By John Habila Murai
Governor Bala Mohammed had on June 9th, 2021 dissolved members of the state executive council including the secretary to the state government and the chief of staff government house.
In a statement signed by the governor’s special adviser on media and publicity Mukhtar Gidado, 21 commissioners, 8 special advisers, the SSG AND THE CHIEF OF STAFF GOVERNMENT HOUSE were affected while four special advisers that include, the special adviser security, special adviser media and publicity, special adviser social investment program and the special adviser state and national assembly liaison however retained their positions.
Since then people of the state particularly political gladiators have continued to keenly observed and watches who and who will make the Bala Mohammed new team as members of the state executive council.
As a one time senator and former FCT minister, Governor Bala Mohammed is known for quality, competence, excellence, prudent management of resources and the rule of law in all his endeavours, hence he usually think out of the box, look inward in terms of political appointment particularly now that people are anxious to see the faces of the new team.
The Governor started his political appointment with the appointment of Dr Aminu Hassan Gamawa as the new chief of staff government house and later Barrister Muhammad Ibrahim Kashim was also appointed as the new secretary to the state government, replacing mal. Ladan Salihu and Alh. Mohammed Sabiu Baba respectively.
The two political appointees are however new faces in the Bauchi politics as were both brought into the political limelight by Governor Bala Mohammed.
Dr Aminu Hassan Gamawa hails from Gamawa local government area of the state and was the governor’s immediate past commissioner for budget and economic planning, the first political office he holds as a public affairs analyst of international repute, a legal practitioner and a teacher.
He holds a masters and doctorate degree in law from Harvard university USA; one of the prominent centres of learning in the world, a legal practitioner, lecturer at Harvard University USA and policy experts among others.
While at Harvard university Dr Gamawa was the coordinator of Harvard law graduate school (2011-2014) and a teaching fellow who presented many academics and professional papers at local and international conferences which earned him many awards including the national productivity order of merit award in 2020.
As the immediate past commissioner for budget and economic planning, he was the state focal person for world Bank projects, chairman of the state covid 19 economic recovery committee 2020, vice chairman Bauchi state world Bank States fiscal transparency, accountability and sustainability the project as well as the regional representative of the technical working group on sub nationals ease of doing business among others.
On the 15th June 2021, Governor Bala Mohammed staged another surprise by bringing in another astute administrator and legal practitioner, Barrister Muhammad Ibrahim Kashim as the new secretary to the state government.
He hails from Bauchi local government area and prior to his appointment he was the immediate past Director-General Bauchi state Bureau for privatisation and economic reforms, an agency set up pursuant to the current government of Bala Mohammed to reform, restructure and grow the economy through the privatisation and resuscitation of ailing industries for job creation and youth empowerment.
He holds an LLB, BL, LLM and masters in business administration as well as various post-graduate certificates in management administration and economic reform and divestiture from many institutions in the united kingdom and the USA.
The legal practitioner was a lecturer at the Usman Dan Fodio university Sokoto and retired in 2015 as a Director in the presidency( Bureau for public enterprise) where he headed many departments and acted as the director-general of BPE.
Upon retirement, Barrister Kashim runs a consultancy outfit ” Kauther resources nig.Ltd ” and consulted for various transport sector committees of both chambers of the national assembly, particularly house committee on privatisation and commercialisation and Nigeria’s shippers council.
He is a registered member of the Nigeria economic summit group, NESG, a non-profit, non-partisan private sector-led think tank with a mandate to promote and champion the reforms of the Nigerian economy into an open globally competitive economy.
In line with Governor Bala Mohammed’s policy of inclusion and deepening stakeholding, the two critical political appointees were chosen best on merit and his keen interest to deliver more dividends of democracy to the people by using little resources to achieve a lot, it requires the prudent management of resources that accruing to the state and the duo as astute administrators are equal to the tasks.
The over two years of Governor Bala Mohammed led administration in Bauchi state has no doubt witnessed unprecedented development in the areas of infrastructure such as road projects where over 30kms of roads across the state have been delivered with others still ongoing.
The critical sectors of the economy such as health, education, agriculture, youth and women empowerment also received a boost in the administration’s two years span as all the 323 political wards of the state now boast of functional health facilities, over one thousand primary and junior secondary schools are either been built or renovated while 12 selected secondary schools across the three senatorial districts are witnessing total turnaround maintenance amidst the dwindling resources.
The new chief of staff government house Dr Aminu Hassan Gamawa was instrumental to all the achievement in his capacity as the immediate past commissioner for budget and economic planning, while the new SSG, also played significant roles in attracting investors that would take over government moribund industries and resuscitate them for job creation and youth empowerment.
The two political by their track records, antecedents and exposure in public administration both within and outside the country would no doubt add value in translating government policies and programs into reality thereby delivering dividends of democracy to the people.
A legal practitioner and founder ” good governance initiative coalition ” Bauchi state, Barrister Hussaini Saraki, opined that Governor Bala Mohammed by these two appointment made the right choice considering the fact that they are credible and transparent owing to their past records.
“His Excellency has Bauchi state and its people at heart and this could be seen by the number of projects he has executed in just two years, he, therefore, needs people of unquestionable character to hold such strategic offices so that messages for the people will reach them directly” Hussaini Saraki noted.
Barrister Muhammad Ibrahim Kashim and Dr Aminu Hassan Gamawa has since assumed office as SSG and COS respectively, people still await the reconstitution of the members of the state executive council by Governor Bala Mohammed With the hope that quality and rule of law would remain his watch ward to enable the administration to deliver on its mandate.
