…..The Unpatriotic,Unsolicited And Fading Drumbeats Of Shittu Bamaiyi.
By,Makji Godfrey Dajwal
At the inception of The Time Is Now administration, the barrage of quasi journalism contents which had spuriously been tagged “press release”, and had mostly emanated from the APC on the Plateau had triggered a most accurate conclusion from one of their then ardent supporters.
“we are now back to the seasons of press releases”, he openly exclaimed! And he was right in this regard as we well can evidently see how that over a seven month period, the accumulated numbers of these “press releases”, which had been authored by the opposition APC and its cohorts, (were it not for the advent of social media and other digital technologies), would have formed more than a year’s supply of paper to be used by the Mai Suya at the Atiku Street junction, Rayfield for his tasty suya wraps or perhaps by twenty of the likes of Maman Mario’s akara spot in Tudun Wada. These “press releases” which have majorly served to sell underhanded information to the unsuspecting public or to further political innuendos for the attainment of inglorious ends within our polity are subsequently a major avenue for the dissemination of fake news and specially packaged propaganda aimed at confusing the public.
And whereas we have the top brass of APC’s Media machinery; the Sylvanus Namangs, the Dan Manjangs, the Yakubu Dattis, their “Profs”, and their regular or irregular writers, no other than Shittu Bamaiyi has stood out to be what Americans refer to as the “poster boy” for their 2023 cryptic media affairs.
Because Shittu Bamaiyi, who will share his vituperative utterances and subliminal agenda by day, quickly assumes the posture of an entirely different persona at night and in their secret social media platforms and/or other avenues. For it was this same Shittu Bamaiyi who prior to any major political events, whether it was the election, tribunal or others alike, led our unsuspecting Plateau sons and daughters away from the ‘One and Collective Plateau’ messages we hitherto knew, and towards the tipping point of disunity, mutual distrust and antagonisms for one another. In Plateau State, where everyone is known by anyone, Shittu Bamaiyi has thrown caution to the wind and embraced the wrong spirit, helping to pitch one against another, a form of politics or journalism hitherto unknown to our common practices. Shittu Bamaiyi is the 2023 election cycle’s “strange spirit” that the APC has employed. And this is no political assertion only. His stances are to state the least, very regrettable.
Shittu Bamaiyi has just recently (1st January, 2024) had a poor stint at responding to the Governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang’s traditional (and first) New Year’s Day State broadcast and used the same avenue to churn out what in his own mindset represents the events of the state of Plateau. And being that he well is within his rights to comment on issues as he pleases, he well should understand how that others also freely share their own rights to rejoinders and further comments, without fear or favour.
In this his latest “press release” he hid under the normal cloak of the right to analyze the businesses of government and public services to erroneously conclude that Governor Mutfwang made political capital out of what he had achieved as Governor of Plateau State. And if indeed that unfounded allegation is to be taken as true, that someone who works and then displays his achievements as a mark of that success, (especially since that person has earlier on campaigned and won elections on the basis of these superior performance traits), then how bad is that at all?
But for Governor Mutfwang who was simply reporting to the state, (jointly comprised of both non party and/or party affiliated citizens), about what he inherited as at May 29th 2023 and the present state of affairs wherein his government, and under his able leadership, has now cleared the backlog/arrears of salaries, and also on the other efforts to fully offset pensions and gratuity of workers (which has already begun), this news became an awry thing to say by Governor Mutfwang, that is, according to Shittu Bamaiyi. So, perhaps, it is okay with Shittu Bamaiyi if the Governor either added extra or more months of unpaid salaries to what he met on ground. That would quite definitely be a good picture for Shittu Bamaiyi, going by his disapproval of the announcement of the Governor. Or perhaps, these achievements, among the other very notable and laudable projects already embarked upon by the people’s Governor within the shortest timeframe stand as ghost images that haunt him, his benefactors and followers at night. And if that be so, we the others, who see nothing wrong in the development of Plateau State and the positive transformation of our land including our peoples, we say a big SORRY to Shittu and his band of bad bellé agents.
Sorry that all these bad feelings distort your thoughts and judgement, but we the majority of the people love all the good things Governor Caleb Mutfwang is bringing to the table.
Sorry that trains are now no more a theory for especially our younger population who have never had even the basic opportunities to take a single ride on trains, which situation has now suddenly changed within four to six months, courtesy of the purposeful leadership Plateau State now enjoys.
Sorry Shittu, that our parents and people are all gearing up towards receiving their gratuities which had before now been abandoned and served as conduit pipes for corruption in our ministries, departments and agencies until Governor Mutfwang came on board.
Sorry that we now have a Government which does not pretend or make political pronouncement over the lives and well-being of it’s people. A Government with it’s Governor, who swing to action to get tangible Presidential directives and physically available security support in Mangu, Barkin-Ladi, Bokkos, Riyom and all other areas of heighten insecurity, in a bid to safeguard his people who put him and them in power in the first instance. It is worth noting here that even APC stakeholders have adjudge (as put out in the open) Governor Mutfwang’s swift and practical response to security crises situations as very commendable. Now, these are patriotic statements, putting common interests far and about personal or individual ones. Sorry Shittu.
Sorry that fertilizer bags are now flying and will continue to fly into our farms this January. This event is now dragging the hearts of APC and other party faithful back towards one united Plateau, instead of the divisions that Shittu’s ilk have sold us.
Sorry Sir, for the mere fact that if Governor Mutfwang continues this way, persons who have nothing positively tangible to offer will be forced out of their not so productive trades and Plateau will rise again – a New Plateau… The bride of Nigeria! Sorry Sir.
But criticisms of governmental achievements are not all about the “Shittu epistle”.
The UNPATRIOTIC PART of the writing, which reveals nothing new about the one among many mouthpieces of the polls-rejected APC, is where Mr. Shittu Bamaiyi alluded to our collective security challenges as merely the failure of Governor Mutfwang (in his opinion) without paying any forms of respect, decorum or the normally desired somberness whatsoever, to the lives of our brothers and sisters who have actually passed away from this side of the world, never to here be seen again. For Mr. Bamaiyi, the earliest declaration of the official mourning period would have been better than the various tangible efforts now put in place to get top echelon of communal, political and security figures to attend to the dire needs of the directly affected persons and/or the affected communities. And whereas three former Governors in person or delegated, and in different ways and manners put aside their personal or political affiliations to stand in solidarity with the Government of the State and its people, Shittu Bamaiyi will have us see that such efforts are perhaps wasted, even when a Leader of his own party was among these gathering of positive solidarity.
This posture is akin to standing with our assailants because of politics or stomach infrastructure, and this stance, no matter who exhibits the traits, is condemnable by all moral or societal standards.
And just as some people have opined, it seems like Shittu Bamaiyi and the people he speaks for either know something or are so happy with the recent attacks on Plateau people simply because Governor Mutfwang is in charge. Or, one may be led by his writing to suspect that they either sponsored or aided the attacks just so as to use it to score cheap political goals against the Governor of the State. Such a shame.
Because since Shittu and his co travelers on this lane have not been so given towards the issuing of statements in condemnation of these gruesome attacks, killing and maiming, and since they were so obviously missing when good spirited people came together alongside the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to go down to Bokkos and commiserate with the victims, then why should he still think that Plateau people are eager to hear or read his words, which immediately come off as written from the comforts of their political caverns? And why would same persons who thus absconded when they were needed the most even dare to take stances as to attempt to speak more appropriately (in their misguided mind frame), for and on behalf of the good people of Plateau State?
And how is it even possible that Bamaiyi and the people whom he writes for, assume to speak on security when they neither won elections, nor have they done anything first to show sympathy to the victims of that gruesome attack? Their election losses are a signpost of the state’s general lack of trust in their agenda (to all rational and democratic minds).
Time will soon come in our maturing democracy that the people openly refuse any anti-people stances as obtained in other climes of the globe, whether masked in the coloration or nomenclatures of “press releases” or not.
For the moment however, Mr. Shittu Bamaiyi should learn decorum and civility in societal engagements. Not everything can be political, and definitely not the lives, collective patrimony or heritage of our dear Plateau State and its amazing peoples.
As we are still within the days of mourning for our beloved and departed brethren, may the souls of all our brothers and sisters rest in peace and may all those who stand against the collective Plateau spirit not prosper in their motives and enterprises. Amen.
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Makji Dajwal writes from Jos, Nigeria and can be reached via mdajwal@yahoo.com
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