Rabiu Dogara Omaku
Your excellency sir, before going into the body of my letter , I must commend the people of Nasarawa state especially those that paid the ultimate price by voting you governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura in 2011,No doubt you have performed in the last four years in almost all facet of human endeavor ranging from the massive road network in Lafia, the state capital extended to some Local governments headquarters like Doma, Nasarawa Eggon, Akwanga, Keffi, Wamba, Nasarawa, Obi, Karu, Keana, Kokona and amongst others are yet to benefit from the 3-5km township road.
Other projects in the last four years also includes the construction of 3-5 km asphalt road in some Local government headquarters, You also succeeded in the procurement of earth moving vehicle to boost rural road network. The education sector was not left out of the glorious achievements which for the first time in sixteen years the state government invested huge amount of money in the construction of hostel accommodations cut across the four tertiary institutions.
in spite of the absence of promotion, leave grant and annual increment as well fresh appointment of graduates you were the first to implement the national minimum wage before the twist of event due economic meltdown. Your regime also accord greater premise to the development of healthcare service delivery through the establishment of modern hospitals in Lafia, Akwanga, Nasarawa while existing general hospitals passed through series of upgrading, inadequate space would not allow me to enumerate all the achievements in five years.
Your excellency as an indigent of Nasarawa state who has the state at heart i would advise you to forget your proposed airstrip project the way you allow the Cargo International airport Kwandare to go, Right from inception majority of the people kick against airport project especially with the biting effect of the economy. Your excellency it could be recalled that Tongyi construction company has taken their own share of Nasarawa state resource which was sunk into the unproductive project that did not have direct bearing on the lives of the populace.
Your insistence on the airstrip will bring to three white elephant project embarked by executive governors of the state, the first was the abandoned Farin Ruwa Hydro Electric Power Project (HEPP) conceived by the first executive governor, Abdullahi Adamu, Since then the project was used as a conduit pipe to drain the state of her hard- earned money, I will advise you to mince words with action when you revealed that you will not embark on any wasteful project, You stated this while assenting to 2016 budget at the government house.
The proposed airstrip project has no any benefit to the common man in Guto who is battling with bad road, the airstrip has no benefit to a common man in Loko or Odeni Magaji, or people from Agbashi, the headquater of Ekye Development Area who are battling with absence of access road to transport their farm produce to market, the airstrip have no economic benefit to the people Akpanaja in Doma Local government or to the commoners in Bakono, Onda or Kana in Nasarawa Local government.
The construction of five good bridges in Nasarawa state is of greater benefit to airstrip project, a project that is not feasible, Your excellency if you were to conduct a plebiscite (an opinion poll) majority of the people would vote in favor of linking rural communities with bridges as 55 percent of the populace are farmers.
The construction of bridges linking Rutu-Doma, Tunga-Wukari, Odeni Magaji-Loko is far better than airstrip as the airstrip would result to waste of resource. Other wasted project was the proposed construction of earth dams for irrigation, fishing, livestock and domestic use in the three senatorial zones, the House of Assembly should expunged this project from 2016 budget, government money should be channeled to meaning full projects instead of unfruitful projects.
Government should forget about the N30m earmarked for the provision of power /lighting in schools and establishment of TV viewing centres within the state, the state government should focused more on payment of workers by downsizing the number of ongoing projects, This the position of Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) in their protest demanding for the payment of two months salaries.
Your excellency you have written your name in gold in the sands of Nasarawa state through your gigantic stride but all your good work has been taken over by event following the dearth of some government establishments like the dearth of
1.Nigeria Newsday (publishing company)
2.Lafia hotel which was a source of revenue to the state
3.Deart of government printing press
4.dearth of “On the Move”
All constitute to the low revenue generation, Is high time that the state government should make a provision for office accommodation for the state Universal Basic Education Board (NSUBEB) as it was revealed that nineteen (19) years after creation still Nasarawa state loose chunk amount of money to office rent.
Our courts are part of the buildings that consumed the resource of the state, Is no longer news that majority of courts are on rented apartment while those occupying public buildings lacks conducive atmosphere to operates, our findings revealed that a female judge in high court 4 was caught using a file to fan herself as case is ongoing.
Is high time that the state government should revisit the former commissioners quarters situated at project quarters been abandoned by the present regime, The residential area that accommodates the likes of the then commissioner for Local governments, Halilu Bala Usman, The abode of the former speaker, Nasarawa state House of Assembly, Others are the abode occupied by the then director State Security Service an accommodation sharing boundaries with hilltop guest house are a secured sanctuary for reptiles and rodents.
Is high time that governor Al-Makura assent to the long awaited fiscal responsibility bill into law.
Is high time that you should ensure that all contracts in the state passed bidding process by such doing will erase doubt in the minds of the populace.
Is high time that governor Al-Makura renovate and fence the obsolete bureau for pension as well provide modern day gadgets like computers and internet facilities, this will ensure that the pension bureau compete with it counterpart.
The state government should establish revenue court; this will go a long way in boasting the revenue generation of the state.
Again the state government should renovate and put into use the permanent resident used by successive Deputy Governors, Your Excellency the construction of airstrip at this critical period is not for the interest of the broad-spectrum populace.
RABIU DOGARA OMAKU
Writes from Doma in Doma Local Government Area Of Nasarawa State
