The contentious issue over the breeding of a reptile in the snake family called Anaconda by the Niger State Governor Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliyu has been described among people
from several quarters in the state as a rumor aimed at dragging the name of the Chief Servant and his leadership quality to the mud.The rumor which has spread like wild fire has continually been taken serious by some people who feel that the governor who has a modern farm house in Minna the state capital can afford to breed such a dangerous pet while others believe that a pet like anaconda can only survive in the Amazon region and not a humid region like Africa.
A zoologist who spoke to reporters stated that the anaconda snake has been the only pet in the reptiles family that has not been domesticated since it was discovered in some areas within the southern American owing to its volatile nature and its carnivorous being.
According to the zoologist, “I personally have done research to find out why the anaconda snakes have not been domesticated all this years by even advanced nations of the world and I couldn’t get an answer, in fact even Britain and America has outlawed the rearing of anaconda as a pet, so I wonder why the people of Niger State should start carrying rumor that Dr. Babangida Aliyu is rearing such pet in his farm”.
He also said that “if politicians who lose election at the polls cannot criticize the government of the day constructively they should not resort to cheap blackmail by trying to drag the name of the number one citizen of Niger State to the mud in order to win cheap political recognition, our democracy should be above what we are experiencing now we should be discussing issues of national development and not irrelevant issues that would not lead us to anywhere”.
In his own word, the Chief Servant, Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliyu declared that “Talba has no snake in his farm, people lied, Talba is afraid of snakes, the lies are by enemies, those who do not want Talba to succeed”.
Governor Aliyu who used this year’s children’s day to clear the air told Nigerian children that they should be wary of rumor mongers who are always out to destroy and not to repair saying that such people do not mean well for the proper upliftment of the average Nigerian child.
“Children are our most important assets and I promised as a government we will do our best for you because you are our today our tomorrow and our next tomorrow and we shall provide a very conducive school environment that will made all children of school age have access to free, fair and quality education”, he said.
