By Danjuma Musa
“Always listen to both sides of the story before you come to a conclusion” -Mohith Agadi
Chimamanda Adichie, the Nigerian novelist and activist, popularized what is now aptly known as “the danger of a single story.” Long before her, several notable authors, concerned about the dangers of one-sided narratives, had admonished that people listen to both sides of the story before jumping to far-reaching conclusions. Hasty conclusions based on skewed information and twisted facts could cause irreparable damage to the hard earned reputation of the victim and would take serious efforts to fix.
If only the group of concerned northern women, operating under the name of Voices for Inclusion and Equity (VIEW), had adhered to the admonitions of Adichie, they would not have fallen for the antics of Hamdiyya Sidi, a political operative with close ties to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to brutally savage the hard earned reputation of Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto, the amiable governor of Sokoto State, who they not only subjected to a media trial, but have also summarily convicted as charged, without fair hearing.
The irony is that while Sidi, the supposed ‘victim” at the center of the controversy, was given a chance to tell her story by the Nigerian Police Force (NPF), the VIEW group have used their platform to intimidate Gov. Aliyu and convict him of a crime he knows absolutely nothing about. As they say, uneasy lies the head that wears the crown. So, Gov. Aliyu can, in that sense, be vicariously guilty of the crime and indeed of every crime committed within the boundaries of Sokoto State, going by the logic of VIEW.
Another issue that the VIEW conveniently refused to address is the reckless use of the social media by Sidi, to incite violence against the government in an area that is grappling with terrorists attacks. What she posted about the governor and his family would never be published by any mainstream media because of its toxicity. It is unbelievable that the highly educated members of the VIEW group would rationalize a crime of incitement to violence in the name of freedom of speech.
Having made this preamble, let us attempt a point by point rebuttal of the public statement by the VIEW group, which displayed crass lack of information on the subject and of the new Sokoto State under Governor Aliyu.
We wholeheartedly agree with the VIEW group that Hamdiyya Sidi, though a known political operative working for the opposition PDP, has constitutional right to freedom of speech and the right to hold and express opinions; but it is important to stress that these rights are not absolute. There is universal agreement that rights are not absolute. I guess that is why the tort of libel exists in the law books? Can her right to freedom of movement make her insist on strolling into the Presidential Villa without an appointment? Won’t that be a trespass? While she has an inalienable right to life, she must succeed if she decides to terminate it by suicide. Otherwise, the state would charge her for attempted suicide. This is the same with the incitement for which she has been charged to court by the Police.
It needs to be restated that rights are not absolute and that there are no evidence whatsoever that law-abiding citizens of Sokoto State are being denied their rights. The case being used by the VIEW group to reach its warped conclusion is not in anyway true of the situation in Sokoto State, nor can the police, which, in the legitimate performance of its law enforcement duties, rightly arrested Sidi, a national of Niger Republic, and charged her to court, be blamed for doing its duty. Thankfully, Sidi would have her day in court.
The VIEW group was very uncharitable to Governor Aliyu Sokoto who has given the security situation in Sokoto State his every attention, despite being a glorified Chief Security Officer, in its assertion that the governor is indifferent to the security situation of the state. Though the accusation is wicked, it thankfully would not dampen the governor’s commitment to eradicating the terrorists who are wreaking havoc in the eastern border of Sokoto state with Zamfara State.
For the benefit of the VIEW group and Nigerians in general, though the responsibility to secure the sovereignty of the Federal Government of Nigeria rests squarely on the central government, several sub-national units like Sokoto have been forced to perform the role that is exclusively that of President Bola Tinubu, because it is their people that are being kidnapped, raped, killed and subjected to other forms of inhuman treatment.
For the record, the Aliyu Sokoto administration has not only rightly placed combating the security challenges on top of its agenda but has continued to discharge its responsibilities to its citizens. It has established a Community Corps to primarily gather intelligence and has invested heavily in constructing military bases as well as provided logistics support for the security agencies, like the provision of buffalo vehicles, because the victims are its citizens. But being only a sub-national government, it lacks the coercive power to really go after the terrorists.
The question is, are there other initiatives that Governor Ahmad Aliyu should take that he has not taken in his bid to take the war to the terrorists operating in his state, within his constitutional authority? While it is not the constitutional responsibility of governors to construct military bases, Dr Ahmad Aliyu has, in enlightened self interest of his people, constructed one at Ilela for the armored corps,and built access roads to help the security agencies respond promptly to security breaches.
So, why should Hamdiyya Sidi falsely accuse Governor Ahmad Aliyu, who has been up and doing? Is it because she was reportedly paid by the opposition to “cause trouble”, or the possibility of acting in a film based on her “ordeal”? The VIEW group, being an interested party in a stable and prosperous north, should urgently impress it on President Bola Tinubu to fulfill his campaign promise by immediately ordering massive recruitment of men and women into the security forces. The less than 300,000 strong armed forces are, without doubt, overwhelmed and over stretched by the various crises confronting the country. There is no doubt that only a massive recruitment will give the security agencies the much needed capability. Apart from increasing the booths on the ground, large-scale recruitment into the security agencies would drastically reduce unemployment amongst the youthful population.
The VIEW group made several fallacious statements. It is amazing how, for instance, the group can describe the verbal tirades against the governor by Hamdiyya Sidi as “bravely demanding accountability”. She further went for the governor’s jugular and pointedly asked: “If he and his family faced the horrific violence that has befallen countless women across the North, women who have been violated in unspeakable ways, sometimes in front of their families, would he remain so indifferent?”. It’s astonishing that the VIEW group described the tirade as someone merely “asking a simple question.”
Agreed that law abiding citizens have a right to speak freely according to their conscience, but Hamdiyya Sidi was certainly over the board in wishing evil to a man who is doing everything to end terrorist attacks in his domain, not minding the fact that security services is the exclusive franchise of the Federal Government.
About the attack on Hamdiyya Sidi, there is no evidence whatsoever that the Sokoto State Government instigated the attack on her, nor does it support her attack. But wait a minute, did the VIEW group look at the possibility that the stakeholders that she had emotionally swindled took out their frustrations on her? Hamdiyya Sidi came promising the poor people palliatives which heightened their hopes, only to start raining insults on the governor and instigating them to forcefully occupy the government estate under construction at Wamakko.
Dear VIEW group, this is a possibility and it is plausible. We have seen mob actions at accident scenes, but we do not hold the governor responsible simply because he is the governor. Once again, the VIEW group are wrong in their assertion that Hamdiyya Sidi spoke for women. She didn’t speak for women, and if she did, she definitely didn’t speak for northern women. The average woman in the core North, being well cultured, mannered, and deeply religious, would not wish the governor and his family ill. She would accept her fate with equanimity. But because she was on a mission, she pushed her luck too far and deservedly got arrested. She is now famous and would hopefully land the roles she craves in the Kannywood movie industry. And, the Nigerian Police are very emphatic that she incited the people against the government. And that it was the Village Head who reported her in the lawful exercise of his responsibility.
As Ahmad Rufai (ASP), the State Police Public Relations Officer said, “One of our constitutional responsibilies is to investigate crimes, both simple and capital in nature, to this end, the case of Hamdiyya is no exception”. There is nowhere in the entire matter where the governor is featured. But it has become fashionable for fame seekers and political opponents to drag the governor’s name into any crisis to generate public sympathy.
The VIEW group painted a picture of a dystopian Sokoto State where people can not express their opinion for fear of being arrested. Certainly, this is not the Sokoto State that we know. Their charge is grossly unfair and is not supported by reality. Governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto is unassuming, certainly not power drunk, a thoroughbred democrat who can not hurt a fly; and he is not a violent man. He is also not opposed to free speech expressed within the boundaries of the law.
As deputy governor to Aminu Tambuwal, he resigned based on principles. After the disastrous eight years of Aminu Tambuwal, Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto has restored the trust of the people in the capacity of government to deliver services.
Sokoto State is not a terrifying place to be. It is nothing near what the VIEW group had claimed. Rather, it is the likes of Hamdiyya Sidi that are hell-bent on disturbing the peace of Sokoto State. Considering the security challenges Sokoto state is facing, especially in the eastern axis of the state, Marafa Yakubu, the Village Head of Sabon Birnin Daji village in Wurno local government area, was right as a government appointee to have alerted the police, an action which averted the breakdown of law and order. Hamdiyya Sidi certainly has the Village Head to thank for his quick response, which saved her life.
Going by the administrative structure, the Chairman of the local government would definitely have been informed, and he in turn would have brought the situation to the attention of the Commissioner of Local Government Affairs, and from there it probably would have been escalated to the State Security Council, depending on the assessment and there is no evidence that it has been brought to the governor’s attention.
Governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto is alive to his responsibility, and he doesn’t need a rude and uncouth Hamdiyya Sidi to remind him of his responsibilities, which he has been discharging diligently.
The VIEW group asking the governor to denounce the legitimate actions of the police ought to know that it would certainly affect the psychology of the police who only performed their legitimate duty of maintaining law and order. They didn’t subject her to inhuman treatment. So, why should Governor Ahmad Sokoto call the police out? Sometimes, being too close to a picture would blur appreciation of the work of art. Every Nigerian citizen, including foreigners and not just Hamdiyya Sidi, has the constitutionally guaranteed right to free speech, but within the ambit of the law.
Governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto’s record speaks for itself, both in the number of female commissioners and other appointees and in specific programmes designed to uplift women, because he understands the relationship between an empowered woman and development. Governor Sokoto equally understands what love by the people means. But for them, especially the women, he wouldn’t have been elected governor. He is ever mindful of that fact, and he remains eternally grateful to them and, in return, has given them his all.
The VIEW group must not allow itself to be unwittingly used in an orchestrated campaign of demonization being funded by discredited opposition elements, by dragging the Sokoto State Governor into the matter that falls squarely in the domain of the police. If the promoters of VIEW should investigate Hamdiyya Sidi further, they would certainly tender an unreserved apology to Dr Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto when they find out they have been hoodwinked.
*Musa sent in this from Sokoto
