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| TSAV |
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| Yakasai |
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| Jokolo |
Emeka Ibemere
Crisis is
quit brewing among members of the Northern Elders Council, NEC, and the fight
is laced with verbal bullets.
Who is
firing who?
The war
mongers are former Aide de Camp, ADC, to former military head of state, Gen.
Muhammad Buhari, retired General Mustapha Jokolo on one hand, Alhaji Tanko
Yakasai, an elder Statesman and Chairman of Northern Elders Council, and Alhaji
Abubakar Tsav, former Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, on the other hand.
And the bone of contention- the declaration of
Buhari and the call for President Goodluck Jonathan to replace Nnamani Sambo,
Vice President of the federal Republic of Nigeria.
It would be
recalled that Jokolo had at a press conference described Sambo as a political
liability to the North and advised President Goodluck Jonathan to drop him.
However, in
a reaction, Yakasai advised Jokolo, to channel his advice to his former boss
for throwing his hat into the ring to contest for the presidency in 2015. Since
this altercation was brought into public domain, the elders have taken pages of
newspapers to dress down on each other.
But Tsav,
also a Northerner, from the North Central zone, rose in defence of Jokolo and
opining that Yakasai‘s describing of Jokolo as a failed soldier and monarch was
an affront.
Tsav, a
former police commissioner, said Jokolo was not retired from the military on
grounds of incompetence but on account of military politics.
In an
interview with Newswatch Times on phone, Tsav said he was disappointed with
Yakasai and said he has derailed in his criticism of Jokolo.
“Jokolo was a brilliant and loyal military
officer who felled victim to military politics and corrupt society, he was
retired due to exigencies of service just like many other military officers,”
he said.
To put the
records straight, Tsav stated that what happened to Jokolo was pure military
politics and not because he was incompetent during his military career. The Lagos
State ex-police boss went down history lane to buttress his analogy of military
politics that disengaged Jokolo. He
recalled several cases of serving officers who were forced into premature
retirement owing to factors connected to military politics.
“When Gen.
Yakubu Gowon was toppled as military head of state, his younger brother, Capt.
Moses Gowon then of NAF was retired from the military. When Shehu Shagari was
toppled, his son was retired from the Army, when Buhari and Idiagbon were
toppled, Idiagbon’s son was withdrawn from the Defence Academy,” said Tsav.
According to
Tsav, Jokolo is neither a failed military officer nor a neophyte as alleged by
Alhaji Tanko Yakasai but brilliant, loyal and courageous military officer who
fell victim of military politics and corruption of the society.
“Are these
failed soldiers. Of course not. They were victims of military politics like
major Jokolo. What of the mass premature retirement of military officers on the
excuse that they held political appointments. Yes, Mustapha Jokolo was
dethroned as the emir of Gwandu not on grounds of incompetence as alleged by
Alhaji Yakasai but because he disagreed with the government just the same way
as Sultan Ibrahim Dasuki was dethroned. Was Sultan Dasuki also dethroned because
he was incompetent? Tsav queried.
The
ex-police and anti-corruption crusader said the 19th Emir of Gwandu was
dethroned because of his disagreement with the government in circumstances
similar to those that led to the dethronement of Sultan Ibrahim Dasuki.
He scolded
Yakasai for mocking Jokolo for losing his throne, urging him to fear God and
refrain from such mockery as an elder statesman and leader of the Northern
Elders Forum.
Speaking
further Tsav tasked NEF to use his wealth of experience in politics to attract
federal projects in the Northern parts of the country and stop aligning himself
unproductively in governance.
Tsav
explained that the elder Statesman Yakasai is being mischievously economical
with the truth. “Why would a man like him who is old enough to father the likes
of Jokolo mock him for losing his throne? Does he not believe in what the Holy
Quran says about such situation? He asked.
According to
the ex-police cop, who also was retired because of the politics and
disagreement with the government, the North had remained stagnant because of
people like Yakasai.
“No wonder
the north is stagnant with elders like Tanko Yakasai. Finally, if General Buhari failed each time
he contested presidential election, does that mean that the man is incompetent.
It simply means that most Nigerians are shamelessly and unrepentantly corrupt
and prefer to remain with corruption”, he added.
“Corruption
is responsible for our backwardness, injustice and insecurity in the country
and for a person, who claims to be an elder to support a government with such traits,
leaves much to be desired”.
He
counselled that the elder Statesman has a right to belong to any association
and to support whoever he wishes to support but in doing so, that he should consider
the pains of what the ordinary Nigerian is going through in Nigeria of today.
“The high
level of corruption, worsened state of insecurity, lawlessness, dilapidated
infrastructure and so on. Alhaji Yakasai is an experienced politician no doubt,
and we expect him to use his experience to the advantage of the masses but not
for the development of stomach infrastructure. I ‘m disappointed and I believe
that other patriotic Nigerians, too, are”. Tsav said.
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