by Yahaya Sunusi
Spending Government funds in religious activities is good, and worth encouraging especially when the society is free of social vices.
After conquering any element of under-development such as; Poverty, Illiteracy, Health care, Job opportunities, social infrastructures, equity and justice, the immoral habit of a society has to be redress, which might be easily achieved through religious occasions.
Danfodio said and I quote;
“A country can survive with unbelief than with injustice”
Saudi Arabia has been in the forefront in doing so and they really deserve it, as they have dechain from any element of under-development and injustice.
It really shocked and suprise me being aware of the fact that, Governor Muhammadu Abubakar of Bauchi State had approved a 55million naira to be spend on Musabaqa, ( Qur’anic Recitation Competition) it is doubtlessly good and beneficial, but is now the right time ? My question would indeed sound very harsh to some people, especially those that are blinded with patriotism and loyalty to his Excellency. Leaders are never perfect as Mark Twain said and i quote ” Loyalty to country always. Loyalty to Government when it deserves it”. Alot of criticism are being levelled against the Governors decission, as well as justification, exoneration and commendation to also the Governors decission.
We are not objective enough to outrightly justify or criticise Government on this regard without prove. But please join me in analysing the situation objectively.
It is obvious that Nigeria or Bauchi State in particular is suffering of the following unscrupulous elements; Poverty which had reached to the extent that begging and stealing has now became order of the day, Devastated infrastructural facilities engulfed our state, Education sector had collapsed in the sense that most of the State Government own Primary and Secondary schools are today benchless, talkless of other needed materials, Orphans and kids of low socio-economic status are yelling for help of even what they will eat, talkless of getting enrolled to schools, most of our youth have neither capital to carry out bussiness nor means to sustain their living in schools, what is most terrible is how patients of also low socio-economic status are subsequently dying of hunger and lack of medications, as well as the increasing criminal activities which resulted from poverty and illiteracy, certainly most of the Bauchi State citizens can testify to that. I challenge whoever see a mere fallacies here to dare provide reasons debunking the aforesaid.
On which ground did we please deserve sponsoring such event ? Certainly we deserve not, although some people might have said that conquering the aforesaid requires morethan 55million, but what do you think if the fund is expended on Setting Up a Skill Acquisition Centre, that will train and empower atleast 20 youth from each Local Government, instead of spending the money on the very few people ? Atleast 400 Bauchi State citizens would be free of abject poverty, which in one way or the other would reduce thuggery, and will indeed improve the living condition of our people.
The judgement is yours, despite the fact that leaders make mistakes as we do, but an ideal citizen is one who constructively and objectively criticise the Government for the slogan we have voted APC into office, which is Positive Change, we did not blame his Excellency with disguising under religion for exploitation, but peoples primary needs have to come first, the aim of our agitations is to convince the Government to embark on thoroughly studying how it expenses our funds, to avoid mismanagement of the scarce resources.
“You are not to be so blind with patriotism that you cannot face reality, wrong is wrong no matter who does it or says it”, Malcom X said.
Yahaya Sunusi
