The Traffic

SGF, Political Boldness and the Northern Anger

by Mattiahs Gokum

The phrase "wonder shall never end" is a truism that expresses the idea that the world is full of surprises and marvels that will continue to astonish us. It suggests that no matter how much we learn or experience, there will always be new and unexpected things to discover. This saying is often used to convey a sense of amazement or disbelief at something extraordinary or unexpected.

The foregoing applies in all respects to the governor of Benue State, Reverend Hyacinth Alia, who, even as a former priest, took his political animosity to a level unbecoming of gentiles. The latest front in his anger is that people he wanted to be enemies fraternized in the house of God.

The occasion was the thanksgiving organized in honour of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator Akume, at Konshisha Local Government Area of Benue State. The event also doubled as the 50th birthday thanksgiving of Dr. Matthias Byuan, an Executive Director at the Federal Housing Authority, FHA. 

Senator Akume is a high-ranking chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the highest-ranking member in the North-Central. Alia’s anger was that the immediate past governor of Benue State, his predecessor, Chief Samuel Ortom, who is of the People Democratic Party (PDP), was present at the event. How dare Akume and Ortom, both former governors of Benue state, both God-loving men, be physically present at the same event in the house of God, when as political opponents should be at each other’s throats?

Alia’s warped thinking got even wilder with him holding Senator Akume responsible for the “attacks” Ortom hurled at him following the event. For the suspended priest, this turn of events is confirmation of a gang-up between Akume and Ortom to fight the APC in Benue state. At least that is what his hirelings went about town saying. However, they were unable to articulate how Senator Akume could have stopped a full-grown adult from expressing his thoughts on the mess the present occupant is making of the same office he once held.

A note must be made of how the Benue State governor cannot distance himself from this hatemongering since his Chief Press Secretary, Sir Tersoo Kula, in a statement, criticised Ortom's presence at the event and deployed uncharitable language against his predecessors. Other groups that have spoken on behalf of Alia, like the North-Central All Progressives Congress (APC) Forum, sang from the Chief Press Secretary’s and Alia’s hymn books. 

Interestingly, Alia’s unjustified rage directed at Akume, and Ortom, has blinded him to the tragedy of his situation. In his bid to undermine the SGF, he unwittingly made himself into a willing tool for certain shady elements in the North, who are targeting Senator Akume for daring to tell them the truth that President Bola Tinubu, on account of his impactful policies, would easily win in 2027, hence, no vacancy in the Presidency. Alia has also made himself into a hireling for those desperate to drag down the SGF because of his passionate defence of the President’s reform policies.

In the final analysis, it has been documented that Alia made himself a slave for the North to malign the APC leader for the North-Central. He will have to continue in that capacity as the North’s errand boy being the only relevance he has in the current configuration.

But a political reckoning is of little consequence where the spiritual is being considered. Alia’s biggest fall from grace is the loss of his spiritual compass. A loss made worrisome by his continued descent into a bottomless pit of hatred that made him bellyache because two men decided to appear together in the house of God for thanksgiving. So deep is this hatred that the former priest could not recall 1 Corinthians 12:12-14 which said “The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So, it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.” Alia should have known that some are APC some are PDP, and some are of other political persuasions, but they are all creatures of God, who must be allowed to fraternize as they deem fit.

For the people of Benue State, who Alia has attempted to mislead into hating each other even though their governor ought to be a man of God, one is compelled to refer them to Romans 16:17, which says, “I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them.” And to Psalms 133:1 “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!” Irrespective of political affiliation, the people of Benue state and the north-central should dwell in unity and not be set against each other based on contrived political divisions.

In sowing his seeds of division, through his urchins, Alia urged President Tinubu to watch Senator Akume. But it is Alia that must be watched. A fallen priest given to this much hatred is a danger to all and must be watched closely to ensure he does not drag Benue State, the north-central and entire Nigeria to hell with him.