What quality leadership means to us as Bauchi state indigenes is how well the people we voted into power carry on their duties in developing the state and building a sustainable economy.
But for a clime enmeshed in antidevelopment politicking and evil machinations, where the so-called cabals have for a long time held sway, any elected official who desires to do things differently would certainly be met with some resistance and difficulties that could be surmountable and conquerable only by great minds and committed leaders.
In writing the political history of Bauchi state, successive governors of our dear state had been held by the jugular, they had succumbed to the antipeople forces of god-fatherism and moonlight financial requisition. Rather than the interest of the people, the interest of the cabals were put on the front burner of the powers that be, leaving the government balance sheet dry while development was at stake with deplorable structures.
Put bluntly, before the emergence of the Governor Muhammed Abdullahi Abubakar administration, the state has been under the stranglehold of antidemocratic forces holding the state to ransom. As natural as it were, the people got tired. Consequently, when the fi ne and focused gentleman, Barrister Abubakar, offered himself in 2015 as a credible alternative under the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the slave driving regimes that had held Bauchi down for many years, the people overwhelmingly cast their ballots for him.
They were confident that, he’ll unshackle the state from the burden of underdevelopment and financial recklessness. Today, we are at the first half of the journey to make up his first tenure. To justify this all-important mandate given him by the people of Bauchi state, a question could be asked, what is the man Governor Muhammed Abdullahi Abubakar doing differently and how is he redefining governance from what was obtainable in the previous locust ravaging regimes?
To start with, Governor Abubakar has taken a bold step of blocking the financial leakages and ensuring that, monies meant for the development of the state are channeled to the legitimatize ways in developing the state and sensitizing the act of governance in the state.
The points where the state’s fortunes are being depleted, the monsters of corruption, godfatherism, nepotism and cronyism which have hitherto stood side by side the state’s administration, were no longer allowed a space. On assumption of office, the Abubakar administration made it clear that the state must be liberated from the stranglehold of these antidevelopment practices.
He made a clear and bold decision to erase the influence of cabals and political godfatherism. The immediate benefit of this move is that the speed of delivery of public good like social and infrastructure development is no longer slowed down by the so-called powers that be. Today, policies and programs of the state are conceived solely in the best interest of the citizens. Standing up against an established wrong system is not easy.
Such a system usually has an army of powerful elements who feed fat on the rot. They mount strong resistance against progressive thinking and policies. At the federal level, we see how the President Muhammadu Buhari administration is being sabotaged by certain forces whose only care is to maintain a status quo of corruption.
Quite surprising is that the depravity in their hearts wouldn’t let them give up easily. In essence, they constitute the internal bottleneck to the administration, hiding under politics, and vainly, to truncate policies that do not promote their selfish interests. \Worse is their temerity to use the media to advance their unwholesome and unkind interests.
They hire an army of fifth columnists who weave narratives of falsehood to beguile the unsuspecting reading public, usually using mushroom online platforms. Such is the scheme that a progressive administration like Abubakar’s faces. The powers that be are questioning the courage of His Excellency to lead the state in such a revolutionary 21st century compliant way.
They are shocked that their illegitimate influence over the fortunes of Bauchi state is forever gone. Worse still, they are unhappy that the citizens of Bauchi state are happy. How unkind! the Governor Abubakar administration is clearly doing a great job but at a great cost. The good news, however, is that he is serving the interest of the larger population. He’s working around the clock to justify the mandate handed him.
He is doing all that is needed to restore the fortunes of Bauchi. Beyond politics, the governor has made conscious efforts to draw human and financial resources in his tireless quest to rebuilding Bauchi state. As a result of his love for his people, barely a year into his administration, His Excellency has already written his name in gold as a liberator and an undeniable force of accelerated development.
As 2019 elections draw closer, the public must keep their watch. We must ensure we assess Bauchi based on development and visible progress and not only on the pages of newspapers, not the least the writings of mischief makers. Ubaida writes from Bauchi Local Government
