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POLITICS

Posted: Tuesday, November 17, 2009


 

Yuguda’s democracy credentials

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The saying that “Man proposes but God disposes” cannot be more apt than in the case of an honourable gentleman who was having and fulfilling a career in the banking industry, working diligently and assiduously with determination, concern, sincerity, focus and praying fervently to the creator to spare his life to serve the people from whose wealth he was educated.
Unknown to him, the Almighty Creator had answered his prayers and designed a more challenging assignment for him that of salvaging the people who had for long been in bondage in a climate of leadership of insensitivity, exploitation, deprivation and hopelessness with over N18.7billion of their funds stolen by those who presided over the affairs of the poor state from 1999 – 2007.
This man is no any other than Malam Isa Yuguda (Matawallen Bauchi) and a messiah to his people.
The people in reference here are the indigenes of Bauchi state, the home of Africa’s largest Games Reserve (Yankari), the home to Nigeria’s first and last prime minister, the home to the famous nationalist, Sa’adu Zungur and the political training ground to some of Nigeria’s foremost politicians the likes of Joseph Sarwuan Tarka, Malam Aminu Kano, Yarima Balla, Alhaji Garba Aminu, Bello Ijumu, Abdurrahaman Okene, Hassan Kosasshe Ahmed, Sulen Jebu, Abdu Gobe Zantashi, Sani Minista, Musa Maifam Dari, Dr. Bala Muhammed, etc.
The state is blessed with vast agricultural potentials capable of feeding the entire Nigerian nation; and indeed, the state has been a supporting pillar to Nigeria’s political stability since independence.
Throughout history, great nations of the world have had great men and women, patriots and pioneers who served as national volunteers to chart the course of national redemption for their lands.
Though some of these great men sought to lead the people, some had the opportunity thrust upon them while others even imposed themselves on the land as self-styled leaders but endeavoured to deliver their nations from the pangs of poverty to prosperity.
This is the story of Malam (Dr) Isa Yuguda in brief.
The defining moment was in April 2007 when the stage was set up by the Almighty Allah for this visionary and astute politician who served as a banker and an accomplished technocrat, and an unassuming manager of human and material resources to appear on the scene to take the mantle of leadership of Bauchi state.
This happened at a time when all hope seemed to have been lost for the average indigene of the state, with the state’s economy in total coma, with health facilities in very pathetic situation. While essential social services and amenities extinct, with public infrastructures had decayed with the educational system in shambles.
Agriculture which is the mainstay of the state’s economy fared no better as its production was at the lowest ebb despite the huge potentials of the state.
To end the pathetic situation, the public service which should have been the engine room of development was brought to its knees and left without bearing and proper direction.
The only hope for the change of baton from the old order was the acceptance of Yuguda to contest the governorship of the state on April 14, 2007. No politician in the whole state accepted to venture into such an expensive risk of challenging the power of incumbency and the strength of the party in power if not the courageous, the anointed and the destined.
The circumstances that brought Malam Isa Yuguda to power in Bauchi state through the freest election can rightly be described as the divine certification of the Almighty God and not any other mortal.
Since he assumed office on May 29, 2007, Malam Isa has given in much in service delivery in his quest to serve humanity in his new found leadership position; the story cannot be complete without a look at how he positively impacted his wealth of experience on the lives of the people, for the true test of a man’s worth and integrity lies not in his opportunities but on how he uses those opportunities to help others and to make the world a better place than he met it. It is therefore in this context that I peeped into the various contributions of governor Yuguda since he assumed office in May 2007.
Since the famous inauguration of his administration, the story of Bauchi state has dramatically changed for the better and all the people including those in blind opposition are proud to be indigenes of Bauchi state once again.
First, in a very humble and unassuming fashion, governor Yuguda demystified power by declining the comfort of the office which was borne out of a deep conviction that people must have a different orientation on leadership; for him, leaders must see themselves as partners in development where the leader must play the role of the custodian of the peoples commonwealth and must be prepared to render an account of stewardship to the Almighty God whatever he does as admonished in the Hadith of Prophet Muhammad (SAW), and where people must understand that as the Holy Bible decrees, “whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant and whoever wants to be first, must be a slave of all….”(Mark 10:42-45).
Based on the stated above, Yuguda then moved on to encapsulate a vision and mission in Bauchi state because he believes that a people without a vision are a people without a mission and a people without a mission are a people on a hopeless adventure. Within two years in office, the creative and ingenious leader refocused Bauchi state and began a process of political and economic re-engineering to transform the state into one of the three top most developed in Nigeria thus staking some landmark decisions that are positively affecting the lives of the people.
Some of these include the settlement of NECO and WAEC examination fees for all students of the state origin, provision of free primary and secondary schools education, increase in the salary of civil servants and provision of brand new luxury cars to the civil servants on loan with a 50 percent subsidy and repayable in five years, compulsory immersion in information technology and e-compliance training for all civil servants; institutionalization and strict compliance to due process, probity and accountability in government business; support to federal establishments in the state for effective service delivery.
Other notable achievements of Governor Yuguda include regular release of funds to local government councils for capital projects, improvement of environmental sanitation and beautification of the state capital and other major cities in the state, free medical services to pregnant women and children under-five years of age in public hospitals, establishment of an agency to provide job opportunities and skills acquisition to unemployed youths and women with over 50,000 youths and women now in gainful employment in both the public and private sectors; adequate support to security agencies, thus transforming Bauchi state to a safe haven for investors, total democratization of the electoral process through non-interference and demystification of “godfather” syndrome in Bauchi politics.
Perhaps one remarkable and indelible achievement that has brought comfort to the people is Yuguda’s settlement of backlog of gratuities and retirement benefits owed retirees by the past administration. This singular but commendable action gave succor to the senior citizens who paid their dues in active service to the state.
The Yuguda administration also adopted the Public Private Partnership initiative in mobilizing resources to finance specified development projects across the state and provided 50 percent subsidy on fertilizers to support agricultural production that led to the emergence of Bauchi state as a leading grains producer in Nigeria today; He facilitated the establishment of several micro-finance institutions to stimulate economic activities in the state and extended a loan of N2billion to traders and artisans to support commerce and other trades with N500million first installment released to the beneficiaries.
Other outstanding achievements of governor Yuguda in Bauchi state include the over-hauling and repositioning of the educational system.
Several bore-holes complete with reticulation and over-head tanks were provided to all public secondary schools, all dilapidated schools were renovated while brand new ones were constructed and fully equipped, text books in all subjects were provided to all schools from kindergarten to tertiary institutions in the state free while school buses were provided, feeding allowances of students was increased and the welfare of the teaching staff was improved for effective service delivery.
Retired but not tired teachers were re-engaged and placed on mouth watering salary as state-of-the-art furniture were supplied to all public schools.
The Yuguda administration introduced a close working relationship and collaboration with other institutions in the country for placement of its students as some of its brilliant students were sponsored to overseas countries for courses in aeronautical engineering, medicine and other relevant courses.
Another landmark achievement of governor Yuguda is the realization of his desire to provide decent and affordable shelter for the people by embarking on the construction of several housing projects scattered all over the 20 local governments in the state with over 5,000 of those houses near-completion.
As a political guru, governor Yuguda in a most unique manner had introduced a quarterly stakeholders meeting to compare notes and carry members of the opposition parties along in governance. This has been the governor’s unique style of changing the people’s perception of public office holders, for believes that to a large extent, the generality of the people have lost confidence and trust in government, governance, public officers and in politicians.
It is worthy to note that for his commitment to openness, transparency, probity and accountability, governor Yuguda within six months in office established the Due process Department, Debt Management office and signed into law the Fiscal Responsibility Bill as the first state in Nigeria to initiate such a bill.
Despite all the efforts put-in-place by governor Yuguda to improve the living standard of the people, there are those determined to pull down his administration through fictitious, baseless and mischievous petitions as the only cheap weapon at their disposal to use against the governor.
Those mischief makers, who failed to rescue the state from hunger, disease, poverty and squalor when they were in power, have resolved to destabilize the administration of Yuguda at all cost with an effective use of across section of the media.
Fortunately enough, majority of the people are in support of the laudable programmes of Yuguda and are determined to protect the administration anytime and anywhere as they brought it to power in 2007.
SANUSI MUHAMMAD is SA (Media Affairs), Bauchi; uchinjangwarzo@yahoo.com
 


©2005 New Nigerian Newspapers Limited.