There have been speculations in the media that Borno state Governor, Kashim Shettima is at war with his predecessor and political Godfather, Ali Modu Sheriff. But Borno state Commissioner for Home Affairs, Information and Culture,Mr.Inuwa Bwala in this interview said it was more an imaginary crisis than it was real.
Excerpts: Politicians in Borno state seem to be getting set for 2015, with reported underground moves to make alignments. How true is the report that groups and individuals are already aligning forces against 2015?
It is not an anathema for politicians to discuss issues and strategies, but honestly I feel 2015 is still a long way ahead to start talking about it at this point. I am not in the inner political caucus, and cannot say if there are any underground or overt activities against 2015. It is normal for people to read political meanings into what others do, especially in a politically restive clime like Borno. Given what we have been going through, I think it is unwise for anybody to starttalking about elections, when right thinking people are discussing our survival in the face of the serious security challenges we are facing. In a nutshell, I am not aware of any such moves, but that does not rule out the possibility that there may be some political activities going on.
How true is the story that your boss, the Governor plans to dump his party and join the PDP in the future?
I have explained before that, the events that led to such speculations were not indicative of the position you talk about. The Governor has more serious and more important issues to do, than engage in vain political adventures now. It is rather unfair for people to ascribe political undertones to his activities, in the drive towards finding lasting solutions to the crisis we are facing. We are faced with the challenges of justifying the mandate given to us only a year ago.
We are more concerned with the issues of development and security, than we are with political permutations. I think people are just being mischievous or want to unnecessarily charge the political atmosphere. I can confirm to you that there are no such plans by the governor, at least not to my understanding. By virtue of his position, he is the leader of the ANPP in the state, and he cannot abandon a ship he is captaining, for whatever reasons. Two state governors of the PDP, one of whom happens to be the chairman of an inhouse committee of the northern governors’ forum, had visited Borno to discuss common problems being faced by the north. My Governor was under the obligation to receive them being a member of that committee himself. So many people were present when they discussed, and I cannot recall any point at which the issue of dumping his party for another was discussed.
But we also learnt that he was at loggerheads with his predecessor and political godfather, which lend credence to the assumption that he was planning to quit over his differences with his predecessor. How would you react to this?
There is no friction of any sort between them. I know that they relate mutually and cordially. The problems people say exist are more imaginary than they are real. Governor Kashim, and indeed all of us give the former governor his due regards and courtesy as our boss and leader, and he in turn gives each one of us the due regards of our various offices. There was never a time; they indicate they had problems with each other. There are no basis for any problems, because they understand each other perfectly, having worked together for nine years. Even beyond that, they speak virtually every day, and there are no rooms for break in communication, which has been the root of most quarrels amongst people.
But the governor was quoted to have made some remarks recently while on a visit to Gwoza, in which he virtually blamed his boss for neglecting the people of the area, and how he plans to correct the situation.
What people fail to acknowledge is the fact that His Excellency, Governor Kashim Shettima has never exonerated himself from being part of the previous administration. He has also never pointed at a particular person as being responsible for any bad situation. Whatever situation he describes, he maintains that it was a collective failure of leadership at all times and at all levels. He did not make any direct reference to any particular person, talk less his predecessor, whom he holds in very high esteem. I am a personal witness to the reverence with which the Governor holds his predecessor. He has never denied the fact that he became what he is today under the tutelage of Ali Sheriff, and he has vowed to always accord sheriff, the due regards of a leader and statesman. People just want to drive a wedge between them, so that they can weaken the bond and confidence they have. You see, it is about the strongest combination we ever had in our chequered political history, and those who may want to dislodge it are bound to employ all tactics, including attempts at sowing seeds of discord, or painting imaginary pictures of a bad situation. It is a matter of time, and those who beat the drums of war shall be put to shame. We have a cute but well knitted house, and people will naturally envy what the situation.
Is it true that the former governor, senator Ali Sheriff still remote controls the Governor Kashim, since you say they speak almost daily?
It is not true. What is true is the fact that the former governor has a lot of confidence in the capabilities of the incumbent to deliver. We work as a team, and I am aware that we enjoy absolute freedom to do the job. One can see from the composition of the cabinet, to other sundry appointments, that, Governor Kashim Shettima is in full control, and directs the affairs of the state as he deems right. While he may be consulting with the former, being our boss and the immediate occupant of the office, he is not under any form of control; directly or remotely. I think they both have responsibilities, many enough to keep them away from each other’s schedules. I know there are people who pray for a replication of what obtains in other places. But I assure you that, the bond here is stronger, and the personalities involved are much more decent to fall into the traps of in-house fighting.
You have been severally been quoted to have said that the insecurity in Borno state is being further compounded by political assassinations and armed robbery. In which of this real would you locate the recent attempt at the life of the deputy governor?
Yes, I have said it often times, that, some of the reported incidents do not have the imprimatur of Boko Haram. People have found the unfortunate situation we are in as a perfect alibi to commit all forms of atrocities, including robbery and settling political scores. I will not want to jeopardize investigations into the unfortunate incident at the central mosque recently, since security operatives have promised to get to the roots of it. Perhaps, what we should be talking about is what needs to be done to end the logjam. No matter what happens, we believe dialogue is the ultimate resort. Once a section of the citizenry revolts, it becomes binding upon leaders to explore means of discussing their grievances, with a view to addressing any perceived wrongs done to them. The most civilized way to appreciate each other’s problems is to dialogue. The use of physical force may offer a temporary respite, but at the end of the day, discussing the root causes of the problems sounds more plausible.