In just two years in office, the glaring achievements of an administration like that of Jigawa State Governor Mallam Umar Namadi shall be a testament to leadership mettle, especially in a period beset with myriad problems.
No sooner had Governor Namadi mounted the saddle than he started engaging everyone on the way forward. He promised to chart a new course for Jigawa State development through a 12-pillar roadmap christened “GREATER JIGAWA AGENDA,” which are: Agriculture, Health, Information Technology, Manpower Development, Rural Transformation, Urban Infrastructure, IGR, Education, Natural Resources, Local and Investors for Development, Social Security and Securing Jigawa, not in the mid-term but during his four years in the saddle.
At Governor Namadi’s second anniversary in office, the people of Jigawa State shall begin to look at the records and make assessments. That should by no means be the definitive judgment on Mallam Umar’s administration.
The good people of Jigawa can only be proud that the government has set the priorities right and clearly, and shown the will to put smiles on the faces of many. It’s vital to note that this administration began early to deliver its core mandates, and it will take a little while before it all takes recognisable shape.
On the other hand, promoting oneness and unity of purpose among Jigawa is one of the positive sides the governor, Namadi, has brought to bear in the governance of the state. No doubt that Mallam Umar, widely known as Prosperity Governor, regards every part of Jigawa as his primary constituency, regardless of political affiliations, an attribute which has endeared him to all and sundry in the state.
This new philosophy of development, built on security and unity of purpose, has placed the state in the fast lane of a new development narrative based on the principle that development comes first before any other primordial political considerations.
This is why Jigawans have decided to embrace his bipartisan approach to governance.
Besides that, those who have watched the Danmodi-led administration closely with keen interest have often described him as a good student of development studies. This is not far from the governor’s penchant for policy continuity in governance by resisting the mentality of abandoned projects/programmes syndrome, a common phenomenon in this part of the world.
His beliefs and actions are anchored on a well-established institutional policy framework, which has kept him focused.
He assured people of the state that he would spare no effort to complete projects he inherited from his predecessors. This is a radical departure from the past, particularly in some states, where abandoned projects dotted the streets for years, with resultant effects of economic wastage.
In the past two years, Governor Umar Namadi’s government has invested in providing the necessary equipment to the security agencies to carry out their duties in Jigawa State. The government has also employed various strategies to tackle security challenges in Jigawa State, including initiating voluntary policing for more effective intelligence gathering and policing the state’s entry and exit points.
Health, the major determinant of the well-being of all societies, is not receiving the priority attention it deserves. Antenatal and postnatal care have reduced the mortality rate.
General hospitals, comprehensive health centres, and primary health centres were rehabilitated and equipped to provide healthcare services to the people. Mallam Umar Namadi, conscious of the need for effective service delivery by health personnel to the teeming populace, has emphasised the culture of paying unscheduled visits to health institutions to ensure compliance with service delivery standards.
As agriculture remains the mainstay of Jigawa State’s economy and a major source of employment for the majority of the state population, it deserves attention with the sole objective of improving agricultural productivity in the state.
Jigawa under Mallam Umar Namadi is witnessing a massive transformation. Fertilisers were made available at a very subsidised amount, and farm inputs were purchased and distributed to boost food production and promote self-reliance as part of palliatives following the removal of fuel subsidies.
The minister of agriculture and food security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, made a historic visit to Jigawa State to inspect the location of a 70,000-hectare federal government wheat farming project. The choice of Jigawa State was not by fluke; it was informed by the determination and political will of the present administration.
Recognising the state’s people’s need for shelter, the Jigawa State government approved a N6 billion project to construct 1,500 housing units across various locations. The housing initiative is strategically distributed, with 600 units earmarked for Dutse, 200 for Hadejia, and 100 for each of Kazaure, Gumel, Ringim, and Binin-Kudu local government areas. Babura and Kafin Hausa LGAs are set to receive 150 units each, addressing the pressing need for accommodation in these areas.
Governor Umar Namadi said the construction of the 1,500 houses is part of his government’s commitment to providing affordable housing to the people of the state in line with his 12-point Agenda. He added that the project has multiple social and economic advantages, as more job opportunities and employment will be generated in addition to more accommodations.
Good governance is the paramount yardstick for determining true democracy. Also, it undeniably symbolises the actualisation of full-blown dividends of democracy. However, in the context of Nigerian polity, it somewhat seems to be a horrendous task. But the case with Mallam Umar Namadi is ironic, as he did not relent on beginning where his predecessor ended. He has orchestrated mind-blowing policies that profusely fostered the transformation as well as rejuvenation of the socio-economic and infrastructural fortunes of Jigawa State to raise its rating in all positive indices among its peers in just his second anniversary in office.
These unprecedented strides made in just 24 months in office are certainly the beginning of even greater developmental projects for our rising Jigawa State in the coming years.
– Danyaro is a media and public relations specialist based in Abuja and can be reached at [email protected]
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