News Rendezvous

On the 17th of September, 1990, I launched my first book titled “Blame me on truth” (Bwatiye and Politics) despite all odds planted by some Bwatiye sons and daughters against the launching. In that book, I took pains to remind the Bwatiye nation in particular and the Numan federation in general; of the way and manner we are perceiving and believing in the peoples’ political emancipation in a much conceived Local diadem and cosmic perception and perspective. I presented the political and military consequences of the immediate and future labara as of rigid ethnic and religious political inclinations. All but one of what I said in that book came to pass before the end of 1996.
None of our military officers was given any executive appointment. None of our Civil or Public Servants was appointed into an Executive Office except Prince Moses Ngbale whom majority of the powers that be, considered him as a liberal and considerate personality after our presentations with late Chief Timawus Mathias. To worsen the situation, our military officers were retired and also our teeming Youths were blocked from enlisting massively into the military and paramilitary institutions. Thanks to God that General Shagaya and General Dume were able to intervene. But before then, we had lost a lot of our officers within a span of two years.
Presently, every Bwata or Bwatato is a suspect be it in a public or a private entity. In politics, no matter the sincerity, unalloyed loyalty and cosmic-polymeric purpose of a Bwatiye man or woman, the principal always holds him or her with suspicion and disdain because of our encircled political attitude and behavior.
In the build-up to the 1959 elections, the Numan Federation unfortunately identified with the Action Group (AG) and ensured her victory against the Northern Peoples’ Congress (NPC). Though Gowono won through the support of His Royal Majesty, Homon Ngbale,, he couldn’t do anything or bring any meaningful development to Numan Federation because he wasn’t a political voice. The Federation suffered a lot of setbacks politically and economically because of the actions and inactions of her constituents in embracing the AG.
In the 1979 Presidential Elections, even with lyrical and lexical signs that National Peoples’ Party (NPN) was going to win the elections, the Numan Federation decided to identify with the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN). Awolowo landed in Numan, Goron and Mubi with the influence and direction of the Late Bala Takaya. At last, NPN won. Though Senator Gayus Gilama won the senatorial election, despite all his popularity and courage and fully backed by Representative Baba Asadugu, they could not bring any viable development to the Numan Federation because they were voices that could be ignored and silenced. This scenario was unfortunately repeated in 1983 when Late Rev. Wilson Sabiya brought Awolowo to Numan, Goron and Mubi again. A lot of Bwatiye sons and daughters and indeed Numan Federation were denied executive appointments. Thank God that the administration of Bamanga Tukur was being engineered by Chief Dokpesi that a few of them were given local appointments. Fortunately too, people like Bamaka Bitrus who lost the elections in 1959 on the ground that he was a Bwata that could not be trusted with political representation, realized the political mistakes and decided to enlighten the people.
Towards the build up to 1990/92 elections, the awareness was created to an extend that there existed a political rift between the Bwatiye and the Kilba nations because the Bwatiye refused to be used by Rev. Wilson Sabiya to achieve political sagacity using religion and ethnicity as the basis. This scenario more often than not, leads to divisions and hatred which penetrated into the church and unfortunately, led to the defeat of Boss Mustapha by Saleh Michika.
Picking from there, the Numan Federation’s Political manipulations, scheming and maneuvers picked up positively that in 1999- 2007, Alh Atiku Abubakar appointed three Bwatiye Sons, Chief Elias Nathan from Southern Zone, Shamaki from Central zone and Juta from Northern zone as Ambassadors. Personalities such as Boss Mustapha, Jaule, Yakubu Sallah, Nat Yaduma, Mannesseh, Prince Ngbale and a lot of others were appointed into executive positions at the Federal Level. At the state level, Atiku ensured that Boni Haruna becomes the Governor and even re-elected for the second term against the wishes of the powers that be. Unfortunately, this systematic political approach was abandoned by the Numan federation thereby, betraying the trust and went back to their old order which resulted to the election of Hon. Kwamoti under the Social Democratic Party (SDP). Wittingly or unwittingly, Hon. Kwamoti who may be reading this piece, was not even a voice to be heard in the House of Representatives because of his party (SDP) and so, could not even influence any major decision in the house. At the end, he was replaced. Thank God some elements were able to enlighten the people and gloriously, we retraced our steps and today, ominously or parsimoniously, we are enjoying tangible developments because all our Representatives in the Senate and the House of Representatives are from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
It is with great pain and unbelievable gastric and legible unconsciousness, that the mistakes our parents made in 1959, 1979, 1983, 2007 and even in 2015 when it was obvious that PDP will not win the Presidential Elections, are being repeated. Bala Takaya and Wilson Sabiya knew quite sure that Awolowo wouldn’t have the geographically required votes to win the presidential elections, yet, they convinced Senator Gilama and his team to host Awolowo in Numan because of religious and ethnic inclinations. As a result, our people suffered political isolation and neglect. Till today, no any Bwatiye son or daughter is being considered worthy of economic empowerment nor political consideration for the office of the Executive Governor of Adamawa State by the powers be. It is the same game that Babachir Lawal is trying to play again by bringing Peter Obi to launching his Presidential campaign in Numan and Mubi ignoring the state capital Yola.
If Babachir knows quite sure that Obi is wining the presidential election, while holding his state rally in Numan instead of Yola. If Babachir is not up to something clandestine as his predecessors, why is it that he was not able to convince Peter Obi to stop over in Hong instead of Flying – over Hong to Mubi.
Just glancing and glinting over his outburst, divisive, derisive and denigrating statement about Hama Bata last week during the LCCN convention at Demsa. Yet, a politically exposed and matured Bwata or Bwatato would not see the evil handwriting on the wall to cause divisions and hatred amongst and between the Bwatiye and Numan Federation
My sincere message to the Bwatiye in particular and Numan Federation in general is simple and clear. As a practicing and active political scientist who is deeply involved in the political affairs at the top level and also a senior Pastor, I take delight and interest from the Bible in James 4:17. He that knows how to do good and fail to do it, to him is a sin.
It is time for us to do away with politics based on religious and ethnic sentiments and face the realities. As someone who sees and knows all from the top since 1999, I owe it not an obligation, but a duty as i did in 1990, to let you know once again that from all indications, that there are certain powers that ganged up to frustrate the political future of the Bwatiye and indeed the Numan Federation through intrusive and cynical political manipulations since the first republic era by using religion and ethnicity. We can only be freed and attain political freedom by discerning and redeeming the political times and seasons.
Just like Chief Awolowo, Peter Obi will not have the required geopolitical spread to win the presidential election in 2023. As some of you are saying, go ahead and waste your votes and be ready to waste the next four years of your political future and emancipation and also the pole-economic empowerment and that of your generations because of religious sentiments. Be ready and willing to defend and blame yourselves if the Muslim-Muslim ticket succeeds because a vote for Peter Obi is invariably proportional to a vote for Muslim-Muslim Ticket whether you like it or not. This is the time for us to collectively join hands together at-least to stop the Muslim-Muslim ticket by all means and at all cost, than to be divided and invariable allow the Muslim-Muslim ticket to succeed. It is better for us to be ruled by anybody in PDP than to be controlled, misdirected and misruled by the Muslim-Muslim Ticket of the APC.
To my people the Bwatiye in particular and Numan Federation in general, let us be politically sensitive not to always carry the collective political decisions and blunders of ethnic and religious sentiments of the ethnic nationalities of Adamawa State in the Orit of bravery and manliness, and at the end, it is only the selective Bwatiye nation that will bear the political and economic consequences. Whereas, other nationalities distanced themselves when the chips are down and align with the powers that be to politically malign us. Once bitten, twice shy.
I am not trying to convince you, but to let you know the reality and free myself from any blame as I did in 1990 and was vindicated in 1996. It is a matter of choice; ponder on how we were misled in 1959, 1979, 1983 and 2015 by the same clock of people to denying us the privilege and opportunity of socio-economic empowerment. Thereby, making us eating political crumbs at the State and local levels despite being the majority.
In a peon of political retrospect, ask and ponder on why a Bwatiye man or woman hasn’t been elected as Executive Governor nor nominated as a Federal Minister? Have you ever reasoned on why Arch. Lawrence Ngbale, Chief Joel Madaki and Homun Daniel Ismaila were denied the privilege of making it to Dougire House?

Do you know why late DIG Kieran Dudari lost the position of IGP despite the fact that President Yar’adua sent a message to him to get prepared? Do you know why Homun Freddy Bongo was dethroned contrary to what we were made to believe?
I leave you with your conscience. May God give you understanding?
Wanghe awa dilo gufuto.
Mya wa lyen vawe a dara duwe.
Yaka yaka kup nzusango gweandato.

Comrade Elliot Afiyo is a Political Scientist and an Intelligence Expert.
He is the National President of Northern Youth Leaders Forum, the
Secretary – General of Association of West African Monarchs and
A Senior Pastor in The Redeemed Christian Church of God.