By MOHAMMED YANGIDA, LAFIA
Al-Makura a pragmatic leader that is conscious of the deprivations of his people, his concern is what gives the greatest benefi ts to the grater majority. Th ose that do not understand his style of leadership assumed that he does not have the interest of the people at heart, that he only understands the limitations of people and a lot of people have the tendency to be selfi sh and self -servicing. But once he agreed on something, his approach is more practical and cost eff ective, then, he is committed to it, and supervises it with all seriousness.
He sleeps and wakes up with how best to improve the lot of his people in the state. His attitude to governance is that of sacrifi ce and services he is not really interested oi who the leader is, but what the leader does and brings results. AlMakura, has done what ordinarily was seen as impossible to the people of the state.
Th is is the words of some Nasarawa indigenes on Al-Makura’s style of Leadership and it impacts in his two years in offi ce. Consequently, Governor AlMakura believes in collective responsibilities to develop Nasarawa state even as ordinary citizens there are a lot of things he sees in other states and believes that people of Nasarawa state deserves it. And those he can do, he does, those that required others, he rallies them round.
Th erefore, Al-Makura is institutionalising the culture of transformation that cannot be reversed, though his last four years his concern was basically on education sector being the bedrock of every society and other physical infrastructures across the state. Accordingly, two year of his second tenure Al-Makura has changed the landscape of so many things in the state, particularly this time around in the health sector, which has transformed it as areas that do not have clinics have hospitals ,those that have only structures ,can boast of functional hospital with doctors. In agriculture, the transformation is unique.
Despite diffi culties for the state government to meet up with demands of various communities at a go, considering the paucity of funds, Al-Makura cannot also aff ord to ignore the immediate needs of his people in Nasarawa: Improving people’s wellbeing as centerpiece Al-Makura In agriculture, the transformation is unique. Despite difficulties for the state government to meet up with demands the state particularly those in the rural areas. In ensuring that goods and services are adequately transported, he (Al-makura) has committed over N1.5 billion so far, into rural projects across the state, even as over 625 number of culverts and bridges had being awarded across the state in order to ensure that people leaving in the hinterland have accessed for one community to another even at the raining season which he said is the most diffi cult time for them.
According to him ,”majority of people in the state are farmers and a lot of farming activities take place in the hinterlands which these bridges have to be provided for them so as to move their farm products especially at this time of diversifi cation”. And the construction of another 65 kilometre road from Lafi a to keffi , is undergoing all geared towards improving agricultural produce in the state” . “Moreover, the system in By MOHAMMED YANGIDA, LAFIA DEMOCRACY DAY agricultural sector in the state is now getting the real farmers involved and supporting them with what matters to make them more productive. Th e common man is busy about meeting his responsibilities while the government is committed that an enabling environment is created in the markets and empowerment to make them meet their responsibilities”.
Also, in the area of human and social intervention in the last two years, Al-Makura has employed not less than three thousand (3,000) youths into the youth empowerment scheme and planning to gain more 1, 500 as environmental guard that will safeguard the natural habitants within the state. Internationally, Governor AlMakura, was able to link up Singapore, China, Pakistan and the rest western world, and improved the entrepreneurship of the state by bringing in machines from Singapore that improves the skills of the teaming youths with the focus that youths has basic education for self reliance. In an interview with some members of opposition parties in the state, they did not deny the fact that Governor Al-Makura has performed, but said some of his projects are misplaced priorities and that he should rather settle scores with workers in the state than constructing bridges and culverts. Th erefore, they condemned the construction of bridges and culverts across the state and described it as misplaced priority, saying Nasarawa is not a riverrine state rather a fl at land.
Th e oppositions in the state also called on the governor to do what is needful and leave a legacy, but not construction of bridges and culverts, however some of them declined comments arguing is not time yet to comment. Reacting, a stakeholder who is an APC loyalist in the state, Alhaji Yahaya Musa Wambai, said Governor Al-Makura has made a diff erence and made the people of the state proud “ we know the government that came before him, we are not condemning them, they have tried their own best, but a comparative analysis, he is the best, we believe in performance “ Al-makura has recorded tremendously achievements that have direct bearing on lives of the Nasarawa populace”. And on the issue workers’ salaries, he said “is a national issue”.
