Senator Barau: A Hero and a Nationalist Rolled into One

By Binta Spikin

Sometimes, it is hard to be the best, harder still to maintain that status, and be true to form. When one attains that, there’ll be salvos fired from all angles, sometimes his arsenal could be exhausted in trying to set the record straight. I think, the Deputy President of the Nigerian Senate, Dr Barau I Jibrin is in that precarious position.

Just two days a go, he stood up to be counted on the floor of the house as a patriotic Nigerian, whose only concerned is the unity and dignity of the nation, no matter what is at stake.

 If we could remember, the President and leader of the free world, Donald Trump has threatened the unity of this nation and with that, its dignity, on false claims, that Christians are massacred in Nigeria and that he would take the military option on us.

In response to that threat, Nigerians from all faiths have spoken. But for Senator Barau Jibrin to add his voice to that of other well meaning Nigerians, that is no mean feat. It shows a leader who feels deeply for his country.

More importantly, he did that on the floor of the house- which made his message more authoritative, more powerful. That single act of selfless service earned him more respect and admiration from Nigerians, across board. He is the best parliamentarian of the week.

 His voice resonates with what Nigerians want to hear, at this material time. He is a Hero and Nationalist rolled in one.

This victory that he’s gotten  effortlessly is what irked his detractors. And that is why they came up with the narrative that he is aiming at blocking the confirmation of Engineer Abdullahi Ramat. This is an unsubstantiated statement and it does not deserve dignifying with a reply.

But I must say this, in the eyes of the law, those who assert must prove. So unless they were able to prove that with fact, we will just assume they are pained by the Senator’s raising popularity and ignore the rest of it.

On this note, I congratulate you Senator for standing firm on the side of Nigerians when they needed that. I am sure when the right time comes, Nigerians will be on your side. May Allah make you greater than you are.