From the onset, Sen.Abdul Ahmed Ningi tends to put his foot in the shoes of our fallen heroes of yore, the likes of the first and only Nigeria’s Prime Minister , Sir. Abubakar Tafawa Balewa and the first and only Premier of northern Nigeria, Sir Ahmadu Bello, of blessed memory, who left no stone unturned in upholding the spirit of transparency and national interest.
Senator Ningi embodies their ideals of courage, humility and guts.
Carefully sampling the opinion of most citizens on the recent suspension of my senator, and perhaps the role of the northern senators has raised dust in Nigeria’s political arena.
The negative tendencies of the decision taken by the apex law making body to distance Senator Ningi from his legislative duties for three months following his widely publicised outcry on the alleged budget padding N3.7 trillion is a shocking reminder to all on the need to redefine the way we practice our kind of democracy.
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His suspension has created a vacuum difficult to be replaced.
His constituents have been robbed of representation. The entire 19 northern states and the country by extension have been short-changed.
Even if senators from other parts of the country found nothing strange in the punishment motion moved by Senator Ibrahim Jimoh who is of the same caucus with the Senate President Godswill Akpabio, senators from North should have interrogated the propriety of the motion.
But then, on the flip side, making a simple analysis on his resignation as the Chairman of the Northern Senators Forum, it is evident that his suspension from the National Assembly gathers more political relevance to the opposition figure and patriot.
Leader, the popularity fetched you by the recent saga in all the conventional and new media where people trooped in their numbers to eulogize you for the sacrifice and total devotion as another giant of African democracy can be attributed to be a sign of better days ahead.
In retrospect, the fresh monetary secret deal in the 10th NASS exposed by Sen.Agom Jarigbe, even if the narrative was immediately changed for the fact that it will consume the whole Senate, will not be forgotten.
If anything, the call that Senator Ningi’s uproar should be given a critical look will remain ‘a quote on the marble’.
A big kudos to the brave man of the moment; to the non directional nay sayers and praise singers likely there is going to be fire on the mountain!
No guts, no glory as they say and in Senator Ningi, we have someone who is both politically astute and morally upright to take the right steps towards entrenching and enriching our democracy. Bravo to the brave leader.
Adamu Yalwa Gabi, (ANIPR) a journalist, wrote from Bauchi
