It was the legendary William Shakespeare who was credited with the following statement: Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them.
As if Shakespeare had the indefatigable Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State, born in Buni Yadi, Gujba local government area of the state at heart when he made that statement, the governor has shown rare mettle by surmounting all odds to fix the once dreaded All Progressive Party’s national convention for Feb. 26.
Before this date was fixed, there was litigation against another by some perceived aggrieved members of the party since June 2020, when Buni was appointed as the chairman of APC’s caretaker committee. He, however, remained steadfast to the duty he was called upon to do through his show of kindness, which is the essence of greatness. Men of noble character like Buni do not toy with their fundamental characteristic of kindness.
The brave and born-leader Buni didn’t hinge on his greatness to belittle the political traducers who marshaled out against him (as it’s a fad that great men often belittle people of low minds). He would rather stand his ground, not for his personal ambition but for the life of the APC in a country that has experienced the good, the bad, and the ugly in all facets of human and administrative endeavours.
Buni didn’t want to sacrifice the APC for self-aggrandizement. He kept away from the shylockick mindset, knowing that as he was born great, he could also make his political party great, no matter what marooned minds in the party were up for for the party.
Buni’s ability to endure critics who were not constructively criticizing him, but with some venomous deconstructive bile in order to see that he bit the dust, endeared him to his followers and political analysts all over the world. Nonetheless, like the phoenix, Buni didn’t bite the dust. He resurfaced with the Feb. 26 agenda for the party. Ovation has rented the air since this proclamation.
While the APC was seen as a great party by those who believed in its manifesto, it was saddening that resentment characterized the party, not by defined opposition, but by its members who were not pleased with Buni’s greatness and decisively demonstrated sense of leadership. They forgot that the humane Buni had the desire to serve others by moving on to make sure the party succeeded.
The APC is greater than any member of the party, but some folks in the party have proved the contrary, while Buni saw to their glee that they wanted to make sure the party bit the dust, and he created time for greatness to follow his party. Buni could be better captured in a statement by Theodore Roosevelt Jr., often referred to as Teddy or his initials T. R., who was an American politician, statesman, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26th president of the United States from 1901 to 1909.
It is not the critic who is important; it is not the man who points out where the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit goes to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust, sweat, and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who falls short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasm, great devotion, and who spends himself on a worthy cause; who, at best, knows the triumph of high achievement, and who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know victory nor defeat.
Buni’s face was marred with sweat and cajoles, but he was optimistic and knew he was destined for a task greater than himself. And he’s been doing it with no impediment in his coffers. He understands that to be simple is to be great. Therefore, he kept doing what had to be done positively for the happiness of souls that trusted him and the greatness of what their ambition ought to be.
Like Martin Luther King Jr. says in his “A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches”, it is very important to align Buni with the evergreen statement that was credited to King Jr., saying: “There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because his conscience tells him it is right.”
Buni didn’t take the chairmanship of APC’s caretaker committee position as safe for politics, nor to make him popular, but conscience led him, and today, hilarity in towns and villages by those who looked up to him has worn out people in their quest to celebrate his feat in steering the committee to something better for the party.
Even as a governor, Buni might not be of the calibre of people Nigerians know who have powerful political connections or great wealth, but like the librarians, his strength lies in not burning the APC down, just as the librarians’ strength does not lie in burning books.
The APC has its own proverbially public library, which some of its members fighting Buni nearly burned down for the lucre of politics and an open vendetta against Buni, whose patriotism for his party was not hidden and he faced reality.
The behaviours of the political demagogues in the APC could be the reason why one Robert Orben said to Americans: Illegal aliens have always been a problem in the United States. Ask any Indian.
While Orben humorously said that the Indians should be investigated as aliens in the USA, Buni got God to himself in the words of Abraham Lincoln, who was an American lawyer and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865, saying: “My concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.”
When the history of Governor Mai Mala Buni is written, his greatness will be revealed to be as a result of his sound moral principles. This has been shown as a bet and evidence of his strength, which has been leading him in perpetuity to achieve feats for his APC political party and personal endeavours. No man is great who has not affected the minds of his generation. Bumi has.
Odimegwu Onwumere writes from Rivers state via: [email protected]; WhatsApp: +2348032552855