Letter to Bauchi State Governor

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Mukhtar Jarmajo

muhammed-abubakarYour Excellency may wish to accept my hearty congratulations as you assume the mantle of leadership. It is my hope and prayer that you will succeed in the attempt to reposition Bauchi state to greater heights. Sir, before I delve into the meat of my epistle, let me quickly remind you that whilst it is true that as governor you call the shots in Bauchi, before God however, we are all mere mortals whose fates are in His hands.

As such, Your Excellency should remember that ultimate power belongs to God and He thus has knowledge and control of every affair. It pleases Him to see you governor today not because you are the wisest or most educated person in Bauchi state, but because that was His wish. Remember that whilst it is His wish that you are governor today, He is also testing you as a servant. So as your reign lasts, tamper justice with mercy and seek guidance and wisdom from Him in every matter so you are right in every decision.

As a governor you are by interpretation the state chief executive who is by default the chief accounting and security officer of Bauchi state. Therefore, the safety, well-being and happiness of the entire people of this state rest on Your Excellency as a responsibility. Hence, from you we expect nothing short of commitment and dedication to the Project Bauchi state. We expect Your Excellency to go to every constitutional length and breadth in pursuit of a greater Bauchi state.

It is hoped that Your Excellency will work relentlessly and assiduously in the coming years at the expense of your comfort, health and even popularity just to meet the yearnings and aspirations of Bauchi people. Given this, there is no gainsaying the fact that the task before you is daunting especially with the fact that you inherited a state which immediate past was run much like a private estate. But with determination and a formidable team, I trust no challenge is insurmountable.

Your Excellency, the success of a regime is majorly determined by the tendencies of the people drafted in to give you a helping hand in delivering democratic dividends to the good people of Bauchi state. In simpler terms, the quality of your lieutenants will vehemently determine the extent to which you can meet the yearnings and aspirations of the people.

Given this, when constituting a team, you must make sure it comprises people of experience and proven integrity. They should be people of vast knowledge in government, the society and life generally. Thus at this juncture, I would want to say without any fear of contradiction that your Deputy, Nuhu Gidado is vital to this regime just as Garba Gadi was to the erstwhile Yuguda government.

With him and others yet employed who expectedly will be of almost equal expertise and commitment to nation building, you will find it interesting the effort at unveiling the package of promises made in the cause of campaigns. Indeed, Your Excellency has made so many promises and I assure you that as politically alert as we are, Bauchi people are watching you steer the affairs of our state.

In few years to come, Bauchi state expects to witness unprecedented improvement in education, health, security, pipe-borne water supply, rural development and electrification, agriculture and roads to mention a few. And of course for you to get a good grade on your score-card in the end, Your Excellency must understand that you have a micro-economy to manage where an enabling environment for economic activities will be created with a view to consolidating the state`s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).

It is thus only obvious that one of the ways to halt Bauchi state`s drift towards economic collapse resulting from years of reckless economic tendencies is diversifying its economy. Rather than rely on monthly financial grant from Abuja, Your Excellency can think of enhancing and exploring the state`s agricultural and mineral deposits potentials. Like many other northern states, Bauchi is blessed with mineral deposits as well as vast arable land that if properly utilized can provide food security and as well generate internal revenue enough to cater for the state’s financial demands.

Bauchi state has over forty mineral raw materials including Gypsum, Granite, Iron-ore, Gemstone, Kaolin and Galena to mention a few. Sir, any of them if well tapped can turn around the state into an economic heaven. All that is needed is political will and policies to protect miners and create an enabling market for selling the tapped resources. The first step towards doing this is to churn out an efficient data base that can portray the tripod-stand of the mineral deposits so that the true potentials of the deposits can be ascertained. Your Excellency, whilst I am aware that federal government laws do not favour state governments as far as mineral deposits are concerned, I believe nothing is impossible with cooperation and understanding.

Meanwhile, at elementary level, agriculture is referred to as the cultivation of crops and rearing of animals for the use of man. Cultivation of crops and rearing of animals provide thousands of employment opportunities for both skilled and unskilled labour. From the farm work itself to agro-allied industrial activities and to manufacturing of chemicals and fertilizer, a lot of human resources are involved.

If Your Excellency is serious about creating employment opportunities show interest in agriculture by heavily investing so much time and resources in it. Government should establish farms and in a manner as to lead by example, Your Excellency, commissioners, permanent secretaries, state legislators and other top government functionaries should also establish your respective farms; then legislations and policies be made to make a ready market for farm produce. And in this regard, I recommend the resuscitation of the defunct Commodity Board.

Your Excellency, once Bauchi state government puts enough weight on mining of mineral deposits and agriculture, the state will obviously become a hub of economic prosperity. And naturally, infrastructures will spring up. But as it were, to make any meaningful achievements you must be patient, courageous and altruistic. And very importantly, you must also be steadfast as a leader; for it is only when you stand for something that you can achieve so many things.

Jarmajo can be reached via [email protected]

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