My Problem With Matawalle’s Dangerous Politics

By Na-Allah Mohammed Zagga

Since losing power as Governor, Bello Matawalle, the current Minister of State for Defence, seems to be primarily preoccupied with how to undermine the Dauda Lawal administration in Zamfara State. It seems that he is so consumed by the bitterness of losing power that he even forgot the challenges of the job he was appointed to do.

The only yardstick by which Matawalle can prove that he deserves the appointment is by using his influence to crush the bandits that subject his own people to a reign of terror. What we have seen instead is that Matawalle is more committed to undermining the success of the PDP administration under Governor Dauda Lawal. It’s immoral and callous to prioritise your political ambition at the expense of your people’s security.

A fake press release is currently being circulated which alleged that Governor Dauda Lawal has banned the Zamfara Ulama council members from praying for APC and the Tinubu administration. This allegation, even in the eyes of a kid, cannot survive scrutiny from any discerning Nigerian. Only politicians who have no agenda for development or any clear strategy for ending the suffering of their own people will use this cheap blackmail to divert our attention.

I’m particularly concerned about the image of the Ulama who are allowing themselves to be used as tools for blackmail. Our religious clerics should respect their own public image and dignity and they can only do so by staying out of being manipulated by desperate politicians.

As Minister of State for Defence, does it matter who prays for you? Is that how you are going to impress President Tinubu that you up to the task? Since Matawalle became a Minister of State for Defence, my expectation is that there would be a dramatic change in the situation on the ground in terms of banditry. What we are seeing instead is a dramatic escalation of banditry. Governor Dauda Lawal has no control over the military; they’re not accountable to him. So, he has no power to give orders to anyone to crush the bandits and rescue hostages within a specific deadline.

I’m from Kebbi State, one of the areas under siege from bandits, and I was initially optimistic that, with Matawalle’s appointment, the bandits would no longer have a hiding place. Unfortunately, I have not seen that kind of impact since his appointment as a Minister of the State for Defence. What we are seeing instead is that his priority is focused on frustrating the administration of Governor Dauda Lawal.

This is so disappointing. Instead hitting the ground running, Matawalle is still crawling as his people turn their heads to the wall in despair. Governors are powerless because they can’t hold commanders accountable for failure. A minister with Defence portfolio shouldn’t play politics with his office.

Do you need Ulama to pray for you in order to succeed? Can a child pass his exam if he didn’t read or work hard to succeed? No amount of prayers can change a child who is not up to it. Can the Ulama be held accountable for your own failures? For a Minister who advocated a Muslim/Muslim ticket, this is the time to prove he is worth his salt instead of diverting our attention by seeking to pit the Ulama against the Dauda Lawal administration.

President Tinubu should learn from the lessons of his predecessor General Buhari who thought that you needed an indigene to tackle local problems. Buhari removed Fashola as Power Minister and replaced him with Engineer Mamman Saleh. Eventually Buhari was disappointed. Fashola, a lawyer, did far better than Mamman Ali, an engineer!

Public office is about competence. Being an indigene doesn’t automatically give you what it takes to make a difference.

Instead of working harmoniously with Dauda Lawal for the progress of Zamfara State, Matawalle is fighting him and undermining his administration.

The defence portfolio is so important that no one should be allowed to play politics with it. You can’t undermine Dauda Lawal without undermining national security. It’s utterly ridiculous that a man who has an important job to do should devote his entire energy to fighting the Dauda Lawal administration. As I have argued in my previous comments, or articles, there is nothing wrong with political patronage. People should be rewarded for their efforts to bring President Tinubu into power. In doing so, however, the government shouldn’t sacrifice competence for the sake of political expediency.