By Ibrahim Sha’aban
For a state with little to no resources, lean Internally Generated Revenue like Bauchi, one would only be amazed at the magic wand deployed in turning around the destinies of such state.
Reverse however became the case when Governor MA Abubakar took charge in Bauchi state. Within the couple of years into his administration, Bauchi state has seen revolution akin to that of China, from zero to zippo.
He brought his prudence and wealth of experience to bear in managing the little resources at the state’s disposal to achieve multiple strides.
However, Mr Abubakar’s multiple life-changing achievements may seem louder than his silence on them. These achievements may not necessarily attract media attention, but the direct beneficiaries of these projects are no more than grateful. To them, continuity is what they yearn for.
The Special Assistant to the governor on Communications, Shamsuddeen Lukman, said Mr Abubakar’s cardinal objectives centre on the tripartite delivery on education, infrastructure and provision of social amenities.
Mr Lukman said the governor’s commitment to education is unyielding. In line with drive to grow the human capacity of the state, Mr Abubakar was recently at Czech Republic to interact with the 15 post graduate students who were sponsored by his administration to study modern agricultural methods and techniques.
The governor said, on completion of their studies, they will join the budding Department of Agriculture in Bauchi State University, Gadau to contribute their quota to state building.
In the area of scholarships, the Bauchi Medical Students’ Association, BAMSA, commended Mr Abubakar for making real their Medical Statutory Allowance/Bond agreement
The National President of the association, Fauwaz Farouq Yakub, said such gesture is a great achievement as far as the Bauchi State medical students are concerned in the last five years.
Coming down to lower levels of education, Mr Lukman said his governor’s blue-roof revolution has taken over the nooks and crannies of the state, resulting in increase in child enrolment, increased quality of teachers whose motivation is now next to none.
He said, since children are the future, Mr Abubakar has since put them at the centre of his administration. “He has given them considerable amount of attention through projects that have direct bearing on their lives,” he said.
According to him, the recent United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF’s commendation to Mr Abubakar in recognition of his tireless commitment to better the lives of children in the state did not come as a total surprise.
He said UNICEF, through its Bauchi-Field Officer, Abdulai Kaikai, premised their commendation on the governor’s commitment at improving the welfare of children at the Bauchi State Orphans and Vulnerable Children Agency, BASOVCA.
BASOVCA is a tuition-free vocational college for the Bauchi indigent children who could not fit into the conventional school system. According to Mr Lukman, the collage currently has 170 students undergoing different vocational trainings.
He said the collage, which has spacious classrooms, hostels, modern kitchen and dining hall, standard auditorium, also has fully equipped workshops (wood work, tailoring, electrical, mechanical), ICT centre and a shuttle bus.
More so, the governor, according to Mr Lukman, has renovated and upgraded the Government Girls Secondary School, Soro. “All the classrooms, hostels, administration blocks, dining hall, Laboratories are renovated to the present-day standard,” Mr Lukman said while recalling how the school, which is under Ganjuwa LGA, was once destroyed by the Boko Haram insurgents.
Also in Ganjuwa LGA, the governor has renovated and upgraded a 4-storey building of classrooms, dining hall, kitchen and toilets at the Government Girls College Special School, Kafin Madaki. Mr Lukman said in addition, Desk-top computers, solar powered security lights, boreholes with large tanks and laboratory equipment were provided at the school.
To cap it all, the SA said the governor has constructed more than 600 Primary and Junior Secondary schools, renovated more than 800 schools scattered across the length and breadth of the state. This is matched with about 28,000 desks provided for these schools in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and SUBEB.
Mr Lukman emphasised that Shadarki (A&B) Primary schools in Darazo LGA is the barometer for measuring the quality and standard of these projects undertaken by the present administration.
In as much as there is not state that could develop without accessible road networks, the administration of governor MA Abubakar has deployed its available resources in networking the state with access roads.
“The on-going construction of 22km road from Darazo to Gabchiyari is strategic in linking various communities within the Darazo LGA. Also on-going is the construction of over 100 km road from Misau to Udubo then to Gamawa with 2 standard bridges.
“MA Abubakar is also dualising Jama’are road and rehabilitating Sule Katagum raod in Azare. Also, design and construction of over 50km from Hanafari, Jurara, Garin Babani, Sabon Kafi to Dogon Jeji road is on-going,” Mr Lukman said.
n the area of provision of social amenities, according to Mr Lukman, the governor has undying resolve to leave no stone unturned in making sure that the quality of lives of the people of Bauchi is in a favourable standard.
Notable among them is the construction of a solar-powered borehole with a large water tank for the people of Babban Garejin in Azare town. According to Mr Lukman, the project was one of the governor’s campaign promises, “fulfilling it is a source of joy to the governor,” he said.
In the area of healthcare, especially at the grassroot, Mr Lukman said the governor has constructed 19 Primary Healthcare Centres, PHC, across the 20 Local Government Areas of the state. Mr Lukman added that each PHC is fully equipped with state-of-the-art equipment, doctors and nurses’ quarters, VIP toilets, boreholes and many more.
Most importantly, since majority of Bauchi people are farmers, the governor has resuscitated the hitherto comatose Bauchi Fertilizer Company. According to Mr Lukman, the company now provides jobs to hundreds of youths and it is a source of IGR for the state.
“The company provides fertilizer to neighboring Gombe state and will soon start exporting to neighboring countries. Farmers in Bauchi especially, no longer have difficulty in having access to qualitative fertilizer,” Mr Lukman pointed out.
Also In his effort to diversify the economy of the state for sustainable revenue generation, Mr Abubakar crisscrossed the world in search of partnership for the development and harnessing of over 60 different kinds of minerals so far discovered in the state.
To this end, recently, Lam Wing Ki Wilkins, a potential investor from China visited sites of some selected solid minerals like Kaolin, Quartz and Coal that exist in the State.
Sequel to this, Mr Wilkins, indicated interest to partner with the State Government in exploiting opportunities for economic growth and development of the state.
Lastly, Law Courts too were not left out in the Mr Abubakar’s revolution. The governor is currently renovating to the standard the Zalanga Shari’ah Court after having completed the rehabilitation of High Court of Justice, Azare.
