IN the hurly-burly of Nigerian politics with its
unending drama, another scandal has erupted in the
form of four querulous wives determined to participate
fully in the high stake game of governance. It all
happened in Adamawa State where the Governor, Murtala
Nyako (a retired Navy Vice-Admiral) , whose electoral
victory is still being challenged at the tribunal, is
facing yet another battle in what can literally be
described as his kitchen cabinet of four ambitious
wives. Governor Nyako, a fine officer from his days in
the Navy, is married to four women - Hajia Zainab
Nyako, Dr. Halima Nyako, Justice Binta Nyako and Hajia
Asmau Nana Nyako. Each of his four wives wants to be
the first lady of Adamawa State.
According to reports, Governor Nyako initially decided
that the First Lady should be Hajia Zainab who is said
to have accompanied him during his political campaigns
and who is noted for her grassroots closeness to the
ordinary women of Adamawa State. He instructed that a
special First Lady letter headed paper should be
printed for Zainab's office. But during the
celebrations marking the governor's first 100 days in
office, Zainab was said to have unilaterally invited
about 20 media managers to the event. This brazen
display of one-upmanship was said to have annoyed
Governor Nyako.
But the governor should have seen his conjugal
problems coming. When Hajia Turai Yar'Adua, Nigeria's
First Lady, invited other governors' wives to a
meeting in Aso Villa, Justice Binta, another Nyako
wife, showed up at the door beating Hajia Zainab to
it. A furious Zainab was politely but firmly sent away
on the ground that there was no room for two Nyako
wives at the Villa.
Governor Nyako, disturbed by these developments,
decided on what he thought was an ingenuous solution
to the problem of the four wives. He was going to
share out responsibilities on the basis of four zones.
He determined as follows: Justice Binta Nyako would be
first lady in charge of Abuja Affairs, Dr. Halima
Nyako would be first lady in charge of Health, and
Hajia Zainab Nyako would be in charge of Political
Affairs and Mobilisation, whilst Hajia Asmau Nana
Nyako would be first lady in charge of the Home Front.
He then ordered that first lady letter headed papers
should be printed for all four and, leaving nothing to
disturb his delicately balanced solution, he directed
that each wife's official car is to have a common
number plate, ADGMH 1.
The political repercussions of Governor Nyako's novel
solution have pitched him against warring women groups
supporting this or that wife in their fight for
supremacy. It is unlikely that the governor will know
any peace whilst matters stand like this. But it is
the people of Adamawa who suffer from these
unfortunate distractions. Adamawa State, already a
hotbed of partisan politics during the Obasanjo/Atiku
regime can ill-afford another bout of rascality.
Governor Nyako's primitive solution has quadrupled the
illegal expenditure on the office of First Lady.
For instance, Adamawa State indigenes now need four
cars, four offices with their retinue of staff, four
new foundations, four of everything to maintain
Nyako's four wives. For a group unknown to the
constitution, this proliferation of invented duties
merely adds salt to the wound. We warned in an earlier
editorial that the bastardisation of the office of the
First Lady is immoral and indefensible. We must call
on Governor Nyako to put his house in order and save
the people of Adamawa and Nigeria from ridicule. If he
cannot manage four women, how then does he intend to
manage an entire state?
We also call on Nyako's wives to be reasonable knowing
that an escalation of their rivalry could only be
detrimental to their husband's performance. They
could, by their behaviour, sabotage the governance
process in Adamawa State. They must know that
Nigerians consider the office they so desperately
covet as superfluous and an unnecessary waste of
resources by persons who spend public money without
accounting to the public.
Come to think of it, of Nyako's women, one is a
doctor, the other a Justice, the other two are also
said to be educated. Are these achievements not
honourable enough or do they not have enough on their
plate to fill their day? There are also security
implications when four power-hungry women are
clustered at the seat of power, plotting and planning.
In an attempt to undo each other, they might in fact
undo their husband. Nyako should call his wives to
order.
Whilst not attempting to impose a solution on Governor
Nyako, may we remind him that he is not the only
polygamist among serving governors. May we also remind
him that General Murtala Muhammed, Alhaji Shehu
Shagari and General Muhammadu Buhari, to name a few,
ruled this country without bothering us with their
wives. Murtala Nyako's four wives should find
something else to engage their attention and stop
disturbing the Nigerian public with their indecorous
conduct.
