By Ibrahim Mohammed
The emergence of Aminu Bello Masari, former Speaker of the House of Representatives as the Katsina governor-elect in last Saturday’s gubernatorial elections signaled a paradigm shift in the geo-politics of the state which since the return of democratic governance in 1999 has been governed by people from Katsina Central to the detriment of Daura and Funtua Senatorial zones which suffered marginalization.
Pundits observed that the marginalization of the zones and the thirst for equity and even development were the key elements that pushed people across the state to massively vote for Masari.
His election is indeed a bold relief not only for the Eastern and Southern parts of the state who have been agitating for power shift but also due to the fact that Masari will be bringing to the table his wealth of experience as a technocrat and as a consummate politician who had held the number four position as Speaker of the House of Representatives and was before then a commissioner and chief executive in various ministries, departments and agencies in the state.
Given his pedigree, the governor-elect, who is no stranger to the development challenges of the agrarian state, will quickly settle down to work. Picking members of his cabinet will not be a herculean task either as he is already at home with the state’s technocrats, bureaucrats and the business class just as he is chummy with the religious and traditional institutions. His cognate experience as Speaker of the House of Representatives will stand him in good stead in working with the state legislature which is already dominated by his party, the APC.
It is instructive that regardless of one’s political linage, one must credit the past administrations of former fovernor, the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, for kick-starting the development strides consolidated by the outgoing Governor Ibrahim Shehu Shema. No doubt, the state has witnessed tremendous development in agriculture, education, housing, health and infrastructure development. However, critics of the successive administrations are quick to point out that most of the development projects were skewed in favour of Katsina Central.
For instance, they allege that most higher institutions of learning in the state like the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua University and the Islamic University are located in Katsina metropolis in close proximity to the Federal College of Education, Katsina and the Hassan Usman Katsina Polytechnic just as the newly established Federal University is located in Dutsin-Ma, Governor Shema’s hometown, thus leaving Daura and Funtua Zones without any tertiary Institution. To me personally, the co-location of these important institutions in one town does not matter as employment and admission policies do not exclude other indigenes of the state.
What is paramount at this critical juncture of the state development is for the new helmsman to focus his attention on neglected areas such as employment generation and wealth creation to provide job opportunities for the teeming unemployed youths in the state. Being agrarian, the state is blessed with lush vegetation and abundant water bodies like Ajiwa, Dutsin-Ma, Gwaigwaye, Jibiya and Sabke dams suitable for all-season farming.
As the largest employer of labour, agriculture plays a catalytic role in commerce and industrialization providing raw materials for industries and creating jobs through the multiplier effect.
What the incoming administration needs to do quickly is to take advantage of these dams to develop massive irrigation infrastructure for the production of cash and food crops all year round. The resuscitation of the Gusau-Zaria railway line by the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan which passes through Funtua is a further boost to the development drive of the state as it would provide haulage services for the transportation of farm produce to industrial and population centres.
Being host to several industries which include Funtua Textiles Limited, Funtua Oil Crushing Company, Funtua Ginnery, Northern Dairies Limited, Funtua Bottling Company, Jargaba Oil Mill Company, Integrated Flour Mills, Funtua Burnt Brickworks Limited, Dalema Modern Bakery Limited, fertilizer blending plant, the establishment of an inland container port in Funtua town by the federal government in conjunction with Umaru Mutallab, an industrialist and son of the soil, will further accelerate rapid industrialization and create employment opportunities for the teeming unemployed youths not only in the state but the entire sub-region.
With the location of the dry port in Funtua, what remains now is for the state government to support the project by establishing an industrial park in close proximity equipped with state of the art infrastructure comprising independent power supply, water works, Trailer Park, Hotels, Clinics and banks to make the project a viable and world class one that can compete with its counterparts the World over.
A faithful implementation of the above suggested projects would in the long run uplift the state from an agrarian status to a fully-industrialized state with a diversified economy and improved Internally-generated revenue that would reduce its over-dependence on monthly allocation from oil revenue.
Mohammed wrote from Bello Anache Road, Funtua, Katsina state