Yobe: Bouncing back from the yoke of terror
Largely, Yobe State gets into news alongside or in relation to the Boko Haram conflict. Twenty-five years ago, the state was created out of Borno and since then, to some extent, what affects Borno also affects Yobe. Beyond that, it is gratifying that Yobe’s story is not all about tragedy, and not all being at the bottom of all development index(s). But the disaster that was Boko Haram drew some parts of the state, largely in Gulani, Gujba, Damaturu, Geidam and Potiskum (to some extent) into staggering effects of Boko Harameducationally, economically - and many more. At a point in time, the armed group held sway in Buni Yadi, the headquarters of Gujba Local government. But, life goes on and like Borno, Yobe is also bouncing back on track after years of fear, bloodshed and anxiety that made even building classrooms in villages like a suicide mission; because of the risks of attack. Many projects had to come to a standstill and the states meagre finances consumed by huge security expenses. Simply put, in the last five years, finances that should go into building roads, schools and hospitals had to be put into security. That is how tragedy works; bringing up unexpected incidents that change everything, largely for the worst, often for so long, or forever.
Even before 2009, the people of Yobe state always contend with expectations of development getting closer to them, which was the reason why the then military government created the state and others. There was indeed apparent marginalization before the creation of the state which manifested in almost everything.
Largely agrarian and facing many devastating ecological challenges, the state needs rapid development in terms of infrastructure, education, employment for youths, transformation in agriculture and above all, accessible and affordable health care. From 1999 to date, progress came slowly, and up to 2009 at the dawn of Boko Haram insurgency, the state was lagging behind in so many areas. The current and previous governments have done their best in keeping peoples’ hope in democracy alive. Particularly, current administration of Governor Ibrahim Gaidam has been particularly resilient despite security challenges that devastated almost all aspects of life. On their part and most importantly, the people remained faithful, voting the same party or leaning into power; despite disappointments in some areas.
The past is gone, the present is here with us. What elicits anxiety and excitement is the future. Where will Yobe state be in the next 10 years? What direction can the state take to change; to move forward and step on the path to rapid development? What are the problems holding the state down? How can those problems be resolved? To answer these questions, we have to first of all be clear on the areas that the state needs quick and sustained intervention.
Poverty in Yobe state is huge and affects all parts of the state. This might be as result of so many things- including lack of viable economic opportunities and access to skills by youths. Thousands of youth are in urgent need of quality education and skills that can make them competitive.
Desertification which affects Yunusari, Yusufari, Karasuwa, Machina, Geidam and Bursari local government areas is increasingly diminishing the space for agricultural activities and livestock development. For many years, Yobe state has been screaming and asking for help to deal with desertification because it is depriving many poor families of their means of livelihood and even shelter. One needs to just visit Tulo-Tulo in Yusufari Local Government Area to have a picture of the disaster that is making life more difficult every day for thousands of families.
In fairness, the state government has been doing all it can, within the limits of its resources, but dealing with an ecological disaster of this proportion requires federal intervention and more.
A lot need to be done in the areas of education, agriculture and healthcare and this could be tackled by looking inwards to diversity the state’s finances. For instance, Gulani Local Government has huge mineral resources potentials that can bring investments to the state.
Democracy is always good, despite its shortcomings. It gives people an opportunity -after every four years, to go back to the drawing board and start on a clean slate. For Yobe to make any progress, the state needs to change. This change can possibly come if the people change their attitude towards elections and politics.
Like every other state in the country, the good people of Yobe always get the opportunity to change their situation using their votes. Often, people take this opportunity for granted by selling their votes for a bar of cheap soap or petty sentiments like tribalism and nepotism. The gullible are often lured with the baits of fear based on petty conclusions. Good governance largely takes the back seat. Credibility, rich experience and capacity to manage resources is often not considered when choosing who should be at the helm of affairs. This is not a problem unique to Yobe state; but this is problem that the people of Yobe State should try and resolve.
Resolving this will mean choosing leaders who have people at the centre of all their agendas. It will mean ignoring tribalism and focusing on quality a potential leader has. Life goes on, but it is the people that can choose to move forward. They can change their situation by changing how they look at leadership and the decision on who to choose to give the direction towards development.
Yobe is a state blessed with men and women who excelled in their own fields with experience, expertise and stage in life where their priority is not their interests; because they have achieved everything in life. This is the state that produced the likes of Professor Maimuna Waziri, Dr. Ali Adamu Tikau, Kashim Gana Gaidam, Yerima Ngama, Mustapha Maihajja, Alhaji Ibrahim Muhammed Bomai and many others. The state is never lacking in potential leaders with promise and prospects of getting the state on the fast track of development.
Bulabulin wrote this piece from Nguru, Yobe state.