Danji And His Fault-Finding Mission
Dear Danji SS,
Since you love writing letters, let me also write you one.
In your recent letter to Taraba State Governor, Dr. Agbu Kefas, you claimed to have toured all 16 local government areas to listen to the complaints of the people. However, it appeared to be a fault-finding mission rather than a sincere and honest attempt to understand the realities on the ground. In your blind haste to blame Governor Kefas for virtually everything happening in Taraba State, you descended into recriminations, name-calling, and desperation.
But let us examine your political odyssey more closely.
How come, in your extensive travels, you did not encounter parents who can now access free education for their children, enabling many of them to attend school? How come you did not hear from university and other tertiary institution students about how the 50 per cent reduction in tuition fees has helped ease their financial burdens?
Did you not see the new schools Governor Kefas is building or the existing ones he is renovating? Some of these schools had been abandoned or neglected for decades under previous administrations. Is yours a case of river blindness or partial loss of sight?
It is equally amazing that you interacted with farmers at several stops without hearing their testimonies about improved access to fertilisers and tractors through the governor’s agricultural policies. Did you also fail to notice how the governor’s efforts to improve security are helping to make farming communities safer?
I believe you used the Chinkai-Kente Road to access some of the local government areas you visited. If you are honest with yourself, did you not see the accelerated construction work taking place along that corridor? Did the journey not become easier, with reduced travel time, as you moved around to meet your supporters? Have you acknowledged how these improvements have facilitated your travels? Or are you pretending not to use the same roads you are criticising the governor for failing to develop?
How come your tour did not bring you into contact with young people whose civil service employment records have been verified or those benefiting from the ₦1.5 billion business support fund of the Taraba State Youth Agency? What about the young people who have secured employment opportunities in paramilitary and other security formations?
How come Danji SS’s eyes did not see the changes taking place in the state capital, including new roads within Jalingo, or the efforts to construct more roads in rural communities to improve access to markets?
During your travels across the state, can you point to any security incident involving an attack on you or your entourage? Do you appreciate the fact that the relative security that enabled you to criss-cross the state is itself worth acknowledging? Would you have undertaken such a journey with the same confidence under the security conditions that prevailed in some parts of the state in previous years? While security challenges remain, it would be unfair to ignore Governor Kefas’s efforts to address them.
So, you toured the state and did not encounter pensioners who appreciate the administration’s efforts to restore the verification exercise necessary for them to access their entitlements? After years of neglect, Governor Agbu Kefas has taken steps to address pension and gratuity-related issues and restore hope to affected retirees.
Danji, do you mean you travelled across Taraba State without hearing from civil servants about the reforms taking place in the public service? These reforms are aimed at improving workers’ welfare, promoting training, and strengthening professionalism.
Taraba State civil servants have benefited from efforts to implement wage structures and improve the prompt payment of salaries, while the government continues to address outstanding obligations. These are important developments that deserve recognition, just as any unresolved concerns deserve constructive criticism.
This is the broader picture of Taraba State that others are seeing, even as they acknowledge that significant challenges remain.
Danji SS, you arrived in Taraba State with your entourage and were welcomed by the impressive sight of the Danbaba Suntai Airport. You must have observed the ongoing work and the administration’s efforts to improve the facility. Yet, rather than acknowledge the progress being made, you chose to turn a blind eye to it and focus exclusively on the challenges confronting the state.
Danji, your apparent anger did not allow you to acknowledge anything positive. You conveniently lumped longstanding problems, some of which predate the creation of the state or have persisted through successive administrations, at the doorstep of Governor Kefas.
It is noteworthy that, in a rare moment of candour, you acknowledged that even you could not solve all the problems confronting the state. However, you failed to explain what you would do differently or offer practical solutions to the challenges you identified. Instead, you heaped accusations on the man currently occupying the seat of power. You are playing the ostrich while simultaneously playing to the gallery.
In presenting yourself as the messiah Taraba State has been waiting for, you have conveniently forgotten that your own political record is open to public scrutiny. And it is not, in my assessment, a particularly impressive record from your time in the House of Representatives. Apart from what I consider a below-average performance, you did not distinguish yourself sufficiently as a representative of your people.
When compared with what Senator David Jimkuta is doing today, your tenure appears to fall short of the expectations of effective legislative representation.
Danji SS, you cannot demand accountability from others while expecting your own record to remain unquestioned. If you believe you have what it takes to lead Taraba State, then present your vision, demonstrate your competence, and explain how your proposed policies would deliver better results for the people.
Taraba State needs constructive criticism, not fault-finding for political convenience. The people deserve leaders who can acknowledge progress while demanding improvements, identify problems while proposing solutions, and engage in political discourse without allowing personal ambition to overshadow the collective interest of the state.
By Hon Emmanuel Bello JP
Spokesman, Kefas 2027 Campaign Council
