Pragmatic Leadership: The Sen. Bala Mohammed Example

By Sanusi Muhammad

The maxim that says some were born leaders while others were made leaders came to play in Bauchi state in 2019.

It wasn’t through magic that Sen. Bala Mohammed accessed power to govern Bauchi State in 2019. He was born a leader blessed with the Midas touch. It was from his performance indexes where he earlier served in public and private capacities, the trust and respect he enjoys from the majority of the people that culminated to his landslide victory in the heavily contested gubernatorial election that floored down an incumbent government.
Suffice it to say that in 2007 when he made bold to contest Bauchi South Senatorial seat against an exciting, incumbent governor, Bala Muhammed stood against all odds including the land mines planted against his journey to victory. As a dodged politician, he confronted all challenges with courage and expertise and defeated the power of incumbency to be in the senate, making it the first time to have defeated an incumbency in Bauchi State that projected his personality profile to class of political giants on the political turf.
There is no wonder to his performance index as a governor taking a critical look at his first 365 days in power that as reveals his vision, direction of his administration, determination and capacity to confront the odds against transforming Bauchi state to an el dorado.
Within the period and despite the dwindling economy of the state, his administration remained committed to its ideals to net several successes in critical sectors such as roads, schools and hospital reconstruction and constructions. Water supply, healthcare delivery, youth and women economic empowerment as well as security and agriculture received a boost.
The administration in earnest kick-started the repositioning exercise of the state to dislocate it from the vagaries of inept and clueless leadership of the past that retarded its growth to appreciable development beneficial to the mass of the people.
The Bala Mohammed led administration was quick to realize the existence of a gap between infrastructural decay and an investor friendly environment that deserved immediate attention to change the narrative. It therefore embarked on critical roads rehabilitation and construction to change the face of the state for economic and social drives.
To achieve its target, it designed and completed the construction of the brand new 6.2km Sabon Kaura – Jos road, the 4.4km Gombe road bypass to Tirwun village along Maiduguri road, the 1.1km dilapidated Muda Lawal market dual carriage road and the 1.8km Yakubun Bauchi quarters link road all within Bauchi metropolis that serves as the mirror of the state.
In Katagum axis, two designed strategic township roads were constructed: 1.8km Tafawa Balewa road and the 1.5km Hospital road all within Azare town that serves as the second largest commercial centre in the state.
To reach out to all the components of the state starting with Bauchi south and Bauchi central geo-political zones, one major brand new road in each of the stated zones was designed and constructed: The 16km Sade-Akuyam road which links Darazo and Misau local government areas and the 58.4km Yelwan Duguri – Tora – Badaran Dutse- Birim- Bajama- Kundak- Wurno linking Alkaleri and Tafawa Balewa local government areas.
Water:
The importance of potable water to human and animal existence cannot be over emphasized. The administration inherited the Third National Urban Water Sector Reform Project (NUWSRP) which is a World Bank supported project that was initiated to resolve the perennial water supply challenges bedeviling the state capital and environs due to population increase and decayed equipments.
The level of work executed by the contracting firm was far below expectation which compelled the Bala administration to muster the political will to mount pressure for timely completion within specified time frame. Not only that, the administration strengthened supervision of the project by re-constituting the Board of Directors of the supervising agency, Bauchi State Urban Water and Sewage Corporation while embarking on other contingency measures to improve water supply within the metropolis.
Contingency measures taken include the reactivation of several boreholes based water schemes at Barkumbo, Lushi, Rafin Zurfi, Zango and Gudum while the 1,500KVA Gubi water treatment plant was overhauled and the 800 mm diameter transmission mains from the treatment plant to Warinje reservoir was rehabilitated for optimum production.
While these projects were ongoing, the administration embarked on the construction of 13 new community water supply schemes, rehabilitated 160 hand-pump boreholes at different locations and installed 48 solar motorized water super schemes to alleviate water supply problems as inherited.
Electricity:
On the issue of steady electricity supply as a vital component of economic growth through industrialization and other commercial activities, the Bala Muhammed led administration deemed it necessary to settle inherited government incurred electricity bill running into several millions to reposition the distribution network of the Jos Electricity Distribution Company (JED). The government proceeded to procure and install brand new transformers in several desiring locations in the state and restored electricity supply to those communities yanked-off the national grid by windstorm.
Plans have reached advance stages to connect other deserving communities with the national grid while several other rural electrification projects spread across the state are nearing completion as part of the administration’s rural transformation initiative.
Education:
Believing that education as the bedrock for development, the Bala administration resolved to revitalize the educational system inherited which was indolent and discouraging without optimum result.
To drive home the facts, from the West African Examination Council’s (WAEC) results across the 36 states of the federation, Bauchi state consistently maintained the 31st position which was unbelievable and sad. Statistics at the disposal of government showed that of the 100 children that enrolled into primary schools, only 3 percent reached tertiary level of education with a mind boggling population of 1.3million out of school children, which is the highest in the country. Having realized the sorry state of education in the state, and unacceptable high rate of truancy among staff and pupils, dilapidated school buildings and other decayed educational infrastructure, governance neglect in school administration and management as most secondary schools operated without official bank accounts as well as the staggering sum of N612million unpaid WAEC registration fee were some of the anomalies inherited that had over the years retarded the growth of education.
As part solution to the inherited problem, the Bala Muhammed administration was quick in introducing certain strident measures such as the construction of over 300 brand new classroom blocks, renovation of 406 inherited dilapidated classrooms and assorted standard schools furniture which was executed from the 2017-2018 Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) intervention.
Within the period under focus, the administration accessed an additional N3billion funding from UBEC after settling its counterpart funding for 2018-2019 intervention.
The administration was quick to put-in-motion the provision of accessibility to qualitative education by out of school children, improving the Home-Grown feeding system, addressing rampant cases of WAEC racketeering, improving teachers welfare and retraining, review of school’s curriculum, introduction of biometric registers for teachers to reposition them to promptness to duty, enhancement of teachers’ capacities, effective supervision of operational standard of private schools and other issues of importance to the education sector against retrogression.
Agriculture:
Within its first 365 days, the administration was able to fast-track agricultural revolution throughout the state with the following as key components:
1. Procurement and distribution of assorted fertilizers to farmers at subsidized rates targeted to bumper harvest and success of the agricultural revolution across the state
2. Targeting and developing five high potential value chains: Rice, sesame, sorghum, groundnuts and ruminants. The intention is to ensure food security, job creation and attracting private investments into agricultural as well as making it attractive to willing youth.
3. Restructured and revived the Bauchi Fertilizer Blending Company, Bauchi Agricultural Supply Company and engaged private sector participation in the supply of quality farm inputs and implements to the targeted beneficiaries.
4. Expansion in the number and skills of Agricultural Extension Services Workers from the inherited 15 to over 2000 highly trained personnel for the desired service.
5. Enhanced crop and livestock productivity through the introduction of smart crops, improved high-yielding crops etc.
6. Kick-started negotiation with private investors for the possibility of partnership to resuscitate comatozed government-owned companies the likes of Gubi and Madangala Diary, farms, Galambi cattle ranch, Misau ceramic industry, Bauchi meat processing company etc. The target is to create more job opportunities and other multiplier effects for the economy.
7. Support was extended to a private entrepreneur for the establishment of N5billion rice mill in the state with a production capacity of 600 tons of rice.
Other covered areas:
The Bala Muhammed administration within the period in focus had commenced the monthly payment of inherited arrears of gratuity and pension as well as salaries without delay just as personnel entitlements and emoluments are paid as when due against the system he inherited that neglected the plight of those entitled.
The administration sets aside the sum of N200million every month to service the inherited arrears of N29billion while still meeting its current obligations and steadily implementing its blueprint for the good of the people.