NYAKO'S SIN IS HIS REFUSAL TO OPEN TREASURY TO LOOTERS – MUSA KAMALE, COMMISSIONER FOR INFORMATION, CULTURE AND TOURISM
How will you react to allegations that the governor has been running a one-man show?
Anybody who wants to allege has the freedom to do so, but the onus is on him to ensure that he proves the allegation. It is up to the person who is being alleged against to put a lie to the allegations. To the best of my knowledge, the allegation is just but a fallacy without any basis.
To the best of my understanding of the administration in Adamawa, the allegation is far from the reality on the ground in the state. Let us start by looking at the structure of the government; by structure I mean those who are placed in the position of responsibility within the government of Adamawa.
The governor is a Muslim Fulani, but his deputy is a Christian Marghi by tribe. The secretary to the state government is from Lunguda and he is a Christian. The new head of Service is a Muslim Fulani. The Speaker is a Lunguda and he is a Christian. The chief judge of the state is a Chamba and he is a Muslim. The minister representing the state is a Muslim Kilba from Hong.
In the state executive council, which is the executive arm of government, 15 of us out of 19 are non-Fulanis and we are of the ethnic nationalities stock. 15 out of 19 is about 60 percent. A decision will be binding in that council if 50 percent agrees but we are 60 percent in that council. From what I have enumerated, there is nothing to substantiate that allegation that the governor is running a one-man show or he is running a Fulani agenda in government. Those making the allegation should show evidence of that allegation.
You must have heard about the allegation before
Yes, I have heard it so many times and it is very appalling that they kept on saying it. They have called the governor so many names. But it is not surprising; it is coming from within the PDP.
What is the reason for that?
If you were opportune to know what was happening in Adamawa State in the last eight years, you will understand why.
Nyako from nowhere chased away a sitting Vice President and all his cronies. They were on the driver's seat for eight years and nothing was happening in terms of development. The Bonnie Haruna government did not conceive or execute any project to the tune of N100million during that period, yet they were receiving huge sums as allocation from the Federal Government. What that means is that nothing in terms of developmental projects was done, that was why we chased Bonnie Haruna away from the government house easily.
A clique was sharing Adamawa resources. This state government imported a radio transmitter for our radio station but it disappeared into thin air. The transmitter came with 12 different sizes of generators and all those generators also vamoosed into individual houses. The governor has a choice to work or not to work and refuse to share the resources and damned the consequences and that allegation is the result of one of the consequences we damned.
It doesn't bother us because people who are used to seeing N5 million deposited into their accounts can't get it again. Nyako said no, the resources are to develop the state. We have to provide water and construct road for the people of the state. The governor is not bothered by the campaign of calumny because we know where we are going and we know how to get there.
Are you saying the opposition even within the PDP is because he refused to share money?
Yes.
Are you saying it is coming from the Atiku camp?
It is not only the Atiku group, the Atiku group camp into the PDP just recently. During the Bonnie Haruna era, so many people participated in the looting of the state. We were part of the same PDP, we let them because we realised that they are not ready to listen to advise that could benefit the people of the state.
Are you then rejecting claims that the internal opposition to the governor could be due to the manner he emerged as the candidate of the party in 2007?
If it is the way he emerged this is altogether a different ball game. Bonnie Haruna was an eaglet governor, a youthful governor, but he disappointed everybody in this state with his poor performance and we did not want one bit of that type of administration again. There were about 9 people from the PDP who wanted to be governor but we were very skeptical, what is their quality and so they settled for Nyako who they saw as a man that can salvage the state who was once a military administrator of Niger State and then a one-time chief of Naval Staff.
They said this man has seen riches, and he excelled, why not try him? Nyako did not want to be governor, we literally begged him. I was the state publicity secretary of the PDP then and I know what I am talking about. It was we in Adamawa that asked the former president Olusegun Obasanjo to pressure Nyako to contest and salvage the state. Obasanjo agreed and so he was drafted in.
Are you surprised that Senator Jubri Aminu, who played very sterling role in installing Governor Nyako is also against the governor?
Jubril Aminu was the mastermind of the way Nyako emerged the governor of the state. The reason is position in government.
What is the meaning of that?
Dr Aliyu Idi Hong was Aminu's boy. In that state executive committee, it was bring your own and I will bring my own. I was from the Marwa Group. Every body has a group and they contributed people into the Exco. After the government was formed, each group wanted to have their people appointed as ministers, ambassadors. It is because the Governor felt some of these people are too greedy that they fell out with them.
How will you react to the fact that some leaders are planning to work against the governor at the election?
The former vice president has rejoined the PDP and he is a member under the leadership of Alhaji Mijinyama Kugama with the governor of this state as the party leader. As far we are concerned he has joined the party and he has been reconciled with the governor and Atiku is working for the emergence of Nyako.
Idi Hong was nominated to be a minister by the governor but you called him Aminu's boy; today he is interested in the governorship along with the chief of staff to the governor. Again, the former chairman of the PDP in this state is also seeking the seat of the governor. Why are people close to the governor suddenly rising up against him?
Everybody has a right to contest. But we all know that all is not well now internally in Adamawa PDP. The reason is because some people want to control the purse and the governor said no.
When we were together all of us know that not everybody will be appointed. It is the disappointment that they can't use the purse the way they want that is now manifesting in form of people sponsoring their cronies to challenge the governor.
Those of us who are insiders know the truth. But I want to say the more the merrier, everybody in the party can collect form it is more money for my party and I like that.
Are you worried by the resurgence of the AC?
Ninety-nine percent of the AC are the people with Bonnie Haruna. If we don't work again we will defeat them because it is Bonnie Haruna who will lead them and we will tell the people what we have done and ask the people to ask the AC people what Bonnie Haruna did while in office. We are not losing sleep over the AC, they are no threat to PDP.
Will you show this type pf confidence if the Kugama Exco is changed or it is harmonized as some people are canvassing?
I will like to say that the NEC of PDP is made of responsible people. Dissolving a body means that something is wrong somewhere and when there is nothing wrong, why do you dissolve it. Practically, there is nothing that will affect Adamawa Exco of the PDP until 2012.
But some people insist that the tenure of this Exco has expired
That is their opinion; the opinion of INEC is that the Exco is correctly set up and it will be on till 2012. It is the opinion of INEC and PDP NEC that matters.