By; BALA B. BITRUS, Minna
A band of restive youth, in great numbers, in Bida had on Thursday booed governor Abubakar Sani Bello, chantting hate slogans of dislike on the governor as his convoy arrived the Etsu Musa market in the ancient Bida town.
The angry youths closed in on the convoy of the state governor as he arrived the site of the burnt market to inspect the extent of devastation wrecked on the market by the inferno which gutted the market two Thursday ago.
The youth dared the presence of the governor’s retinue of security men as they shouted in Hausa vernacular ”ba mu so”, (we don’t want), ”One chance is enough for you”, we don’t want “…
The daring youth continued with their provocative slaugths as the governor’s convoy made it’s way to the centre of the charred remains of the market notwithstanding.
And as the angry youths continued, security details on the governor’s convoy waded in to stop the expression of hate and bigotry against the governor but the hate chants increased, prompting the security men to fire warning shots into the air to scare and disperse the recalcitrant youths who were milling around the vehicles in the convoy.
The Coaster Bus conveying the governor and his entourage was encircled by his security details while the convoy moved away from the rude, raudy band of brave youths.
The shots fired to scare off the youths paid off as they scampered away from the scene to a safer distance away to continue with their hate chants and pouring invectives on the governor.
The embarrassing and disrespect show to the governor and his entourage including the Etsu Nupe who led the governor and his accompanying senior government officials to the market was one hate act taken too far.
Though no arrest was made, the security personnel on the governor’s convoy made definite efforts to apprehend some of the fleeing miscreants.
But in his prompt reaction, a stalwart of the governing All Progressive Congress in the state and one of the leaders of thought from the Nupe speaking zone of the state, Engineer Mohammed Daban, described the behavior of the youth as unfortunate, unbecoming and disrespectful to the traditional stool of Bida.
Engr. Daban said the governor’s visit to Bida was to show sympathy to victims of the fire incident and show his love to the people of Bida and he therefore wondered why miscreants, misguided elements and troublemakers turned the sympathy visit to vent their spleen on the governor.
Daban who is also a traditional title holder of the Bida emirate, lampooned the youths accusing them of being cannon fodders and willing tools in the hands of disgruntled persons.
He tendered an unreserved apology to both the governor and the Etsu Nupe on behalf of the band of the youth whom he described as wayward, misguided and illiterate.
Engr. Daban warned the youths from the Nupe speaking zone to desist from such shameful and disrespectful conducts saying they could risk the curses of the royal throne and the revered elders of the ancient Bida emirate.
