I know Gov Buni did not mean 3 days a month, because I was there – Hassan Gimba

Recently a video of the Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni, has become an unnecessary issue. In it, he mistakenly said he stays at least three days in a month in Yobe is being made an issue.

I said “mistakenly” because that’s what it is. I confidently say so because I was there when the interview by BBC Hausa was recorded. In the same interview, just about three minutes after making that mistake, the sort called “sabad da baka” in Hausa, he made amends by saying at least three days a week. And anybody who is following the activities of the governor knows that there is no way that it would be “at least three days in a month” and not “in a week”.

However, today, by the grace of God, the Honourable Mai Mala Buni, minus the President, is about the most influential Nigerian alive. Many people, especially those who see him as their junior but now miles ahead of them will not take such God’s design lying low; they will hate his “guts”. Other groups of people would hate his political sagacity, suaveness and level-headedness that catapulted him ahead of their masters. But if these set of people have a reason, there is another set that just hates to see any other human being progress in life. All these classes will love to hate him with passion. And this is why such people will prefer to acknowledge anything negative about him than the positive, even if not true, just for mischievous reasons.

However, the truth is that he stays at least fifteen days a month (even if not at a stretch). But what is of utmost importance is that he has selected capable hands who run the assignments he gave them diligently. His commissioners and heads of departments and agencies are experienced, intelligent and superb in discharging their responsibilities. There is nothing more or better than a chief executive entrusting responsibilities to capable hands.

And as a result of his supervision and remarkable vision for the state, Yobe State recently overtook Borno State and many other bigger states in internally generated revenue. This was boosted by his resuscitation of over 13 of the state’s moribund industries. The state also came out of the designated World Bank “poor states” status due to his intervention in poverty alleviation.
Thousands of youths have been taken out of poverty through skills acquisition.

They also get set up with capital and necessary tools. In return, these youths have taken some apprentices, further removing more out of poverty. This has made families and dependants of such youths to now heave a sigh of relief and glorify God. Why? Because the kids being able to take care of themselves – at least – means a couple of mouths less on their lean purses.

To further cement this, he has embarked on building five modern markets in five of the state’s local governments. This will attract more businessmen, traders and goods that hitherto had nowhere to go to. Yobe State has never had a modern market anywhere within its borders. He is also building a Trailer Park that can accommodate at least a thousand trucks at a time in Potiskum. The Trailer Park will be a hub of some sorts. Around it will be a modern motor park (again Yobe State has no modern motor park), livestock and grains markets and a mechanics’ village. There will possibly be a railway station and an abattoir. It is expected that this project alone will give direct jobs to 5,000 and indirect to tens of thousands. The markets, the trailer park and the resuscitated industries are enough to shoot the state’s IGR to be able to compete favourably with the middle of the pack states, at least.

He is currently building close to 4,000 low-income houses in the state. His government has built modern schools, renovated many, put in place a teacher training regime, provides hundreds of boreholes to communities and renovated and built roads. It has also renovated and upgraded hospitals, is currently building a clinic in each of the state’s 178 wards and made drugs free for patients. In food production, he has provided tractors for farmers (hire purchase), as well as cheap fertiliser and seeds for farmers.

All these I enumerated are just a few among many others. Mai Mala Buni is sincerely a blessing to Yobe State and viewed objectively, he is about the best governor the state has had. While acknowledging that improvement is loved everywhere since there is always a room for it anytime, anywhere, Yobe people are happy with him so far. They are proud that he has reached a level politically that no indigene from the state has ever achieved before.

In any case, the people of Yobe are aware that his perpetual stay at home will not be in their interest. It will not bring to them what his forays into national politics and the resultant influence will get for them.