Ladies and gentlemen of the press, thank you for hearing and relaying the voices of the citizens of Nigeria. The freedom of the press is the only liberty extended to ordinary citizens in Nigeria today. We hereby speak on behalf of the Tangale people under siege of the Gombe state government and particularly, Gov. Inuwa Yahaya. Just when you think the man is completely out of touch with reality and the rule of law, he finds ways to outdo himself. We would like to draw the attention of the world to two recent events that expose the snake-like behavior and activities of Gov. Yahaya.
After the unfortunate violence that followed a peaceful protest by the Tangale women in which they demanded the governor honor the culture and traditions of the Tangale people, the governor sent 25 Muslim and 9 Christian leaders to visit the sites and people that suffered loss. The report by the committee chairman, which the governor gladly announced and celebrated is quite alarming. It claims that 32 Mosques and 1 church were destroyed within hours on Friday evening.
Two points of concern in that statement are, 1. The logistics required for such random, yet precise attack must involve coordination of many people. According to the report, most of the damage was done to businesses in a specific location. Are these 32 mosques in the same location? We know where two mosques and one church are located but would like to know of the others. 2. The number of Mosques alleged to have been destroyed within Billiri is clearly exaggerated for political and financial gains. Where are those mosques located? Can the committee provide pictures and names of the location? We are from Billiri and no one in Billiri can point to 32 mosques that were either torched or destroyed.
The report is clearly tempered with by the governor because he has an agenda to harm the Tangale people’s reputation as we have pointed out already.
Another precarious and embarrassing strategy of Gov. Yahaya was the use of government-owned or supported media as a propaganda tool. He and his allies extended their reach to the Voice of Nigeria (VON) Hausa service, where an outrageous concoction of an interview of a purported member of Tangale youth, with an accent that is clearly not from Tangale, was recorded with the aim of broadcasting to Hausa listeners. In the audio the interviewee claimed his team of vandals was promised money by some unnamed people to carry out the mayhem in Billiri.
The speaker, codenamed “Ben” threatened to reveal the names of their sponsors if they are not paid. Well, we know that he was paid to make the statement, but we encourage him to please go ahead and reveal his sponsors because we the Tangale people have been looking for the perpetrators of the mayhem beyond the governor himself. His own time of justice will come sooner or later.
We also caution VON, not to let anyone drag its own reputation into the mud of fake news. We encourage them to investigate the matter and save its name from the children of Inuwa Yahaya, who knows no shame. Propagating lies on such a medium could lead to national upheaval.
In view of the known precarious behavior of the governor, we invite members of the free press to visit Billiri town and take pictures of the said places of worship that were destroyed. We put our credibility and that of Gov. Yahaya to the test on this matter. We challenge specifically, the Gombe state media, public and private, to visit Billiri town and check the findings of the Kangaroo committee.
If they truly care for the truth, they should verify any claims made by anyone, unless they are propaganda tool of the government as charged. According to media report by Mr. Danladi Bako, of Periscope Nigeria (www.periscopenga.com), not only did the committee report hide the names of casualties, but it also refused to say what financial compensation they recommended. This means the governor has a free hand to release whatever amount of money in the name of compensation, this also ironically coming on the heels of massive layoffs of healthcare workers in the state.
Gov. Yahaya said his administration meant well and that the reason for the formation of the lopsided committee was to “entrench healing and brotherhood.” He added that the recommendations would be implemented in a just manner, noting, “Poverty, disease, and hunger have no eyes when they catch, they just catch anybody, whether you are Muslim, Christian, or Animist or whether you are Hausa, Fulani, Tangale, Waja, or Lunguda; humanity is one.” If one puts the above statement against the actions of the governor, which led to the loss of lives and property in Billiri, one wonders how this man got to lead a state. Leaders look for ways to prevent harm to their followers and hinder crisis.
When Gov. Yahaya intentionally abrogated the customs and traditions of the Tangale people and put himself in the position of choosing their traditional ruler, he was aware that the Tangale people would never acquiesce. He knew the potential for protest exists but wanted violence to erupt as evidenced by the Yan Kalare in his entourage.
The violence gave him cover to carry out his roguish lockdown and indiscriminate arrests of Tangale people. The man attacked the identity of the Tangale people by bringing an instrument of Fulanization on the throne of Mai Tangle. He did not choose Alh. Magaji Mai Yamba but brought Mallam Danladi Maishanu from Gombe and tried to make him Mai Tangle. Did he expect that the Tangale people will fold their hands and accept a stooge of his?
Gov. Yahaya is only a politician who will be out of office soon, but the Tangale people will remain and will never recognize Mallam Danladi as Mai Tangle. Justice will rain down, the truth will prevail, and in the end, the Tangale customs and traditions will prevail when Dr. Musa Idris Mai Yamba sits on the throne as chosen by the Tangale people.
Make no mistake about this, the Tangale people are neither led nor swayed by politicians. We are a people with a long history of resistance to the Fulani agenda against the minority tribes of Middlebelt Nigeria. If you doubt it, check with our cousins, the Kanuri tribe of Borno. We continue to challenge our neighboring tribal nations to wake up and see what is going on in other parts of the Middlebelt and the nation. Gov. Yahaya is only a small part of the big plan of Fulanization of Nigeria.
The tactic of divide and rule has been at play for a while. There is no reason for any violence between the tribal nations in Tangale-Waja. We should not kill ourselves while the enemy sits and watches, meanwhile, using the tool of government to oppress us when we challenge him. The Tangale people will never surrender their identity to the pen of Gov. Yahaya or his emissaries living among the Tangale people.
Long Live Mai Tangle Dr. Musa Idris Mai Yamba,
Long Live Tangale, Long Live Tangale-Waja,
Long Live Gombe State, Long Live Nigeria
Signed:
General Secretary,
For Tangale Community Overseas
(USA, Canada, Australia, UK, Germany, the Czech Republic)
