THE UNSAVOURY TALES OF TWO MOHAMMEDS: Bala’s Gaffe in a Medley of Buhari’s Subterfuge - By 'Tunji Ajayi

THE UNSAVOURY TALES OF TWO MOHAMMEDS: Bala’s Gaffe in a Medley of Buhari’s Subterfuge

By ‘Tunji Ajayi

Just like a medical doctor who after signing Hippocratic Oath of ethics feigns ignorance, looking sideways when his patient is in agony and dying, a silent and recluse journalist is guilty of in-allegiance to his professional ethics if he fails to inform and educate his immediate environment. A scholar says “he performs an enlightening, critical and educating function.” Thus, typical of a lecturer, a journalist also educates. He is trained to “nose for news” and hardly keeps mum in the face of oddities. That’s his own job which earns him a decent living. Like a philosopher, Professor Karl Jaspers puts it in his “Dialogical Communication”: “We are indebted to the journalists for making knowledge and thought public.” Hence, he must strive to know at least something about everything, and everything about something. A professional must be skilled in his own arts, just like an executive governor or the president of a nation is first and foremost expected to perform the sacred functions of the chief security officer of his domain. No alibi for failure. Without security everything comes to naught. Of what value are beautiful infrastructures when human lives become a dozen for a penny! To avoid seeing oddities, barbarity and worthlessness of human lives especially in our present day Nigeria, just avoid flipping through the internet or android phone messages. It has now become a horrendous experience! I recently saw cattle being raped by some herders. I lost my appetite!

I am inclined to apologize to my learned lawyers for poke-nosing into their constituency in my bid to present my anecdote to buttress my points in this feature. Before I am accused of being obtrusive, let me state early enough that I do not profess to be a learned lawyer. I am not even learned at all. I know anyone who pontificates on a subject for which he is a novice could be charged for being obtrusive. But let me be quick to rely on the assertion of a Spanish Philosopher, Miguel de Unamuno which often impels me to apply legal anecdotal facts occasionally to buttress my writings over the years. Hear him: “Every peasant has a lawyer inside of him, just as every lawyer, no matter how urbane he may be, carries a peasant within himself.” One of the principles that fascinate me most as enunciated under tort of strict liability in law of negligence is the one in Ryland v Fletcher (1868). It seems to preach good neighborliness in human relationship. Briefly stated here, if a man for his own benefits brings or keeps anything on his land, which in the natural consequence of its escape causes havoc to another, he does so at his own peril. Consequently, he is answerable to the victims for whatever the damages done. However, the offender only has excuse to avoid liabilities, if he could prove beyond reasonable doubt that the damages so caused were due to the victim’s own fault or negligence. Or, he must prove that the escape which caused the damages was the consequence of a “viz major” – otherwise called “Act of God”; which in legal parlance are natural calamities beyond human prevention. This may include catastrophic consequences occasioned by e.g., torrential rainfall, earthquake, thunderstorm, etc.

Thus, the above poses the question, who really is my neighbor who deserves my loving care? For example, as postulated in Ryland v Fletcher (1868) above, if I installed a 100,000 liter overhead water tank in my premises to supply my fish farm, but the water pipe bursts and damages another person’s property 20 kilometer away from my premises, am I liable for any damages caused? By virtue of long distance viz 20 km away, is the victim seen as my neighbor as to deserve duty of care from me? I am tempted to think that regardless of geographical distance, any person that may be positively or adversely affected by my action, commission or omission is my “neighbor” by Ryland v Fletcher legal definition. Hence, regardless of tribe or race, herders ravaging farmland are dangerous “neighbors” who are culpable and liable to pay damages for their nefarious acts. QED!

Indeed, the Holy Bible Luke 1230-37 attests to the above point in the story of a certain rich man who was travelling from Jerusalem to Jericho and was viciously attacked by the bandits and robbed of all his belongings. Lying in his own pool of blood with machete wounds and deep lacerations on his body, a high priest and Levite renowned for self adulation of piety passed by in succession without rendering to him any help. They all looked the other way to avoid him rather than help to douse his excruciating pains. He was in this gory state until one of the Samaritans, often derided for being impious, was moved with pity and hurriedly gave him first aid treatment; took him to the hospital and paid all the bills to save his life. Like the principle of good neighborliness enunciated in Ryland v Fletcher above, Jesus the greatest teacher then asked the question, “Who really is the Samaritan’s good neighbor and true friend?” Is it the high priest or the Levite who eloped and abandoned him in pain or the Samaritan who saved his life? The lesson learnt here is that we all owe ourselves a duty of care regardless of geographical distance between us or racial difference. Here again, herders owe other Nigerians duty of care!

And this perhaps explains why the vituperations of the Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed become worrisome and frightening. Worrisome because Bala is a chief security officer and a role model in a country where he had been a minister, senator and now a governor. Frightening because, as an erudite Justice once averred: “the state of a man’s mind is as good or as bad as his intention and actions.” In other words, our minds process good or evil acts first, before putting them into action. Thus, in law of tort, it is observed that our actions are propelled by “mens rea”, viz intention and often followed by “actus reus” – the commission of premeditated action. Bala Mohammed is a well educated person who perhaps is not oblivious that from ages, the Hausas, Fulanis, Yorubas and the Ibos had been enjoying communal living. In fact, this writer grew up to see Sabongida in almost every city in Yorubaland where the Hausa and Fulani are often settled and practice their trades in all cities and towns. I often got fascinated by the Hausa hot tea hawkers who, in what often looks magical to me, would literally “throw” hot liquid tea at a yawning distance between one jug to another, albeit masterfully without even spilling a single drop, thus making me get late to school almost every day with attendant severe punishment by the strokes of the cane. The resultant body laceration hardly deterred me. I watched artful Hausa tea sellers daily, awe-struck! And while returning from school, we all bought hot Fulani “waara” (cheese) while we begged for extra, called “jara”. No one ever hurt any children who milled around them. And people lived in peace with one another. The host communities accommodated all, regardless of race, tribe and religion.

If Bauchi’s Governor Bala Mohammed who, by virtue of his exalted position as a chief security officer of his state, now saw that the bubble has burst, and the monster of hostility has now festered all over the country, a recall to sense of history and a thorough x-ray of the present unpleasant scenario would have helped our Governor Mohammed to ponder deeply to know that an “okete” (big bush rat) running out of its hole in the day time signifies bad omen. Bala ought to know that this uprising indicates something has gone amiss. Farming is seasonal and requires the use of huge human and material resources. The government at various strata had always advocated farming as antidote to our hunger and squalor. Thus, it is expected that the government would frown at anything that would negate the realization of national objective on food production. No matter how benevolent or painstaking, I do not know which farmer would cultivate his land for farming, either on subsistence or for commercial benefits to eke out living and provide jobs for the citizenry, only to wake up one morning to discover that all his efforts and investments have been ravaged by cattle under the watch of herders. Evidences abound that most victims who complain to the herders were either shot, slaughtered or decapitated, while their female staff and wives were raped before being slaughtered. For years people have complained bitterly and sought protection from the government without any reprieve. Alas, Mohammed Bala, the sitting Governor of Bauchi State’s argument was a resort to “argumentum ad hominem.” Bala didn’t talk about the reprieve for victims of herders’ horrendous acts. Rather, he advocated that every herder needed AK-47 rifle for self defense, adding that it was not the fault of the herders, whose nefarious activities have sent many victims to untimely graves, but the fault of the government that did not protect the herders and his cattle. But Bala failed to tell us whether it is even decent in the first instance for cattle to move in droves about our space, eating and ravaging other people’s farms and properties in this modern age. Neither did he tell us whether AK-47 mass destructive caliber of weapons should be moved about by herders, most of whom are underage children, and should even be in the school learning; rather trailing cattle in the bush from Birnin-Kebbi to Igboho, and Dutse to Ado-Ekiti, or from Damaturu to Abakaliki; and from Jalingo to Yenagoa. It didn’t bother Bala Mohammed how child herders are in possession of such highly lethal and unlicensed genocidal weapon. Bala added to his expletives: “We have so many Tiv people farming in Alkaleri, in Tafawa Balewa, farming in Bogoro LGAs; has anybody told them to go? We have not, because it is their own inalienable rights to be there.” Bala went into the history book: “We have Yoruba people in Bauchi, for over 150 years, even before the birth of Nigeria. Some of them have risen to become permanent secretaries in Bauchi, In Gombe and in Borno.” Unfortunately, our eloquent Governor Bala did not tell us whether those who have been allowed to farm for 150 years in Alkaleri or Balewa bought or rented the land or they merely bulldozed their way onto such land, wielding AK-47 rifles and knives to cut the throats or rape the wives and children of their hosts. Neither did our Governor Bala Mohammed tell us that those who became permanent secretaries in Bauchi or in Gombe as he claimed flaunted AK-47 rifles to have their way.

Typical of our loving President, whom one of his eloquent spokespersons said should not be pummeled to talk too much so as not to become too talkative on ravaging insecurity due to endless genocide, rape, kidnapping for ransom etc in the country, Bala, like President Mohammadu Buhari also loves peace, which Buhari preaches almost every time, especially through his eerie silence. But we all know that peace thrives only where there is justice. They are inexorably tied together like Siamese twins. The slight difference between the two “Mohammads” is that while Bala is eloquent with the mastery of his “argumentum-ad-hominem”, living substance in the crux of the matter in focus and accusing victims, Buhari on the other hand has proven to be a master of what we call “Kinetics” or para-language in mass communication. He is like a father who doesn’t talk to his children to settle differences or placate when life-threatening crises ensue in his household, but merely uses body languages to speak. And when an “encoder” speaks only with body language and gesticulation the “decoder” merely responds and acts based on whatever he honestly or dishonestly translates the message to mean. But the truth is that in Yoruba proverbs: “Òrìsà tí kò f’ohùn, a ò mo t’eni t’ó n se.” – No one ever knows the exact position on any issue by a dumb god. Thus, failure to speak the truth when it matters either amounts to an act of cowardice or dishonesty to create subterfuge. Prolonged silence is often interpreted to mean complacency or complicity. And that explains the aphorism that evil thrives when honest men keep silent. A single presidential live broadcast laden with blunt truth would have solved a lot of problems. But silence goes on, while government’s spokespersons often peddle half-truths to please their benefactors. Like the Roman emperor, Marcus Aurelius would say: “A wrong man is not always one who has done something wrong, but also a man who has left something undone.” A leader must have definite position on key national problems. For every minute of institutional eerie silence, innocent lives are lost almost everywhere in the country.

Earlier in “Igboho & His Unbridled Altruism: Filling The Void in Lethargic Governance”, I related the true life story of how most herders are having carnal knowledge of their cattle, which is an obvious threat to human health. I struggled to avoid the use of sexual relation here, except for clear understanding of the message. But the truth is that environment often dictates human behavior. Anyone who has lived in the bush all his life, trekking thousands of kilometers under asphyxiating conditions cannot behave like humans. Civility has no meaning to anyone who has imbibed bestial and animalistic conducts, perhaps from his birth. It is a truism.

The bottom line? Let there be immediate end to cattle grazing now. Where law ends, tyranny begins. Let law rule rather than harp on obsolete age-long practices. Slavish adherence to past precepts and practices is a hindrance to societal progress. Let each state have their “industrialized ranching.” It provides employment opportunities. It naturally stops cattle rustling and illegal trans-border weapons movements. It stops “pasturalism” which breeds barbarism. Leaders should stop seeing life’s security issues from the narrow prism of political sentiments, acrimonious politicking, brickbats and recriminations. State governors should be decisive rather than being “his master’s voice” or always relying on presidential body languages to think. And to governors and traditional rulers who tremble and are unable to do what is right while their subjects are being raped, beheaded, massacred and living in palpable fear, they should quickly free themselves from their self-imposed prisons. Now is the time to realize that “lean liberty is far better and noblier than fat slavery.” Verbum Satis Sapienti ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Tunji Ajayi, a creative writer, author, biographer and audiovisual documentary producer writes from LC-Studios Communications, Nigeria (+2348033203115, +2348162124412) facebook.com/tunji.ajayi.946