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Re-judicial
terrorism
By __________________________________________________________
I must admit that I was particularly dismayed, irked and amused when
I came across the piece “Judicial terrorism by Babayola Toungo (News
page, Aug 15-21, 2008). In that single article, the gentleman took a
swipe at the credibility of the Chief Justice of the Federation,
Justices of the Court of Appeal, the National Judicial Service
Commission (NJSC) and minced no words in showing his disdain and
apathy for his home State Chief Judge! Haba! No wonder he so aptly
titled the said article “Judicial Terrorism: for indeed, if all the
above as the writer has alluded either in collusion or otherwise
have metamorphosed into a kind of a syndicate, hell bent on
purporting and unleashing injustices, thus soiling their sacred
Judicial robes, but yet remain untouchable to the law of the land,
then yes Mallam Babayola our people have reasons to fear.
But fortunately, the situation is far from that you see, I’ve for
long discerned that Nigerian columnists can be categorized as such;
there are the idealists, those whom we read their words based on
their firm resolve to discuss issues from their ideological
perspectives and there are the Babayola Toungos, the opportunists.
In this category we find those whom we find their words in
newspapers simply because they can write, more often these writers
are nothing but spin-doctors and scare mongers. They crave and find
the limelight by either concocting, chastising or castigating high
profile individuals so as to get attention for themselves and who
knows, if they keep hitting the right chords with their pens and
with providence (as usual) on their sides some political office
holder somewhere (often from their state of origin) comes along to
offer these breed of writers one appointment or the other. Sounds
familiar? Of course it does!
Now, I was dismayed because of the way and manner Babayola Toungo
had with reckless abandon, spurred by you-know-what tried to pitch
us against ourselves. Hear him “I have had the privilege of going
through cases that were decided purely on sentiments and not points
of law-cases that I cannot divulge on the pages of newspaper”;
that’s pure baloney! A trick right out of a spin doctor’s textbook!
I was further dismayed because the establishment condone, commission
(in some cases) and celebrate these fellows and their deeds are
meant to maintain the status quo in our society whereby the few
elites maintain their grips on power to the detriment of the
helpless majority.
Dismayed because people like Babayola Toungo often find safe havens
within the government establishment from where they hurl innuendoes
and abuses at perceived opponents, cleverly and mischievously
exploiting the all too common rift even among the elites in power in
a vain and ambitious attempt to better their lot.
My beloved Adamawa state has been plunged into such a precarious nay
unfortunate situation and its annoying and disheartening when one
sees young, educated and promising indigenes come across in the
pages of newspapers (or elsewhere) in their quest as self appointed
foot-soldiers in the elitist rift prevalent in the state.
Behold if the reader thinks I am digressing, let me “”e lift the
veil, shed the light, and expose the face behind the facade by
categorically stating that the said article was not a crusade
against the Chief Justice of the Federation, the NJSC nor the
Justices of the Court of Appeal, that’s a tall order even for our
young and ambitious Babayola Toungo. No, it was on attempt to
ridicule and belittle the record and services of the Chief Judge of
Adamawa State, a man who had put in his lot for the development of
state and country and has been rewarded, awarded (QFR) and is
revered accordingly. Bluntly put, its politics and that has earned
my Ire.
Its politics of a wrong kind at a wrong time. the people of Adamawa
state have diligently and purposefully seen to a change of guard not
for the affairs of state to become mired in bickering, backbiting
and “I am holier than thou” posturing among its elites. But rather,
for there to be the long awaited economic, social and
infrastructural developments in the state; accomplishments that can
be attainable with the commitment and compromise on the part of all
stakeholders, all hands must be put on deck.
And that is why we must ignore the scare mongers and hate peddlers
among us, those whose trade it is to pull the religious, ethnic and
class wool over our eyes. The stakes are just too high this time
around.
Now my amusement stemmed from the writer’s disclosure of how he had
visited the high court complex in Yola “to check the statue of the
Lady of justice to check whether her blindfold was removed …”
Well I will call upon him to visit her again. Only this time around
not only will he find the blindfold still affixed to her, but I’ve
taken the pains of placing a dictionary at her feet so he can look
up the meaning of the word “terrorism”. He should precisely go on
September the 11th.
Dahir wrote in from Yola
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