Asuku And The Burden Of Good - By Samuel Aina »

If nobody talks about you
Then you are nobody
Whether na true them talk
Or na lie yi
Wallahi 🎶

True words spoken on a truly legendary song by two of Nigeria’s finest, 2Face and Mr Incredible himself, (MI). I’m sure you remember it, as we all do. In this instance, it bears that semblance of greatness which every timeless song imbibes, as years after its release, I have called upon it to bring light to a falsehood that originated from the pits of darkness.

Nobody speaks about people who do nothing. Infact, the more people speak about you, then the likelihood that you must be doing something right is very high. Immediately I heard about the falsehood that circulated in the media about what the Chief of Staff to the Governor of Kogi State, Pharm. Jami’u Abdulkareem Asuku was alleged to have said in a radio broadcast, I believed it to have been concocted from the depths of baseless religious and tribal politics which beguiled us all before.

Pharm. Asuku is a man that has been another shining light in the armoury of Governor Yahaya Adoza Bello in the past Four years, redefining the position of the DG Protocol, and was rightly chosen to handle the arduous task of being Chief of Staff to a Lion. If a torch doesn’t shine, who would try to block its light?

Nobody.

In all my years of beholding his presence, he has never demonstrated any semblance of being a religious fanatic. He has treated everyone regardless of tribe and religion with maximum respect, and has never let the the massive trust given to him by the Governor get to his head. You only need to check amongst his staff to see a perfect demonstration of the sort of man we speak of, as men and women of different tribes even outside Kogi State bear the honour of doing his bidding. In the fight against religious and tribal inequality which was a major problem pre-2016, he has been a reliable vanguard. He – alongside many others in the NEW DIRECTION team – has borne the task of ensuring that every person in Kogi State feels important and loved.

A man known for his brilliance and eloquence, I fail to see any reason why, having been a major propagator of unity and oneness, he would decide that now is the best time to promote disharmony. However, it is clear that lovers of evil will stop at nothing to see the youth in this government fail, and in a manner that befits a rapturous applause, it is the same youth that have cut away the virus at the root instead of giving it time to spread.

A good name, they say, is far better than silver or gold. People from far and wide, who listened to the radio broadcast live and even those who didn’t, have come out to denounce this liar, and have shown him that rather than being a party to falsehood, we will all rise as one and dissect issues going forward with good reason. Christians and Muslims alike have seen through the lies, and what was meant to sour the milk, has sweetened the tea.

A lesson to detractors and another win for Governor Yahaya Adoza Bello, who has never failed to remind us all that his major aim is to leave Kogi State far more unified than he met it. All I can say, as with everything else he has touched, is that IT IS WORKING.

History has proven that when fault is hard to find, people concoct lies to fill the void. Well, this lie has missed its mark, and will continue to do so until these eejits realize that religion and tribe can not come between us again.

So I say to Pharmacist Jami’u Abdulkareem Asuku, keep your head high and continue doing the great work you have started. The impact of your benevolence and hard work is being felt in every corner of the State. You have started well, make the rest count.

God bless you, and God bless Kogi State.

Samuel Aina.