By Lawal Mu’azu Bauchi
The opposition is it again, for the umpteenth time and for the wrong reasons. Mischief-makers are usually a bunch of jobless, treacherous and insanely weak and cruel minds who are always desperate to discredit good initiatives with the sole aim of achieving cheap political points for their paymasters.
The appropriation by the Bauchi State Government to renovate the the Government House, is again attracting the gullible to say all sort of negative stuff against the person of His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Bauchi State, Senator Bala Abdulkadir, Kauran Bauchi.
What is more unfortunate is that even newspapers with credible trajectory have also joined the queue of these toxic minds to rattle ignorance with the sole intent of hoodwinking the hoi-polloi and putting them at opposing camps with the administration.
Let’s apply logic and wisdom, with assumption and hope that wise people still listen to wisdom.
The Bauchi State Government House, Bauchi is not Governor Bala’s House. He is a tenant in that house who may maximally stay there for 8 years; the dictates of our democracy will see him leaving the house after 8 years at most if he eventually decides to stage a come back in 2023.
He is a leaving the house for another son of Bauchi State who might be entrusted with another mandate as governor.
Bala Mohammed is therefore not renovating the Government House for personal benefits—but for traditional and constitutional officialdom that any serious and decent governor would want to bequeath.
Bauchi State Government House, for anyone who knows the terrain will admit that it needs an emergency rescue. This is the number one seat of power in Bauchi. Before I unveil details of the Bauchi State Government House renovation budget and what it means for the Government House, let us dissect the supposed motives of the critics and see whether logically it will stand the test of time.
The gullible silly, and rationally deficient critics (wait, are they critics? No they are mischief makers desperately trying to satisfy their paymasters) are saying is that amid recession, the government of Bala Mohammed has budgeted N6.1 billion Naira to renovate Government House.
But the same critics failed to notice those whose policies and advice have plunged the nation into recession and who are behind the allocation of a whopping N10.2 billion for electrical maintenance in the Aso Rock Presidential Villa.
To them, nothing is wrong with that, and guess what? They have the backing of the media, some of whom have turned a blind eye to the economic sabotage visited on various entities by people intimately associated with them.
There are many examples to cite, but rationally we should not even use that as a reason to justify the Bauchi Government House renovations budget.
Let us look at the budget vis-a-vis the components to be renovated at the Ramat House.
The much talk about allocations is intended to build and renovate 17 different structures, some of which were started by the previous governments but were abandon halfway.
Some of the major structures to build and be renovated at the Bauchi Government House include the International Conference Hall and Banquet Hall for public use. An International Conference Hall is a public place where government conducts business such as high-profile conferences and meetings that involve a large crowd.
The current shape and looks of the conference hall are not a reflection of the seat of power, even privately owned buildings within Bauchi metropolis are in better shape, better looks and remain more attractive than the international conference hall of Ramat House where the number one citizen of the state lives. It is a hall where the governor meets investors, NGOs, Development Partners, local and international partners friends who are important stakeholders in the Bauchi project.
The conference hall is not only looking disfigured, but its toilets, waterways and doors are in tatters such that rats and other rodents are comfortably using their conducive habitats.
The allocation is also meant to renovate Governor’s office annexes that include; Governor’s Office Annexe I, Governor’s Office Annexe II (conference hall) Governor’s Office Annexe III and Governor’s Office residence (extension) all of which are at the moment looking terribly disgusting.
A substantial part of the budget is also meant to build staff residences that includes a 4-bedroom duplex-3NOS, 4 Bedroom Terrace building that houses 5 flats in one block as well as Transport building.
Other facilities to be renovated are kitchen and Canteen, maintenance building, powerhouse, water house, clinic, Mosque, Gate Houses and roads within the Government House that were built since the days of Tatari Ali.
These are just few out of the many other structures to be renovated and equipped within the House, to at least reflect the Bauchi seat of power where decisions and actions that will better the lives of the citizens of Bauchi State are being done.
But unfortunately, those whose antics and major preoccupation is tweaking a good intention with the sole intent to discredit and distract a performing governor cannot see the rationale for the project.
Amid recession the blindfolded noisemakers are making reference to, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed who is able to pay salaries including minimum wage his counterparts in other states are yet to start paying despite a better revenue stream.
Amid recession, Governor Bala Mohamed is able to continue with Bauchi Mega water projects.
Amid recession, the Governor is able to procure and distribute fertilizer to farmers at giveaway prices.
Amid recession Governor Bala Mohammed is able to continue with 24 major roads constructions linking nook and crannies of Bauchi State across the three senatorial zones of the State.
Amid recession, Governor Bala Mohammed is continuing with renovations of primary secondary and tertiary educations in the state, which are drawing billions of naira within the coffers of the government.
Amid the so-called recession, Governor Bala Mohammed is continuing with major housing units in different parts of the state that are substantially consuming billions of naira, something their paymasters wasted years without accomplishing.
Amid the so-called recession, Governor Bala Mohammed is building and renovating hospitals in all the 332 wards of Bauchi State.
Amid recession, the Governor is still spending billions of Naira connecting villages with electricity, water and access roads.
The list goes on—but unfortunately, when one is blinded by sheer hatred, mischief, boastful arrogance, more than likely, they will not see all the positive developmental strides of the governor.
The popular maxim that (Bauchi naman keya, ga kitse ga tauri) applies here to figuratively signify how the belligerently big-headed, thoughtless cynics are driving their bitchy and confrontationally self-centred arguments.
But you know what? The Governor is pacified by the hoi-polloi—because of whom he occupies Ramat Hosue and for whom he’s having sleepless nights in his quest to serve them.
Lawal Mu’azu Bauchi, Special Assistant to governor Bala Mohammed on New Media writes from Bauchi
