Wantaregh Paul Unongo’s Letter to Governor Adasu

CHALLENGE OF LEADERSHIP IN BENUE STATE

In 1992, Wantaregh Paul Unongo wrote a powerful letter to Governor Moses Orshio Adasu. Read the letter here under:

Rev Fr Moses Orshio Adasu
Executive Governor
Government House
Makurdi

My dear Moses,

Calvary Greetings in Jesus Name.

2. The present day realities of our country have clearly brought to fore the urgent necessity for you and I and a host of Tiv sons and daughters, to seriously dialogue and chart a new course, if our people are not to repeat the past history of continued suffering, when the other communities benefit from the modest gains Nigeria is making.
3. The possibility of real crisis now exist, with you determined to use Government powers to marginalize and thwart the commendable ambitions of some of us your Tiv brothers who were once, objectively, your mentor and friends. We must be very honest with you, that all is not well. Since you are a full-time politician, of a very deliberate nature, we cannot mislead you that Priestly appearance of the past are adequate. They are NOT. Real hard-nosed discourse and resolutions will serve us more honestly and correctly.
4. Against the background of the foregoing, we have to talk as we started on our flight to Lagos. We MUST talk of the serious crises which have engulfed us, as we attempt interaction with you all in the interest of our people.
5. As our Governor, we would start with your open VERY AGGRESSIVE thrust of Jerry Gana on the people of Benue State, and Nigeria in general, as your presidential candidate. We should discourse on the way you have gone about it.
6. This has become more urgent, now that your candidate whom you have publicly canvassed for, and committed the Benue State government expenditures on his account, can be presented objectively as a candidate who cannot win elections. This we now believe, you too know very well.
7. The boomerang effect of this your stance on Benue, as we politigue seriously, Moses my Governor, you cannot appear to be oblivious of .
8. In politics, there is no permanency of enemity. Most especially against the background of your clergy status as a Reverend Father of the Roman Catholic Church, who preaches and must preach love, forgiveness and reconciliation. Your corporate and private attitude to all and Sundry must be seen to transcend the usual cosmetic rhetorics of politics and politicians. The pillars of our faith are at stake.
9. As a former good friend, and as a true Christian, I cannot afford to be complacent and adopt the attitude of mute indifference, even when things are getting out of hand.
10. Other bootlickers and sycophants who hang around you may not tell you, but I can not be forgiven for not telling you the truth, that, things are just not right. You have cultivated too many enemies and wars. We MUST dialogue, face to face, to get rid of some of these acts.
11. Father, Tiv people are not easy pushovers. I think even at the national level, evidence abound that your people, when treated unfairly and with contempt, they will react.
12. We cannot immediately forget our past, if we are to either learn or plan effectively for the future. On this note, it’s never been my intention to “fight” any Tiv son. I do not think either that time has come for it now.
13. Therefore, Let us dialogue, not only on simmering stress-strained relationship between us, on one hand, but let us particularly discourse on all the serious problems you seem to have and endangered with the House, the labour, the SDP party, your former colleagues and supporters, and so on.
14. It’s my candid consideration that a real true RECONCILIATION meeting will once again launch our state back on the path of true greatness. All your old friends within the party, who all played some special roles towards your eventual movement into the governorship seat, will be there, even the ones who are critical, but who now feel estranged from you and your aspirations for the state.
15. This development will reduce tension and definitely confound those sycophant and mediocrities who are now hanging around Government house, with the only responsibility of constantly finding “new enemies” for you and destructively criticizing eminent Tiv sons, who seriously mean no harm. You are no longer in touch with the true situation on ground. Some of these people go to extremes to thrust misinformation in your directions incessantly.
16. Do not forget it, NO TIV son hates you, nor, wishes to destroy you. The ones around you today, if you do not slow down, will be the ones who may in truth, end up destroying you by the barrages of destructive advice pushed onto you.
17. It will be a pity if you considered my comments as a denigration or condemnation of your administration. Rather than condemn or cause disaffection, I have offered honest dialogue. I am willing to call a meeting, If you are willing to attend,. Though loyal to you as my Governor, I am your elder Brother and politics, I am your political leader.
18. In the alternative, you are the governor with better logistical support at your disposal may arranged this meeting, ANYWHERE, and I will gladly attend.
19. In the event of you accepting to host the meeting, I will expect you to fix a date, URGENTLY, fix the venue and draw up your list of those you may wish to be present. You will then advice me. I too, will add more names.
20. When this is done, you can send off your aides for a closed discussion with my aides, so that they may prepare the programme and properly synthesize our various inputs, then disseminate same. Thereafter, our aides can report back to us. We would both be thus properly prepared for the meeting, which we should do, everything possible to make it succeed.
21. My Governor, you must disabuse your mind of the erroneous belief that I wish you bad. It is not true and it is also unchristian. I however cannot mislead you that I am not serious about my ambition to become the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
22. When I informed you of my ambitions, months ago, and sought your assistance, I was MOST serious for the reasons I gave. I cannot be happy that you have denied me support. However, I understand that you are a free citizen, free to chose your friends and free to give your personal support to anybody. All I insist on is, be fair and let your personal support be personal, not so blatantly official, as it has been in the case of your open candidate, Dr. Jerry Gana.
23. Here, I will plead that, as I try to understand your stances as a free citizen, you too may try to understand my disappointment as your brother and friend of many years back. Predating your appearance as Governor, your Excellency.

I remain,

Yours sincerely,

WANTAREGH PAUL UNONGO

Source: From the archives of Terver Adom.