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By Suleiman Abbah

The funny thing about critics is that they are not usually persuaded by experience. One would think that as time goes by, and he proves himself to be right, they would acknowledge this. But it rarely happens that way.

More often than not, the critics will find new things to criticize. All of a sudden, they’ll say your accomplishments don’t mean anything—even though earlier they implied otherwise by saying it couldn’t be done.

They’ll say you didn’t follow the rules, so therefore your accomplishments are invalid.
As part of one’s independent-minded journey, many self-appointed enemies will oppose him along the way.

Some will oppose you by saying that you “can’t” do the things you’ve promised. Others will try to impose their own arbitrary rules on you. Others will be jealous of your success and try to bring you down to the level of average.

This appears to be the case when the All Progressives Congress in Bauchi State veered from analyzing an independent opinion article by veteran journalist, Zainab Okino, into venting pent-up jealousies on the person and government of the Bala Mohammed Kauran Bauchi through one Saadu Umar who says he is a lawyer, and Deputy Chairman, APC Publicity Committee, Bauchi State.

This paper is not intended to whitewash the Bala Mohammed administration, except for the need to remind the likes of Saadu that writers have established standard of judgment which they must not compromise, and its hallmarks are to be respectful and responsible in relationships with leaders at all levels, with the certainty that leaders too, are deserving of respect in the same manner we demand to be respected.

Obviously unmindful of this universal rule of writing, Saadu, while attempting to defend his godfather deliberately and falsely assessed and judged the Bala Mohammed phenomenon in Bauchi against his own unrealistic, incredible expectations; against fair standards of judgment, including the judgment from men of prejudices, against developments and circumstances that no one knew the nation and the world will confront, and even against the failures and abuses Bauchi is having to pay for, from the previous APC administration in the state.

Without the need to give Saadu more reasons to feel important, possible options open for response in this circumstance, include ignoring, confronting, diffusing the argument… or something else.

In this case we have chosen to be reasonably polite in responding to Saadu’s use of uncouth language in his critique. It may not always be entirely his fault—just that most people in the APC are threatened by Bala’s revolutionary ideas.

It is important to begin here by pointing out that when the governorship election was held in 2019, virtually the entire North-East, including of course, Bauchi, was a battlefront, and a hostage of Boko Haram. Today, Saadu and his ilk though in perpetual blame of leaders, can comfortably seat and pen insane criticisms in the vastly-improved security atmosphere ensured by Bala in the state.

Secondly, even extremely sophisticated and professional critics sometimes get trapped in the web of reality from which they become confused.

Obviously falling victim of this general rule of criticism, Saadu perhaps unintentionally, but surely unknowingly was caught in the confusion of attempting to confine responsibility for the rampant poverty, general economic downflow, mounting inflation, mass unemployment being experienced across the land to a state government.

Saad and APC perhaps in total isolation from global economic reality yardsticks, or apparently living in total denial, have inadvertently failed to understand that poverty indices is determined by macro economic variables such as inflation, prices, balance of payment, and unemployment which are all the primary functions of national and central governments which presently is controlled by their own party.

In their confused desperation, they have failed to notice that the central administration is being held by their party on the back of the most gratitious insults to justice and fairness wrapped in the crude cover of crass political opportunism and breathtaking ineptitude.

They also tend to ignore the fact that the APC is today running a central administration that has acquired the reputation of being the worst in the history of our nation in terms of any capacity to generate confidence in achieving credible national goals.

Similarly, they tend to shift responsibility for out of school children to the state in obvious ignorance of the fact that it is caused by the influx of migrants from various states due to conflicts and similar reasons and Bauchi has been accommodating them without any form of discrimination.

It is to address these multiple and intersecting problems inherited from the past APC administration in Bauchi and the impact of the failures of the APC government at the centre that Bala Mohammed is providing infrastructure across the state to the point that recently the presidency honoured him with award of excellence in rural development.

While we allow Okino to make the decision between Saadu and his rants, for which she is sufficiently competent, and while we would not delve into the issue of the veracity or otherwise of the citizenship of Saadu’s paymaster, the Air Vice Marshal Sadique, we would encourage our governor to refuse to be distracted knowing that it’s the classic sign of a bad critic, to always find faults even where there are none.

And rare is the person who calls you up and says, “You know, I was wrong about that.

Good job.” Instead, you’ll usually have more of the same misplaced lamentat, except then you’ll know that recognition from the critics is not a reward worth seeking. Just let it go, and concentrate on achieving your goals.

If you want to effect meaningful change in Bauchi, excuses have no place in your life. Leave them to the critics, because they will need them when you’re finished. Now get to work! The state is waiting.

Abba, an indigene of Bauchi, writes from Abuja

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