By Isiyaka Ismail Wunti
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| GOVERNOR BALA MOHAMMED Executive Governor, Bauchi State |
In Political dispensation, the ability of any democratically elected Government to deliver the campaign promises for the collective benefit of the citizens is generally regarded as the most successful administration.
The giant stride in other way attracts the total support and maximum loyalty from the teaming pupolace especially progressive minded among them. This is the type of leadership that justified a political postulation which says " One Good Term, Deserves Another".
It is against this backdrop, the unprecedented performance of the Bauchi State Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed in repositioning various sectors of the state economy and the governor's ability to priotize Human Capital Development, the need for his re-election to consolidate on the achievements recorded cannot be over emphasized.
This is because, everyone responsible administration that is mindful in the collective interest of the citizens focuses on provision of infrastructure in both urban and rural areas in addition to formulation and implementation of policies and programmes that have direct bearings on the lives of people. In Bauchi State for example, Governor Bala Mohammed has championed these courses by not only fulfilling his campaign promises in that direction but initiating new ones on the basis of their relevance.
The areas that received the attention of Governor Bala Mohammed led administration include construction of road network across all the twenty local government areas, construction, renovation and rehabilitation of primary and secondary schools well as primary healthcare centers, provision of thirty two 500 and 200 KVA transformers under Rural Electrification Programme, provision potable water and expansion Gubi Dam treatment plant, complete renovation of the twenty local government Secretariats, building and upgrading of Government House, Government Lodge, Governor's office in Abuja and Kaduna and more importantly construction of 2,500 Mass Housing Scheme across the six Emirate councils in the State.
Others are Construction of the world-class Hajj Camp, upgrading of palaces of Emirs and District Heads, construction of places of worship, construction of New GSM Vila in Muda Lawal market, procurement and distribution of one thousand tricycles and over two hundred busses to commercial vehicle operators, disbursement of cash and empowerment materials worth over two billion across the twenty local government areas, payment of scholarship, offsetting part of the backlog of gratuities and consolidation in the payment of workers salaries.
Under the Urban Renewal and the Rural Roads Development Projects initiated by the Governor in less than 4 years of his administration, Governor Bala Mohammed had constructed the following roads that linked up communities with their sources of livelihoods and reduced the dangers of accidents.
These include the completion of CBN Round - about to Railway Round - about in Bauchi, construction of Jama'are Road and rehabilitation of Sule Katagum Road in Azare, construction of some selected Roads in Bauchi including Tafawa Balewa Housing Estate, Ibrahim Bako Estate, ATAP and ATBU Gubi Campus, construction/rehabilitation of Awalah Roundabout, Gidan Mai- Zaranda-Miri Road, construction of Gombe - Maiduguri Roads Bye - pass, Yakubun Bauchi Quarters Road and Sultan Abubakar ( Muda Lawal Market) Road in Bauchi Metropolis and the construction of Sabon Kaura - Jos Road and Sabon Kaura - Tambari Estate Road in Bauchi Metropolis .
Others include the construction of Bununu Township Roads, construction of Disina Township Road and Flood Control Drainages construction/ dualization/rehabilitation of Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa International Airport Road, Maiduguri Road, Sam Njoma Road, Adamu Jumba Road, Yakubu Wanka Road, Jaja Road, Bata-Nufawa - Anguwan Jaki Road, Sarkin Kasuwa Road, Shagari Road and Karofin Madaki Road, construction of Gwangwangwan-Bakaro-Kofar Dumi Road and Mallam Goje - Bakin Kura-Muda Lawal (Urban Market) Road in Bauchi Metropolis, and the rehabilitation of 1.5km Emir's Palace - Marshal Road - CLIS Junction in Misau.
The Major intra-state roads that the Government had embarked upon include Misau–Bulkachuwa–Udubo-Gamawa, Sade–Akuyam , Yelwan Duguri-Kumbala-Kundak-Burga, Katanga Warji - Gwaram, Itas – Gadau, Azare- Isawa - Giade - Kurba - Basirka, Bogor –Lusa, Boi–Tapshin, Rimin Zayam - Polchi – Palama, Rishi-Tulu-Tama and Melandige-Kafin Larabawa/Madangala– Kujururoads.
In the Housing Sector, the Former FCT Minister has extremely performed in order to cater for the needs of the state's teaming population. The massive Housing Project embarked upon by the Government in collaboration with Family Home s Fund, a subsidiary of the Federal Ministry of Finance had resulted in the construction of two thousand five hundred Housing units of three and two bedrooms in Bauchi, Azare, Misau, Ningi, Dass and Jama'are under a Public-Private-Partnershp arrangement.
Moving to the Water Sector, we must note the adage that ‘’Water is life’’, because every human existence depends on the availability of water in the required volume. However, due to increasing human activities and climatic change, availability of water for human consumption had been a major recuring problem. In the major cities, unavailability is best described in relation to population growth and neglect of the sources and processes of water supply. At the advent of this administration, the situation of water supply in Bauchi metropolis and other urban centres was at best abysmal.
Another vital area that received the attention of the Governor is water supply, under the National Urban Water Sector Project, a World Bank supported initiative with the major components that include the rehabilitation of the Gubi Dam, rehabilitation and expansion of the Gubi Water Treatment Plant, and replacement of transmission mains from the Dam to Warinje and Buzaye reservoirs which has been commissioned by the President earlier in the year. In addition, efforts have reached advance stage in the rehabilitation and improvement of other major water supply schemes across the State.
In Health sector the Government has completed rehabilitation and re-equipping of at least one General Hospital in each of the twenty Local Government Areas of the State aimed at extending quality healthcare services to the doorsteps of the people. In collaboration with our development partners , the Administration has successfully renovated and equipped over three hundred Primary Healthcare facilities across the state.
The goal according to Governor Bala Mohammed is to ensure that each of the 323 electoral wards in the state is equipped with at least one functional PHC centre so that every resident of Bauchi State can access healthcare delivery within a very short time and distance . The administration has also introduced highly competitive welfare packages for doctors, pharmacists, nurses and indeed all healthcare workers in the services of the state in order to address the gross inbalance in the doctor-patient ratio to ensure effective healthcare service delivery. This is in addition to recruitment of Medical Doctors and over One thousand One Hundred and Sixty-Five 100 medical-related personnel, mostly State indigenes.
Under the Kaura Economic Empowerment Programme the state government has so far given out business support grants of N100,000 each to over 2,000 SME beneficiaries to recover and sustain their operations; livelihood grants of N100,000 each to over 2,000 economically active and unemployed youths and women; monthly grants of N10,000 each given bi-monthly to over 3,305 beneficiaries to enhance consumption support under the cash transfer platform for the last 3 months and going; and engaged 936 youths under the labour intensive public works to make them work on feeder roads, irrigation schemes, reforestation, security and sanitation services with payment of N13,000 monthly, which commenced three months ago. These interventions have gone a long way to support other efforts in the development of small and medium businesses as well as local businessmen and artisans.
A total sum of N300 million was said to have been provided and disbursed under the Government’s support to traders, artisans and other local business operators with plans for the disbursement of the second tranche of N300 million almost concluded.This is in addition to other support provided including the Kaura Economic Empowerment Programme that has provided succour to youth, women and the vulnerable through the provision of capital; work equipments, machinery and implements; and the likes to fully engage them and provide sustainable livelihoods in various trades and vocations. Over. N2.5 billion was invested in this regard across all the Local Government Areas.
In the areas of Security, Bala Mohammed was able to sustain active working relationship with various security agencies by providing all the necessary supports in the maintainace of peace and order. To further encourage the fight against crime and criminality across the state, the Governor donated operational Vehicles to Police, Army, Immigration, Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), Road Safety Corps, National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the State Correctional Service, Volunteer Security Groups including Members of Peace and Security Committee otherwise known as "Yan Kwamitin" Vigilante Group and Hunters.
Other related gesture, are provision of brand new operational and fire fighting equipments to the State Fire Service to enhance their humanitarian services as well as District Heads and other traditional tittle holders.
As a veteran journalist who acknowledged the role of media in the development of society, the Governor ordered for the digitization of the state own Media Stations and provide a level playing ground for media activities. He also extended the provision of official vehicle to leaders of the State Council of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), the State Chapter of Nigeria Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), the State Correspondents' Chapel and social media activists.
Relevant MDAs, Religious bodies, Permanent Secretaries, State, Zonal and Local Government PDP Leaders, PDP political Singers and youth leaders are also part of the beneficiaries.
These among others would no doubt convince electorates across Bauchi state to massively vote for Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed for second term hoping that consolidation on his achievements will futher transformed the state to compete favourably with its counterparts.
It is however noted that the government has few challenges and shortcomings in the cause of governance which may be against the interest of some citizens but inview of the above tremendous achievements recorded by his administration the Bala Mohammed's victory in the forthcoming 2023 Gubernatorial Election in Bauchi is largely assured.
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