By nuwa Bwala
I watched the friendly exchanges between Borno state Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum and the Service Chiefs during his recent visit to Abuja. I also had the privilege of listening to the Governor, discussing and comparing notes with top Military Commanders in the theatre of war recently and I could not help asking where is the so called quarrel with the Military coming from.
When I read a press release purported to have come from a group of so called peace seekers, who for obvious reason chose to remain faceless, I knew that, the so called peace seekers were actually war mongers: trying to pitch the Military against Governor Babagaba Zulum.
And as if somebody knew I was going to write, I received a call from a London number and the first question on the callers lips was to know what special things Governor, Babagana Zulum has done to the people of Borno and to me in particular that make me defend him always. I asked him to tell me what bad things the Governor has done that made him hate the Governor so much even ehen others hail him and I cut of the call.
With above scenarios at the back of my mind, I could figure out where the conspiracy may be coming from. It was obvious to me that there is both political and mischievous dimensions to the recent vituperations from obviously sponsored groups, against Governor Zulum in an attempt to either provoke a friction with the President and the Chief of Army Staff, using the Baga incident’ as a decoy, or distract attention from the good works Governor Zulum is doing.
I know as a matter if fact that Governor Babagana Umara Zulum enjoys a cozy relationship with the President and the Chief of Army Staff, and it will be foolhardy for anybody to think that the three of them do not know where the mischief was coming from. Those behind the plot are also conscious of the fact that they are known.
That the President, the Chief of Army Staff and the Governor knew where the mischief is coming from presupposes that at the appropriate time what needs to be done will be done.
I did not initially intend to comment over what was obvious to the world that some people want to rubbish the cordial working relationship Zulum enjoys with the Military, but with the attendant reactions from well meaning citizens calling on the Governor to ignore the macabre dance by these renegade compatriots, I deem it necessary to sound a word of caution: that the people of Borno do not enjoy the luxury of playing pranks with the Boko Haram issue. Our people have suffered enough and at a point the life of our Governor had been put at stake and we have the duty to lend our individual and collective voices against every attempt to cause crisis of confidence between our Governor and the Military.
Those beating the drums if war are being mist uncharitable to President Muhamnadu Buhari, the Chief if Army Staff and the Governor and good people of Borno State. It is gratifying that there has been no official reaction to the noise by the faceless group, the reactions from Nigerians both within and in the diaspora are enough indicators that Nigerians are not amused by the theatrics.
Inuwa Bwala writes from Abuja.
