In this report, AIDELOJE OJO examines issues that came to play during the low-key democracy day celebration, particularly the arguments for and against delivery of campaign promises by the Muazu Babangide Aliyu administration
Few days to the third anniversary of the second term of Governor Muazu Babangida Aliyu’s administration of Niger state, heated argument broke out on whether or not the administration had fulfilled its campaign promises to the people. Blueprint learnt that the debate which had heated up the state’s polity came to the front burner when the governor at the commissioning of Gulu General Hospital expressed satisfaction with the high performance of the administration and concluded that he has fulfilled all his campaign promises made at the inception of the administration in 2007
Presenting his score card to the people, Aliyu described the construction and equipping of the ultra modern hospitals which cut across the three senatorial districts in Tafa, Nasko and Gulu, as achieving milestones in the health sector’s transformation agenda of the state. He said the government in its efforts to provide health care delivery to the people had also embarked on the construction of a 130 bed Neo– Natal Hospital in Minna, the state capital. The governor also said when the hospital becomes functional, it will further enhance the administration’s free medical care for children below the age of 5 year and pregnant mothers.
“From the inception of my administration, we were aware that our health facilities are overstretched and grossly inadequate to meet the needs of our people. We promised to make health care services accessible and affordable to the people of the state and this has been our focus.
“Government’s policy of free medical treatment for children under 5 and pregnant women has been implemented and sustained, in addition to not collecting charges for caesarean sessions in our General Hospitals”, he explained.
The state commissioner of Information and Strategy, Danladi Ndayebo, corroborated the governor’s position in an interview with our reporter, explaining that the administration has also delivered on the campaign promises to the people in the areas of road construction, provision education infrastructures and learning facilities, improved water supply and poverty reduction.
The commissioner said: “Even the ardent critics of the administration have acknowledged that Governor Aliyu has transformed Minna the state capital and other places with the construction of solid roads, the supply of portable water has improved tremendously in Minna and other cities of the state.
“The Chief Servant has been able to bring the people closer to government and there is a connection between the government and the grassroots people. This is a very fundamental achievement because this is a deliberate effort by government to make sure that people are carried along in the administration of the state.”
A trader based in Mokwa area of the state, Usman Abubakar, who spoke with Blueprint on the impact of the administration on the lives of the rural dwellers in the state. “Today there is no community in Niger state that does not have a feel of democracy every month. Our village was out in darkness without electricity for the simple fact that a transformer of about N2 million has broken down. Ward Development Projects has made it possible for us to get new transformers and regain electricity supply”, he said.
While Abubakar was thrilled by the benefits of the Ward Development Projects, another resident of the state, Yusuf Ahmed, was captured by the free education policy in the state. According to him, the state free education policy has tremendously encouraged parents to send their children to school. He said that three of his children that dropped out of school for lack of money had since returned back to continue their education.
The state commissioner of education, Alhaji Danladi Abdulhameed also gave more insight into the free education policy of the state. According to him, “Infrastructural development of education is not a problem in Niger state. Lots of furniture, learning and teaching materials have been provided in our schools for the comfort of the students and pupils.”
According to him, the essence of free education policy by the administration was to grant every child access to education, adding that “this is because we believe that unless and until you are educated, you cannot contribute meaningfully in the community where you belong.”
“In line with this, in Niger state children do not pay school fees. Government pays even registration fees. We also have our internal examinations conducted free of charge. What we are doing is to improve particularly on provision of uniforms; we have also improved on the quality of feeding in our boarding schools and provide high quality of learning facilities,” he further explained.
The commissioner stated that because of the free education policy in the state and because of the nationalistic approach of the administration to education, enrolment of pupils and students had increased from 700,000 in 2007 to 1.5 million in 2014. He added that over 600 new blocks of classrooms have been constructed to accommodate the influx of new pupils and students from neighbouring states rushing to take advantage of the free education policy in Niger state. He stated that government had overcome the challenges associated with the astronomical increase in enrolment figures.
However, critics of the administration see this differently as they see the administration as having failed the people in several aspects. According to them, the governor only put in motion its propaganda machines to deceive the people on dividends of democracy.
Leading the pack of these critics is the All Progressives Congress (APC). the party in a position by its state’ publicity secretary, Mr. Jonathan Vatsa, listed over 10 failed campaign promises by the administration including the failed promise on water supply, housing, the construction of world class stadium, the Minna Airport city and the twin city in Suleja.
Vatsa said the government had only succeeded in piling huge amounts of debts on the state which incoming administration will continue to honour years after the exit of the government.
“The governor claimed recently that the administration has fulfilled all its campaign promises but it is on record that in 2009, the governor declared that a year of water in Niger state but till today the water has not started running. The governor promised to built sport complex (stadium) in Maikukele with N3 billion and where is the stadium even though we are aware that over N1.4 billion has been expended on feasibility studies and drawings?” he argued, adding that the governor’s claim was aimed at deceiving the people to secure 2015 for PDP and that such antics will not work.
The fact that critics and government officials have engaged themselves in robust argument over campaign promises is a clear indication that government is ready to be accountable to the people and this also is a dividend of democracy.
