By joshua WHEN TRUTH REFUSED TO DIE: THE TRIAL OF ALHAJI IBRAHIM HARUNA ‘DSTV’ AND THE CONSCIENCE OF IJUMU
By Abu Micheal
Alhaji Ibrahim Haruna, popularly called DSTV, is a man who in relationship has built a network of friends across the political party divide. From APC to PDP, from youth to elders, from market to mosque, his name travels ahead of him not because he shouted, but because he served. That is why the recent scheme to paint him black remains one of the most intriguing aspects of our politics today. It was a script written in a hurry, rehearsed in secret, and delivered with the hope that noise would bury facts. But as the elders say, truth has a way of outrunning lies, no matter how early the lies left the house.
Good enough, Governor Usman Ahmed Ododo has over the years proven to be a good listener, a leader who will investigate matters before passing judgment. That quality that distinguishes him as a leader per excellence played out again in the Ijumu LGA drama. When the allegations came flying, when the social media kitchens were hot with fabrication, the Governor did not join the mob. He asked for facts. He asked for records. And in doing that, he reminded Ijumu and indeed Kogi State that leadership is not about echoing rumors, it is about standing on evidence.
In life, truth travels faster than lies, no matter how long the mischief makers stay in the kitchen. The Bible puts it plainly: “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” The Yoruba will say “Iro kò ní orí, òtító sì ní ẹsẹ̀” — a lie has no head, but truth has legs. Our fathers also taught us that “even if lies run for twenty years, truth will catch up with it on the twenty-first.” That is the law of life. That is the law that saved Alhaji Haruna.
While politics can be associated with lies, it is not in all cases that it works, particularly when a man like Hon. Haruna is seen to have come to equity with clean hands. For a man who had already made his mark before office, who was beckoned upon to serve as Chairman in the first instance because the people trusted him, taking up that challenge was about building upon a reputation he had spent years to build in private business and in community service. It was therefore to the extreme that some persons, infected with the pull-him-down syndrome that has become the pastime of desperate politics, would want to associate a man who before becoming Chairman was a live wire in Ijumu, a man known for settling disputes, for empowering young people, for showing up at burials and weddings, with the language of corruption.
The accusers knew the truth. The community knew the truth. Ijumu knows that the man in question has built a reputation and will not soil his hands. His tenure as Chairman of Ijumu LGA left verifiable footprints. He prioritized rural road grading and drainage that opened up farm communities and made it easier for traders to move goods from Ayere to Iyara. He facilitated the renovation of primary health centers and ensured regular supply of basic drugs, so that mothers would not travel far for treatment. He was consistent with the payment of staff salaries and local government obligations, and he supported schools with desks, learning materials and direct intervention for indigent pupils. He empowered hundreds of youths and women with tools, grants and training, and he maintained a security structure that worked with traditional rulers to keep Ijumu peaceful at a time when many neighboring areas were under pressure. Those are not stories. They are projects you can point to, people you can call, communities you can visit.
It is also so unfortunate that the same mischief sought to drag in Hon. Abiodun Faleke, a son of the soil who has contributed immensely to the growth and development of the area. To use the name of a man who has built schools, attracted projects and mentored young people, as bait to smear the good reputation of an upwardly mobile young man like Haruna who has given his all to the service of his fatherland, is politics at its lowest. Both men may differ in party, but they share one thing: service. And service, when it is sincere, cannot be cancelled by gossip.
The clarion call now is to those who attempted to shout “crucify Hon. Haruna.” They should know that it is a natural law: when you dig a pit for an innocent man, the earth has a way of returning the sand to you. Having failed in their plot, they may yet find themselves falling into the very hole they dug. Commendation must be given to the few men who, amongst beclouded stakeholders, stood up for the truth. They refused to sell their conscience for appointment. They refused to trade their name for a press release. To the others who became “thin gods” overnight, men never known until the appointment they hold now, let history take note. Your name has been written, not in the book of development, but in the hall of mischief. The unborn children of Ijumu will one day accost your children with the sins of their fathers. It may be long after, but the story will not be about roads built or lives lifted. It will be about why some people chose lies when truth was available. And that kind of story hunts for a long time.
There is no wisdom in telling lies when there is nothing to gain except shame. As Mahatma Gandhi said, “An error does not become truth by reason of multiplied propagation, nor does truth become error because nobody sees it.” And as Martin Luther King Jr. reminded us, “The truth is powerful and it prevails.” In Ijumu today, truth has prevailed. A man has been tested, and he came out clean. A Governor has shown that listening is a virtue. And a people have learned again that no amount of black paint can cover a white wall when the sun is out.
Alhaji Ibrahim Haruna DSTV will continue to build bridges across party lines. He will continue to serve. And Ijumu will continue to move forward, because in the end, it is not the loudest voice that wins, it is the truest record.
The need for an investigation to forestall future occurrence remains the watchwords to forestall such politics as was displayed recently in Ijumu LGA and the making of the report public will help in letting the world know what truly played out and the roles played by the actors for and against.