By Shamsuddeen Lukman Abubakar
In the act of governance, whenever a new government takes over the political and administrative reins of power, the people who have long toiled under previous insensitive and self centered administrations are hopeful that their lives will be transformed for the better thus raising their overall welfare, wellbeing and standard of living. Therefore, they welcome such change of baton as a necessary means for their upliftment and in most cases, extend a ‘honey moon’ period wherein they give unalloyed trust and cooperation to the new government while discouraging any undue criticism or negative aspersions cast at the brand-new leaders, and it’s all the better if the new masters of the game come with a clear cut administrative and operational blue print geared toward moving the state or political entity concerned to the next level, in the economic, industrial an infrastructural spheres.
This scenario is indeed applicable to the result oriented administration of Governor
Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar of Bauchi State which campaigned vigorously on a platform of rapid and accelerated development of the Pearl of Tourism without regard to geographical, sectional, ethnic or religious boundaries or divisions. Indeed, M.A Abubakar who’s fondly call Barrister is determined to work day and night for the complete transformation of the state and has accordingly indentified key areas of the state’s socio-economic configuration which need special attention, if not the declaration of a state of emergency.
For instance, in the health sector, a perceptive Governor Mohammed went to great lengths to understudy the myriad of challenges that plague the sector including infant and maternal mortality, endemic diseases e.g. dysentery, tuberculosis, diarrhea and many more occasioned by poor hygienic and sanitary conditions.
Also, the paucity of essential drugs and medical supplies in most hospitals, health centres and maternity clinics across the state and the lack of proper training for health personnel, workers, nurses, and midwives, has been adroitly noted by the thoughtful legal luminary who has vowed to reclaim the state’s health and medical profile in order to turn it around for the better in the overall interest of the people. Not to be quickly forgotten is the parlous state of hospitals, health and maternity centres with most of the infrastructure run down and decrepit, calling for urgent attention and repair. Therefore, he allocated 16% of reaching the Abuja declaration of 2001.
Equally, educational sector is another area of concern for the intellectually acclaimed executive governor as he believes that an educated mind cannot be oppressed or down trodden and is the key to the development and progress of any society. Thus, the state of the educational institutions and facilities that he found on ground were nothing to write home about with primary and secondary school students sitting on bare floors while conducting lessons and the lack of basic tools of learning and practice as textbooks, laboratory and science equipment was stunting the scholastic advancement of the students at all levels.
Moving to road infrastructure, where 60% of the total budget was allocated to the capital expenditure and it is clear that the previous administration had performed dismally with the major roads and highways filled with pot holes and gulley thus posing a serious danger for hapless motorists that ply the roads day and night.
And without a motorable road network, economic development would definitely remain a mirage as the transportation of people, goods and machinery cannot move smoothly and promptly thus leading to decay of perishable food products and the loss of productive hours due to avoidable delays on the roads and highways of the state.
To cut a long story short, Governor Abubakar has identified other sectors that deserve swift attention and this has been reflected in his unveiled 2017 budget which allocates resources based on need and necessity. The budget which has been hailed by seasoned public policy analysts, developmental economists and bureaucratic apparatchiks as well as professionals and leaders of thought in Bauchi state is hinged on the allocation of scarce resources specifically to needy sectors and those that do not necessarily deserve critical attention would not benefit from such allocation of limited funds.
Apart from allocation of funds, the efficiency and prudent management of such funds is of primary importance because financial resources may be assigned to a project or infrastructural undertaking only for the appropriated monies to be illegally diverted to private accounts. Therefore, in unveiling the 2017 budget proposal of N145 billion to the State House of Assembly, Governor Abubakar has helped on the need for transparent and accountable management of the allocated funds and has unequivocally warned that any attempt by any public officer or private individual for that matter to divert or pilfer the said monies would not be tolerated and such malfeasance would be dealt with appropriately by the anti-graft agencies.
Indeed, the allocation of 16% of the 2016 budget for the health sector has underscored the resolve of Governor Mohammed to engineer a revolution in that critical sector to serve as a shining example to all other states while establishing a sound, credible and efficient health delivery region with state of the art medical facilities and essential drugs in newly constructed or renovated hospitals, health and maternity centres across the state. Even the state can also serve as the hub for medical tourism as patients from far and near will relocate to the serene and peaceful atmosphere prevalent in Bauchi for adequate and beneficial health care.
Finally, with the unveiling of the activist governor’s 2016 budget premised on the total re-invigoration, rehabilitation, re-configuration and revitalization of key sectors, facilities, institutions as well as rapid industrial and infrastructural development of the state, a prescient Governor Abdullahi Mohammed has wisely steered his beloved state to a more rewarding and prosperous future, in accordance with globally acclaimed best practices. As the action-oriented governor, a technocratic avatar and constitutional colossus in his own right accelerates the state’s socio-economic and developmental indices, it behooves on all and sundry including influential citizens, business moguls, corporate titans, leaders of thought, professionals, the academia, market women, trade unions etc, to join hands with him in recrafting and refashioning the new Bauchi state, shining as brightly and constantly as the Northern star.
Shamsuddeen writes from Bauchi
