By Abdulrahaman Babafada
The Coalition of Shiroro Associations (COSA) views with profound dismay and utter disbelief the statements made by the Executive Governor of Niger State, His Excellency, Mohammed Umaru Bago, on ARISE TV, claiming the state is free from insecurity, hunger, and poverty. This assertion is not only a grave misrepresentation of facts but a cruel dismissal of the agonising realities faced daily by our people. While we respect the office of the Governor, we are compelled by a sense of duty to our suffering communities to set the record straight.
Contrary to the Governor’s claims, Niger State is an epicenter of a severe security crisis. As we issue this statement, towns like Allawa in Shiroro LGA are completely sacked and under the firm control of bandits, who operate with impunity, killing and abducting at will. The recent attacks across Shiroro, Munya, Agwara, and Kontagora are stark testaments to this. Our people are not just facing hunger; they are starving in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps and are scheduled for relocation to the Tsohon Gurusu temporary site, which is still under construction and grossly inadequate. They have been painfully ripped from their homes and sources of livelihood, their properties looted or destroyed, with no hope of return or restitution in sight.
It is, therefore, bewildering that the Governor chose a national platform not to passionately articulate these plights and seek urgent federal intervention, but to largely deflect and campaign for the federal government. Our people, who sacrificed immensely to vote him into office, feel utterly betrayed. We are left to wonder if this disconnect is a result of being out of touch or a conscious decision to play politics with the very lives he swore to protect.
We call on His Excellency to, henceforth, align his public pronouncements with the heartbreaking realities on the ground. The people of Niger State deserve a leader who will consistently and forcefully tell their story of anguish to the world, not one who buries it under a carpet of false optimism. We urge him to urgently redeploy the same energy used on television into practical, on-the-ground actions that will restore security, alleviate the humanitarian crisis, and bring solace to the traumatized citizens of Niger State.
● Babafada is the Publicity secretary
Coalition of Shiroro Associations (COSA )
