The comment credited to the Adamawa state CAN chairman, Bishop Stephen Dami Mamza during the Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri’s reelection campaign in Michika local government, the hometown of Hon Titsi Kwaga Ganama, the APC governorship running mate has generated floodgate of reactions.
The comment was considered as an open endorsement of the PDP governorship candidate, Rt Hon Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, a.k.a Fresh Air, the sitting governor by Mamza.
Whilst some electorates are agreed that there is nothing criminal in Mamza expressing his political opinion, aligning with a political party or candidate(s) of his choice, the critical thinking groups do not consider what they could refer to as Mamza’s partisan outburst as any brilliant strategy based on the theologian and his leadership positions in the state.
A journalist reporting on politics, Okafor Komolafe John would ask about the position of Mamza while making an endorsement comment.
“Was Mamza, during the PDP campaign in Michika, speaking in his capacity as the chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Adamawa state, was he speaking as a Bishop or as a Michika politician, taken to Caesar unto Caesar without any theological portfolio?” John would reflect.
According to Mamza, while presenting Fintiri in Michika, “Are you listening? You already know me, don’t you? Truth be told, since the creation of Adamawa state… I have the history of every governor in the state… there’s no governor that performed better than this governor (referring to Fintiri).
“This isn’t politicking. If he wasn’t kind, I would be bold to tell him he wasn’t kind, the same way I told the previous governor that he wasn’t kind.
“But this one (referring to Fintiri) is different. I didn’t want him to come to Michika for a campaign.
“Michika is my hometown, my local government and (the electorates are) my people, I didn’t want Fintiri to waste his time campaigning in Michika because he’s tested and trusted, it’s a done deal. We’re only waiting for election day”.
Michika has had two governors; Abubakar Saleh Michika of blessed memory, the first civilian governor in Adamawa and Boni Haruna, with an action governor that the state never had, in the person of Brig. Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa (Rtd), the anti-drug tsar.
Saleh Michika was referred to as a super governor by the then President (Gomnan Gomnoni). Electorates in Mubi, the headquarters of the northern senatorial district of the state, considered Boni’s performances as weighing more in the scale than Fintiri’s.
“Under Boni we have had Adamawa State University, ADSU Mubi, which the former Governor Nyako released an amount close to N2 billion for the establishment of a Law Faculty. However, after the forceful termination of the Nyako administration, the setting up of the Law Faculty remains a mirage and as Hon. Sadiq Ibrahim Dasin would articulate, it is not clear what happened with the money meant for the establishments of the Law Faculty after the unlawful impeachment of Nyako.
“The skills acquisition training centres established during the Nyako led administration are now dysfunctional as much as the social welfare scheme that brought succour to the less privileged in the state.
“Boni completed the projects that were abandoned since Abubakar Barde’s régime in the defunct Gongola state; the state secretariat and the state house of assembly being enjoyed today.
“Boni it was who reclaimed the State Specialists Hospital from the federal government by relocating FMC Yola, the current Modibbo Adama University Teaching Hospital, MAUTH Yola to her present location.
“Boni is the only governor in the state that empowered post primary school teachers with car loans.
“Boni paid WAEC, NECO and GCE fees for students in public schools as well as sponsored more pilgrims to Mecca and Jerusalem than any governor.
“Do you know that Hon Commissioners used to award contracts during the Boni led administration and that the UBE projects were being awarded by the executive chairman of the board?
“Do you also know that the local government authorities used to be financially independent as opposed to what is obtained presently?” The electorates would point out.
What did Mamza mean by kindness associated with Fintiri, contributing to his being the best governor ever in the state?
Could it be with the same tool that Saidu Sarkin Zana used in assessing Fintiri’s performance while responding to calculate’s take on stomach infrastructure that disclosed the Adamawa State Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) contract beneficiaries to include the leadership of CAN and the Muslims Council?
According to Sarkin Zana as published in the Fact Check online, “On the stomach infrastructure, I want the whole world to know that all the projects done in Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) were contracted out to party men and women, politicians of all classes, all stakeholders in the state. Even the state chapter of the Christians Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the Muslim council were all direct beneficiaries. Then tell me what can be more stomach infrastructure than this?”
A staff with the local government authority found it irreconcilable the position of kindness and best performance index vis-à-vis the job implementation of the N32,000 minimum wage.
Someone simply asked to know about the Adamawa debt profile during the former governors vis-à-vis Fintiri led – in the opinion of Mamza and Sarki Zana – best government.
The citizenry in Maiha – one of the five local governments in the northern senatorial district of the state, referred to as M5 – could not in anyway consider good governance associated with the Fintiri led. The reason, the sage in Jalingo-Maiha district would reveal to the Periscope Global, “isn’t far-fetched. The last time the local government has had the Fintiri presence was during the 2019 electioneering atmosphere. It’s not clear if he’ll carry his 2023 campaign train to Maiha. If he would, what campaign promises would he make to be understood and be believed?
“There’s also nothing suggestive of kindness and justice associated with the undue executive delay in honouring the courts order, indicative of denial of approving the appointment of the district head of Jalingo-Maiha, long after the appeal court determination that reaffirmed the earlier high court judgement, which favoured the Emirate Council’s selection and recommendation for approval of appointment of the genuine district head. For that the Maiha and citizens have not seen any favour with the Fintiri led government, to have joined in considering it as the best ever performing in the state,” a sage would say.
“With the upgrading of FMC Yola to a teaching hospital and the establishment of FMC Mubi, said to be facilitated by Senator Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed, a.k.a Binani, the APC governorship candidate, with the increase of cattle tax in the face of the harsh economic reality, the popularity of the PDP led government in the northern senatorial district in general is declining daily.
“This is in addition to what is observed as a strategic selection of Hon Ganama, who hails from Michika local government, as APC deputy governorship candidate in Adamawa
“Hon Ganama, a former commissioner also the house of representatives member for the Madagali/Michika constituency, elected under ACN party in the 7th Assembly (2011-2015) is a popular candidate in Michika and beyond”. John would report
Yunusa Abubakar, the literary critic would in expostulation put that “does Mamza’s call, aimed at endorsing Fintiri, end only in the Michika campaign? Would it go beyond?”
This takes another story…
