Conscience Is An Open Wound, Gov Diri Replies Sylva
Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, has read the irreverent statement signed by a former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, on the #endbadgovernance and hunger protest planned from August 1 across Nigeria.
In the statement, the former Bayelsa State governor unsuccessfully attempted to exonerate himself from a plot to cause mayhem in the state during the proposed protest.
Governor Diri is however not surprised neither is he perturbed about the uncouth riposte of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the November 11 governorship poll in the state. This is consistent with his oft-predictable character.
For a man privileged to have led a state as governor to descend to such low levels is rather unfortunate.
But in addressing the crux of the matter, only those who do not know the former Minister of State would believe his chameleonic attempt at exoneration.
Sylva’s fuss about Governor Diri’s remarks during Monday’s state security council meeting is not only riling but also clearly betrays one troubled by conscience.
According to Uthman Dan Fodio, “conscience is an open wound. Only truth can heal it.” Sylva obviously fits Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart portraiture of the old woman that gets uncomfortable when dry bones are mentioned in a proverb.
How else does one explain Sylva’s diatribe when the Bayelsa governor did not as much as mention his name while he spoke at the referenced security council meeting? Is it truly the case of a conscience overtaken by guilt? Perhaps!
Governor Diri is a serious-minded leader and not given to frivolity in governance. As the chief security officer of the state, he is regularly briefed on any threat to its peace. So his caution to youths to be wary of being used by politicians that are still seething from their loss in the last governorship poll was apt.
There were 16 candidates in that election, including the incumbent governor. Pray, how did his reference to failed politicians at the poll conduce to the person of Sylva only? Perhaps, it is another case of the bird crying at night and the child dying in the morning. Do we need to ask what killed him?
Sylva’s cold-hearted and ardourless rebuttal flies in the face when it is clearly seen that his APC members and supporters in the state are all over the social media space galvanising support for the #endbadgovernance protest. Only the ignorant and naive will be deceived by his vacillation, disclaimer or denial.
Senator Diri, a pacifist and governor on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, has been engaging with various groups to ensure that the protest is peaceful or shelved completely to avoid destruction or loss of lives. The state cannot afford another bout of the February 13, 2020 insensitive and mindless destruction of assets belonging to the state and individuals. Intelligence reports already indicate that the same band of heartless individuals are being procured to again unleash mayhem on the state in the guise of a protest.
Governor Diri’s call is for reason to prevail and the protest shelved!
Sylva had in a statement on Monday with the headline
Hardship protest: Diri’s allegations, shocking, insensitive, divisive, says Sylva
…Says Bayelsa governor politicising serious issue
A former Petroleum Minister (State), Chief Timipre Sylva, has described the claims by the Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, that he (Sylva) is supporting the hardship protest as shocking, insensitive and divisive.
Sylva, a former Governor of Bayelsa, that Diri’s allegations coming a day after he had issued a well-publicised and received statement urging youths in Bayelsa, Niger Delta and other parts of the country to shelve the planned protest, only portrayed the Bayelsa governor as a man desperately politicising a serious issue.
Sylva in a statement he personally signed on Tuesday titled, Our Governor Has Gone Mad Again, said he shuddered in disbelief that the governor instead of joining hands with him to prevent the protest decided to seek political capital out of it by accusing him falsely.
He said: “I once read a play by Prof. Ola Rotimi of blessed memory titled: Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again. In the prevailing circumstances in Bayelsa State, I thought that play should have been about a governor who goes mad from time to time.
“Seeing statements credited to Gov. Douye Diri at his ‘security Council’ meeting, I shudder in disbelief. How could a Governor, instead of joining hands with me in my efforts to prevent the protest, be accusing me falsely?
“And let’s say the truth, if anyone were to protest against bad governance in Bayelsa state, it would not be against President Tinubu but against Governor Diri. In spite of that, I believe that protests are mostly counter productive. And I will never encourage them.
“Just a day before his statement, I had asked our youths to shelve the protest and give more time to President Tinubu. Prior to that, I had spoken to youth leaders in and around Bayelsa State, on phone and in person, on the need to give the president more time as he is working tirelessly to better our lot.
“My statement was extensively published and well received and I strongly believe it got to the hearts of millions of our youths nationwide.
Waking up to Gov. Diri’s wild and vile accusations that I am in fact supporting #endbadgovernance and hunger protest is nothing but a political culture-shock of sorts to me.
“Hardly can I fathom the fact that Gov Diri would politicize such a serious matter and openly harass me, and churn out such irresponsible, insensitive and divisive rhetorics”.
Sylva wondered why the Bayelsa government would link him to one Ebidek Atuwo, someone he said his investigations revealed came from Ekeremor, the same Local Government Area of Senator Heineken Lokpobiri.
He said: “The state government feels there is great wisdom in linking me with a certain Ebideke Atuwo, a ahap I do not know. On investigation, the chap is from Ekeremor. Same place as Senator Lokpobiri.
“If the link with me is because he is a ‘member’ of the APC, then I dare remind Gov Diri that the Hon. Minister of State (Oil) is also a ‘member’ of APC too.
“Instead of trading accusations and rocking the boat, at this critical time, let us join hands together as leaders of our people to give them hope. This is yet another opportunity to tell our youths to shelve the protest.
“We cannot get the succor we need if our economy is grounded and our streets occupied. While dissent is natural and sometimes inevitable, only sincere dialogue guarantees peace and progress”.
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