. President is doing enough in the area of security?
Yes, insecurity remains a serious challenge in many local governments and rural areas of Katsina, Sokoto, and especially Zamfara State. In Zamfara, for example, several communities of the state are under attack by bandits. Places like Shinkafi, Kaura Namoda, Zurmi, and sometimes Tsafe, Bukuyum, Anka, and Maru. Other areas include Bakura, Talata Mafara, and parts of Maradun. The bandits have overwhelmed the security forces. In Bukuyum alone, there are almost 20 to 30 enclaves, with about 2,000 armed men. They move in large groups often 100 motorcycles carrying three people each making it difficult for the security agencies to confront them with small deployments of 100 mobile police or soldiers.
However, one notable achievement in the fight against banditry has been the ‘Fansaiyama’ operation in Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi, and across the North-West. With encouragement from the minister of state for Defence, Bello Matawalle, the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, and the GOC in Sokoto, security forces have attacked and dislodged many bandit camps. This has been done under Tinubu in just two years.
You are now coming to terms with those saying Mr. President has not done well for the North…
(…cuts in) No, I’m not in tandem with them. I observe that some northern elders and elites who are not on good terms with President Tinubu seem to take satisfaction in negative news about insecurity from the region. They are quick to call press conferences or go on TV and radio to attack the president, without acknowledging the gains made. For example, you can now travel from Sokoto to Mafara, Gusau, Tsafe, Funtua, or Zaria without requiring a security escort, something that was almost impossible before. That is an achievement.
What of infrastructure, what has Tinubu done for the North?
In terms of infrastructural development in the North-West, there are visible improvements. From Zaria to Sokoto, the dual carriageway construction is ongoing without the kinds of delays we saw in the past. Don’t also forget that, he’s continued with project of the late former President Muhammadu Buhari. The pipeline and all that are still running. Another positive thing is the provision of fertilizer and palliatives to the people, as well as the promotion of social services directly to rural communities. This is social protection, touching rural dwellers directly.
With the removal of fuel subsidy, more money is available to the state governors. Do you think majority of these governors are doing well to complement federal government?
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I don’t think so. President Tinubu still faces serious challenges in the area of security because lack of seriousness from some governors in supporting the Federal Government’s fight against banditry. Some governors appear more focused on travels than governance. For example, the Governor of Zamfara State, Dauda Lawal, has been out of the country for weeks, even as his state suffers repeated attacks. In Kaura Namoda, bandits recently killed about 36 people after abducting them, yet the governor was absent during this crisis, as well as during the funeral of a prominent traditional ruler.
A major problem in Zamfara is that politics has overshadowed security. Former Governor Bello Matawalle, who served four years and combined both kinetic and non-kinetic approaches to tackle banditry, is now at odds with the current governor. Instead of working together, political rivalry has taken precedence over cooperation on security matters.
So, some governors are failing to support the Federal Government despite receiving huge funds. Instead of working with security agencies, some even accuse soldiers of endangering their lives, forgetting these men leave everything behind to fight for the country. Look at the Bello Turji ambush, where many security personnel and vigilantes were killed.
What then should Mr President do to restore lasting peace to these bandit ridden communities in North-West states and Nigeria as whole?
The President must sit with these governors and warn them. He has the right to declare a state of emergency when security challenge escalates, only then will some governors take their duties seriously.
Don’t you think this complaint against Tinubu will reduce his votes in 2027, especially in the North?
Buhari’s security challenge was worse than what is happening under Tinubu. At least Tinubu has achieved 30 – 40 percent progress in tackling insecurity, Buhari never did, yet Buhari still won a second term. During election, many voters overlook such issues because other factors, including income, often carry more weight.
But the opposition parties are already working together to unseat Tinubu, are we likely going to see a repeat of 2015 where the then incumbent, President Goodluck Jonathan lost election to a coalition?
The opposition, are they ready? They are busy trying to bring back former President Jonathan to contest. Contest what? How can Jonathan return after the way he was treated in 2015? These are the same people who accused him of tribalism and undermined him. I know, because I worked as a deputy director in one area of Jonathan’s 2015 campaign in the North. I saw firsthand how even some of his ministers and allies abandoned him, refusing to campaign, hiding between Kaduna and Abuja, or traveling abroad instead of standing by him.
Jonathan is at peace, serving as an international ambassador for African and global organisations. Even in Bayelsa, Jonathan does not control a political structure. PDP is in name only. Wike effectively controls it, with influence in about 26 states. The party is in disarray; its National Secretary even refused to notify INEC for the next meeting, stalling plans for a convention. Jonathan is a good man, a tolerant leader, and I have personally benefited from his leadership. But I would not want him to suffer the humiliation of 2015 again. The same people who failed him then, now shed crocodile tears, calling him a messiah. Whether it’s Jonathan or anyone else, without a serious opposition, strong coalition, unity, and commitment, no individual can defeat Tinubu. He is not an ordinary politician, he understands the game and has a formidable political structure, especially in the North-West.
Even with the coming together of political heavyweight like Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, David Mark, Rauf Aregbesola, Nasir El-Rufai among others?
(Laughs…) You mean under this new association, it is all about personal ambition, not the party platform. They are not talking about the ADC; they are promoting themselves. They are divided, even within the ADC. Many have already decided that if they don’t get the party’s endorsement or ticket, they will leave for another party. We know them. They move around Nigeria especially the North, calling press conferences and granting interviews, even when they are not invited.
As governors, some of them had opportunities in the past to do what Tinubu is doing now, yet they did nothing. These are the people who now want to lead. Whenever they talk about the North, it is always about their own interests, because they have not been part of the system.
