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Daily Trust is a rare repository of decent and constructive journalism in this age of clutter and sensationalism. The intellectual rigor of the MEDIA TRUST is erudite and deserving of our respect. It thus becomes worrisome when such a standard bearer and journalistic paper of impeachable reputation let slip a report by one of its own correspondents which at best can be explained in the context of the political philosophy of Leo Strauss, which advocates the use of deception so that the masses may be controlled more easily by an elite of supposedly wiser and more politically powerful beings.
Muhammad Abubakar’s piece which is only one out of a series of calculated negative media articles in WEEKLY TRUST of Saturday, April 12, 2008 was titled "YUGUDA SPRAYS CARS ON LOYALISTS, OPPOSITION!" At first glance the write-up attempts to paint the picture that providing vehicles for key government functionaries who have important schedules aimed at ensuring the smooth and efficient running of government business amounts to financial irresponsibility. Even though such an extreme stance deserves the value of academic discourse, but then in the course of his analysis, Abubakar himself subtly begins to reveal his own preconceived prejudice by misleading readers with over bloated figures and twisted facts which smacks of mischief and a clear ignorance of the ethics of investigative journalism. In his report Muhammad Abubakar alleged that Mallam Isa Yuguda is spraying cars on loyalists and opposition. First, the act of giving cars to key government functionaries is certainly not peculiar to Bauchi State alone, since an effortless research into what obtains at the Federal level and indeed other state governments would prove this position as self evident. But then Abubakar is evidently not concerned about key "government functionaries" but those he refers to as party "loyalists" and the political "opposition" in Bauchi state. Nigerians are all living witnesses to the monumental incidents of violence and destruction that has so often attended elections at various levels in our dear country. The President himself had been so worried about the negative impact of this situation on our collective image before the international community that he summoned a meeting of stake holders on this issue early this year. This led to the formation of an electoral reform committee. Mallam Isa Yuguda runs an administration based on the principles of integrative democracy, on the basis of which his style of leadership is open minded, inclusive, and compassionate. This simply means that he holds onto two opposing ideas simultaneously, and then crafts a solution based on the synthesis of both, instead of either one or the other. This Isa Yuguda integrative approach and thinking is helping to bridge gaps between people of different ideas, religion, tribe and political affiliations in Bauchi. Yuguda is today carrying everyone along in Bauchi State including his strongest critics and the opposition. What is the crime in that? Mallam Yuguda is concerned about healing rather than division. This is the reason why he decided to assemble Chairmen of all the 27 registered political parties and to empower them with vehicles for the purpose of preaching the gospel of peace as part of the remit of the 107 member committee saddled with the task of touring the 20 local government areas as part of preparations for the forth coming local government elections. This action ought to attract commendation from all unbiased persons and not be used as political cannon to mislead the public. The most significant aspect of this whole exercise is that Mallam Yuguda did not use a kobo from government funds to buy and "spray" cars on opposition or loyalists. The Director of Press Affairs, Mallam Maigari Kannah had confirmed that there were no cars dished out from government coffers. What this means is that going by government records, cars were not bought with public funds. If the Yuguda campaign team and other people outside of key government functionaries have cars; they may either be personal gifts or goodwill accruing from the party machinery. It is sad that rather than present the facts provided by Abubakar Said Alsadiq, one of the Special Assistants in the media section; in proper perspective, the author of this article chose to confuse the public by distorting the facts. Muhammad Abubakar should have seen that the act of providing full information on Government action is in conformity with Yuguda’s belief in freedom of information. The resultant damage of a mischievous and speculative article like that of Muhammad Abubakar is that someone else will hear such distorted information, believe it and repeat it to others. That’s how a chain reaction of lies is set off. For instance in the WEEKLY TRUST of Saturday April 26 2008, MUSA ALIYU DASS of No D 12 Marafa Estate Kaduna writes that "series of negative media events have been portraying the new set of government officials in Bauchi State as corrupt and incompetent or at best opportunists!" ALIYU DASS further reiterates that "stories alleging how corrupt aides to the governor diverts state resources and the flagrant distribution of brand new cars to loyalist and leaders of opposition parties by the governor himself are not good for our state!" MUSA ALIYU DASS even goes ahead to speculate that "aides to the governor openly confess how they allegedly got unrestricted access to the state treasury in less than one year!" All of these are innuendos, without any iota of substance yet one cannot blame Aliyu Dass who picked up the thread of conversation on the pages of WEEKLY TRUST. Muhammad Abubakar had gone to one Alhaji Danlami Baban Takko, former Special Assistant on Special Duties in the previous dispensation to give his verdict on the car fiasco. Takko posited that rather than give vehicles, Governor Yuguda should have provided gainful employment, one democratic dividend which the good people of Bauchi had been denied before the coming of Yuguda. The development of human capital is one of the cardinal points of Governor Yuguda’s 5 point agenda. Genuine gainful employment can only be consequent upon the acquisition of relevant skills which will make Bauchi people employable locally and internationally. For Alhaji Takko to point in this direction is an implicit admission that the administration under which he served left little to be desired in this direction. Whereas Alh Takko has no quarrel with Yuguda giving cars to civil servants on loan, he is against giving cars to people who cannot maintain them. This amounts to speaking tongue in cheek and a clear indictment of the eight year period before the arrival of Mallam Yuguda during which civil servants in Bauchi were left in a situation where they cannot service new cars. Alh Takko should be advised that Governor Yuguda is working very hard to change this negative situation left behind by the previous administration. The people of Bauchi will witness significant visible improvement in the quality of their lives within the tenure of Governor Yuguda Administration. The prevalence of new cars on the streets of Bauchi is only the beginning. No amount of destructive criticism will deter this effort. It is baffling that on 2nd April 2008, the Honorable Commissioner for Information Alhaji Bukar Bukata issued a press release which was given to all state house correspondents including Muhammad Abubakar. The Press release stated in clear and unambiguous language the "purchase of 1000 units at a total cost of 2 billion naira on loan to civil servants." The Press release further added that council also ratified the purchase of official cars through leasing from First Inland Bank at a total cost of 1.3 billion naira." One is thus forced to wonder why Abubakar will deliberately twist the facts by reporting that "the state executive council recently approved N3.4 billion naira for the purchase of over 100 assorted cars for senior civil servants in the state to be given to them as loans." In what way are 100 cars the same as 1000 cars? The details about the financial cost which was twisted by Abubakar can also be confirmed in THISDAY newspaper of the same 12th April 2008. Mallam Isa Yuguda and the hardworking members of his cabinet believe that the WEEKLY TRUST is not a soft sell magazine or a paper given to frivolous sensationalism. Furthermore in Bauchi, Governor Yuguda through his style of integrative democracy; is preaching the gospel of inclusion of all and tolerance of opposition and those who have differing views. But as a government, we will appreciate to be engaged constructively and objectively by the press. Another baffling gamut of innuendos and dangerous assumptions appeared in WEEKLY TRUST of April 19, 2008. This triggered a reaction from Musa Aliyu Dass in the Your Letters column of the 26th April edition of the WEEKLY TRUST. This time around, the promoters of the article titled "Yugudas’gifts split Adamawa ANPP" want to use assumptions and suppositions to have us believe that Governor Yuguda is taking an active partisan position in the affairs of Adamawa ANPP. This is clearly aimed at creating bad blood in the aftermath of the Governorship rerun in Adamawa State. Mallam Isa Yuguda was elected on the strength and support of the ordinary people. This is not a government of wuru- wuru, or magu-magu. We have no skeletons in our cupboard. Always ask and you will be answered! Yakubu Lamai is Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communications to Governor Isa Yuguda.
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