Recently, Rt Hon Yakubu Dogara, Speaker, House of Representatives paid a visit to his constituency in Bauch state, and commissioned some projects. TURAKI A. HASSAN highlights the significance of the initiative
Last Friday, Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, received a rousing welcome to his home state in Bauchi. Ordinarily, a representative’s visit to his constituency shouldn’t attract such fanfare, but this wasn’t just a usual constituency visit as the nation’s number 4 man, was said to have gone on “exile”, even when he often interacts with various groups from the state on constant basis in Abuja.
Before now, Dogara was in Bauchi in August and December. In fact, the speaker does not miss travelling home every three or four months, to render his stewardship to the good people of Bogoro/Dass/Tafawa-Balewa Federal Constituency.
In the face of provocation, tantrums and smear campaign by some power- that- be within the state, the Speaker maintained stoic silence for close to two years. But like any other human being pushed to the wall, a vitriolic from the agents of the state government that Dogara had gone on “exile” and cannot visit his constituency.
But, the ebullient Dogara quickly countered, saying as a federal lawmaker, he was elected to work in Abuja and not supposed to be seen frequently in Bauchi as doing would simply amount to dereliction of duty. He further added that as Speaker, he is always at various functions across the country, especially those involving his colleague lawmakers.
Regrettably however, he said, those elected to work in Bauchi are now the ones seen more frequently in Abuja, Kano, Lagos and other cities across the country and even foreign lands, meaning that they spend more time outside their place of primary assignment.
To counter the baseless rumour, Dogara served out his constituents a notice to visit them on May 5th, and the mammoth crowd that waited for hours at the Platuea/Bauchi border to welcome their son, was an attestation to his level of popularity among the people.
The usual one hour journey from Jos to Bauchi us lasted almost four hours owing to heavy vehicular movement, as the convoy stopped at every 20 to 30 kilometres to greet thousands of citizens who came out en masse to welcome and cheer their son.
Dogara, in company of over 162 federal lawmakers, friends and associates, drove straight to Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital where he moved from one ward to another, empathising with patients, mostly children and women. And together with his colleagues, he settled their medical bills.
In April last year, the Speaker sent a team of 60 medical doctors, surgeons and nurses to the same hospital where they attended to the medical needs of over 50,000 people from Bauchi, Kano, Jigawa, Plateau, Yobe, Gombe, Adamawa ,Borno and Taraba states for two weeks.
Thereafter, the train moved to condole with two bereaved Bauchi elders, had lunch in Senator Ali Wakili’s residence and also visited Senator Suleiman Nazif before proceeding to Tafawa Balewa for the big bash.
The human walls on both sides of the road stretching over 20 kilometres from Dass, who anxiously awaited their representative’s arrival for some six hours, were really a sight to behold.
And on the second day, the Speaker commissioned a market donated to Bogoro community by a good Samaritan but facilitated by him, and then inspected state of work at Government Girls Secondary School, Tafawa Balewa, where he attracted some federal presence with the total renovation of the school and building and equipping of ultra modern ICT centre, among other laudable projects.
He was received by hundreds of schoolgirls who were beautifully dressed in their blue and white uniforms, singing songs of joy and appreciation.
The main reception was held in Dass and scores flooded the area, with some climbing the beautiful Dass mountains to catch a glimpse of “Dan Amana” as they fondly call him. According to Frieddrich Nietzsche, in the mountains of truth, you never climb in vain.
The event at Dass, which was initially meant to flag off construction of four roads traversing Gombe, Bauchi and Plateau states, turned out to be a major political gathering in the recent history of the state, a development which sent shock waves across the state.
The unique thing about the road projects is that roads never existed there before now.
The esteemed convoy drove along the route, passing through the thick forests for four hours, with the Speaker intermittently stopping over to address large gatherings of his supporters. The jolly ride terminated in Platuea state where the Sarkin Talbushi in Kanam local government of the state, Alhaji Ma’aji Gamna turbaned the Speaker as Maga Yakin Jhar, meaning the chief warrior of Jhar land.
It is also important to state here that this long stretch of road will soon become a first class federal road.
The gathering, attended by not fewer than 30,000 people, including women and children, brought together old friends and foes. It also attracted the presence of big political juggernauts in the state, including the immediate past governor, Malam Isa Yuguda, Hon Yusuf Tugga, Senator Maikafi, Senator Adamu Gumba, Senator Mohammed Mohammed, scores of retired former permanent secretaries in the state, sacked traditional rulers, numbering about 100 (removed by the present government), students and a number of cultural groups who added colour to the occasion.
But, it should be noted here that of all the dozen villages and towns the Speaker visited commissioning one project or the other, including the big Almajiri schools he built in Fulani communities; Dull, a community also in Tafawa Balewa local government, stood out.
Upon arriving the community between 6-7pm, the entourage was warmly received by the people, mostly youths who had positioned themselves more than 5 kilometres ahead to receive the Speaker.
The deposed Sarkin Dull, Alhaji Zulkiflu Abdullahi, who was given the boot on account of his refusal to read a prepared text on the state radio, attacking Dogara, also received the nation’s number four citizen. The chief was reported to have stood his ground, and elected to be removed rather than going against his conscience and the people by attacking Dogara, who, according to him, had positively impacted on the community via quality roads.
The entirely new roads will open up these communities and link them with other parts of the country across the three states of Bauchi, Taraba and Plateau, at a cost of over N50billion, and to be completed within the next two years.
“As we flag off this road, we are flagging off the one from Burga in Bauchi to Plateau state, we are flagging another one that will take off from Pankshi into Tarshi and move from Gambar to Sara and then to Mangu in Plateau so that it can connect with Lere road.
“We are not stopping here, we also have the contractor who is charged with the responsibility of doing the road from Bauchi to Gombe in our midst. The road has been awarded. For other parts of Bauchi, the highway that is being built from Kano, that moves into Bauchi North, into Bauchi Central, up to Maiduguri.
We are ensuring that it attracts the appropriate funding so that we will finish on time,” the Speaker further assured.
Apparently overwhelmed with joy, a visibly elated former Governor Yuguda told the mammoth crowd that it was the first time federal projects of such magnitude, were coming to Bauchi state since creation, and urged for more prayer for Dogara to do more.
And when the floor was yielded to him, Dogara brought his oratory power to bear, as he reminded his audience that every solar power street light in the three local governments were his projects, a development that earns him the sobriquet of mai solar from his people. The total renovation of Dass Central Mosque which he later inspected after the event, was also part of his achievements.
Besides, he had also facilitated the construction of the 78 kilometre Bauchi-Tafawa Balewa road with three bridges by the federal government, which now happen to be the best road devoid of pothole in the whole of the state. This is in addition to scores of primary health care centres, hundreds of blocks of classroom in primary schools, empowerment schemes, including in rice farming, cottage industry, transportation, tailoring, training of young people in agriculture in Israel, scholarship schemes for students in tertiary institutions from first degree to Ph.D level, etc.
These are just few works of an ‘exiled’ representative who boldly told his people that, “we are real children, we were born and bred here, we grew up here among you, we won’t tell you lies because we have no other place greater than Bauchi.”
The high point of the visit was a special interfaith prayers for the health of President Muhammadu Buhari by over 30,000 faithful, jointly led by the Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria, Dass Local Goverment, Reverend Kefas Galadima and Sheikh Hamza Dass.
The main reception was held in Dass and scores flooded the area, with some climbing the beautiful Dass Mountains to catch a glimpse of “Dan Amana” as they fondly call him
HASSAN is Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, to the Speaker.