Jime’s Love For Benue: Selfless or Selfish

The Benue State Cyber space has been very busy with news about the alleged reentrance of the Managing Director National Export Zones (NEPZA) Bar. Emmanuel Jime in to the political sphere.

It has been rumored that the former House of Representatives Member, Bar. Emmanuel Jime is in strong contention for the gubernatorial ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC), you can call it a return leg to a failed bid in 2015.

Jime a former Speaker of the Benue State House Assembly had in 2015 taken Benue state by storm with a classy but loud campaign putting shivers down the spine of the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), which he had just decamped from because he saw the non-reality of achieving his gubernatorial ambition in the party to which he won the House of Representatives thrice.

A core pragmatist known to die for whatever cause he believes in as was evident in the various times he exhibited brute savagery in his defense of his believed cause while at the green chambers, is believed to be the “real” winner of the APC primaries in 2015 which was cancelled halfway, although authorities claim he was in clear lead of all other aspirants.

The cancellation gave way for the leader of the party in the state Sen. George Akume to play over Jime whom had fallen out of favour over what many attribute to his class consciousness and braggadocios lifestyle, to place in his place new entrant into the party, who had just lost out of the PDP primaries and was in search of a berthing place. The replacement was swift and without rancor to the chagrin of Jime’s loyalists .

This did not go down well with Jime who before this unfortunate incidence had a stoic stance to candidate imposition as he was a major beneficiary in all his political attempts save for the 1993 House of Assembly elections.

It is on record that Jime was imposed on the people in 2007 by the then state governor, no other person but Sen. George Akume over a peoples’ Cletus Upaa who was already in Abuja; in 2011 his erstwhile political friend and state governor in same marshall manner he lost the ticket to Ortom, seized the ticket from Dickson Tarkigh who was favored by the party to ensure Jime became PDP candidate.

In his stay at the National Assembly jime had towards its expiry shown fiery love for his constituents, generally the state which was ravaged by Fulani herdsmen. He spoke veraciously, he was a lion on the subject matter.

In his 2015 misadventure, the MD NEPZA did not hide his bitterness over his loss and even took legal actions to reclaim “his mandate” , launching an ascetic attack on what his cult- like followers termed a “lawn tennis court primaries”. While the battle at the court lasted, the verbal missiles flew at will, mudslinging became the norm. Ortom and Akume were demonized in all occasions and Jime given a hero’s oration when and every time necessary. It seemed a mêlée never to end.

However the court matter took a dramatic turn as the embittered Jime decided to withdraw the lawsuit instituted to reclaim “the peoples’ mandate”, in what was believed to be an out-of-court settlement anchored by the presidency.

Jime as compensation for his withdrawal was eventually appointed the Managing Director of NEPZA after a whispered appointment as Director General of NIMASA.

In his two year stint at NEXIM, the vocal Jime lost his voice to work. He was buried in his duty as MD NEXIM, poised to deliver on his set mandate. Prototypical Jime, he had a mandate delivered by Mr. President and was gritty in its delivery.

In these years of total dedication to service, together with presidential mandate, the patriotic Jime, so encompassed in his service knew that employing Benue youth whom his campaign promises told he had at the core of his heart, will ruin NEPZA or his busy schedule deceived him that unemployment was no longer a scourge in Benue; he could not remember that his zeal to run Benue was out of love to serve the unemployed youth in the state.

Jime a very private man, did not want to rock the boat as a result only sneaked into the state so as not to draw attention to himself. What a humble man! However this private man would in 2015 ensure the whole state was at alert whenever he was in the state. He loved the state enough to keep to his life in Abuja and manage his NEPZA, after his failed governorship bid.

Jime towards launch of his failed governorship bid and the twilight of his legislative career had shown fatalist zeal to the ravaging Fulani overrun of the state, displaying a pseudo-position which told that if given the opportunity he will end the scourge. However since his appointment as NEPZA boss his fatalism faded and he adopted a lack lustre attitude to this pursuit, not even when the people questioned his stance. Maybe his position as NEPZA boss did not include security or speaking for the state; or perhaps whenever he had any of his famed frequent visits to Mr. President, the demands of NEPZA beclouded the blood back home.

Jime a peoples’ man would have definitely as governor exploited Benue’s comparative advantage in agriculture, but as NEPZA boss the yams, fruits and vegetables in Benue were too infinitesimal to create an export zone which will give value to our poor farmers.

Finally any right thinking man will begin to ponder how the judge and jury of a lawn tennis judgement may overnight become the backbone of a just, upright and honest man who has the state at heart. It should be eye brow raising for anyone who remembers the vicious attacks hauled at George Akume after 2015 up until recently at his cluelessness and undemocratic tenets by Jime and his followers. How has he now been absolved of his sins?

Maybe the selfless patriot in Bar. Emmanuel Jime will reawaken when he is returned his ticket in 2019. It is also most possible that when the burden of the all-tasking job as helmsman of NEPZA is taken off his shoulders and hoisted as governorship candidate, the selfless Jime will awaken.

Tom Kucha is from Mballagh Council ward of Makurdi Local Government and he writes from Makurdi