TARZOOR’S FALSE ALARM: A DISAPPOINTING DESCENT INTO POLITICAL FLATTERY
We watched in utter disappointment, a press conference addressed in Makurdi on Monday by former Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly and former Nigeria’s Ambassador to Namibia, Terhemen Tarzoor, during which he alleged that some unnamed politicians in Benue State have mobilized the sum of ₦2 billion to destabilize the administration of Governor Hyacinth Alia.
We find Tarzoor’s claims to be spurious, unfounded, and irresponsible. His outing is a clear case of political sensationalism aimed at currying favour from the governor rather than contributing meaningfully to the governance discourse in our state.
But such statements coming from a man who holds no record of attracting development to his people, despite occupying key positions in the society, we are not surprised.
Only those who don’t know Tarzoor’s antecedents would be surprised by his latest statement. A man who single-handedly created “Fulani Ward” without the knowledge of INEC can do any desperate thing just to get money to buy more earrings and bleaching creams, as he often does.
As a former number three man in Benue State and a diplomat who has represented Nigeria abroad, Tarzoor is expected to speak with maturity, decorum, and verifiable facts. Sadly, his outing doesn’t only portray immaturity but also falls short of expectations.
It is deeply regrettable that a man who once aspired to lead the state as governor would descend into the arena of idle speculation and cheap propaganda, lending his voice to divisive rhetoric that only heats up the polity rather than advancing the cause of peace and progress.
If indeed Tarzoor had credible intelligence about any plot against the state government, the honourable path would have been to report such to the appropriate security agencies with evidence, not to convene a press conference to peddle unsubstantiated allegations. His failure to provide a single piece of evidence to back his claims has exposed the entire narrative as a baseless attempt to score political points and ingratiate himself with Alia, a governor who has lost public trust and is clutching at straws by heavily paying praise-singers like Tarzoor and the Tor Tiv James Ayatse.
What is even more disappointing is that while Tarzoor’s people in Makurdi remain under constant siege from armed Fulani herders, with thousands languishing in internally displaced persons’ (IDP) camps, Tarzoor has never considered it worthy to summon the media to address the plight of the IDPs. Yet, he found it convenient to face the press over imaginary plots and phantom enemies of his new-found benefactor, Governor Alia.
Tarzoor has never sent a single item in form of relief material to the traumatized people of his community who have been attacked and displaced by Fulani herders.
We challenge Tarzoor to point at any development project he has attracted to his people, despite the different leadership positions he has occupied.
Benue needs leaders who will rise above petty politics, leaders who will champion truth, reconciliation, and solutions to our challenges, not opportunists like Tarzoor who deploy propaganda to seek relevance. Tarzoor’s outing is a disservice to the very ideals of public service he once took part in as Speaker of the State Assembly and Nigeria’s envoy to a foreign nation.
He should be ashamed of himself!
We therefore call on Rt. Hon. Terhemen Tarzoor to retract the insult of the collective sensibilities of Benue people tender an unreserved apology for misleading the public.
Benue’s peace and progress must not be sacrificed on the altar of political flattery by men of dishonour like Terhemen Tarzoor.
Signed:
Aloysius Gbakaan
President, Alliance for Truth and Justice (ATJ)
