Dear Ex-President Jonathan, thank you for prioritizing the safety of your mother.
Mothers deserve to feel safe and secure, no matter what.
Sir, your recent statement about how you would have relocated your mother from Bayelsa State to Abuja had Sylva won the just concluded gubernatorial election comes as a surprise to those who are familiar with how Sylva prioritized the security of lives and property in Otuoke and the whole of Bayelsa State during his tenure as governor. In fact, under his leadership, no single attack occurred in Otuoke, highlighting his commitment to protecting the people of the Otuoke community. With this in mind, it is hard to understand why you would consider relocating your mother if Sylva had won.
Sir, should I remind you that Timipre Sylva made great strides in education when he kicked off the Federal University Otuoke, (your village), during his tenure as governor of Bayelsa State.
Sir, should I also remind you again that Timipre Sylva’s legacy in Otuoke, Bayelsa State, includes the construction of every single durable and functional road that continues to serve your community in Otuoke even today?
Sir, another significant achievement of Timipre Sylva’s time as governor of Bayelsa State was the construction of the Anglican Church in Otuoke, which continues to serve the community as a place of worship and fellowship.
Dear Mr. ex-President, I’d like to add that Timipre Sylva’s many contributions to Otuoke include the construction of the residence where your mother currently resides. This was a major accomplishment of his time as governor.
Sir, no other governor in Bayelsa State can claim to have done as much for your mother and the people of Otuoke as Sylva did during his time in office. The positive impact of his policies and initiatives on the Otuoke community is undeniable, and he should be commended for his efforts. Otuoke was a safer and more prosperous place under his leadership, and the people of the community are grateful for his service, except you.
It’s important to note that on May 16, 2007, while you (Jonathan) were still serving as governor of Bayelsa State and also the vice president-elect of Nigeria, your house in Otuoke was bombed by some criminal element that allegedly worked for your election and you abandoned them. Several police officers were killed as a result of the attack. Sir, this occurred while you were the governor of Bayelsa State, yet, you did not relocate your sweet mother.
On June 2, 2022, while Douye Diri was governor of Bayelsa State, your uncle, Engineer Mike Ogiasa, was kidnapped. Thankfully, he was later released unharmed. Yet, you refused to relocate your sweet mum.
Sir, on the 24 of December 2019, your house was attacked again and a soldier was killed. Sylva was not the governor then. Still, your mum was not relocated.
Sir, your cousin was kidnapped and drowned in a river in your village in 2019. Sylva was not the governor then and you also forgot to relocate your sweet mother.
I also want to remind you that during your presidency, there were several tragic attacks in Nigeria, including the Madala, Nyanya, and Bannex Plaza bombings, as well as the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping.
These events were devastating and brought immense suffering to many people. Sir, should I say that you refused or forgot to relocate your mother then?
I know that these tragedies weighed heavily on Nigerians, including you, but your mother was not relocated from Abuja.
During your presidency, there were several high-profile terrorist attacks in Nigeria. Then seems to be the right time to relocate your beloved mum, but you never did sir.
∆ The first of these was the Madala market bombing in December 2011, which killed at least 45 people and injured dozens more.
∆ Just over a year later, in April 2013, there was another bombing at the Nyanya bus station, which killed over 70 people and injured over 100 more.
∆ A third bombing occurred in October 2013 at the Bannex Plaza shopping center in Abuja, killing 21 people.
∆ The deadliest attack occurred in April 2014, when Boko Haram kidnapped over 200 schoolgirls from the town.
In addition to the bombings I mentioned previously, there were several other devastating terrorist attacks during this period.
∆ In January 2012, a suicide bombing at a mosque in Kano killed over 160 people.
∆ In March 2014, several churches were attacked across the country, including a shooting at the Saint Joseph Catholic Church in Potiskum that killed 16 people.
Sir, I want to emphasize that these are just some of the attacks that occurred during your time as President and many more incidents that caused untold suffering to Nigerians.
In addition to the attacks on churches and mosques, there were also numerous attacks on schools and universities.
∆ These included the University of Maiduguri bombing in April 2013, which killed over 50 people.
∆ The Federal Polytechnic Mubi bombing in October 2014, killed at least 40 people.
∆ There were also several kidnappings of students and teachers across the country.
∆ Sir, you were the president of this nation when there were several attacks on military facilities across the country, including the Baga air base attack in April 2013, which killed at least 185 people.
∆ The Giwa barracks was bombed in March 2014, which killed over 150 people.
∆ There were also several attacks on motor parks, including the Gamboru motor park attack in June 2013, which killed over 30 people.
∆ We still remember the Kano motor park attack in November 2014, which killed over 60 people.
It’s important to note that the violence during this period was not limited to attacks on religious and military targets.
There were also several attacks on markets, villages, and other civilian areas.
∆ These included the Potiskum market bombing in November 2014, which killed over 60 people.
∆ There was also an attack in Baga village, in January 2015, where hundreds of people were killed.
Overall, the violence during this period claimed thousands of lives and displaced millions of people.
Dear beloved ex-President Jonathan, sir, I’m not trying to criticize your recent decisions to relocate your mother if the same Sylva that brought peace to the Niger Delta Region and Bayelsa State had won the just concluded guber election, I am just sharing my perspective on what could have been done to ensure your mother’s safety when you were supervising the affairs of a crisis-ridden country.
If relocating your mother to a safer place was a priority for you, then the right time to do so would have been during your tenure as president or governor or during the tenure of the two PDP governors that have governed Bayelsa State after Sylva.
Sir, it is counterintuitive to suggest that you would have considered relocating your sweet if Sylva had been re-elected, given his track record of taking care of her, the people of Otuoke, and keeping your community safe and prosperous.
Finally, Sir, I will end this letter by saying that your comment about relocating your mother if Sylva had won is about as relevant as talking about what color of hat you would have worn if the sky had been green. In other words, it’s pointless and irrelevant hypothetical.
Sir, as an elder statesman, you must focus on unifying the people of your state rather than engaging in partisan politics.
Partisan divisions can be divisive and counter-productive, and it is the responsibility of those who have climbed high authority to set an example of unity and cooperation. Your leadership as an elder statesman can play a key role in fostering a sense of shared purpose and common goals among the people of Bayelsa State, not creating confusion to divide the people more.
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