Governor Bala On the verge of Making History

State governments, especially those with their incumbent riders exercising their first tenure in office, those that were brought to the stewardship of their respective states through the 2019 general elections, and perfecting their ways for a second term tenure are busy executing laudable developmental projects to symbolize for their successes ahead of the 2023 elections.

By, Umar usman Duguri

In the Northeast geo-political zone, for instance, they include governors of Gombe, Yobe, Borno and Bauchi, Mohammed Inuwa Yahaya, Mai Mala Boni, Babagana Umara Zulum and Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed respectively have all since assumption to office in 2019 been executing developmental projects being tailored to meet the needs and aspirations of their respective peoples.

As for the Borno state Governor, Babagana Umara Zulum, his performance in the last 18 months is unprecedented in the political history of the state, and when coupled with his resolute, zeal and commitment, uprightness and fearlessness of the Boko Haram insurgents, as well as doggedness, sagaciousness and determination, was even been adjudged and penciled down by a broad gamut of the Nigerian society as the likely successor to President Muhammadu Buhari come 2023 general elections.

Perhaps of a difference in style and managerial skills, is that of the Bauchi State Governor, Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed whose political train, though in the opposition (PDP) when compared to the other three who are considered decentralization of the ruling party at the centre, to which support and positive gestures could be incomparable to the opposition Bauchi.

But even the opposition Bauchi, whose Governor Bala Mohammed, always claiming to be a federalist, having worked in the federal civil service, and rose to the position of a director before joining partisan politics, and having bestowed unalloyed loyalty to President Muhammed Buhari, christened him a father, deserves the sympathy, support and even patronage as his APC counterparts across the states.

Bala’s recent, but greatest developmental gait ever since his assumption to office is perhaps the unveiling of the Bauchi Urban Renewal Project (BURP) which has just commenced to give the cosmopolitan city not only a facelift but to raise its progresses comparable to any state capital in the federation, upper class capitals such as Kaduna or Port Harcourt, among others.

It is for this reason, the Kauran Bauchi led administration negotiated for a loan of N30 billion with the United Bank for Africa (UBA) to actualize this dream. The project entails the provision of dual-carriage ways of all entry point roads into the city of Bauchi such as the Awalah hotel to Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa International Airport, Awalah to Yuli site of the State University, BAHA to Bauchi Cemetery, as well as the Awalah to Miri which was already in good progress.

Others are the giving way of the old roundabouts in the city to new and modern ones, including two envisaged flyovers at Wunti and by the Central market, as well as other connectivity inter-roads in the city of Bauchi. Already, the PDP-led government has immediately after inception embarked on the construction of some roads across the state, including the state capital, where Miri to Dass road, Gombe road to Maiduguri bypasses have already been completed, awaiting commissioning probably by President Muhammadu Buhari.

As part of the loan agreement, the UBA is going to assist the state government to improve its internally generated revenue (IGR). The bank will partake in the collection of revenues in the informal sector with the employment of about 400 youths who would serve as agents in the revenue collection, according to the state Commissioner of Finance, Umaru Sanda Adamu.

Prior to the UBA loan, and ever since the inception of Governor Bala Mohammed-led administration, the government did not take a dime as loan, because as the governor was once quoted, Bauchi has exceeded its threshold of borrowing from its statutory allocation, whereas what the state is getting from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) is nothing to write home about, hence the resolve of the government to take the bank loan.

Sanda also revealed that the State Executive Council has approved a memo brought by his ministry for the adoption of a State Treasury Single Account (TSA) into which all collectable revenues for the government will be remitted, with a directive that all MDAs should pay into the account, as violation by any organ of the government will attract disciplinary measures.

All revenues collected on behalf of the state government should go into one account. We also have new strategy of collecting tax that will remove leakages and our target is that every month we will at least get one billion naira. We are also expecting some refund from the federal government, there are some taxes that is being collected on behalf of the state, the commissioner corroborated.

In the same token, Bauchi is expecting a grant from the World Bank, being part of the bank’s project of transparency and accountability to which the state has creditably performed within the showground of the nineteen northern states. This, the commissioner attributed, to the wisdom, knowledge and managerial skills of Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed

The Finance Commissioner said, “We submitted another memo on clearance of domestic debt arrears. These debt arrears comprise state pensions, pension arrears, payroll arrears, gratuity arrears, rent arrears, electricity bills, all these are for good governance. These are expenses that were incurred before the advent of the present administration in the state”.

He however expressed worrisome over the issue of ghost workers/pensioners from whose perpetrations the state government last October saved over one billion naira. Sanda assured that the disagreeable act would soon be a thing of the past in the state, as some perpetrators of the act were already in the hands of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) operatives.

The fraud, he stated, was perpetrated by a syndicate involving some civil servants, some bank officials, and some court personnel who covertly deprived the Bauchi state government of its hard-earned revenues. But to indicate that government is serious in the fight against corruption, it set up a committee in respect of perpetration by some officials of the State Muslims Pilgrim Welfare Board, saying ‘As of now, the culprits are facing investigations of EFCC Gombe zonal office’.

Inclusive in the score card of Governor Bala Mohammed administration within 18 months of his stewardship are the successful completion of Muda Lawal market and Sabon Kaura roads in the city boosting socio-economic activities of the people, as well as the ongoing construction of inter-city connectivity roads from Central Market to Kofar Dumi and Malam Goje Quarters to Muda Lawal market, among others, all in the bid to make Bauchi a modern city that could rub shoulders with its peers across the country.

The Bauchi Urban Renewal Project, according to the state Commissioner of Works and Transport, Abdulkadir Ibrahim Mohammed, has its tentacles spread to virtually all parts of the state with the construction under the World Bank and State Government arrangement of inter-Local Government roads across the 20 Local Government Areas of the state which include Jajuwa – Ganye – Golfada, Siri – Miya – Warji, Darazo – Gabchiyari, Boi – Tapshin, Kirfi – Gombe Abba, Itas – Gadau and Dukayel – Bakin Kogi.

Others chaining the tentacles are Giade – Kurba – Basirka, Hanafari – Jurara, Dass – Bununu, Kamfanin Kutare – Jai Gada, Yelwan Duguri – Kumbala – Kundat, Udubo – Gamawa, Bogoro – Lusa, Yashi – Yuli, Soro – Miya, Warji – Gwaram, Maraba – Ganye, and Sade – Akuyam which is in completion stage. The Renewal Project is specifically geared to address infrastructural deficits in Bauchi state, especially in roads and other major important issues such as investment in schools, hospitals, among others.

The proposed inter-Local Government roads projects which are equitably scattered across the three senatorial zones of the state would be jointly executed by the state government and the World Bank are also designed to connect communities with markets to boost the socio-economic setting of people of the state generally, thereby conserving revenues for the government.

The 500 kilometers road projects to which the state government has already paid its counterpart funds, and which execution will commence this December are also geared to promote businesses, and boost agriculture which is the backbone of the state economy. They are similarly aimed to improve security within the communities and facilitate the sustenance of the prevailing peaceful atmosphere in the state.

“We are lucky some of the security challenges happening elsewhere is not happening here, but we should not relent, we should look at the cooperation of community leaders, security agencies and importantly too the cooperation of the media that will help in sensitizing the people on the importance of security, because there would not be any development without security”, the state Commissioner of Budget and Planning, Dr. Aminu Hassan Gamawa was quoted as saying.

The Bauchi Urban Renewal and roads construction projects are products of resolutions of the State Executive Council during its recent meeting where it also approved for the first time in the political and economic history of the state a Medium Term Strategic Development Plan (MTSDP) 2021 – 2025 which will be the basis of the State Budget, and from which all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the government will draw their budgetary activities.

The Executive Council in the same token also adopted a Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) to guide the state government in its budget preparations, a document which will similarly guide the state in knowing its resources, sources of revenue, its needs, and performance during the years under review.

According to the commissioner, the MTEF as a document contains the multi-year budget framework, economic and physical update, and the physical strategy paper containing budget policy statements that could be very important for those who want to understand the economic activities of Bauchi state.

The Bauchi state government also recently held a summit on health which was adjudged as the first of its kind in the state. The two-day event was declared open by the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire and chaired by Governor Bala Mohammed, and drew over 250 participants across the health sector both from within and outside the state.

The Summit, after exhaustive deliberations and observations made recommendations to the state government that included renovation or repairs, and upgrade of all dilapidated health infrastructures in the state within the period of the Strategic Development Plan of 3 – 4 years, within the government’s limited resources.

Based on the recommendations, the government is also to embark on the provision of equipment and other necessary facilities after the renovations, create conducive atmosphere for the running of the health facilities, motivate staff posted to rural and local government areas, to be able to stay and work, as well as raise the human resources for the sector to desirably fit into the doctors – patients’ ratio.

According to the state Commissioner of Health, Dr. Aliyu Mohammed Maigoro who actively facilitated the successful conduct of the summit, there is also the need for the involvement of Ministries of Budget and Planning, and that Information and Communication to revise the supervision plan, and come up with software that could tract the health workers wherever they are working, and to make sure they are really working, as well as support them with training and retraining for efficient health service delivery in the state.

Also contained in the recommendations of the summit is the need for the Bauchi state government to review the issue of drugs going to its clinics or health facilities, some of which considered to be fake, with a view to buy directly from manufacturers, as well as have a laboratory at its Specialist Hospital where drugs can be to taken to from time to time for examination and certification.

The issue of Health Insurance Scheme similarly ingathered up during the said council meeting, and in conformity with the basic healthcare provision fund of the federal government, Bauchi moored the health scheme as it started with the vulnerable group with 250 already enrolled, coupled with the primary healthcare which gave the group members access to affordable healthcare services.

To curb it all, these progressive policies, programmes and activities, matching to their envisaged successful implementation and or execution are attributable to the political will of Governor Bala Mohammed-led PDP administration in Bauchi state.

Cueing into the submission of the state commissioner of budget and planning, Dr. Aminu Hassan Gamawa that if there is a political will, coupled with limited resources, one can get things done, in so far the state is put first, which he argued, is the spirit the electorate and generality of people of the state and even beyond are seeing in the Kauran Bauchi-led government.

Governor Bala Mohammed, a hitherto journalist, senator, minister who grasped a senatorial seat from the candidature of an incumbent governor, and as mere gubernatorial candidate of a political party waylaid an incumbent governor to ascend to the state much-coveted and desirable number one seat, is again on the verge of making another history in the Nigerian political landscape.

I’m not Nostradamus, but I’m confident, no state will match up with Bauchi state, in terms infrastructure and social services in few months