Fintri and revolutionary leadership in Adamawa

In this special report, our Yola correspondent MUAUZU ABARI, writes on how Gov Umaru Fintri succeeded to turn Adamawa into a model of good governance and infrastructural development in Nigeria.

In his theory of face construction and heart content, William Shakespeare asserted that “There is no art to find the minds constructions in the face.

But shakespeare was a dramatist and a fiction writer who conceived and wrote according to his own thinking and perception.

No doubt, he was a great playwright but he missed the target on this grassroots politician of repute called Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri.

While the workings of the minds cannot be seen, a man’s disposition, intimidating records of achievements, commitments to the cause of humanity, democracy, good governance, transparency and accountable leadership can tell a lot about him.

Umaru Fintiri is one of the reasons why Shakespeare’s theory of face construction and heart’s content does not apply in all situations because he is a living proof of one that looks good both within and outside.

At inception of Fintri’s administration

Amidst intimidating challenges, collapsed infrastructures, frightening debt profile and financial strangulation, Fintiri took over the reins of Adamawa state’s leadership on may 29th 2019 with a promise to give the people of the state a breadth of fresh air and make it work again in line with his 11-point agenda as contained in his inaugural address entitled: “Hope restored.”

At the inauguration, he said, “As a government of popular consent I am mindful of the honour and responsibility this has bestowed on me. I hereby affirm and declare that hope has been restored and true change has come to Adamawa state.

“Let us embrace as I solemnly pledge to provide leadership that is required to make this change work for the good of all. It will be a change that will balance policy and politics. A change that will eschew might over right and treat all citizens as equal.

“A transformational change that will harness the vast human potentials of the people into attaining and enjoying the dividends of democracy which have so far eluded them. We will gradually but systematically sustain our 11-point agenda until Adamawa shade its toga of a pariah state where anything goes. Politics is over and the stage is now set for the extra job of making Adamawa work again”.

The work starts

With this commitment and unveiling of his administration direction, Fintiri swung into action to fulfill his promises to the people with so many achievements recorded in the last three years of his focused and visionary leadership, especially, in the areas of security, massive infrastructural drive, electrification, education, health, women and youth empowerment, among others.

On insecurity

Following the expiration of the earlier two weeks ultimatum he issued to all criminal groups in the state, Fintiri declared a total war against Shilla boys, kidnappers, armed robbers and other criminals terrorising the state.

He decided to immediately take the battle to their doorstep and hideouts where most of them were arrested, prosecuted and jailed while many others repented to embrace the amnesty programme of his administration with many others who cannot withstand the firepower of his administration relocating out of the state.

The governor also redesigned the security architecture of the state which saw introduction and implementation of proactive and watertight security measures across the state which put both security agencies and citizens on their toes as he also launched new security outfit code-named “Operation Farauta”, a joint operation team comprising the military, police, vigilantes, among other security agencies, which succeeded to bring the security challenges bedevilling the state to the lowest ebb.

This is, in addition to procurements and distributions of operational vehicles, motorcycles, security gadgets and other equipment to security agencies in the state as well as logistic support and improved funding, engagements of more vigilantes, hunters and adequate reward system, among many other efforts.

These measures enhanced security in the state while the incessant farmers/herders clashes in the state was nipped in the bud and reduced to an insignificant level.

Infrastructure

Fintiri kick-started his infrastructural wonders by bringing back to sites all the contractual firms in the state who abandoned various road projects due to previous government’s inability to meet up with its financial obligations, leading to completion of all abandoned road projects inherited by his administration and also awarded new road projects in the state.

The first set of these new road projects awarded by Fintiri’s administration included Bachure road Karewa, Nasarawo borehole, Jambutu street, Togo street, Lekki Toba street Mambilla street, among others, awarded at the cost of over N5billion.

Governor Fintiri has also taken his road construction projects to rural areas and all the 21 local governments in the state to boost economic activities by leveraging on the Word Bank Funded Ram 2 project which is a joint project with the state government by paying the state counterpart funds leading to constructions of 340 kilometres of rural roads across the 21 local government in the state.

Some of these roads includes 8.8 km Sansri rural road (Ganye), Yarima Mayo rural road in Toungo, Parda-Mininga in Fufore, 25km Bazza-ma’a in Michika,16.9km in Dumne, Honbol rural road in Song, 31km Ndikong rural road in Mayo Belwa, 9.3km in Ngongoshi rural road in Yola South, Kuvu-Gaya rural road in Hong, among others, across the 21 local governments in the state which have since been completed and commissioned for public use.

This was followed with award of new contract for the construction of two flyovers with grade A interchange routes in the heart of Yola, the first ever in the history of the North East with new set of township roads in seven local governments of Yola North, Yola South, Numan, Jada, Hong, Michika, Adagali cutting across the three senatorial districts in the state.

These were awarded at the cost of over N18billion which have since been completed and commissioned to mark Fintiri’s two years in office.

Some of these roads included Zumo street and Links, Mafia road with two span bridges, Mbamba street, Doctors Quarters road, Nyibango-Yolde Pate road in Yola South and Yola North local governments.

Others are Izala-Gwede Mallam-Mallam Rafa- wayam road in Numan local government, European Quarter’s road in Hong Local government, Gulak township road in Madagali, Jada township road in Jada, Michika township road in Michika, among other selected roads subsequently awarded, some of which are still ongoing.

Rural electrification and water supply are other sectors where Fintiri has made giant strides in the last three years leading to various electrification projects in so many communities across the state.

He has also distributed transformers as well as restoration of electricity and reconnections of Michika and Madagali destroyed by Boko Haram insurgents to national grid.

Toungo, the only local government in the state which was not connected to national grid since its creation for almost 3 decades has been connected.

This is in addition to so many other electrification projects in various communities of the state, distributions of transformers, procurements and instillations of modern water pumping machines and other equipments for the state Water Board which moved water supply from the two treatment plants in the state from 9m litres per day when he took over to 23m litres per day.

The state also witnessed upgrading and rehabilitations of water supply schemes, construction of solar boreholes, payment of counterpart funds for water projects among many other efforts.

Education

Gov Fintiri started his educational revolution by declaring free education in the state from primary to secondary school, commencement of school feeding programme in public schools across the state and take over payment of WAEC and NECO in addition to constituting visitation panels to all tertiary institutions in the state to ascertain their status especially in terms of their infrastructures, staff strength, accredited courses and challenges with the view to inject new life into them for optimum performance.

He was also abled to settled all the outstanding UBEC matching grant from 2016 to date which enabled the administration to access 10bn which was injected into massive reconstruction and rehabilitation of schools across the length and breadth of the state, payments of scholarship to over 27,000 Adamawa students in various institution’s across the country, recruitment of new teachers, promotion of primary school teachers who were not promoted for years, among other giant strides in the education sector.

Health

The health sector of the state also felt the impacts of his administration Fintiri facilitated the clearance and transportation of medical equipments worth million’s of naira rotten at ports back to the state after many years of being dumped by previous administrations and embarked on complete overhaul of yola specialist hospital, supplied of facilities in addition to constructions of so many primary health care centres across the state.

He went further to construct brand new 60-bed capacity cottage hospitals in four local governments of Gombi, Shelleng, Lamurde and Yola South which hitherto have none and also embarked upon general rehabilitation, upgrading of facilities and additional constructions in all the General Hospitals in the state which saw constructions of OPD, Admin Blocks, Theatre complex, Maternity complex, female surgical wards among many other befitting infrastructure in all the general hospitals in the state.

He also recruited medical doctors, nurses, other categories of health workers among many other efforts in this sector.

Other achievements of the administration can be seen in the areas of ongoing constructions of 1000 housing estate, local government autonomy ,civil service reforms, promotions of teachers, prompt payment of salaries on 23 to 24 of every month since he assumed office as governor in the last 3 years among many other achievements recorded by his administration within just 3 years.