If you have been following me you will know that I have been a regular viewer of NTA network news from my student days. My experience has, however not always been pleasant.
Successive governments have used the NTA news to shamelessly lie to Nigerians about achievements, policies, etc. this has kept making me angry.
About two decades ago my wife advised me to stop watching the news because she noticed that I always started hissing 5 to 10 minutes after sitting before the screen.
That’s exactly what happened today Monday 02/12. The president is in Daura and as usual every young and old who can access him will go there and sing his praise.
My first disappointment came when a group of Katsina “elders” where shown praising the president and his governor for ending the menace of banditry and kidnapping in the state.
I immediately came to the conclusion that either those elders are detached from the grassroots or there’s a deliberate attempt by them to hide the truth in order to please the president.
For I know even 3 days ago about 20 motorcyclists were kidnapped around Yar lumo in Batsari LGA. Last week a helpless peasant was kidnapped at Kukar Babangida in Jibia LGA and the criminals are now asking for twenty million Naira.
A week earlier another person was kidnapped in Faru-Bugaje, also in Jibia LGA and he is still with the bandits. YES, the same bandits that signed peace accord with Government. This is just in Jibia/Batsari area. Are those elders not aware of this? If so, they should stop parading themselves as elders because they are not in touch with the people.
And just as I was trying to overcome this disappointment, I saw the minister of information at Jibia border justifying the ban on sale of fuel to Nigerians that God in His wisdom created there.
In his opinion, all the filling stations in Jibia are there to facilitate smuggling of fuel to Niger Republic. Haba, how many filling stations are there in Jibia LGA? The minister should have given his listeners the number of filling stations in Jibia LGA against it’s population and compare with an average local government away from the border to justify his claim.
But since they are in government they can make unsubstantiated claims even against a people who gave their all to see them come to power – a people they have failed to protect. It is unfortunate!
By Abdussamad Umar Jibia