- But things are not always like this. Our democratic journey, especially in the fourth republic, is filled with stories of how governors stood up to overbearing and authoritarian presidents.
In the wake of the brutal murder of villagers in Benue State last week, one question on everyone’s lips is how such large-scale killing of hapless people can be averted in the future. This question is not a new one. In fact, it has accompanied every similar heinous, abhorrent and despicable act in Nigeria for years on end. What many who are posing the question are not confident and hopeful of is the ability of the state governor, Hyacinth Alia, to provide a pleasing and satisfying answer to the question. What they are not optimistic about is the ability and willingness of the state governor to tackle the attacks and killings in his state head-on.
On the issue of the deepening security crisis in Benue, Governor Alia’s body language does not inspire confidence and his actions leave much to be desired. His uninspiring and lethargic attitude towards the insecurity in the state was encapsulated by the state government’s preparation for President Bola Tinubu’s visit to the state when what was supposed to be a solemn, sombre and reflective occasion was totally politicised and turned into a jamboree, fanfare as if the visit were for a campaign rally.
Anyone who has been following political happenings in the country may not be entirely surprised by the governor’s behaviour. His public posturing disposition is completely in tandem with what we’ve seen with many of his counterparts in other states, where the real work of governance and serving the people has been replaced by obsequiousness and subservience to the president for political survival and re-election assurance. And there is nothing much a governor who believes his victory or defeat at the polls largely depends on his relationship with the president and not the people whom he was elected to serve.
But a governor can be assertive, firm and decisive in tackling the problems that face his people, especially problems that are existential in nature, without antagonising his party or picking a fight with the president. The late former governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu, demonstrated this with total conviction. At a time when cowardice, lack of spine and character have become the enduring attributes and features of our politicians, his legacy invokes warm and splendid memories.
As Chairman South-West Governors’ Forum, and a member of the ruling APC, Akeredolu showed that a governor does not have to throw the people he leads under the bus or turn his back against them when they need him the most to show loyalty to the Presidency and his party. At the height of herdsmen atrocities in Ondo State after their incursion into the South West, he did not sulk or wait for the help of the federal government that would never come. He rallied his fellow governors in the region and they set up a regional security outfit called Amotekun to check the menace of the herdsmen.
Even when the former president Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government at the time did every to frustrate and stop the creation of the security outfit, he remained unfazed, unshaken and undaunted. He forged ahead with one goal and purpose in mind: protecting the lives and properties of those in his state and the region.
Due to the sheer courage and assertiveness he displayed as a leader, the South West became the pioneer of formal and organised regional security in Nigeria which helped combat the menace of the murderous herdsmen, and till this day, the region is still reaping the fruit of that policy. He also opposed many policies of the Federal government, like RUGA, which are not in the interest of the region and its people. He is so fierce and vociferous in his opposition to some of these policies that you would think he was a member of the opposition.
So when one compares the actions and decisions of a truculent Akeredolu to the feeble and lily-livered Alia and other pusilanimous governors who sheepishly fawn over President Bola Tinubu, you’re filled with worry, disgust, and anger. But things are not always like this. Our democratic journey, especially in the fourth republic, is filled with stories of how governors stood up to overbearing and authoritarian presidents. The tale of how President Bola Tinubu fended off the domineering former president Olusegun Obasanjo and sued him on fiscal and constitutional issues when he was the governor of Lagos State is one of the nation’s favourite political and governance anecdotes, one which has been repeatedly and widely told.
A governor need not pick a fight with a president or make a president a sworn enemy but he must be ready to draw a line and put his foot down when it comes to the safety and protection of his people. The governor has a duty of putting the people who entrusted him with their mandate first.