“I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep; I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion”. - Alexander the Great
According to the words of Martin Luther King, Jnr, the ultimate measure
of a man is not when he finds himself in a place of comfort or pleasure,
but when he sees himself in the midst of challenges and controversies.
The unabated atrocities of Fulani Herdsmen in some states, has revealed
leadership qualities that make up some of Nigerian governors.
While some gullible governors, out of sheer cowardice or myopic quest
for political correctness, decided to play ostrich while there people
were being massacred in their ancestral homes, by bloody-sucking
vampires masquerading as herdsmen.
Others, who understand what true leadership is all about, placed
security of lives and properties of the governed as their number one
constitutional duty.
The case of Governors Ayo Fayose and Ifeanyi Uguwanyi of Ekiti and Enugu
States, respectively, brought this classic example of two ends of
ideological spectrum to the limelight.
On Friday night of May 20, 2016, Oke Ako community of Ikole Local
Government Area of Ekiti State was thrown into mourning by suspected
herdsmen.
These invaded the community while they were sleep, killed two people and butchered others.
Less than 30 hours after the ugly incident, Gov. Fayose as the Chief
Security Officer of Ekiti State, rushed back from the PDP Convention in
Rivers State.
He condemned the barbaric killing of his people, visited the scene and
consequentially issued a severe press release as follows:
“I have come here to commiserate with the people of Oke-Ako over the murder of two of our people by these evil Fulani herdsmen.
“I am also here to assure that this will be the last time your community
will be invaded by Fulani herdsmen under whatever guise.
“I have directed that cattle rearing and grazing should stop in Ekiti
State and those interested in cattle farming should henceforth do so in
their own ranch.”
“No more movement of cattle from one location to another in the State
and any cattle seen anywhere in Ekiti State apart from the ranch created
for them by their owners will be confiscated by the government and
their owners will be prosecuted.
“A bill to this effect will be sent to House of Assembly for passage
into law to criminalize cattle owners whose cattle are found moving from
one location the other in the State.”
The case of Governors Ayo Fayose and Ifeanyi
Uguwanyi of Ekiti and Enugu States, respectively,
brought this classic example of two ends of
ideological spectrum to the limelight.
After taking a deep introspection on Gov. Fayose’s audacious reaction as
regards man inhumanity to man exhibited by these cannibal-like
suspected Fulani herdsmen in Ekiti, which propelled him to inaugurate
local Vigilante groups to serve as community police.
I tried in vain to juxtapose it with what happened in my state Enugu
recently, and the mindboggling lackadaisical cum hypocritical reaction
of His Excellency, Gov. Ugwuanyi to the gruesome murder of our people.
Before the Ekiti Killings, there were Benue and Enugu Killings, where over 400 were slaughtered in Benue State.
Another over 40 innocent people were slain in Enugu State, respectively,
without much courageous response from these lily-livered governors.
To add salt to injury, Gov. Samuel Ortom of Benue Sate attended a meeting of Northern Governors Forum.
There a statement emanated exonerating Fulani herdsmen of any complicity
in the sadistic acts, without any counteraction from Gov. Ortom.
This is height of ineptitude, incompetence, gullibility and a great
disservice not only to both living and dead Agatus, but entire Benue
State in general.
Gov. Ortom’s delinquency of his constitutional responsibilities to
protect lives and properties of Benue people irrespective of their
tribes, can be said to be mortgaged on the altar of political
affiliation with the government at centre.
It failed woefully to curtail menace of Fulani Herdsmen.
What can be said of Gov. Ugwuanyi’s immature and cowardly reaction,
owning to the fact to he got security intelligence reports 24 hours
before cruel invasion of Ukpabi Nimbo community on 25th of April, 2016
by dreaded Fulani herdsmen?
If APC-controlled Federal Government could not send security officials
to save lives of over 40 souls wasted in a space of two hours in Nimbo
community, why couldn’t Gov. Ugwuanyi alert entire Enugu people on this
calamity before it occurred?
Imagine Gov. Fayose in Ugwuanyi’s shoes:
After getting wind of the attack, would he have allowed Ekiti people to
be killed in cold blood not in Kano or Jigawa, but in their ancestral
homes in Ekiti State because President Buhari refused to send soldiers
to quell the attacks as a result of his political differences with the
governor?
Would Gov. Fayose have gone to Nimbo community to cry for the sake of
cameras of media men and be seen the next day at Aso Rock slavishly and
cowardly shaking hands and having hypocritical smiles with the same
Commander-in-Chief who couldn’t protect the massacred people of Nimbo
community?
Would Fayose have denied ever placing emergency calls to Villa for help
immediately after the master-slave meeting in State House?
Would Fayose even bother to visit a president that did not condemn
gruesome butchery of his people via press release; let alone national
broadcast?
I want to state categorically clear, that I campaigned, voted, and
supported Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi as governor of Coal City state during
2015 general election.
But I am not a sycophant that will turn blind eyes when my governor is
derailing from his constitutional duties from placing collective
interest of Enugu people above his selfish political aspiration.
The lives and properties of Enugu people cannot become pawns in a political chess board.
Enugu is a state of lions and cannot be led by a spineless sheep.
President Buhari and Fulani tribe did not make Ugwuanyi Enugu governor; we made him.
If Gov. Ugwuanyi is afraid of standing for his people not to incur the
rot of Fulanis in Abuja, he may end up incurring the wrath of the same
people of Enugu who voted him into power.
Everything rises and falls on leadership.
Gov. Fayose has shown exemplary leadership when it mattered most.
If Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State could set up vigilante groups to
safeguard Abians, even when Fulani Herdsmen are yet to strike the state,
why would Ugwuanyi keep ridiculing Enugu people and making them objects
of mockery in the eyes of other Nigerians via his clueless, rudderless,
spineless and sheepishly leadership?
Enugu deserves more courageous, decisive and focused leadership than what we are getting now.
2019 is around the corner, political hurricane which may not even come
from APC or PDP may sweep him out of Lion Building—Enugu State
Government House, if he does not sit up now.