By Blogger
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| Statue of Former Prime Minister of Nigeria, Late Abubakar Tafawa Balewa mounted in the middle of Tafawa Balewa town of Bauchi state (Photo by Blogger) |
But for a giant statue which stands tall in the heart of Tafawabalewa town, nothing else in the place of his birth– not even structural relics of his ancestry – would have reminded one of great Sir Abubakar, Nigeria's first and only Prime Minister.
Patriotic Nigerians visiting either for the first or the repeated time would have to battle with their emotions, holding back tears as the memories of Nigeria's First Republic would gush forth like the waves of a tiding sea as soon as one drive into the downtown of Tafawabalewa. A town that just recently lost its pride as a local government headquarters.
The dusty village of Tafawabalewa found a spot on the political map of the world when Nigeria's founding fathers at the beginning of their journey to nationhood chose Sir Abubakar Tafawabalewa to occupy the exalted office of the country's Prime Minister – all thanks to the selfless sacrifice of late Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto.
The wonderful people of Tafawabalewa, a rocky community about 80km away from Bauchi town in northeast Nigeria, have ever since prided themselves as the kinsmen of the man that was often hailed as the 'golden voice of Africa'.
The people, probably, have nothing else in the town to immortalize this illustrious son of their soil other than erecting a giant effigy mounted right in the center of a tiny roundabout. Sir Abubakar Tafawabalewa, who dresses in a ceremonial official regalia waves on at his people as they drive or walk pass his statue.
The memory of this great man who passed on in a bloody coup of 15th January, 1966, was relived on Sunday the 21st day of June, 2015, when his immediate kinsman, the Speaker of the 8th National Assembly, Right Honorable Yakubu Dogara visited him ancestral home, Tafawabalewa to say thank you to his folks.
Despite their being labeled as minority tribe in Bauchi state, the people of Tafawabalewa local government as well as their kinfolks in Bogoro, a carve away sister local government area from Tafawabalewa, who are predominantly Zaar tribes men who are otherwise referred to as 'Sayawa', Speaker Dogara's emergence as the number-4 citizen of Nigeria, was not only a turning point in their checkered political history, but also a reestablishment of their worth as key suppliers of qualitative manpower needed for the development of the Nigerian nation.
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| Speaker Dogara and wife ® flanked by admirers after a church service in Tafawa Balewa town |
Accompanied by a large number of his colleagues at he House of Reps who spent two nights in Bogoro, the very place of birth of Speaker Dogara, which is about 2km away from Tafawabalewa, Dogara ended his thank-you-visit with a church service held at the magnificent COCCIN church, Tafawabalewa.
While the church hall was almost bursting with songs and praises to God with some happy elderly women thrilling the charged atmosphere with traditional ululations, speakers upon speakers continued pour encomiums as they recount the virtues of Speaker Dogara.
Dogara's emergence as the Speaker of the 8th Assembly was indeed instructive for the Zaar community who occupies only two local government areas of Bauchi state. It was on recorded history that since after late Sir Abubakar Tafawabalewa, who was the first and only Nigerian Prime minister, the people of Tafawa-Balewa have never been so privileged to occupy any of such exalted public office in Nigerian until now.
To many of them Dogara's achievement was a reincarnation of the dreams they once shared some nearly five decades ago.
Deputy General Secretary, Church of Christ in all Nations (COCIN) Rev Dauda Jimra, a Sayawa man, who officiated the service was full of emotion and excitement when he said "today we are a happy people with total gratitude and appreciation to God almighty for blessing us with this honor by making our son, our brother and leader the number-four citizen of Nigeria. Who can do this to us if not God? Here we are still surviving despite the fact that some people said they have the powers and they could wipe us out of existence. Brother Yakubu Dogara, we shall continue to give you all the supports because your success is our success…".
Dogara's political fortune is to the ordinary jubilating Sayawas, who are mostly marginalized politically due to their minority status in Bauchi state, some kind of atonement for what they have suffered in the past.
But it seemed the Speaker does not completely share the sentiment totally with his kinsmen.
In a thought-provoking testimonial speech delivered at the church, Speaker Dogara said; "let me say something and I want all to listen carefully. This victory that we celebrate here, obviously, we know that it wont have been possible without the outside support – apart from our other brothers from other sides of this nation, support came from unlikeness of places. I can say it was a project that was conceived and delivered by the seat of the caliphate".
However, the Speaker is not unmindful of the plight of his grossly marginalized people, despite their contribution to the national development. Even his people have attested that he has always toed the path of peaceful even as he stood in the fore of the struggle for struggle and self-actualization.
Professor Suleiman Bogoro, the Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), a Basayi and confidant of the Speaker had pointed out during the mini thanksgiving at the church, how Speaker Dogara had always strove to live above board despite all provocations meted against his people.
"In our struggle for relevance and justice in this land, we have gone through legal processes but he (Dogara) said we must not go divided", said Professor Bogoro.
"He insisted that even when we pursue those things we considered as ours, we must do so peacefully. It is unfortunate that some agents we considered as bad eggs wanted to sabotage us.
"We all know what happened in South Africa. Mandela that stood as the symbol of the truth in South Africa had to succumb to guerrilla warfare to secure justice, and restore the majority democracy and rulership for South Africa. But the beauty of it was that when he eventually emerged President of South Africa, he went for peace and reconciliation; put up a commission and said lets forget the rancor of the past, lets celebrate even with our enemies.
"This was something Mr. Speaker had demonstrated in the last few weeks and I owe a lot of respect for his approach".
This Blog gathered the Zaar natives of old Tafawa-Balewa have over the years fought against the avalanche of political domination by the predominant Hausa-Fualnis ruling class in Bauchi state. Key examples of these alleged socio-political persecution was the creation of Bogoro Local government area (where the Speaker now hails from) in 1996.
It was on record that when one Habila Lumana, a Zaar tribesman emerged the local government chairman of old Tafawa-Balewa local government in the year 1991, the council area was suddenly plunged into a bloody conflict as anger was expressed by the so-called ruling class who would not accept a perceived minority Zaar man ruling over the local council. Many lives were lost in the clash that almost threatened the existence of the LGA.
"Though it is now to our advantage, the creation of Bogoro local government area from old Tafawa-Balewa local government was not done with our consent", said a Zaar man who pleads anonymity because he is a working civil servant.
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| Dogara addressing a congregation at COCCIN church, Tafawabalewa (Photo by Blogger) |
"Bogoro was created without our prompting or agitation; and it was so done because the establishment wanted to force us out of Tafawa-Balewa. But unfortunately for their evil intentions, it now becomes a fortune for us the Sayawas. While we have the new Bogoro LG to ourselves, we still have large number of our people in communities under Tafawa-Balewa LG. And this still did not go down well with those that are not happy with our existence.
The source further said that "the clash for the control of Tafawa-Balewa town as well as who should assume the traditional rulership continued to go unabated when it came to the realization of those that don't want us here that we could still participate in the local politics of Tafawa-Balewa LG.
Another major development that further deepened the plight of the Zaar people was the relocation of Tafawa-Balewa local government headquarters from Tafawa-Balewa town to Bununu by former Governor Isa Yuguda through an act of a seemingly controversial legislation passed by the Bauchi state House of Assembly.
Though a legal suite filed in protest of that move by the affected people is still being heard in the court of law, a female state lawmaker, Rifkatu Samson Danna, a Zaar woman, who initially protested the relocation of the headquarters of the local government suffered suspension from the state Assembly for the rest of her tenure until the very last day when an appeal court judgment that was passed this year, ruled in favor of her reinstatement and asked that she should be allowed to return to the House. She was only able to attend the closing sitting of the Assembly on the 12th of June, this year.
The people of Tafawa-Balewa felt the relocation was not done to assuage the political and communal conflict that characterized their communities as claimed by the Bauchi state government, but a witch-hunt against the Zaar people who are still counted amongst the major tribes in the local government. The Zaar people still believe that the contentious relocation of Tafawa-Balewa LG headquarters to Bununu, which is predominantly dominated by the Jarawas, another minority ethnic group, was still an affront to their political interest.
The controversial relocation of the headquarters of Tafawa-Balewa local government from Tafawa-Balewa town was considered by many as dishonor to the late Prime Minister in whose honor it was believed the local government was partly established in 1976.
Today, the ancestral home of one of Nigeria's foremost leaders is now a ghost of itself – reduced to a common village - as it lost being the seat of power of Tafawa-Balewa local government area. The Zaar people and other minority tribes considered this singular act as a grave act of persecution.
But Dogara had some spirit-lifting words for his people when he took to the dais at the COCIN church Tafawa-Balewa to address the crowd that gathered to celebrate him.
"Whether we like it or not; we must thank God. When this country was about to start its journey into nationhood, God in His infinite mercy, without any prompting or prayers from anywhere - He didn't look anywhere else in this country where we have sophisticated people with degrees, masters, PhDs – but he came to the dusty streets of Tafawabalewa and picked the person who would be the first and only Prime Minister that Nigeria has ever produced", said Speaker Dogara.
"If prophecy is any thing; for God to have returned here to pick someone that would become the Number-Four citizens today, it means there is an indication that there is a new beginning for this country. I believe that is prophetic.
"We are here to thank all my brothers and sisters for the supports for the prayers.
Dogara revealed to the excited congregation that he did not become the speaker of the 8th National Assembly by accident. He said he actually aspired to it even before the last general elections that returned him for the third time as the representative of Bogoro/Dass/Tafawa-Balewa federal constituency of Bauchi state.
"I remember as soon as the elections were concluded, it was on a Sunday and I was heading back to Abuja, and I came to pay condolence just at the back of the church and I decided to come into this church. And I told the congregation that by the grace of God I would vie for the office of the Speakership; and I wanted prayers. And I did say that God has always heard our prayers in this part of the world; and I said that if we sincerely pray, God would hear us. Now we have told, here, a testimony that God did answers our prayers.
"But let me say something and I want all to listen carefully. This victory that we celebrate here, obviously, we know that it wont have been possible without the support of others – apart from our other brothers from other sides of this nation, support came from unlikeness of places. I can say it was a project that was conceived and delivered by the seat of the caliphate.
"So for us who are Christian minority in the north, that speaks volumes. There is a new thinking in this country. These are people who sincerely believe that this is time for the north to come together irrespective of tribe and religion. They didn't just talked about it, they didn't just preached but they committed resources to ensure that they put a Christian minority as the number 4 citizen of this great nation of over 170 million people. That, therefore, means that we must reciprocate. We owe it a duty to ensure that we unite – first of all – our own part of the county, and then Nigeria.
"If everyone looks up to us in the north for leadership in the past, it was because we were united. And I sincerely want to believe that my emergence as a speaker with the support of all the major tribes in Nigeria; all people, irrespective of their religious leaning is an indication that we are beginning to come together; and the country will be better for it by the grace of God".
The Speaker of 8th Assembly said though he may have been a source of pride and even hope for his people, he still enjoined them to be more committed to working hard, as he believes democratic progress cannot be achieved when beneficiary citizens are indolent.
"But let me say that we all know the challenges that we face as a nation today; so many of our workers have not been paid their salaries for months. It is not intentional. But these are crisis; we face crisis in so many other fields – here we are acquainted with terrorism. Virtually problems come with some elements that are new. They are quite novel; they are not routine problems anymore. What that therefore means was that the tools we have developed in dealing with our problems in the past are now ineffective. Any body who has found himself in the position of leadership now, would definitely know that without conventional wisdom we cannot deliver. We need divine wisdom means instant solution to instant problems, whether they are routine problems or they are problems that come with elements of novelty; that is what we need. As citizens of democracy we must all go to work; those who will work, let them work; those who will pray, let them pray. There has never been a successful democracy that aggregates indolent citizens. Democracy guarantees nothing – it is just a promise. But working together we can succeed; but of course with a risk of failure! If we don't get up to work, I am telling us we will fail. In this regard, I solicit for supplications, earnest prayers to be made for our all our leaders that God should give them wisdom.
"For us as Christians, it is a command. The bible didn't give us discretion; He said pray for your leaders. He didn't say pray for Christian leaders only; he said pray for all imposition of authority. And that is the responsibility that we have as Christians and we must deliver. We believe with prayers, the quality of leadership will improve. And when the quality of leadership improves, the quality of lives will improve.
"Our biggest problems in this country are lack of quality leadership. With bad or poor leadership, everything around us will decay. If you have ever seen what makes a garden and a bush…the only difference is organization. But the garden is equally a bush except that it is organized; while the bush is called a bush because everything grows wild. So you can say that the bush doesn't have leadership, while the garden has leadership. So if we have credible leadership in this country, I sincerely believe Nigeria will go places.
Dogara also threw salute at his colleagues at the national assembly for standing by him.
"I want to say that in terms of resources and connection there was no way we could possibly deliver this project. It was almost impossible; but God sent angels. Some of the angels are those that sit with us here – members of the House of Reps who toiled day and night; Muslim citizens, Christian citizens of Bauchi who took unto twitter, Facebook; some men of God, some imams who fasted without even my prompting that we emerge as speaker. I am basically here to thank you, and I request prayer, prayer, prayer.
By and large, the people of Tafawa-Balewa and of course Bauchi state might have now been somehow consoled by the rise of Right Honorable Yakubu Dogara as Speaker of the 8th National Assembly - the man who was born on the 26th December 1967 - just about 24 months after they suffered the untimely and painful departure of late Prime Minister Sir Abubakar Tafawa-Balewa.
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