By Adamu Muhd Usman
“The sad of Jigawa’s misfortune would finally come to an end. In line with our philosophy, we appear only when where there are challenges, but I must admit we are dumb-founded, more than shocked and astonished by the report, and of course we will take it as part of our dark history while putting up a mechanism to forestall all future occurances” – Gov Lamido (page 4 Daily Trust, Tuesday January 1, 2008)
Recently, there are media commentaries by praise-singers and spurious people who are there to harm the reputation, credentials and successes of Sule Lamido who served as governor of Jigawa state for good eight years despite his physical and realistic achievements in the state. They make his administration appear untrustworthy, nonperforming and a wrong or uncelebrated one. This present administration casts doubt and discredits the validity of so many of Lamido’s achievements.
They appear to be holier that saints; more prudent than King Solomon and more transparent than anything you may think of. But they lack facts, objectivity and convincing reasons to justify the arithmetic and statistics used in their assertion and sincerity of Governor Badaru’s commitment to do half of what Lamido did in the state’s education sector.
Also you cannot argue against facts or refute what is true on what Lamido did to Jigawa most especially in the educational sector.
Well, sycophancy, campaign of calumny and name calling never appears to me as an absolute aim. I am even inclined to compare such worldly aims to the ambition of conservative. But selflessness and accomplishment matter a lot.
Lamido has done his best in the good eight years he served as governor in all human endeavours and always striving to see the happiness and wellbeing of the people. Governor Badaru should remember or bear in mind that, in the end, you’re measured not by how much you undertake but by what you finally accomplish. It is not in doubt that Lamido has greatly accomplished a lot and that explains why an average Jigawa indigene will always pray for him and eternally remain grateful for changed direction, thinking and wellbeing of our people, our lives, our state and the strong institutions he built, as well as the legacies he left behind.
Whenever Nigerians gather to discuss the state of education in the country, we all seem to reach a consensus rather hurriedly, that our educational system has deteriorated for long, but in Jigawa, the case is different. He made spirited efforts to see Jigawa being part of the globalized era and also a state driven by knowledge. That is why during his tenure Lamido prioritized education and also allocated a lot of amount in his budget every year to education, increasing it by 200% from what he inherited in 2007.
When Lamido got into office in 2007, he inherited a total of 18,000 primary school teachers and out of these; only 6,000 were qualified, meaning 12,000 others were not qualified. He had to negotiate with National Teachers Institutes Kaduna to train those that could be trained. What a diligent, committed and passionate leader?
In his first tenure, new Schools were built and some renovated; 1,061 classrooms constructed across the state and some others renovated, while the government purchased 62, 981units of classroom furniture. Out of the 779 dilapidated schools he inherited in 2007, Lamido renovated and restored 648 to standard, fully staffed and well equipped with functional libraries and laboratories to WAEC standard. He also established 21 new junior secondary schools, as well as 216 nomadic schools across the state.
Classrooms have modern instructional technologies. zYou will find out computers were connected to the internet, projectors, auto-video and conferencing equipment are all available.
Sule, as fondly called by admirers, also initiated and implemented a scholarship scheme for the best 100 students in the sciences every year to overseas universities.
Lamido expended N500m on foreign sponsorship of indigenes in various science and technical related courses.
It was Lamido who ended the 16 year embargo on foreign sponsorships in Jigawa State. The decision to lift the embargo on sponsoring students for foreign studies abroad was to accelerate the process of human development, invest heavily in education and training of youths on various courses to enable them complete with their peers in other parts of the country.
As one who strongly believes that teachers cannot perform miracles without necessary teaching and learning tools, which he dutifully provided and distributed everywhere in the state. The welfare of staff is one area that Lamido will or must be commended. Salaries and other entitlements were paid promptly and scholarships awarded without sentiment. Training and re-training of staff were regularly carried out to update them with the latest educational methods.
I agree with Samuel M. Lindsay, who once said “The quality of education and the level of educational attainment of a people determine the quality of its leaders and people” I eulogize Lamido for sending many Jigawa indigenes to study abroad in different areas of specializations in order to take Jigawa to a greater height. He capped all this with the establishment of a completely modern state university, which has since set sailing.
I extol Sule Lamido for establishing Jigawa State University at Kafin-Hausa to afford state indigenes more access to higher education opportunities. Before the establishment of the state university, half of eligible candidates of Jigawa origin seeking admission into higher institutions in other universities failed to get one due to lack of opportunities, hence the very warm welcome with which Jigawa citizens received the establishment of the state university, which is now named after him “Sule Lamido University Kafin-Hausa”
The NYSC permanent orientation camp and sport complex is another side Lamido will be commended in encouraging educational sector in the state and promoting national unity, peaceful-co-existence among Nigerians, because corps members from all over the country are always curious and desperate annually to come to Jigawa to serve because of the unification, sanitation, convenience, safety and facilities of that orientation camp which is named “Yakubu Gowon N.Y.S.C orientation camp”
As education is the process of receiving or giving systematic instruction or training especially at school or university and enlightening experience. Dr. Sule Lamido CON, has set a pace for this present administration and many to come to emulate in educational sector in training and promotion of teachers , employment of quality teachers, building of standard classrooms, prompt payment of good salary, supply of teaching/learning materials, punctuality of staffs/pupils and students, the creation, renovation and maintaining of first class higher institutions;
like the School of Nursing and Midwifery Birnin-Kudu, Jigawa state college of education Gumel, School of Agriculture Hadejia, School of legal studies Ringim, School of Health Technology Jahun, School of Informative Kazaure, State Polytechnic Dutse and state university Kafin-Hausa etc. One important aspect about Jigawa educational leadership was that all the two commissioners that headed the Ministry of education were professors. Because of the perfect and excellent performance of the first commissioner of education under the administration, Prof, Ruqayyah Ahmed Rufa’i, she was endorsed to be an education minister of the federation.
His achievements in the education sector are enormous. The unassuming Lamido has turned our dreams into reality, and saved us from being fools and illiterates. You make us self dependent and confident in the society, you make us understand the society we live in, where no Jigawa indigene is ashamed of identifying with the state.
No matter what anybody has against him, it remains a statement of fact that his name is permanently engraved on the palms of the good people of Jigawa state and Nigeria as a whole and no man can pluck it out. You reduced or banished hunger, poverty, unemployment, hatred, enmity, laziness, selfishness and most above all, you promote functional education in Jigawa state. We wait to see how Jigawa governor, Alhaji Muhammadu Abubakar Badaru Talamis will improve or do something positive close to what Lamido achieved in Jigawa state, especially in the education sector.
Time is the best judge to history and events.
Usman wrote from Kafin-Hausa, Jigawa State – e-mail [email protected]
