Dear Kadaria,
I
just watched a video clip of your #March4Zamfara. First, I must commend
you for calling attention to the deteriorating security situation in
Zamfara state. What is happening in that state and most states in
Nigeria proves that our country is currently being led by a President
and Commander-In-Chief whose rank as a General in the Army ought to be
investigated. Our silence over it is nothing short of a moral tragedy.
But
there is a part I don’t understand in that video clip of yours. And
that is the part where, while being interviewed, you described the
Zamfara State governor, Abdulaziz Yari as “The most useless governor in
the history of Nigeria” (your exact word) for failing to curtail
kidnapping and banditry in the state.
Forgive
my ignorance, dear Kadaria but between a President and
Commander-In-Chief who controls the entire security agencies and a State
governor who has no control over his own police commissioner, who
better deserve that tag of “The most useless leader in the history of
Nigeria” with regards to the Zamfara Security problem?????
In
case you’ve forgotten, Madam, in 2016 when the Fulani herdsmen
complained that thieves were rustling their cows in that same Zamfara,
it was not Governor Yari that acted to stop cattle rustling. It was
President Muhammadu Buhari who donned a military uniform for the very
first time since leaving power in 1985 to launch a special military task
force against CATTLE RUSTLING.
In
case, you’ve forgotten again, during the reign of President Goodluck
Jonathan, each time Boko Haram struck in the Northeast, it was always
President Jonathan you, Kadaria Ahmed, blamed for not using his power as
commander-in-chief to stop the activities of the terrorists. You never
for once blamed any governor of the affected state. Not once.
So, what has changed??
Why
are you suddenly shifting the burden of securing Nigerians from the
President and commander-in-Chief who controls all the security agencies
to a state governor whose personal security can be withdrawn by the
President???
This is double standard on your part, dear Kadaria.
May
I remind you that as a journalist, you are in a contract with the
Nigerian people and part of your obligation in the said contract
includes informing, educating and entertaining the public in a way that
is completely devoid of your personal prejudices and biases. You can
support your favorite politicians. It is no crime. It is not even
unethical. What is unacceptable is you using the platform offered you by
the Journalism profession to twist news and information with a view to
misinforming the people just so you can protect your favorite
politicians like you just did in the video clip under review.
And
sadly, dear Kadaria, this is not the first time you are using your
official position as a journalist to ‘afflict the already afflicted
masses while comforting the already comfortable Politicians’.
In
the course of the debate for the just ended 2019 Poll, you had the
opportunity of grilling the President on the security situation in the
entire country but you chose not to even when security of lives and
property is the number one duty of any government.
In
Kaduna State where a man, Mallam Nasir Elrufai, married to your sister,
is the governor, you have never spoken out against the mindless killing
of the Southern Kaduna people by Fulani terrorists herdsmen neither
have you ever condemned the one-sided arrests your brother-in-law
governor is carrying out against the people of Southern Kaduna. Even
when the governor publicly admitted paying the killer herdsmen, you
didn’t say a word in condemnation. As I type this, the people of
Southern Kaduna no longer sleep in their homes. Yet, in your video clip
where you mentioned states with security challenges, you conveniently
omitted Kaduna state.
Why??
Do their lives not matter?
Quite
frankly, dear Kadaria, people like yourself make the Nigerian media
look like a ‘Cash-And-Carry’ affair instead of the fourth Estate of
Realm the Constitution recognised the Press as.
There
should be a time when we show loyalty to our friends and favourite
politicians but there must never be a time when we do that at the
expense of truth, integrity and fairness to both man and God.
May peace be with you, Madam Kadaria.