In 1, 473 days from today, Governor Ayade will have finished his second tenure and another Governor will take-over. That is the tomorrow I am referring to…
1. When that tomorrow comes and the next Governor refuses to conduct LG elections, I shall have no moral ground to ask why?
Because I couldn’t ask my brother when he governed.
2. When that tomorrow comes and the next Governor of our State refuses to deal with boundary crises between Yala/Izzi, I shall not be able to ask why?
Because I couldn’t ask my brother when he governed.
3. When that tomorrow comes and the next Governor decides to annexe my village and build a fancy tourist center, I shall not be able to resist?
Because I didn’t resist my brother while he governed.
4. When that tomorrow comes and the next Governor of our State decides to shroud LG allocations in secrecy, I shall not be able to ask questions?
Because I kept quiet when my own brother governed.
5. When tomorrow comes and gangsters continue to hack themselves down in Calabar South, shall I be tongue tied?
Yes! Because I did not ask questions when my brother governed.
6. When tomorrow comes and the next Governor signs budgets and make no effort to make them accessible to citizens, I shall not be able to ask questions?
Because I did not àsk when my brother governed?
7. When tomorrow comes and we call on the next Governor to come and stop gangterism or kidnappings or equip the Police in Obudu, he or she will ask us, why didn’t you tell your brother while he governed?
These are not brotherhood questions. When we gather at the village square, we will always address family issues at that level. Public policy issues cannot and should not be reduced to emotional filial ties. At no point should anyone convince us to the numbness that Government and public policy disagreements are family issues that should not be adumbrated publicly.
Because when that tomorrow comes, all these “He is our brother” choristers, will simply walk away to the next nectar of power and it’s just 1, 473 days away, when another occupant will still be less than 24hrs in office and feeling like the Lord of Manor.
Agba Jalingo is the Editor-In-Chief of CrossRiverWatch and writes from Lagos State.
NB: Opinions expressed in this article are solely attributable to the author, Agba Jalingo and do not in anyway represent the opinion of CrossRiverWatch or any other organization the author works for/with.