Jigawa and Badaru’s phenomenon

Abubakar Muhammad Badaru, governor of Jigawa state, is a familiar name with Nigerians of different walks of life because he, like the golden fish, has no hiding place. When we talk about chief executive and chief security officer of a state, Badaru’ s name rings loudly.


It is the duty of every Jigawa man or woman who are true witnesses to his success and humanity to tell their compatriots in other states and the world what their governor has achieved in the first tenure and the two years of his second coming as the governor of Jigawa state.


Badaru, worried about the economic condition of his people, has been prioritising the economic sectors that have direct bearing on the Jigawa people in terms of welfare and social infrastrure, even as he does not forget to understudy the viability of his projects before signing them.
Badaru has shown that the desire to seek and hold public office is not for the pursuit of parochial self-interest.


Because of this mindset, he never executes projects and programmes for the advantage of self, family and friends, but the welfare and future of Jigawa state and its people. This humanity always remains his cardinal principle.
In an era where the relationship between political officeholders, that is, successors and predecessors, is usually that of cat and dog, Badaru completes projects initiated by his predecessor, Dr Sule Lamido, who was elected not on the platform of his party (All Progressives Congress) but under the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, a digression from the norm in the Nigerian political landscape. His major concern is to execute projects that hold greater benevolence to the growth of the state and welfare of the people.


He doesn’t care who takes the glory after completion. Therefore, old projects are duly completed and commissioned before switching over to new ones. Under Badaru, the usual white elephant projects that are scattered all over other states of the federation at the expense of the people are absent.
Some of his politucal associates and aides paid him glowing tributes bordering on his success story and people-centred policies.
His deputy and most of his aides play their respective roles in congeniality with his vision and philosophy, thus their synergy helped to lift jigawa state to an enviable height in the present dispensation.


Worthy of mention are the Commissioner for Works, Engr Aminu Usman Roller Gumel, who who goes about his official duties as if the next day would be too late, and Commissioner for Water Resources, Hon. Ibrahim Muhammad Garba Hannungiwa, who works round the clock to ensure that all water projects Badaru inherited or initiated were completed in record time, according to specification and as cost-effective as possible, reaching every nook and cranny of the state.


In 2019, WACOT Ltd, as a testimony to Badaru’s political shrewdness and business acumen, celebrated him with fanfare. He was honoured with Distinguished Honorary Patron award, for his substantial and outstanding services and contributions to the growth of agriculture in the state.


During the presentation, Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Manager, WACOT Ltd, Ms. Osenaga Umobuarie, described the support of the governor as laudable and unprecedented.
“Your Excellency, under your watch, Jigawa has grown from a marginal sesame seed producer to the main producer in the country, placing Nigeria as the third-largest exporter of sesame seed globally with 580,000MT per annum,” she said.


Badaru responded, “Our current strategy is to diversify our non-oil exports to meet the needs of our families and communities. We must be able to feed our two hundred million Nigerians and create jobs. By doing this, we need to move away from the shocks associated with oil prices which have exposed our economy to factors outside our control,” the insightful governor stated.


It takes a strong spirit for man in Badaru’s position to think of saving for the rainy days, in an economy over stretched because of overdependence on petroleum resources.
When marking his one year in office, Badaru said “When we came here last year, we saw residents pushing carts in search of water. What efforts have been done to solve this perennial water shortage in the state? Water and sanitation is another key area in our list of prioritised intervention sectors. We discovered that no maintenance had been carried out on our water facilities in three years.
“The rapid water intervention scheme was, therefore, our first major infrastructure rehabilitation effort and we expended N1.9 billion, of which N636 million is recurrent, because of the motorised nature of most of our water facilities.”


The above statement was not a mere political rhetorics. In Jigawa today, remote villages are enjoying potable water provided by the governor through the sinking of motorised boreholes.
The intervention placed under the capable Commissioner of Water Resources, resulted in the replacement of submersible pumps, repair of overhead tanks, overhauling of generators, and various civil works.
New solar facilities, hand pumps and boreholes were put in place to bring water to the people. Greater Dutse Water Scheme covering about 21 communities and providing water to the capital has been redesigned.


Gov Badaru has fast-tracked the development of solar energy with Nova Scotia Power and Pan Africa Solar, taking advantage of the LARF policy to fast-track land acquisition and compensation process to commence 80MW solar plant in Dutse and another 100MW divided between the Hadejia and Dutse substations. What else do the Jigawa people want from a highly God fearing man who lives by his oath of office and his social contract with the people?
The first thing Badaru did when he came in was to prioritise people-oriented investments by way of human capital development, through education. Education was, and is still a priority of this administration. He believes that once the right education is given, every other thing will be right. Also, agriculture in this administration is like crude oil.


This is why the government is investing heavily in agriculture such that its slogan is ‘Farming is a Business”.
Badaru has popularised agriculture among Jigawa youths by initiating them into the agricultural value chain and ensures that they not only participate but make profitable livelihood from it.
What Jigawa grows at present on its farms is even bigger than what a couple of states or more grow, making observers to argue that very soon, Jigawa will not only be supplying the rice needs of the country but of the entire West African sub-region.


What would you expect a governor who abolished security vote in his state, after being sworn in to do?
This is a governor who believes that everything and anything that the government does must be documented, and must be in the budget or he would not give it attention.


Badaru is a phenomenon in Nigeria’s political landscape today. His actions are totally different from what is a norm among his peers.
Projects that he inherited were worth over N100 billion, but before he started new ones of his own, he made sure they had been completed.
Nigeria needs more of the likes of Badaru in our democratic system; we need more shrewd businessmen in our polity; we need more of God-fearing administrators in our polity.
Badaru’s charisma drew many opposition party members to APC. People defected in droves to APC in Jigawa state because of him.
The defectors, having seen the new Jigawa, wanted to be part of the success story of an altruistic politician.


The people’s governor has justified his election and the confidence the people reposed in him for being at his duty post, and always thinking of how best to serve his people no matter their social standing.

Kaugama writes from Kaugana, Jigawa state.