The trajectory of Bauchi state since the return of democracy has been marred by under-development—courtesy of leadership ineptitude from successive governments. Elections after elections, governments after governments and governors after governors—the story remains the same: lack of water for the citizens, poor health infrastructure for the Sa’adu Zungur Talakawas, increased number of out of school children, poor remuneration for teachers, non-payment of pensioners, dilapidated and poor road networks, lack of incentives for local farmers, lack of empowerment for women and youths, lack of capacity building for civil servants, lack of scholarship for students, increased rate of unemployment among many other impediment that have hold the state hostage for many years.
This sad reality that has defined Bauchi state for decades have forced the electorate to have a quick rethink—they have mobilized and downsized ineptitude, mediocrity and retardant atavism that impeded their collective progress for years.
They have forced immigrants out of the system—voted in son of the soil who understands their plights, aspirations, and their thirst for development.
They ushered in Bala Mohammed, fondly addressed as Kauran Bauchi—to help take them to the promise land. In this piece I personally penned down for WikkiTimes, I will chronicle the achievement of the governor within the first 100 days in office.
After the swearing in of the governor on May 29th, 2019, Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed Kauran Bauchi started work right inside the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa stadium that saw the influx of his supporters from different parts of Nigeria.
The Governor, after the historic victory that enabled him to occupy Ramat House, wooed seasoned technocrats, academics and professionals into an Advisory Committee with a view to transforming his vision into developmental agenda for Bauchi state. The move, according to governor was to reinvent Bauchi state and bolster its already traumatized economy into the path of prosperity.
The idea of the amiable and people’s governor was simple: improve the quality of life of the citizens, foster peaceful coexistence among the various social groups and grow the local economy in order to create more job opportunities and wealth among his subjects.
The seasoned technocrats and academics swung into action, within a short period of time, they wrote an exhaustive report that forms the nexus of the government policies, programmes and activities that will define the administration in the next four years.
Part of the recommendations of the committee is already being implemented by His Excellency, Bala Muhammad. For instance, programs on youth empowerment, poverty reduction, agriculture, security, anti corruption, infrastructure, education, health, economics and social investment among others have received a boost as advised by the committee.
The administration of Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed is intensifying efforts on skills acquisition programmes, computer training and various educational interventions, in addition to empowering the state ministry of youth’s to coordinate its agencies in order to acquire fruitful results towards improving the well being of the citizens.
Governor Bala justifies the incentives thus: “I firmly believe that unless and until states and communities take positive steps to break the circle of poverty, by empowering the youths and women, we will continue to be confronted with serious menace of social vices. “We must therefore continue to engage them positively or bear the risk of producing more thugs, kidnappers among numerous other social miscreants,” the governor was quoted as saying.
As part of efforts to fulfill his campaign promises, part of which was to modernize Bauchi state, the governor ordered an immediate review of the state’s master plan on infrastructural development template, which he says would enable Bauchi retrace its vision of becoming one of the best states in Nigeria.
The governor also requested the State House of Assembly to review the 2019 budget of over N197,289,74,280 to enable him inject new programs that would address other developmental anomalies affecting the good people of Bauchi state and incorporate the projects that was in line with the manifesto of the People’s Democratic Party.
After reviewing the budget, the governor without any delay swiftly started acting by identifying key sectors that needed urgent intervention. It would be recalled that during his campaign, Water was a major priority of his administration, therefore he released N137 million with immediate effect to the state Urban Water and Sewerage Corporation in order to find lasting solution to the shortage of water supply in the state.
Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed has also flagged off contracts for the rehabilitation and expansion of water supply facilities for the Bauchi metropolis to which a multi billion naira project designed to ensure affordable, economical and sustainable water services to all consumers within the metropolis have been provided.
The Bauchi State Urban Water Sector Reform Project is being executed by the state government with the support of the World Bank through a credit facility $65.5 billion with $6.5 million counterparts funding from the state.
The major components of the project include, rehabilitation of Gubi Dam at the cost of N791,981,863.60, rehabilitation and expansion of Gubi Water treatment plant at the cost of N1,235,611,461.32, replacement of reservoirs from Gubi Dam to Warinji and Buzaye at the cost of N2,987,873,720.20, and 937,000,000 respectively.
Others are extension of 100km main distribution network at the cost of N1,235,611,461.32, construction of 500mm mains Gubi Dam junction to the reservoir at Buzaye hills at the cost N890,470,864.53, and construction of 7000m3 concrete reservoir at Warinji hills at the cost of N2,987,873,720.26 among others.
As part of measures to improve the health status of citizens of the state, Governor Bala Mohammed kauran Bauchi also distributed six ambulances to some primary healthcare centers in the state at the Bauchi office of the Sustainable Development Goals in order to strengthen healthcare delivery in the state.
The benefiting healthcare centers are Kafin Madaki General Hospital, Darazo General Hospital, Garin Na Allah PHC center, Gobiya PHC and Udubo Maternity as well as Mashema Primary Health Center.
The governor argued that, provision of effective healthcare service delivery is one of the important basic social services required by his administration to ensure meaningful development.
The Governor has also officially flagged off the ceremony for the scale up of local government areas of the Nigeria State Health Investment Project, NSHIP at Kirfil local government area of the state; adding 203 health centers in ten local government areas benefiting from the project as millions of naira has been allocated for the project already.
Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, while participating at the 2019 Mid-Year Review Meeting on Strengthening Bauchi State Primary Healthcare, Via Video Conference held at the Emergency Operations Center Bauchi, announced the release of N200 million out of the N339 million budgeted for this year’s State Basket Fund Contribution.
The Governor also said the present MoU needed to be re-negotiated in order to align with the state’s newly minimum service for primary healthcare, and pledged to ensure timely releases of counterpart funding for polio eradication, thereby tasking stakeholders in the health sector to focus attention on improving the quality of data as government improves its coverage indicators.
These series will continue
Muktar Muhammad Gidado, Senior Special Assistant, Media to Governor Bala Muhammad of Bauchi state chronicles the achievements of his Principal within 100 days in office
