By Adamu Yalwa Gabi
January 8, 2022; the day the nation’s columnist and Minister of Education Mal. Adamu Adamu married out his daughter at Azare town in Bauchi State, was another milestone for my writing career as my piece, with the caption ‘Governor Bala, Please Revamp Bauchi’s Moribund Industries’, spread across the centre page of the daily trust newspapers on its Saturday trust publication.
I was actually at home enjoying my regular weekend seister when an intimate friend of my late father, an international veteran journalist and an excellent writer, with his media consultancy firm based in the FCT, Abuja, placed a call on me notifying me of the publication of the uncompromised and good write-up devoid of any personal interest but that of the citizenry, which prompted my attention to instantly move to the newspaper vendors at popular Wunti gate near the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa stadium to buy a copy for my consumption and, of course, record purposes.
The article not only drew the attention of Governor Bala Mohammed Abdulkadir to redeem his pledge to revamp the moribund industries that were neglected in the past for improved revenue generation but perhaps challenged him to give them a second look as a priority area instead of concentrating on the minor road projects in the state capital which as an expert in the construction industry, I described as a misplacement of priority not even succumbing to the issue of kickback or more of giving and take between government and the contracting firms as allegation speculated by estimated more than 2/3 of people in the state.
A few days, after the publication of that meaningful reminder and a little bit of critics with a full iota of truth, another close friend of my father and his classmate who manages one of such kinds of industries not owned by the state called me to see him at his office for a different deal but commended me for that patriotism, asking whether I received any negative incitement from the government and I replied with a capital ‘NO’ as my answer before finally given me a fatherly word of blessing as he was used to each time we meet in recalling the moments and trials shared along with my late papa of blessed memory.
The worst part of this privatization policy is that Bauchi state would benefit only from 25 percent of all the profits generated by those privately owned companies which preparations to sacrifice and take them over had reached an advanced stage and some of which had been in existence far back 1960’s before the creation of the state when Tafawa Balewa’s were on power and ’70s at a time when almost all people now aged sixty and above have benefited immensely by the socio-economic potentials of such objects of wealth creation to the state and the country as a whole and why not same to be extended to the upcoming generations.
The possible implications of implementing the said privatization policy in the state as witnessed during the Obasanjo’s administration where the country’s telecommunications company known as NITEL was privatised; thereby making many employees lose their means of livelihood would not only result in job dissatisfaction but may end up increasing the risen spate of insecurity by the workers likely to be retrenched from their service in the affected sources of income who in turn may engage into other social vices such as banditry, kidnapping and armed robbery to earn a living.
Ordinarily, Governor Bala should have instead of this move continued pleading with the electorates in winning their hearts to get their sympathy from the soldier man fully equipped to gain entrance to the state’s number one official residence that is awaiting an automatic executive licence on his siren 24/7 just like every other governor halt his intention till after the second victory probably comes to his way and emerging, I happens to even be the deputy governor who was shouldered with the responsibility of chairing the committee on the privatization, I could have turned down the offer simply to go astray on the untimely and above all impromptu decision taken by the government whose faith nor chances in winning the next generation election could not even be guaranteed or ascertained.
Moreover, there are clear and strong indications in the widespread rumours going around some quarters that the governor may not likely pick Sen. Baba Tela to re-deputise him for the second tenure and less than 72hrs after the pronouncement of the said policy implementation, a serving member of the NASS paraded himself as the candidate to be the next in command to the governor coming days before his official declaration by H.E who later announced the change and through the proper channel should in case they emerge victorious coincidently. Thus, triggering the story to be well balanced at the same time contains all the elements of truthfulness.
The affected Bauchi state moribund industries recently tabled by the governor Bala Abdulkadir’s privatization agenda who is regarded as son of the soil by his people are, Bauchi meat products factory facilitated by the then prime minister which is second in the entire African continent after that of Botswana, fertilizer blending company that produces chemical fertilizer for the agrarian communities in the state and beyond, Bauchi Furniture company producing qualitative woodwork like beds, wardrobes, chairs and desks that stands the taste of time, Wikki hotel which was known as former protea hotel constructed by the former governor and a Quantity surveyor like I am but with his MSc in construction management Ahmadu Adamu Mu’azu, the Walin Bauchi and Zaranda Hotel among others.
Remember, no matter what seems to have transpired as the aftermath of your previous selection by those who deem you fit on the position for, given the requisite trust and trial as their right choice, you ought to have justified the confidence reposed on you by the scale of preference since Bauchi state is superior to all its inhabitants from whatever kind of social class one tends to originate by deceiving his or herself afterall, we are not in a military era where decrees are promulgated to supercede an act or any section of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended and which do not infringes the rights to freedom of speech, movement or formation of any club and association.
Your excellency sir, I humbly wish to stand on behalf of other concerned indigenes who lack the capacity to voice out their opinions while equally serving as a word of advice for you to as a matter of urgency either revert, retrieve or withdraw your decision to sale the state-owned moribund industries and some functional properties for the best interest of a larger society in the state which you arrived at without due consultations by way of a refusal to engage in a public hearing as expected from any good servant or leader by his followers or face more constructive criticisms by not only members of the pen profession that reawaken public office holders from a protracted sleep, our organised teeming writers acting as a watchdog of the society and the ‘the’ day awaiting by the constituents in shielding their sword ready to reciprocate whatever sort of cartoon shows like the popular tom and jerry displayed them in the past four years, sooner or later come 2023.
Gabi, a journalist wrote from Bauchi and could be reached on:+2348033990884,[email protected]
You said they are moribund and you did not proffer a better way to privatize the state own investment yet you are advising the government to withdraw from her decision of leasing the dead industries. What do some people want? Sometimes we just need to know that we all do not think alike, ideas might not be my idea and the way you think to be the best way of revamping the industries could be the wrong way but the state government rather chose the best option.