An uncomfortable silence, akin to a grave yard, looms across the Plateau political space with scarcely any sign of life. No campaign jingles blaring on PRTVC or NTA, only very few posters of politicians who have dashed the consequences and dared to declare interest can been seen at junctions in Jos, only 2 campaign offices have opened up in Jos so far, and above all, a feeling of rife uncertainly looms in the polity; and it hardly feels like the elections are 8 months away.

An uncomfortable silence, akin to a grave yard, looms across the Plateau political space with scarcely any sign of life. No campaign jingles blaring on PRTVC or NTA, only very few posters of politicians who have dashed the consequences and dared to declare interest can been seen at junctions in Jos, only 2 campaign offices have opened up in Jos so far, and above all, a feeling of rife uncertainly looms in the polity; and it hardly feels like the elections are 8 months away.

Several questions come to mind –Who is the chosen one? What zone is this person from? When will he/she commence earnest politicking given that primaries are in September 2014? With such rhetorics, many would say; too many questions and not enough answers –and that is very true.

Two days ago another veteran politician, Mr. Fidelis Tapgun declared his interest to join the gubernatorial race. In doing so, he joins the ranks of other daring fellows like Hon. Victor Lar, Prof. Wapmuk and Prof. Tyoden who have not waited for the whistle to be blown before commencing the race.

Admirable as his declaration is, several watchers appear to be writing him off already. Tapgun, having previously governed Plateau in the third republic from January 1992 – 23rd October 1993, took several controversial executive decisions which till date many still blame him for. Top of the list was the sale of the Brewery and Agro Research Company (BARC) Farms. BARC farms was a subsidiary of the Jos International Breweries, it was one of the most successful Plateau enterprises of the 1980s. It employed thousands of people and gave the state several brand names of pride and indulgence. Unfortunately, for several reasons not fully understood, the company was sold cheaply to other investors, leading to its ultimate demise.

The sale of BARC farms and the subsequent liquidation of JIB remains fresh in the minds of Plateau people, several of these still hold Tapgun solely responsible for the demise. Whether right or wrong, these people appear adamant that giving him a chance may be suicidal to Plateau.
That said, a group of youth under the aegis of Plateau Youth Forum for Leadership and Development (PYFOLD) have since come-out in defence of him, arguing that the sale process commenced even before he came to power in 1992. See the link below:

http://tapgun2015.com/news/9-fidelis-tapgun-and-the-sale-of-barc-farms-facts-behind-the-fiction.html

The fact though remains, if the sale process commenced ahead of his coming to power, why did he not stop it when he had the chance when he was Governor and as the C-in-C of the state? Does his inability to halt the deal not show weakness or bad judgement and therefore, that he should not be trusted with responsibility again?

The other question is –if he always thought that he was unfairly labelled or blamed for the sale, why has he not taken the opportunity since 1993 when he left power (i.e., 21 years) to set the record straight. Why now? Is it simply a case where before elections, when politicians feel they need votes then they come back crawling to the electorate, but once they have it, the electorate are treated like crap? Again, this attitude does not show great leadership and puts his character in question.

In closing, with advancing technology and the world becoming a global village, why should we be looking back at politicians of the past? People who had a chance to make a difference and came short. Shouldn’t people be looking forward to more credible candidates who have more to offer?
With all due respect, I hold Tapgun in the highest esteem, especially seeing what positions he has occupied in Nigeria – (1) Executive Governor (2) Ambassador to Kenya (3) Minister of Industry (4) Director General of Obasanjo/Atiku Campaign. I’d then ask the question, with such an impression CV, shouldn’t he be thinking about being the kingmaker as opposed to being the king? With several credible candidates in the Southern zone, it would be great to see other alternatives as opposed to recycling past leaders. Oh Plateau –let us think hard about this one.

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Tapgun 2015: Why people should look at the past to understand the future