A tale of two countries with apologies to Charles Dickens

 Daudawa, the repentant Kidnapper

This is about Daudawa, the repentant kidnapper who took up arms to fight

injustice.

Honestly, I am as less concerned about his confessions as his reasons for picking up arms against his people.

My concern is that the amnesty program under which he is benefiting is local.

And, I wonder if such can happen in Southern Nigeria.

We saw Sanwo Olu invite the army to shoot protesters at the Toll Gate and Hope Uzodinma invite the Military to face Eastern Security Network and I wonder if Southerners are Tenants in the contraption called Nigeria.

I ask because I cannot imagine a southern Governor, initiate amnesty for felons. I am not referring to prerogative of Mercy but a felon with advertised acts of felony being pardoned under a local amnesty program.

I know that Law is flexible and the likes of Tunji Abayomi and Femi Falana may try to justify the amnesty program, but my concern is if a southern governor can dare it.

The problem with the southern Governors like Hope Uzodinma and Obaseki is that they see the Executive attached to their official titles as a mere decoration and cannot cough without first feeling the body language of Abuja.

Often, when I hear cries of marginalization from Executive Governors, I wonder why they draw up budgets, spend money and borrow money?

They belong to national council of states and yet they make public disparaging remarks rehashed from their days as youth activists.

The only time our Governors flex muscles is when there is talk of succeeding an incumbent President.

Besides that, the southern Governors behave as though the power to impeach them lies not within their states' Houses of Assembly but with the Presidency.

It is an aberration but to be fair to the  Governors, Obj used the power of the President to good effect in impeaching a few governors.

I am not in the least suggesting that southern Governors should sponsor kidnapping and initiate an amnesty program but at least they should show that they are in charge in their states and safe for Hope Uzodinma, they all won Elections in their states and are not political appointees of the Presidency.