BY SUZAN EDEH

ONE unique thing about last Sunday’s Democracy Day celebration in Bauchi State was that it t served for other purposes other than swearing in the governor.

The inauguration ceremony was much anticipated. Bauchi citizenry had obviously reflected  on the outcome of the 2011 general polls and their re-election of  incumbent Governor, Mallam Isa Yuguda to steer the affairs of the state for another four years.  The elections had come and gone, there was no pretence that the 2011 elections were free and fair in the state, even though they were marred by  post presidentialelection violence in some parts of the country including Bauchi.

It would be recalled  during the gubernatorial election in the state that Isa Yuguda contested against strong gubernatorial candidates, who fought tooth and nail to wrestle power from the People Democratic Party (PDP) but failed.

Thus, the stage was set for the May 29, inauguaration. A host PDP  official, stakeholders from within and outside state, other citizenry and observers converged at the IBB square in Bauchi  to witness the swearing-in of the state Governor, Isa Yuguda and his Deputy, Alhaji Sagir Aminu Saleh for a second tenure, amid tight security.

Even though it was a time to beat the drums and jubilate, the state Governor did something very usual unlike what was witnessed in other states. He preferred the ceremony to be a time of sober reflection and had it not been for the tradition of an inauguration ceremony, the Governor said he would have preferred it to be celebrated at the Government House. He said this to  honour and remember those who lost their lives during the post-election violence, especially the 10 slain members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), who were victims of the crisis.

Isa Yuguda, in an emotionally laden voice, expressed the State Government’s deep concern for the departed Corps members. He offered three Hajj/Jerusalem seats each to families of the slain corpers as well as  scholarship for two of their younger siblings from secondary to university levels in any Nigerian university.

Yuguda at the low key ceremony as a mark of honor to the 10 slain Corps members and six others who were butchered in the post presidential polls violence, ”by killers suspected to be agents of opposition political parties,” disclosed that the ‘’security agencies have arrested over 600 perpetrators of this dastardly act including the suspected killers of the Corps members and other citizens of the state.”

He also used the occasion to reiterate the commitment of his administration to ensuring that security of lives and property in the state was guaranteed, because according to him, “when I was elected as Governor of the state, I took an oath and this oath is not to embezzle state government funds or enrich myself. I took an oath that I will protect lives and property in the state. If I have failed in this responsibility, when I am in my grave, Allah will ask me of the lives that were lost during my leadership, without due process of the law and that is why I always weep when I hear that a life is lost as a result of crisis”.

The Governor who was sworn in by the State Chief Judge, Justice Ibrahim Zango at a colourful ceremony attended by a mammoth crowd of well wishers also approved the creation of the Sayawa Chiefdom with temporary head quarters at Marten Giji to ensure lasting peace in the troubled Bogoro and Tafawa Balewa Local Government areas of the state.

He then called on all stakeholders ‘’to support this position and accord necessary cooperation to the new Chief when he is eventually installed even as Government  has appointed a high powered committee to review previous reports on the Tafawa Balewa/Bogoro crisis, which included Justice Babalakin, Justice  Bala Umar and Justice Ibrahim Zango’s Committees.’’