It is indeed amazing and also laughable to see the reactions to my article from a good number of people who showed concern, some attacked and some exposed their cowardice without reserve. These came across the divides of people who claim to have our region at heart. Ofcourse, there are those who appreciated the voice that whispered that truth against all odds.
My article has stirred the media space and some quarters who think they own the platform and can manipulate everyone by their jamborees, felt they can buy over the sanity of my pen. My article was purely personal and it’s inspired by the burden I have for the good people of my region, especially my constituency. I believe, posterity will judge me harshly if I put my pen to rest when I already know the facts from the fictions and refuse to defend the truth.
Like it or not, in Borno State, we have a lot of fine politicians, but no one can deny the fact that we have someone that leads while others follow; someone that stood out while others are struggle to fit in; someone, unlike others, his ultimate fulfilment is in the wellbeing of his people – Hon Betara. He has become the first for his people, if not for anything, most of his impact in his constituency happens to be the first we ever know. If you talk about solar lights in our consistency, Betara was the first to install them; when you talk about tiled roads in the remotest areas in Borno south, Betara was first to change that narrative, when you talk about portable water in many rural areas, Betara was the first that gave that to our people; when you talk about the first mini-standard stadiums in the history of Borno south, Betara made that possible; when talk about mechanized farming, Betata made that a reality; when you talk about standard police stations in Borno south, Betara made that a reality and the list goes on. If these are facts of the first with Betara’s impact, we as a people won’t be wrong to make him our first. He gave us most of our first experiences in many things, and we make him our first in one thing, our first and trusted leader.
The saying has become evidently true, as we observed in the leadership style of Honorable Betara, that diligence pays, service brings honor and everyone falls in love with value. If stating the facts makes me a politician then I am proud to be one. Moreover, if you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.
Honorable Muktar Betara Aliyu, OON has become a beacon of hope to many homes, wards, cities, Local Government Areas, States and the Nation, not because he is the oldest of all politicians, but, he has married his lifestyle to the popular saying, “I have reached a rank where all men honor me, but I understand honor comes from service”.
Therefore, I want to sound the trumpet loudly, that Borno State should wise up, so we dont fracture the possibilities that lie ahead of us with Honorable Betara after the general elections in 2023. May we not be the ones standing against ourselves! Fighting a leader like Betara equals fighting the people and if the people are against you, you lose in all things. Honorable Betara will not speak as his trajectory is known as a man who choses peace and follows peace with all men. Nevertheless, we pledge allegiance as indigence to become the voice of the man who gave us water when we were dead thirsty; the man who gave us light, when we struggle to find our paths at night; the man who gave our children the assurance of a better future through quality education and scholarships at all levels; the man who stood his ground and ensured we have quality health care facilities, thereby reducing drastically the number of mortality in our region; the man who has lived up to our mandate that today whether he is present or not the entire region is engaged in productive empowerment every two weeks, thereby, taking off our youths from drugs and crime.
These gestures we see in Honorable Betara align to the saying by Ronald Reagan that, “the greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.”
Good leaders possess self-awareness, garner credibility, focus on relationship-building, have a bias for action, exhibit humility, empower others, stay authentic, present themselves as constant and consistent, become role models and are fully present. This is the definition of the leader we have seen in Honorable Betara over the years.
Leaders using foresight to make better decisions are most concerned with mitigating the risks for any strategy they decide to move forward with. Through foresight, leaders are able to develop many possible strategies that they could take in response to the scenarios they identified. This has been the strength and strategy we see in Honorable Betara.
Knowing what you stand for and standing up for it not only assists in the journey towards self-realisation but also in achieving the collective goal. Thus, I advise the good people of my constituency, that as the general elections for 2023 draws nearer, let’s all come out and show the world what we are made of, and the prove of our expressions of love, loyalty and appreciation to Honorable Muktar Betara Aliyu, OON. After that we can boldly declare as a people, “masu gudu, su gudu”
