Polygamy and governance

Nyako: God punish the press (?)By Reuben Abati

GOVERNOR Murtala Nyako of Adamawa state keeps showing up in the news for the wrong reasons. He needs to pull himself together and begin to focus on the urgent task of providing leadership. For eight years, Adamawa state was a centre of acrimonious politics. This was particularly so in the last four years of the Obasanjo administration, largely on account of the feud between President Obasanjo and his Vice President Atiku Abubakar. At a point, Adamawa, the latter's home-state was described as one of the hot spots of Nigerian politics. The then Governor, Bonnie Haruna was quick to announce that he was "Atiku's boy" and he diverted so much energy that should have gone into the business of governance to the protection of Atiku's interest on the home-front. Expectedly, the people of Adamawa were short-changed.
When Nyako showed up as Governor in 2007 many progressives across the nation heaved a sigh of relief. Nyako was generally regarded by the public as an officer and a gentleman: polite, urbane and well-behaved. A former Naval officer, he rose to the rank of a Rear Admiral. He had also served previously as Governor of Niger State and Chief of Naval Staff. Unlike many of his contemporaries, there was no whiff of scandal around him. In retirement, he had shown much capacity for continued hardwork with his public-spiritedness and investments in farming. Nyako in the last few weeks, unfortunately has been burning his bridges and squandering his goodwill.
While other state Governors have been busy showcasing their achievements in 100 days, and their plans for the future, Nyako has been caught up in a sordid drama of his own making. It is best described as an unwanted distraction from which he should extricate himself. It is the drama of his four wives - Binta, Halima, Zainab and Asamau. The press had reported that Nyako in an attempt to treat his wives equally had chosen to democratise the office of the First Lady by parcelling out the office to his four wives, with assigned responsibilities: (a) Political Affairs and Social Mobilisation (b) Abuja Affairs; (c) Health, and (d) Home Front. In its September 12, 2007 edition, The Guardian published a story: "Nyako's wives at war over office", indicating that Nyako's method of managing possible conflict over the First Lady office was in fact, now, a source of friction among his competing wives and their supporters.
The politics of First Ladyship, and its history as a source of wastage and undue self-promotion has been a vexed issue among Nigerians. The media immediately began to feast on the story with the notorious refrain that Nyako should call his wives to order. Thus, Nyako and his four wives became the main news from Adamawa state. The Governor and his team had tried to do some damage control. They used public funds to place full-page advertorials in the press specifically to accuse The Guardian of "immoral calumny" - being their response to the newspaper's editorial: "Nyako and his four wives" (September 17, 2007). The rejoinder contained more fog than light. In the future, Nyako should pay for such advertorials from his own purse, using public funds to fight his private battles is indecent.
Obviously unhappy, Nyako was also reported as having defended himself as follows: "I want to clear the air. I am a Muslim and as such, all wives have equal status and so far I have not declared any one of them as First Lady. You know during my tenure as a former governor, my wife was never referred to as a First Lady, even though she was the only one then. So as far as I am concerned, there is no such thing as a single first lady. You know that they are very talented, they have doctorate degrees, one in medicine, one in education, one in law, and even the fourth one is highly educated too. So, in the programme of government, any one of them who shows interest will be entitled to contribute."
Nyako had obviously missed the point. Nobody has questioned his right to have four wives. If he so wishes, he could have 50 wives. Nobody is also against the idea of his "well-educated and very talented" wives being encouraged to express themselves and make useful contributions. But the point is that the people of Adamawa should not be made to maintain four First Ladies, either directly or by default. And that the rivalry among the four women should not become a source of hardship to government.
In fact, my position is that since Nyako has a four-year tenure and he has four wives, he should consider the option of rotational First Ladyship with the wives serving a term of one year each in their order of seniority! The "Nyako and his four wives" debate nonetheless served the useful purpose of drawing public attention afresh to the First Lady syndrome and the challenges of polygamy. No one should overlook the simple truth that in this matter, Nyako had to find a way of maintaining peace in his home!. Every other argument is mere spin..
Matters such as this tend to have a short life-span, once the themes have been analysed and indeed, the media was beginning to focus on other issues. But last weekend, Nyako poured petrol into the furnace when he allegedly chose to call on God to punish Nigerian journalists. The report which Nyako is yet to deny, appeared in The Vanguard newspaper of October 2, at page 5, written by Umar Yusuf. It is worth quoting at some length: "Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State weekend rained curses on the media over what he considered unfair reports on the activities of his wives and the jostle among them over who should be the first lady."
We are told that the Governor through his media team had invited journalists in the state to his residence to join him during the breaking of the Ramadan fast in the evening. The Governor and the journalists prayed and ate together. Then, the Master of Ceremony, Chief of Staff to the Governor and former Deputy Governor in the state, Alhaji Bello Tukur invited the journalists to "nominate one of them to speak on their behalf." The lot fell on one Comrade David Molomo, Secretary of the local branch of the Nigerian Union of journalists (NUJ), who apparently swooning over whatever he had been given to eat "apologised to the Governor for publications concerning his wives. The Secretary (He) appealed to the Governor to use the period of the Ramadan fast to put behind him the issue of his wives and the First Lady's position."
Molomo has the right to express a personal opinion but he was obviously talking nonsense. He is not in a position to apologise on behalf of the media. And why apologise? Is it not true that Nyako has four wives? Is it not true that these four wives have shared among themselves the First Lady portfolio as if they are sharing the family heirloom? Nyako does not need to put anything behind him; he should have been told to learn the right lessons from the media drubbing that he has received. Molomo spoke as if he could offer any guarantees. When journalists go to Government House to eat free food, they should watch their tongues. And of course, Molomo and his colleagues got what they did not expect. The Vanguard report states that Nyako was enraged. His aides had to appeal to him; eventually he was persuaded to say a word or two. When he obliged, he chose to speak in Hausa: "Allah Yai Sa! Allah Yar Sa! Allah!" which the newspaper translates as meaning "God punish the press, God punish the press, God punish the press." If he added other expletives, the Vanguard reporter, Umar Yusuf did not indicate. But we are told: "He then stood up and headed to his inner rooms to the surprise of the journalists and other top government functionaries present."
It serves those journalists in attendance right. If Nyako had been a military Governor, he could have ordered all the journalists arrested and direct that they should be caned. This was how intolerant military administrators responded to criticisms in the past. Nyako's conduct, even in its present form, is deplorable. The high office that he occupies requires maturity and self-control. Throwing tantrums, swearing and cursing and staging a walk-out like an aggrieved baby is unbecoming of his high office. Are his wives putting him under pressure?
Is he having problems dealing with the negative exposure that his four wives have now brought him? Is he helpless, angry and frustrated? He should learn to control his emotions. Why should God punish journalists? For doing their job? Those who have chosen to take up public positions must learn not to complain when the media focusses attention on them. It is the least price that they can possibly pay for the privilege of their pre-eminence. If they feel that they have been maligned, they can write rejoinders or go to court.
Nyako had earlier described himself as a true Muslim. What kind of Muslim is he, swearing and cursing in the Holy month of Ramadan, and walking out on his fellow men, rather contemptuously? During this month, Moslems are enjoined to be in their best behaviour, to eschew all vices - greed, use of intemperate language, violence, alcholism and to remain chaste. Ramadan is the month when Moslems are reminded of their duty to fellow human beings: to show love and understanding, to assist the needy, and to seek the Grace of God. Nyako pushed all this aside when he chose to swear and curse. If this were not the month of Ramadan, how else would he have treated his guests?
His conduct is however not peculiar. It illustrates the gap in our society between private and public morality. Most Nigerians are very religious. They can quote the Holy Books correctly, and make a passionate show of piety. But in their relationship with other human beings, they do not obey the commandments of the faith that they profess. Nyako had just finished breaking his fast before he called on God to "punish" his fellow human beings. He does not owe those journalists an apology, but he owes God an explanation. Let him atone for his sins by chanting "God bless journalists", a hundred times. And hopefully, when next Nyako invites journalists to dinner, they would learn to stand by the truth, even after eating... God bless Nyako.