“One person can make a difference and everyone should try”. That was America’s youngest elected president at 44 and sadly the youngest to also die in office {via assassination}, at 46; John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the 35th president of the nation. The quote, alongside another popular admonition from him, “Ask not what your country can do for you-ask what you can do for your country” an injunction from his inaugural address, has remained evergreen.
Osun governor, Ademola Jackson Adeleke, isn’t a darling of many outside of the state, because, to them, he doesn’t behave like governor. The question is, how does or should a governor behave?
While there are surely societal, cultural, structural and positional expectations of leaders, which most times restrict them into behavioural pigeon-holes, the very downside of streamlining personalities into occupied positions and offices, is making zombies and pretenders out of natural men that should ordinarily act out the contents of their hearts, which is their realness. That is why the unconventional like Senator John Fetterman of the United States is being appreciated for not joining the Democrat’s TDS {Trump Deranged Syndrome bandwagon. He is an opposition but he hasn’t lost his sense of what is just, fair and humanly beneficial to the greedy creeds of power in Washington.
When Kaduna Governor, Uba Sani publicly fellowshipped with Christian faithful in 2023 during the Christmas season, I acknowledged the move, though it was easy to explain away at the time as deliberately curated optics for political exigencies. Seven months earlier, Sani of APC had just been declared the winner of a very contentious gubernatorial election, in which the Christian community in the state, overwhelmingly rejected him and his party, being led then by Nasiru el-Rufai as governor. In the actual sense of it, the Christian community was just paying APC and el-Rufai back, after the duo took the faith adherents, which is almost half of the state out of power equation, by settling again, for a Muslim-Muslim ticket, with Sani atop the ticket. He became the collateral damage with almost half of the state rising against the ticket. But he survived and it was about 26 days to the final judicial pronouncement on his mandate when he showed up at the much-publicized Christmas carol. For those who see everything with politics’ lens, his presence was a subtle campaign in case the Supreme Court order a rerun of the acrimonious poll. But on January 19, 2024. Sani’s legal team, led by the urbane and cosmopolitan ex-AGF Bayo Ojo, SAN, got the apex court to hand the governor a comprehensive judicial/electoral victory.
At that point, Sani could act the content of his heart sanctuaries and moving against those who never wished him to be governor would have been morally and even biblically justified, at least as far as the Mosaic law, is concerned.
For example, Exodus 21;23-25 states “But if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe”. Leviticus 24;19-20 further states “And if a man cause a blemish in his neighbour, as he hath done, so shall it be done to him. Breach for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, as he hath caused a blemish in a man, so shall it be done to him again”.
No doubt, the Christian community in the state caused political harm to Sani and secured for him, the justification to carry on with the institutional enmity and personal hatred his now-estranged friend and former leader, Nasiru, has always haboured for the faith and the faithful. But a good heart would always see beyond personal injuries. The governor must have reckoned that both himself and the Christian community in the state, are victims of one man’s prejudices and intolerance and chose instead to follow the admonition of Christ, the reason for the season.
In Matthew 5:43-48, Jesus counselled “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect”.
Governor Sani is far from perfect but for not making a lifetime political and mortal enemies out of Christians in the state, he has shown he has the right heart to be a leader indeed, in deed and needed for a time like this.
When he showed up again at the 2024 Christmas carol, with a promise that the 2025 edition would hold at Kaduna government house, I add if Jesus tarries, he just settled his legacy in the heart of men, beyond the state.
Of course, the equity and inclusivity move won’t be without some political retribution and theological backlash. Adverse campaigns would be framed around it. There would be attempts to recreate his persona and his confessed faith would likely suffer skewed narratives to disadvantage him among his Muslim brethren, jeopardise his re-election and encumber effective governance. These reactions become very predictable because of those who profit from ethno-religious rage, but it would appear that the people, irrespective of religious and ethnic persuasions are already seeing beyond such machinations and affiliated perfidies.
Giving his testimony on the pulpit where he fellowshipped, Governor Sani proudly declared that since his election, there has been no single ethnic or religious crisis in the state. May 29, 2025 will make it two years of the peace and budding unity in the state and as the leader, Sani would have to up the tempo, to ensure the buccaneers are taken out of business. Yoruba will call them “arijeni madaru” {those who profit from crisis}.
Men, women, old and young of goodwill, especially Christians in the state and beyond must rally behind the peace agenda of the governor. It is the first step towards economic recovery for a state that used to be an entrepreneurship powerhouse but whose future had been sold to benumbing loans by the previous government.
Sani has started well. May Omega anointing see him through in Jesus’ Name.
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