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Economic Confidential,
January 24, 2009
LOCAL GOVERNMENT NEWS
LG Funds: Boss Places Congratulatory Advert on Wedding of Yar’Adua’s
Daughter
When many local areas are crying for developments, in what may sound
like a Mother-of-all-congratulatory-message, a Chairman of a Local
Government Council in Nigeria has placed a full page advertorial in
national media to congratulate President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua over
the wedding of his daughter in Katsina to the Governor of Bauchi
State.
President Yar’Adua has often banned any placement of congratulatory
message in the media on him, especially on birthday from public
officers. His warning seems to be ignored at the local level.
The wedding ceremony
on Saturday, according to findings of the Economic
Confidential was not devoid of extravagant displays of
opulence going by the extremely lavish spending from the side of the
families of the groom and bride including their well-wishers as many
chartered aircrafts jam-packed the Katsina Airport. The situation
forced other airlines, according to a report, which included Boeing
747, carrying 500 passengers to return without landing. The gift
items and the calibre of personalities at the event were
unprecedented that may remain the talk of the town for a very long
time. Former Nigeria's Presidents, governors, ministers,
legislators, chief executives of financial institutions, business
moguls and other top public functionaries were all in attendance.
The most bizarre felicitation over the latest wedding of Yar’Adua’s
daughter to another governor was public announcement placed by some
politicians and public officers in the electronic media. While most
of the local government councils in Nigeria complain over their
inability to execute projects and developmental programs for the
benefit of the people due to little resources and revenue from the
Federation Account, Chairman of Daura Local Government Council in
Katsina State took a full-colour advert with Nigeria’s Coat of Arm,
where he wrote that “On behalf of the council, management and staff,
I Honourable Aminu Manzo, Chairman Daura Local Government Council,
Katsina State hereby joyfully rejoice with the first family,
President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Federal
Republic of Nigeria, Her Excellency Hajiya Turai Umaru Musa Yar’Adua
on the big day of their daughter, Hajiya Nafisatu and his
Excellency, Executive Governor of Bauchi State, Mallam Isa Yuguda on
their wedding ceremony this Saturday, January 24th 2009
in Katsina.”
The advert has the picture of President, his wife and that of the
chairman of Daura Local Government strategically
positioned in prepaid message.
Manzo who is the Chairman of the local government of General
Muhammad Buhari, who contested with Yar’Adua
during the last presidential election, adds that: “This
historic marriage is no doubt an eloquent testimony to your
commitment to politics without bitterness, progress and unity of
Nigeria.”
Some people from the local government council are already planning
to protest the reckless expenditure of their Chairman in what one of
them wrote to the Economic Confidential as a naked sycophantic
expenditure that doesn’t add value to the people and the council.
A youth leader in Daura town condemned the assertion of the local
government boss in the advert which states
What annoyed most of the youths who spoke to Economic Confidential
in Daura is a statement in the advert where the Chairman said “We,
as people and government are proud to be associated with your
Excellencies on this memorable milestone.” The youths wonder any
need for felicitation for President dashing out
his beautiful young
daughters to polygamous-rich men instead of
offering them to single
young men who have bright future.
According to a youth leader in the town, Kabiru Isiaku, the amount
of money spent for a full page advert in a national newspaper which
is about N500,000, could be used to address some problems of
youths in the council like drug abuse, payment of school fees and
poverty.
Isiaku, who is an unemployed graduate said that “had it been Yar’
Adua gave his daughter to a poor young man instead of a millionaire
governor who already has three other wives at home that could called
for commendation but not to the level of placing an advert in
newspapers.”
Another resident who craved anonymity simply told
Economic Confidential that that “We now know
how our Local governments spend our money from the internally
generated revenue and Joint State Local Government Account when we
don’t see anything on the ground.”
A civil
servant in Abuja who was also at the wedding observed that: "Manzo
is a lesser sinner if we compare contributions made by many other
local government councils towards the ceremony and funds budgeted by
other arms of government for the success of the wedding of the
President's daughter. Why blaming a bloody local government chairman
for spending little compared to millions if not billions by
state governors and other public officers?"
The preference of Yar’Adua’s daughters to marry polygamous and rich
politicians, like governors in the present dispensation has become
the subject of intense debates not only in Katsina State where the
President comes from but also across the country. Last year, the
nation witnessed the wedding of one of his daughters to Governor of Kebbi State.
From all indication more governors may be on the queue to benefit
from this matrimonial generosity of the president's family.
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