The social media, once a creation of scorn, appears to be having the last laugh as it is fast becoming a destination of choice for all kinds of journalism or churnalism. Individuals have also found in the ambience of the new media, a loud voice of deceit or ululation, depending on who is in their crosshairs. And it was in keeping with the former that a self-styled northern social media champion took his campaign of calumny and falsehood to Zamfara state.
This character, a charlatan in the class of IG Wala for whom the cock no longer crows set off to unsight Nigerians with lies that could only have emanated from the pit of hell when he claimed that Governor Matawalle of Zamfara state bought 200 SUVs for Zamfara emirs and other traditional title holders. Basking in his orgasm of likes, comments and shares, he continued the intercourse with more churlish self-righteousness when he declared that the government in Zamfara erred in no uncertain measure for simply taking the welfare of royal fathers to heart. I am not one to laught at the misfortune of others but we should have no surprises that this character recently went to cool feet at a correction facility.
And, just when I was recovering from the shock of that individual’s audacity of self entitlement, a friend sent an editorial purported to have been penned by a leading newspaper that appears to dismiss Governor Matawalle’s royal gesture as a misplaced priority. What I have found hard to understand is the over insistence of both that newspaper and our social media champion that the welfare of our royal fathers should be for want of a better term, abandoned because Zamfara – scratch that – Nigeria is facing insecurity.
I am surprised that everyone has gone to buy a gun with which to shoot venom at the government and people of Zamfara because the governor decided to honour our royal fathers, calling it misplaced priority? I dare to ask: Is it misplaced priority because it happened in Zamfara or it’s misplaced priority because it’s wrong to take care of the welfare of our royal fathers?
Let me help some people whose lenses have become blurred for reasons best known to them! I reckon it is even more fitting that the royal fathers who have lived the trauma and death that have befallen the people of Zamfara and sometimes even paying the ultimate price are looked after. For those who do not understand our reality in Zamfara, holding such an extreme position with regards to Governor Matawalle’s wonderful gesture should not come as a surprise, but for someone who should know the critical role that royal fathers have been playing towards rescuing Zamfara from the stranglehold of her enemies, it is almost criminal to criticize this gesture. But then, opinion is like the new moon, everyone can describe how it looks from their compound.
I am surprised that we have not asked Mr President, governors, ministers and all other top government functionaries to ditch the opulence associated with their offices in solidarity with the crisis in Nigeria. While we are at it, we should also criticise every governor, legislator, minister, etc.who has shared hundreds of cars to poor people despite the economic downturn. Why? The same gesture of sharing exotic cars to locals who may not even be able to service them is as bogus as forcing a horse to drink from the river.
We could even challenge Governor Matawalle for distributing over 200 patrol vehicles to various security agencies in the state. Why ? Emirs like our security operatives are critical stakeholders in the battle against insecurity. Therefore, if contributing something small to aid the work of emirs is considered a waste, we might as well take the governor to court for wasting scarce Zamfara resources on vans for our security agencies.
It think the Sultan of Sokoto said it better when he averred, while commissioning the headquarters of the Zamfara Council of Ulama that our religion and the traditional institutions are the “two important institutions which still remain the thread that holds our society together”.
It is imperative to let Mr critic and some ever nosy jaundiced media houses that the people of Zamfara appreciate the governor for the kind gesture of not just honouring our royal fathers, but also contributing to the propagation of our religion. It is shocking to even believe that people who do not understand our reality are coming to cry more than the bereaved. Every negative thing about Zamfara is beautiful music to the ears of many, especially paid hands positioned in several media establishments. Meanwhile, many governors and other politically exposed people in Nigeria have donated even more freely to political thugs in the garb of the masses to the raucous applause of the media.
My advise to our people is, never take everything you read in the newspapers, let alone the social media to heart. Governor Matawalle, like everyone of us, has his flaws, but to floor him because of a wonderful gesture to our royal fathers, which is worthy of emulation, is the height of petty politicking.
Musa writes from Gusau, Zamfara state.
