Abubabakar’s Bold Invitation
How many governors can invite independent assessors to come to their states to assess their performance? That is what the Jigawa State governor, Badaru Abubakar has just done, a rarity in our polity, writes Ibrahim Shuaibu
Governor Muhammadu Badaru Abubakar of Jigawa State assumed office on May 29, 2015 with well-articulated programmes that he said, would bring development to the state.
To translate such programmes to development strides that would impact on the people’s lives, the Badaru administration recently commissioned 80 health centres; five township roads and 200 kilometres regional roads across the state.
In the past three years, the governor executed various developmental projects across the state many of which had been completed and commissioned.
Jigawa has 287 political wards, and so far, the state government has completed the construction of 80 clinics; while the remaining ones are at different stages of completion.
Things are changing; the Jigawa State Government is bringing more people into the business sector by creating enabling and conducive business environment that had helped in greatly improving the state’s Internally Generated Revenues (IGR) collection.
In 2017, the government collected over N10 billion as IGR, unlike during the previous administration when less than N1 billion was generated.
The Badaru administration’s desire to enhance the social welfare of the people led to the launching of the Jigawa State Social Intervention Programme aimed at supporting youth to become self-reliant.
On water supply, the Badaru administration initiated rapid water intervention scheme which is the first major infrastructure rehabilitation effort on which it spent N1.9 billion, of which N636 million is recurrent, because of the motorised nature of most of the state water facilities.
The intervention resulted in the replacement of 402 submersible pumps; repair of 92 overhead tanks; overhauling of 251 generators; and various civil works to provide or repair pump houses; conversion of 39 motorised schemes to solar and rehabilitation of 4,192 hand pumps.
The administration has also fast- tracked the development of solar energy with Nova Scotia Power and Pan Africa Solar taking advantage of the LARF policy to fast track land acquisition and compensation process to commence 80MW solar plant in Dutse and another 100MW divided between the Hadejia and Dutse substations.
Governor Badaru’s administration has also successfully completed the following projects: procurement and distribution of school uniforms; bags and sandals for nomadic school pupils in the state; refund of the sum of N21,270,939 school fees in line with the administration’s free girls education and the establishment of nine model Qur’anic centres.
Primarily, agriculture is the main stay of the economy in Jigawa State. In order to stimulate the economy through agriculture, the government identified and supported four value chain crops (rice, wheat, cotton and tomato) and aquaculture (fish production), as well as sheep and goats. The idea is to ensure food security and generate raw materials for agro-allied industries.
On the issue of investment that will generate revenue and employment opportunities to the people of the state, the Erisco Foods and Dangote Farms are also establishing tomato paste factories covering a combined 5,500 hectares.
Additionally, following the successful opening of the Lee Group Kijawal factory in Ringim Council, the company expressed desire to expand additional production lines and the government has decided to establish an industrial park in the same vicinity to take full advantage of the location.
The park will provide incentives and common services, including infrastructure, serviced industrial plots and warehouses, as well as ancillary business and production support such as group security, weigh bridges, etc.
In Dutse, the state capital, also, the state government has commissioned a granite and marble tile production factory that has the capacity to cater for both domestic and international demand for granite finished products.
The administration’s empowerment programme on goat scheme is simply a micro-credit programme replacing conventional currency with three goats, which by their nature are maintenance-free small ruminants that can multiply two folds within 12 months, after which the government would retrieve three offsprings from the beneficiary to put back to the pool.
This Goat Lending or Livestock-Revolving Scheme in other places has been successfully used to alleviate poverty among rural women by up to 73 per cent in over 23 countries. The state government target is 20 women per ward or about 17,220 goats.
The government also spent N6.92 million to train 363 women in various income-generating trades in the state.
Alhaji Muhammad Mujaddadi, the Special Assistant to the governor on Economic Empowerment, said that the training was sponsored
We have asked for a honest assessment of our scorecard and with recommendations where necessary, in our attempt to ensure participatory governance
by the state’s Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development and explained that 108 women were trained in Beads-Making and were given N20, 000.00 each as seed capital to set up their own businesses.
The special assistant added that another set of 108 of women were trained in stone work and embroidery and were also given N25, 000.00 each as seed capital.
According to him, 147 women received training in spices-making, and were given N15, 000.00 each to establish their own businesses. He gave an assurance that additional 250 women had been identified for training in leather works (bags and shoes making) and poultry.
He pointed out that the gesture was to develop the capacities of women in entrepreneurship and make them self-reliant economically.
“The gesture is to enable the beneficiaries set up their own businesses, become self-reliant and employers of labour.
“It is also to empower the women to contribute meaningfully to the economic growth of their families, communities and the state.
“Women will be accorded special attention considering the level of their vulnerability in the society,’’ he said.
In the three years of the administration of Governor Badaru Abubakar, the state civil servants and pensioners receive their salaries without hitches, while gratuity has been paid to retired civil servants and promotion of welfare of the state workers is always vital to the administration.
Speaking with journalists in Dutse, Governor Abubakar pledged that his administration would continue to bring more dividends of democracy to the people.
“I will continue to embark on projects that will impact positively on the lives of the citizens. I would like to use this opportunity to thank the people for their support, perseverance and most importantly, their prayers in the last three years.
“Their show of love and solidarity has provided the encouragement and energy that we put into steering the affairs of the government to date,” he said.
Badaru said that barely two weeks ago, he hosted President Muhammadu Buhari in the state, which gave him the opportunity to compile a concise and detailed achievements of his administration recorded in all key sectors of governance.
“We have asked for a honest assessment of our scorecard and with recommendations where necessary, in our attempt to ensure participatory governance and carrying everyone along,” he said
Indeed, the last three years of Governor Abubakar stewardship in Jigawa state has witnessed transformation in major sectors of human development. Amidst dwindling revenue, the governor has remained focussed and has been able to deliver on his promises to the people.
A political analyst, Adamu Isyaku said the administration had tremendously done well for the people of the state, but advised that the state government needed to give more attention to education, and rural transformation. This, he said would ensure that the people at the grass root also enjoy dividends of democracy.
In the past three years, the governor executed various developmental projects across the state many of which had been completed and commissioned