Showcasing Bauchi’s Educational Transformation
By Umar Usman Duguri
Being a product of reputable educational royal family, Governor Bala Mohammed assume office as an experienced tutor of life and an accomplished educationist, graduate of western and Islamic knowledge for decades, an accolades that backed his rightful journey to successes in life despites born from a royal family in the chiefdom of Duguri, in Alkaleri local government area council that produced lots of known academia’s who attained global feats in the areas of mentoring, impacting of knowledge, shared-positive thoughts and innovations, no wonder Duguri District alone has not fewer than hundred professional doctors, academicians, lecturing and teachers teaching in various institutions across Nigeria as well as creative talented youths that invents modern daily applicable items.
As a successful Educationist with impetus for leadership after reaching almost the peak of civil service in Nigeria before joining active politics in 2006 where he defeated the then sitting governor Ahmad Adamu Muazu. Governor Bala Mohammed didn’t waste time in teaming up with global recognize professionals on various scope of life as a deliberate step in providing good governance that would complement the yearnings and aspirations of the millions of Bauchians who believed and have confidence in him based on his record of selflessness and passionate messiah to the plight of the people he promised to serve after accepting their mandatory appeals to rescue the collapsed Bauchi state before 2019 in all angles of view and buoy.
The team of appointed professionals didn’t only limit themselves to charting and identifying the problem, instead they went extra mile to prosper panacea to looming problems and quickest way to bring and end of the rotten created especially the educational Sector in a state that produced the only prime minister of Nigeria, late Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa whose Bauchi’s trademark of Education earned him the position and successes he achieved which over 200 living Nigerians are enjoying its collateral, similarly, the late Talban Bauchi Dr. Ibrahim Tahir, late Saadu Zungur just to mention few.
The end result is so far as Governor Bala Mohammed began his government in 2019 with the mission of rebuilding a new Bauchi state filled with proud men and women of potential record and alacrity to fulfill the dreams of the founding fathers of the state within his first spell of four years as among the civilian Governors of the state that is representing the gate of northeastern states and a true home of peace and tourism.
The hitherto, only God can make Nigeria great again was disproved by the PDP government t of Bala Mohamed, who went ahead to explain in action that Education is the bedrock of every meaningful progressive society which God helped and guide his believers who are steadfast and achieve it true his powers and wisdom.
In justification of his God’s guidance Governor Bala Mohamed set line of credible indigenes to help the state not only his political career by appointing proven sons to tame the tide of then scattering educational sector and existing learning institutions for the sake of the masses. Among the appointees are Dr. Yero, currently head of Degree programs at the improved and upgraded Abubakar Tatari Ali polytechnic that affiliate with the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, to head the newly initiated institute for petroleum resources to tally with the federal government which formally going to supervise on Tuesday by president Muhammadu Buhari as the first oil drilling in northern Nigeria with the field located in Bauchi- Gombe states respectively, Kalmoni OPLs809 and 810 after it discovery. The rationale behind Dr. Sulaiman Ahmed Yero’s Appointment is his records of achievements as educationist and the importance of engaging professional to head the institution that uncompromisingly requires the likes of Dr. Yero to layout the boulevard structures and its organograms to meet up with the global petroleum institute for grooming expert to handle major and minor activities in a decent way.
Already, Dr. Yero has assemble his like minds academicians to actualize the lofty educational revolution of Governor Bala Mohamed and president Muhammadu Buhari, is on course to actualize the realization and exploration of oil in Bauchi state. On the kindergarten through existing learning institutions, Governor Bala Mohamed eye chart strategies that lead to his notable feats in restoring the fading standard of education Bauchi he inherited to an exemplary one among its peers in the country. From the onset, the state government reduced the number of out-of-school children and those seeking administration into tertiary institutions have be addressed.
Until 2019, Bauchi state was bedeviled by poor learning environment, quack teachers/ lecturers and poor driven minds amongst others. Successive government have somehow tried but all went in vain to overhaul the decay in the education in the education sector, whilst for Governor Bala Mohamed being a father, a mentor, a linguistic and pro-education is a serious issue, without wasting time, the governor constituted a high powered committee of academics to fly high forward.
This led to appointment of Dr. Adamu Saidu as Rector of the state Polytechnic ATAP, Sa’adatu Dahiru as commissioner for education, Dr, Surun Bai Dahiru Bauchi as chairman of the state universal Educational Board (SUBEB), Senator Adamu Gumba as Chairman governing council college of education Azare, Adamu Mohamed Wakili as chairman governing council for Adamu Tafawa Balewa college of education, Kangere and the list is endless including the newly established college of Education, Dass which will soon hit the ground running for its activities.
Today, people of Bauchi state comfortably study at their state in various furnished intuitions and leaders heading the academic and conducts activities. That affirmed Governor Bala’s word immediately after his one year in office he said “ his administration has expended over eight billion naira on the implementation of capital project in the education sector. In furtherance, the governor said his government will continue to fulfill its agreement with developmental partners.
History, have it in 2019 as the turning point for the passionate governor who meant good for the state that was tagged “Dan Gari mai son ilmi”, especially when he picked Dr. Sulaiman Ahmed Yero to head the newly approved petroleum institute to be sited at Alkaleri local government area council, an appointment that receives commendations from all and sundry as one of the best since coming to office. On his part, the acting provost for Adamu Tafawa Balewa, kangere, Dr. Dauda Buteh Sanda, rolls out the governor’s unparalleled achievements in the baby college to a fully matured tertiary institution where, conduct and discipline remain the cardinal goal of the college, plus the massive infrastructures brought to commiserate the master plan of the college that has thousands of indigenes and non- indigene benefitting from the drive.
In the area of social welfare, the acting provost who was initially a member of the institution said, “before our assumption of office, all students were staying of the campus because we don’t have a conducive place to accommodate them, as such it brought incessant hardship and late of students to their lectures especially in the morning hours, but with the governor’s passion and firm commitment we have fixed it for good, today over 80% of the students are living in the renovated/upgraded hostels fixed with modern facilities to competes with its peer colleges across the country”.
More so, for a long period of time before now, the transformer that supplies light to the matured college were vandalized by unpatriotic citizens which has negatively affect lots of activities in the college in terms of learning, research and administrative activities amongst others, but now, it has become history as the school is now enjoying a full energy for its activities, in fact, the institution is on prepaid now, the transformer have been fixed and the light is extended to all and sundry in the college.
On the infrastructure, the college is now set for to establish the school of languages and school of Arts and social sciences considering the increasing demand for the courses enrolments by thousands of applicants annually and based on the fact that the institution has grown to address the positive plight of the public.
Dr. Dauda, in a media chart once said, the Adamu Tafawa Balewa, has a zero tolerance for misconduct as many students were expelled, including the erring staffs of the college, who in the past has the habits of collecting students money and went away with it at the peril of the college, in fact the director ICT was replace by another competent hand to change the narrative of corruption and ungodly attitudes which in the past made the school to be running its activities at lost.
Similarly, the registrar, of the college Sambo Aliyu, eulogies the governor Bala Mohammed, educational strides as the reason they chart a modality to register potential and competent applicants to the school, unlike other quackery institution who doesn’t look at good conduct and testimonials of students before offering them admission.
While the Bursa of the college Bala Abdulhamid Hassan CNA said, our institution is working in tandem with the modus operandi of Governor Bala Mohamed educational initiative; this is why we never for once experience any challenge in terms of funding and support from the government for whatever request we mad in the best interest of the school.
The recent multiple awards received by governor Bala Mohamed was the upshots of his consistent support to various schools in the state especially our own because it is the only learning environment where, less privilege where offered free education from their first year to the end of their various studies in the college. I think, the governor deserves Kudos! Had every leader would mimic him; definitely, they would be a sanity and decency in our societies.
On the legislative arm of government in the 9th state assembly, Honorable Babayo Mohamed Hardawa, is the chairman house committee on education, his prowess of education entice him to initiates positive goals scored by the government and prosper solution that change the negative narrative of education in Bauchi state to positive narrative with passion for the educational development in Bauchi state that was left in agony before, among the decision made was quashing of illegal institutions awarding diploma courses with meeting basic national standard and total overhaul of the sector to a meaningful position, on this premise the state governor achieved a lot both in resetting of the school’s curriculum and in the infrastructures provided to all existing approved learning institutions from the kindergarten through the tertiary schools.
On the other hand, professional Individuals and cooperate bodies benefitted from various construction and renovation exercises and supply of working tools. Unarguably, Governor Bala Mohamed is transforming Bauchi state in all ramifications and history will not forget him as one of the best governor of the state.
