When people you hold in “regards” repeatedly gaffe; whilst gaffes many times don’t appear as such to gaffers, it’s still so to others nonetheless, replying to them becomes a burden, a burden of morality, but it eases off when what connect the would -be replier to the one who gaffes is everything, anything positive and moralistic; it is to this latter part that I stand, otherwise our connections would have come to naught. Sir Dzukogi, certainly when you hadn’t seen my reply on the essay you penned on my Principal, Malagi, you must have being wondering why I haven’t replied, this is the reason; I have being pained and moved that you hadn’t consider all our years of being, you could go to this length to write this kind of unguided essay, for what I wouldn’t tell; against someone you knew I am with? Well as much as I know it’s you prerogative to write what you want to write and for who, there’s this thing we call decorum, kunya, leaving or doing something because of someone: you should have spared Malagi, however tempting the price might be because of me, but you didn’t.
I hitherto wanted it to let it slide but I wouldn’t be fair to you because you are going to be disappointed in my inaction and I do not like disappointing people, I have never disappointed you before; I can’t afford to do it now.
You didn’t look at my face when you yarned, I shall try to look at your own, at least because of reverence. Be assured I am not going to poke my hand into your eyes as you did my Principal, Malagi, it’s not a virtue of Nupe to poke hands into eyes of people who are ahead of them or your seniors because of gba’ako/stomach,I am not going to do it at least. If you slander for Bago because he is from Bida like you,then know that I am from Gbako as Malagi. If you slander for Bago because he’s from Masaba like you, then know that I write rejoinder this tersely because we are from same place and community with Malagi; so that brings us to par; there shouldn’t be hard feeling resulting: if that is what you motive is, then it’s pedestal of you to be doing it in the first place, how shameful it is.
To what end the incessant slanders with the essays against Malagi? In your latest write-up you alleged “Mohammed Idris Malagi was the first to be called by Tinubu as a Minister nominee and the Malagi/PDP cohort appeared to have had the last laugh” The meaning of “libel” shouldn’t be lost as you are senior in the profession of pen-pushing; exactly so is what your assertion looks like. Does it mean you don’t know how damaging and unguided your statement is? Damaging to the front you claim gives you the license, the creative writing.You are adulterating this front, you are making us look petty, I mean Niger State creative writing clime: you are making us to look as cash and carry people by your singularly act of incessant essays which is boxing us into a corner: for however you try to mask your writing, underlying motive could be inferred. Draw a line between using creative writing for personal gain and creative writing for positive change, we are society’s conscience, your writings on politics points to the opposite, why am I saying this? over the years you have presented yourself as “societal lost conscience” with passionate call to re-enforce through children mentoring, what happens to the front now? Is it Arts for Arts sake, or using Arts for political gain or even Arts for personal gain? define please.
Again, your inferences looks like you saying”Tinubu’s choice of appointing Malagi as Minister is a bad choice because of his non-thought” if it is, then you are biting the finger that once fed you in Shettima, your benefactor of Northern Writers Forum, the Man(Shettima)was picked to be this Man’s Vice, how ironic? Could you say you haven’t benefited from the NWF? Now you are denigrating this old Man innocently because you wanted to be fixed: should we put your services with NWF under spotlight and see whether you earned “the holier than thou” posture you parade? You have indeed wronged your benefactor, Shettima albeit mischievously by denigrating his benefactor, Tinubu. Less I forget, are you the one now calling the PDP “Cohort”? this isn’t you writing ; PDP and you of all people? The party (PDP) fah? You served under this Party as a DG remember ? On the statement above all together, didn’t you see how you expose yourself to libel and sedition?
A writer should be different from a griot, You Dzukogi exhibited this: Grioting is meddling to the extent that you don’t consider how your opposite is and whether he likes it or not, to the singing of praises of your immediate employer to all detriments, though an ancient practice, today it returned in another form, if not, how could you of all people sing this unashamedly that “…Any event that makes Tinubu to raise Malagi over the current guardians of Niger could be perilous. These guys are ruthless political rambos; they go for the kill and never intimidated” Hear that? This kind of words from one who professes morality, bare praise-singing, grioting unshamefacedly; when you could do it openly how would you reprimand young men whose stock in trade it is today? And what brought “ramboing, ruthless,kill” words into the arena of politicking, Sir you could easily be carried away so much that you would mention it yourself? I mean violence promoting words: Unwisely too, you could mention the name of the Commander in Chief(C-in-C) in the same line with threatening word “Perilous”? You mean you don’t know how powerful the President of this nation is, so much that these words alone can set the DSS after you whether they are ordered to or not? this is treason. Threatening fire and brimstone on the President who haven’t wronged you in anyway, see how desperate you look Sir, these words bespoke the inner you which your outburst betrays. What do you want this badly? You could throw caution to air and jump unto a rushing stream because you wish to justify something to others who had being in the business of dangering.
Your headline screamed hypocritically ” … Power game in Niger is set alit..”(You mean to say”alight” obviously) now going by the above you said about the President, who has set or is trying to set Niger alight politically? Who sent you? Bago or Sani 313? Certainly they didn’t send you, you were just trying to explore the doubts in their minds which you could have probably discussed with them, and readily latched on their weaknesses to make an opening for yourself in their hearts, you probably wish to express your loyalty to curry favors: indeed you are making their positions untenable and awkward, you are not doing them any service but spoiling their names, you are not representing them, they didn’t send you. My grandma once told me (this is not in any way related to this piece) she told me virtuous men don’t explore gaps and kindle fire between leaders to favor themselves; only non-virtuous prosper in that gulf; you are one of those setting the political atmosphere alight in Niger with incessant slanderous essays.
You said this too “While Malagi and his collaborators in PDP and APC see his Ministerial appointment as an advantage to continue to wrestle power from Bago in 2027” the “alighter-in-chief” sannu!! Again you and PDP? You,Talba and Tanko Beji’s PDP? duniya kenan, mutum ma kenan!! This Malagi you are trying to denigrate, can you please tell us what transpired between you or should we ask him to come out and address what’s between you on radio? probably Tsalle Daya? I guess the trouble isn’t worth it after all, let’s not encourage adding carcass of antelope to that of rhesus monkey while on hunting expedition, they are animals of different phyla, one higher, the other lower. Would you say you hadn’t had anything of benefit in anyway from him for any of your persons, that you are now trying this hard to denigrate? Should I take it that this is a case of blackmail and we shouldn’t trade in it for comfortability?
Alas, you wrote an essay on the 9th October 2022 or there about, like this recent one (where I wrote a rejoinder too) you made countless slanderous remarks and allegations against same Man; certainly this isn’t spontaneous; you said so many things that betrays the bile inside you but I took this away from your essay as consolation “Forget about morality and law in Nigerian Politics” by this statement you confirm that anything done for sake of politics is fair,so your essay is good and fair, I guess as this piece, this rejoinder. Welcome to politics,my party is APC and with a membership card, what’s your party Sir? wouldn’t it be better to get a party’s membership card ahead 2027, since by your inference you got assurance you will get there.
Exposing your bile, you said childishly again thus”Bago is an open,aggressive political conqueror; 313 is a smooth aggressive political conqueror. Sabi is a patient political conqueror.Malagi is a naive political gentleman” “Naive” you said about Malagi, naive fah! haba these words for someone who hasn’t wronged you in anyway ? even those practicing politics as profession dare not say this to even their opponents from other parties openly; this political confrontational stance what for? or are you planning going into politics henceforth and about turning some place to a political party headquarters or what?
If you do not want to be dragged,do not fall, a Nupe adage .Please leave Malagi out of your quest for relevance.You and anyone in Nigeria should go and do your things, what does it matter to Malagi? Small men talk men, talk and kept talking, thumping chest and talking, walking around just talking empty talks, while employing empty men to talk their empty minds: Big Men build mazes for sustenance of livelihoods and benefits to men, the humanity.Talk has always being cheap, work is not talking, work the work and not talking the empty talks.
The End.
Jibrin Bala Jibrin Yikangi,
Is a Poet, A Teacher and a Social Activist
He writes from Gbako.
