Bauchi on the March to Greatness Again

By Salihu Saidu 

Election season is the time politicians try to sell their policy documents and unrealizable promises to the electorates in order to appeal to them for re-election or for winning the people’s mandate for the first tenure. But in Bauchi state the story is different; the items for sale are the dividends of democracy under the Muhammad Abubakar’s benevolent administration that are visible all across the state, so that even doubting Thomases cannot help but testify.

The enthusiasm which greeted the election of Gov. Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2015 Bauchi governorship election is understandable. This is because such enthusiasm was a natural outcome of a people desirous of change. The people yearned for change and truly they got it in 2015. But as the building of strong institutions for economic and social transformation cannot be done in just four years, the governor naturally needs another four years to consolidate his plans for the state and fulfill all his promises to the electorate.

Development is also about bringing better welfare to the people. The proximity of Bauchi state to the states ravaged by Boko Haram insurgency in the Northeast is not a flattering narrative. Such proximity has become an important problem to the people of Bauchi state. In fact, the welfare of the people is central to the success or otherwise of a democratic government, and Governor Abubakar is tackling the problem headlong.

A concerned citizen must personally feel embarrassed that Bauchi had been one of the states in the North with the high number of youth unemployment prior to the triumphant entry of Governor Abubakar into Bauchi State Government House in 2015. In fact, a large number of internally displaced persons found shelter in Bauchi state courtesy of the humanity of the governor.

There is no reason why Bauchi people should suffer an avoidable fate. Any government that doesn’t give priority to the reduction of unemployment and poverty cannot claim to represent the interest of the people. Abubakar knows this and Bauchi people are proud of him for offering them interest-free loans.

Despite all the media hype about the giant strides of Governor Abubakar’s predecessors, it now seems the giant strides have been dwarfed by the lofty achievements of the progressive governor.  The previous administrations were pursuing misplaced priorities, until the coming of the true democrat and servant of the people.

Abubakar, a man of integrity, reversed the trend of embarking on white elephant projects as soon he was sworn in. What do you expect Abubakar to do as one of most popularly elected governor in Nigeria as evident in his landslide victory in 2015, in spite of oppositions from all sides?

Good governance means everything, it serves the basic needs of the people. Governor Abubakar knows this and that is the reason he is building and strengthening state institutions instead of creating strong and powerful men and women who may rise above the law.

As an indigene of Bauchi state, I am happy that we have voted for change by electing Abubakar of APC as governor. The governor is not one of those politicians who seek public office to enrich themselves, their cronies or children. His election represents a ray of hope that Bauchi is surely on the path of greatness.

The people of Bauchi should surpass the feat they achieved in 2015 by giving Abubakar greater landslide in the 2019 gubernatorial election. But this is also a warning to his traducers that they should not waste their votes on opposition candidates because it is easier for the governor to beat his opponents in 2019 than in 2015. And who wouldn’t want to identify with the winning team?

Abubakar, even before becoming governor was financially independent. Therefore, there is that confidence that he will not preoccupy himself manipulating the commonwealth of the state but to serve the people, even as he is teaching politicians that politics is love for service.

He is not desperate for power to promote personal interest, but his major preoccupation, like President Muhammadu Buhari, is to lay the good foundation for generations unborn.

I am relieved that the people of Bauchi state have wisely voted the right man for the job into office because Abubakar  has the passion and competence to lead Bauchi state out of the doldrums and ineptitude of the previous PDP administrations.

Electing the right leaders would make the message of change more meaningful. The people of Bauchi state are fully behind Abubakar in the task to restore the glory of Bauchi, home of the first prime minister of Nigeria, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa.

One of the immediate priorities of Abubakar, like the APC-led federal government, is to make sure that looting of government property becomes unacceptable.

Greed and selfishness pose a threat to our democracy. However, Bauchi people now have no doubt in their minds that Abubakar, the astute democrat and legal luminary is more than determined to deal with more challenges.

Why then should Bauchi people look elsewhere when the ‘Moses’ is here to take us to the Promised Land?

In Bauchi, the story of out-of-school children is changing because of the value Governor Abubakar places on education as a vehicle for societal advancement.

We must agree that many renowned and developed nations are great today because of the early recognition they accorded education as a vehicle for societal  transformation.

The emergence of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Yusuf Nuhu, as the winner of Toro federal constituency by-election held in Bauchi state on Saturday, November 17 lay credence to Governor Abubakar’s party leadership in the state.

According to report, Nuhu won in eight of the 11 wards in Toro federal constituency while the PDP candidate won in three wards. This is clear sign that Bauchi is an APC state. Therefore, a vote for opposition is a wasted vote.

This is the man, worried by the decline in the economic and commercial activities and increased dependence on government for jobs in Bauchi state, offered N1bn interest-free loans to traders and artisans in the state.

Abubakar, a shrewd business man observed that Nigerians must embrace commerce and entrepreneurship in order to reduce over-reliance on government. For this reason he floated a soft loan package to the people in line with the cardinal objective of the APC which his administration has been pursuing since inception in 2015.

No wonder state patron of Traders and Artisans Association, Alhaji Salisu Garba Maizuma, assured the governor of judicious utilisation of the loans and applauded him for his rare beneficence. Maizuma said traders and artisans in Bauchi are indebted to the governor and President Buhari for the concerns APC governments have shown to the plight of ordinary people.

The governor’s wife is also working round the clock, assisting her husband, to make sure that maternal and infant mortality becomes a thing of the past. Hajiya Hadiza Abubakar is helping her husband to strengthen primary healthcare centres, rountine immunisation, reproductive health, maternal and child health as well as nutrition services in the state.

“ I must say that there is a lot of work to be done to ensure that we keep every child alive in Bauchi state. “Our administration is committed to ensuring that pregnant women have access to antenatal care services and give birth under the expertise of skilled birth attendants,” Hajiya Abubakar said.

Bauchi people, won’t we rather become part of the winning team, and repeat our 2015 feat in 2019?

Saidu sent this piece from Bauchi