In recent times, the Nigerian political landscape has become toxic and erratic with adversaries becoming allies. At the other end, former allies descend on other’s throats immediately after their fallout which defies both morality and logic.
This bitter politics began as local politics, where delegates and party scribes switched camps to the highest bidders, before metamorphosing into a full-scale National embarrassment of unprecedented level.
We can excuse the poor for struggling to jump out of the pot of poverty if they switched camps and took a swipe at their former allies or bosses but Northern elites have no reasons to stab themselves in the public because of fame, influence, power or wealth they had already accumulated if not for Greed.
This National embarrassment was categorically brought to the fore by elites like Buba Galadima who was Buhari’s ally right from time and has been consistent at saying good things about his friend Buhari for decades. In facts, people like Buba Galadima were the same people that made a saint out of Buhari and enrobe him in the gown of Angels but as soon as he had issues with Buhari over irreconcilable differences, Galadima suddenly change from Buhari’s Defender in Chief to Buhari’s Attacker in form and in character using uncomplimentary remarks against his former Angel even on National and International platforms.
Fast forward to 2025, we wake up with Najaatu Muhammad on the throat of Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, the same Ribadu she shed in good light and wish he became President in 2011 because of his track records and sound character while his bossom friend Mallam Nasir El-Rufai openly supported Najaatu’s claims which is unnecessary because Najaatu was also on his neck just barely 2 years ago calling him all sorts of names because of his support for Tinubu on whose place Ribadu is equally being attacked today by his former allies.
These ramblings and macabre dance could have been avoided had it been Ribadu’s Lawyer advised his Client to ignore Najaatu Muhammad and treated her tantrums as ranting of a radical opposition figure and not threatened her with Court actions which brought more harm on Ribadu’s reputations than good but as usual, Ribadu’s lawyer is more comfortable with having critics of his client dragged to court so that he can be able to pay rent and staff of his chambers as well as enjoy the proceeds of the National cake.
In addition to this, both Mallam and his Lawyer should have known that even the best of our leaders such as Sardauna and Tafawa Balewa were accused of corruption and moral bankruptcy but posterity proved their critics wrong as “an eye for an eye” can only lead to more blind allies turned adversaries.
However, my concerns on these regards are the moral deficiency exhibited by former allies whenever there is slight misunderstanding between them because it is not only hypocritical to exposed, attacked and embarssed your former friend in the public but the highest form of immaturity. These rubbish can be found in any part of Nigeria but it is becoming a norm in Arewa even when these gestures are purely on selfish interest because none of them is on each other’s throat due to the kidnapping, banditry, illiteracy and poverty in Arewa in particular and Nigeria in General.
Therefore, we are calling on all the feuding elites to sheath their swords and work towards uniting the already fractured region that is being ravaged by insecurity and poverty since 2010 as number of unemployed Youths increased in Geometric Progressions and small businesses collapses each and everyday due to inflation and high cost of living.
Nuruddeen Dahiru Kama writes from Pella, Adamawa State.
