By; BALA B. BITRUS, Minna
A youth group from Bida, Southern Senatorial District of Niger State has disassociated itself from their peers who attacked and humiliated Governor Abubakar Sani Bello and his entourage including the Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar in Bida penultimate week.
Governor Sani Bello along with his retinue of government officials had visited the scene of the fire incident at Estu Musa market in the town where an inferno had reduced the market to rubbles on a Thurday afternoon two weeks ago.
The governor who was out of the country when the incidence occurred, had two days later dispatched his Deputy to visit the town and commisserate with the victims of the market fire and the Etsu Nupe as well as the entire Bida people.
But on his return, governor Sani Bello led some top government officials including the Secretary to the State Government, Speaker of the House of Assembly among others on a sympathy visit to the Etsu Nupe and then visited the site of the market where a band of youths in their numbers had laid in wait and accosted the governor as his convoy arrived.
The youths in their hundreds chanted hate songs and told him point blank that he should not seek reelection for a second term. They said the governor had failed and screamed at him in the presence of the Etsu Nupe.
Some of the daring youth displayed crass effrontery by throwing pebbles and other missiles at the convoy of the governor. They were however repelled by the security details on the governor’s convoy who fired warning shots into the air to scare off the miscreants youths.
The attack on the governor has since then generated condemnations from a cross section of the citizens particularly from the state’s southern senatorial flanks where elders and political leaders have described the action of the youth as condemnable, uncouth, irrational and unbecoming.
On Tuesday, a group of youths from Bida led by some stalwarts of the governing All Progressive Congress in the zone arrived the Government House on apology and solidarity mission to the governor.
The youth in their collection, were led by the All Progressive Congress Chairman in Bida, Salihu Ndagi and Musa Ladan told the governor that they were not part of the rascally oriented and shameless youths who insulted, booed and denigrated him during his visit to Bida.
They pledged their loyalty and support to the administration in the state and endorsed his ambition for second term in office.
And while expressing displeasure over the unruly conduct of their pears, the spokespersons of the youth regretted that the incident in Bida last week Thursday was unfortunate and uncalled for.
Governor Abubakar Sani Bello who was making his first public comment on the attack on his person, said he had put the incident behind him and was unperturbed.
He however appealed to youth in Bida and elsewhere in the state to be reasonably disposed and be of good conduct always just as he charged them to be vanguards for peace rather than allow themselves to be rabble rousers and cannon fodders in the hands of disgruntled elements.
He praised Bida people who he said were well known for their respect for elders and constituted authorities and concluded that those who humiliated him and his entourage including the reverred Etsu Nupe were not from Bida.
Governor Sani Bello while thanking them for the show of solidarity and concern over the last Thursday’s orchestrated attack and show of shame, urged them to return to their homes and preach the gospel of peace, tolerance and respect to others.
He said no meaningful developments could ever be achieved by any government were there are rancor, disharmony and trouble.
