By Ikenna Ellis-Ezenekwe, Abuja
With near certainty, the next four years will be existing.
Bauchi will experience the greatest developmental advancement in the history of modern Bauchi State. The renewed mandate to the Governor of Bauchi State, Senator Bala Mohammed will open new opportunities for the people of Bauchi State and will create more employment opportunities in new areas to accentuate the enormous investment made into developing the farming and rural communities in the hinterlands.
It will be a four-year fast-spaced marathon and/or a long sprint.
The new mandate will build largely on commercialisation of the agricultural sector. In the first four years, massive road networks were constructed into the rural and farming communities, along with construction of utilities for useable water. The new mandate is expected to stand on existing developed facilities to put in place enhanced technological farming and value-added packaging of harvested produce. The same is expected to be replicated in the educational and medical sector. Estimated employment opportunities will exist residents of the rural communities.
Bala Mohammed has had a history.
The youths had always benefited from his administration. In the next four years, the youths will be involved in the agricultural renewal. The new skills that will be required will be carried out through training of Bauchi youths. There will likely be up to 50,000 new jobs available for youths in the new agricultural revolution within the next four years.
Development of a real structure to enable for food security and general security will require youth training and employment. Bala Mohammed will continue to calm the ethnic and religious tensions. The security situation will continue to be kept stable.
While at the Federal Capital Territory [FCT] as the Minister in charge of the affairs of the FCT, the manner he administered the capital territory calmed the often-heated tensions of the multi-ethnic and multi-religious community. He administered the mosaic community effortlessly while overseeing one of the more progressive advancement of infrastructural and human development ever experienced in the Capital Territory.
His call to return to his home state, Bauchi State to lend his wealth of experience and expertise in 2019 under the opposition party of the Peoples Democratic Party [PDP] was welcoming and refreshing but was seen as a near impossible task judging by the fact the seating Governor of Bauchi State, Mohammed Abubakar was a member of the ruling party, the All Progressive Congress [APC] – and thus had the advantage of winning the gubernatorial contest. The incumbent Governor was defeated soundly.
It may have become history the climate under which the APC controlled federal government embraced the governorship of Senator Bala Mohammed. He was not welcomed with open arms. The anti-graft agencies were set on his administration. Against odds, he scaled through without the associated bitterness.
Governance and the people of Bauchi State remained his primary concern. He was determined to make the required difference to the people and to the State. A daunting task owing to the mal administration of the prior government.
Popularly referred to as Kauran Bauchi, he was quick to take on his developmental strides.
Within weeks of being sworn-in, he launched the construction of school buildings and classrooms for rural communities and useable water systems for the wider rural and farming communities. He cleared the backlog of salaries and pensions and meticulously plugged leakages in government. He revamped the scholarship programs of both tertiary and secondary levels. Within the first two years in office, Kauran Bauchi added over 500kilimeters of roads in Bauchi – from Yakubun Bauchi to Maiduguri bypass, Muda Lawal road, Ibrahim Bako Road to Maiduguri by-pass, Unguwar Alkali Aminu to gwangwangwan, to Bakaro, to Kofar Dumi, dualisation of Jos Road, dualization of Giwo Academy to Airport Road, reconstruction of Muda Lawal Market Road, Sabon Kaura to Miri Road, completion of the abandoned CBN roundabout through Federal Lowcost to Railway Roundabout, Malam Goje, to Bakin Kura, to Muda Lawal Market Road, NITEL New Road, Yalwan Duguri-Badaran Dutse, Birim-Bajama-Kumbala and Kundak-Wurno-Burga Road, Itas-Gadau road, completion of the abandoned Jama’are Road and renovation of Sule Katagum Road, in Azare, Disina Township Road, Bununu Township Road, abandoned Dass-Bununu Road, Boi-Tapshin Road, dualisation of Awala-Airport Road, dualisation of Awala-Yuli Road, dualisation of Zaranda-Dungal Road, along Jos Road, Warji-Gwaram Road, Sade-Akuyam Road, Jaja Road, Bauchi Metropolis, Shagari Road, Bauchi Metropolis, Karofin Madaki Road, Bauchi Metropolis, Yakubun Wanka Road, Bauchi Metropolis, Bata/Nufawa Road, Bauchi Metropolis, Central Market – Wunti Road, Bauchi Metropolis, – and others.
Every local government area experienced Kauran Bauchi’s touch. He was changing the way the people of Bauchi experienced the dividends of good governance. He was prudent but mindful of people’s welfare. He ensured the needs of the downtrodden were catered for as best as possible. He expanded the skill acquisition programs for woman and youths into the hinterlands – in addition to making available resources to set up new businesses upon completion.
Bala Mohammed is “squeezing water out of stone, clean water” said one of the aides [Musa Azare] to the Governor as he described how the administration was managing to embark on major construction activities while the country in entirety is engulted in financial crisis that has heavily impacted the funds received by State Governments from the Federated Accounts. “How he manages to do it, baffles us” says the aide who explained that the number of schools that had been worked remains a wonderment – over two classroom blocks were erected in every ward in Bauchi State. A number that runs into the high hundreds. “These classrooms were erected within months of his arrival”.
The coming four years will be no different.
Ikenna Ellis-Ezenekwe is a USA trained Chemical/Environmental Engineer based in Abuja.
