MY RESPONSES TO THE PHONE CALL FROM A SAS ASSOCIATE My respected elder brother, Dr Nura Alkali, has asked me to state my responses to the claims made by my classmate who is a SAS associate. So here I go: 1. I do not have any evidence to prove that the Borno State government orchestrated Dr Stephen Davis allegations on SAS and Ihejirika, but there is no doubt that Kashims supporters love these allegations so much and are gleefully feasting on them. My interlocutor has also offered no evidence to substantiate his claim. 2. I am also not in possession of any evidence linking SAS to Boko Haram, but SAS claim that he abhors violence of any sort rings hollow in my ears because he had set up and nurtured ECOMOG as I witnessed in a city in which I grew up. 3. I believe ECOMOG and Boko Haram are diametrically opposed to each other. I dont know if some ECOMOG thugs had joined BH, though historically religious organizations had ennobled erstwhile criminals, but from what I have personally witnessed, the two are totally unrelated in their motivation and objectives. SAS used ECOMOG to intimidate and harass his political opponents and help rig elections and buy votes. The thugs also go round offices of political office holders from their own party to extort money so much that even their master, SAS, had to once ban them from all government offices. For example, they regularly collected money from LG chairmen and shared it among themselves. Some of them drove expensive cars including SUVs and built mansions from proceeds of thuggery. 4. On SAS personal fortune, I am as helpless as other ordinary Nigerian citizens in tracking the sources of his stupendous wealth. With poor accountability and lack of access to records, we are left with only speculations. In other climes, peoples wealth can be easily verified for the purposes of taxation, crime prevention, etc. What I can confirm as a resident of Borno is that SAS was indeed very rich rich when he joined politics and he played a great role in monetizing politics in Borno and raising the stakes in an area where he had comparative advantage. There was a time he was nicknamed Ali Qaruna (an unsavoury analogy to a rich but impious Quranic character). He vehemently opposed the nickname and discouraged its use. He seemed to have made his money so easily and he lavished expensive gifts even on the rich. I personally saw at Banki the Lincoln Navigator (SUV) he gave to Alhaji Tijjani Banki. 5. I do not believe that SAS is an anti-corruption crusader. He was a strong leader who had near-absolute control on his subordinates which he might have used to stop them from stealing to some extent, but I have my doubts regarding the legitimacy of the source of the money he used to purchase 4 jets, only one of which reportedly cost 11 billion naira! Again, I do not have any evidence to show he has stolen my states money. If he takes me to court, I will begin to sweat, unfortunately! 6. I believe KSM had been loyal to SAS for the larger part of the formers tenure. At a point even some KSMs supporters complained to anybody who cared to listen that KSM was too loyal to his godfather. Some people have called KSM derogatory names like deputy governor, caretaker, stooge, etc. on account of his perceived loyalty to SAS. There is a limit to which KSM could chew his pride and submit to indignity considering his level of education, intellect and exposure. So it was a matter of time before the duo parted ways. 7. I dont know if there was indeed an agreement on one-term between KSM and SAS. But knowing the character of SAS, I am inclined to believe he could demand such commitment from KSM 8. I do not believe that SAS came to know Buji Foi for the first time when the latter was nominated by his LG stakeholders for the position of commissioner. 9. On the distribution of government patronage, from what I have gathered from politicians, SAS tended to monopolize power and patronage. And for inexplicable reasons, he delayed distribution of houses built and motorcycles purchased for years. I personally saw the ceilings that had been eaten up by termites at the 707 Housing Estate. 10. From my observations, SAS is neither a progressive politician nor a visionary leader, despite the constructions he did during his tenure. To the extent of the strength of my single vote, I do not want him to represent my political interests. Not only him, I would not vote for any person he backs, even if that person is Alhaji Mohammed Goni. When I recently told a friend about this resolve, he added, he too wouldnt even if the candidate is Shettima Ali Monguno ( the epitome of integrity). His brand of politcs is very crude. He is willing to betray his party and do the bidding of presidents from other than his party. I felt shame when he refused to extend a simple courtesy to Ibrahim Shekarau when the latter visited Maidguri for his presidential campaign when even PDP governors warmly received Shekarau in their government houses before he attended his partys rallies. SAS was able to outrivalled his opponents not through the articulation of superior arguments, but on sheer deployment of intimidation and fraud. But if SAS is cleared of all allegations, I would wish him well in his legitimate private endeavours. I am not happy with him also for not having a single shop In any part of Borno State from where even two youths earn their livelihoods. Again, I believe he made a costly mistake by not being in the forefront of the struggle to bring peace to our state, and for not using his words or wealth to provide succour to our suffering citizens despite being one of the greatest beneficiaries of the entity called Borno State. May Allah guide us aright. I am willing to change my mind and accept genuine corrections on any of my beliefs above. Thanks
Posted on: Sun, 07 Sep 2014 13:02:19 +0000
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