Buni: A blueprint for Yobe

“Speak your truth, even if your voice shakes”- Robin Sharma

Permit me to use this medium to congratulate and reach out to the Yobe State Governor-elect, Mai Mala Buni, in order to take the state to the next level. Your Excellency, this letter is not meant to wash our linings in a public, but to sort out what is itching most of our fellow Yobeans at hearts for over a decade.

Let me begin by making a passionate plea that you to reconsider and change your mind on the allegedly reappointment of some of the members of the cabal that served under the outgoing governor and woefully failed him at their various ministries/sectors.

It was recently gathered that aides of the outgoing Yobe State Governor, Alhaji (Dr) Ibrahim Gaidam, are desperately engaged in lobbying you for re-appointment ahead of the May 29 inauguration.

The truth is; if you will retain some of the members of the present cabinet, then we don’t have to call your administration a government for “Continuity and Consolidation” but instead a “stagnant government”.

I want to remind you that most of them that failed the state have been holding ranking positions from 1999 to date, but unfortunately they can’t yield any positive result to the populace. In fact, they’re like disaster to the state. Retire whoever served before and failed from holding any ranking position, if not they will still fail you. The truth is; with or without them, you will In sha Allah reach the apex of your political career.

Your Excellency, I want to draw your attention to three major areas that need your quick intervention. They are education, health and rural development; and youth empowerment; these should be your top priorities.

On education, our state took last position in the West African School Certificate Examination (WASCE) among of 36 states of the federation including the FCT in 2018. Let’s agree that the state government is trying in the educational sector and Yobe got last position on the said exam, does that mean our children are naturally dull, or it is the sector that lacks enough qualified teachers, teaching facilities or proper supervision?

The truth is; I’m not exposing the outgoing governor or to condemn his administration but I must even commend him for transforming the state in terms of health care delivery, infrastructural development, tertiary education, road constructions, housing estate, security, agriculture, youth empowerment, job creation, prompt payment of salary and other related developments he brought to the state.

My piece is just to remind and notify you (governor-elect) that the aforementioned areas need a declaration of a “state of emergency” in order to curb the menace.

As we know, Yobe is one of the victims of Boko Haram Insurgency, so we should consider that education is the fundamental requirement and the key driving factor for meaningful and sustainable development. In this regard, therefore, our collective willingness and ability to provide and maintain an effective community-centred and sustainable educational system in Yobe state is more than a prerequisite.

Nigeria is already on the top list of countries with large number of out-of-school children with about 60 percent of these children in the North, Yobe inclusive.

If you want to succeed on education, your government must invest in an effective ‘Teaching, Learning and Assessment’ (TLA) paradigm with proper supervision that can sustain our motivation and to enable us traverse the ‘education for sustainable development’ route easily. In compliment, this approach will mitigate against the impact of Boko Haram Terrorists (BHT) on education and human development. It must be emphasized that, the fundamental of any education system is the sound primary education.

To curb this menace, there is need to maintain high standard of secondary education, with special attention to the science and technology education. There shall be one special science and technical school each for boys and girls in each of the three senatorial districts. These special schools must be supplied by network of functional primary schools.

Talking about health care delivery, comprehensive health centres (CHCs) should be constructed, equipped and adequately staffed at each of the electoral wards across the state. There should be functional general hospitals in all local government headquarters which shall serve as links to the special zonal referral hospitals in order to ease the hardship of the rural communities.

On the youth empowerment, young persons and women empowerment, political and leadership development should be considered. The youths have participated immensely during your electioneering campaign period, we then expect and request your government to empower young persons and women. They should be given some percentages in order to fully participate in the government. Youths are no longer leaders of tomorrow but they are leaders of today, tomorrow and backbone of the society.

Then job opportunities to our teeming youths should also be your top most priority in order to reduce the rate of poverty in the state. It could also be remembered that in sports, we’re from “grace to grass” because our football team (Yobe Desert Stars FC) is now in relegation stage in Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL).

In conclusion, Your Excellency sir, my advice to you is; as you take over the mantle of leadership come May 29, you should embark on in paying surprise visits to all the sectors, especially public schools, hospitals/clinics and secretariats in order to see proper bureaucracy run in your administration. Also, you shouldn’t allow sycophancy, godfatherism, tribalism and their actors to destroy your political career.

Finally, I shall not relent to always use this very important medium

to advise you sincerely on the way forward, because poor bureaucracy is taking almost all the sectors in the state. A stitch in time saves nine!

Gulani writes from Damaturu via [email protected] or 07064230285

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