Governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bauchi State, Air Marshal Sadique Baba Abubakar (rtd), has decried the welfare of pensioners and civil servants in the State.
The governorship candidate, who noted that most pensioners do not receive their pensions in the state, added that he joined the 2023 governorship race to bring succour to people of the State.
In a chat with journalists, Abubakar, a former Chief of Air Staff, said the illiteracy level and poverty rate in the State were unacceptable.
He also vowed to reduce the huge number of out-of-school children in the State, stressing that his government would prioritise education, youth empowerment and poverty alleviation when elected.
He said, “As a retired military officer, I receive my pension every month but I feel sad that this is not the case for many pensioners in the state. This is why I feel obliged to join the race in order to change the narrative in the area of welfare for the civil servants, the pensioners, in health and the education sector.”
He further said the crime rate in the State has been on the increase just as he promised to improve the security in the State and create a safe environment for investments to flow.
The governorship candidate stated that insecurity in the State was caused by the failure of the government to engage the youths in productive ventures.
While promising succour to all segments of the state, he noted that the people feel alienated and disgruntled over the state of governance in the state.
He added that government must consider the social, economic and political dimensions of insecurity in order to effectively tackle the challenge.
“When people feel secure, they would be able to pursue their legitimate businesses,” he said.
He assured that he would invest in the health sector and make healthcare accessible to the people across the state.
“These are some of the things we want to change. There is no reason why you should not have access to drugs when you go to the hospitals,” he said.
Abubakar also said agriculture and solid minerals sectors are a major plank of his plan to increase the internally generated revenue of the state.
On the post-APC governorship primaries friction in the state, he said reconciliatory talks were ongoing.
While he admitted that some of the aspirants are still aggrieved, he stressed that most of them have agreed to work with him to deliver the state for APC.
He said, “Politics is all about reconciling interests, it is all about concessions and dialogue. After the primaries, I visited my co-contestants. I went on my own to see them one on one to solicit for their support.
“Some of them have decided to leave the APC, we are still talking to them, we are working to bring them back,” he added.
