The 2023 elections have come and gone. What remains now is governance. Governor Umar Namadi (Dan Modi) of Jigawa state will constitute his cabinet anytime from now for his first term of four years (2023 – 2027), in-sha-Allah.
Cabinet formation is one the factors that can make or mar an administration, especially in s state like Jigawa, where people’s expectations are high. The agitations and expectations of Jigawa citizens is to see Jigawa progress to a new level – improvement on the existing infrastructure and commencement of new ones.
Governor Namadi’s first term success depends on his cabinet (commissioners, appointees and other aides). About 13 commissioners are expected to be appointed, probably, some of the immediate past governor Abubakar Badaru’s commissioners maybe reappointed into the Namadi cabinet.
Some of us have reservations on the reappointment of some of the Badaru’s commissioners into Namadi’s cabinet, if the governor is thinking in that direction, though, such decisions are his exclusive right being the chief executive of the state, but suggestions and advice are sometimes essential for a new government.
Your Excellency, always remember that life needs careful planning and strategy and strategy sometimes complement’s planning. You were Jigawa state commissioner for finance (2015-2019) and the immediate past deputy governor of the state (2019-2023). I hope and pray you will make a sober reflection and do your best to meet people’s expectations.
I am not saying you should perform miracles. Anyone that has never made a mistake has not tried a new thing. No doubt, you will make mistakes but the important thing is to learn from such mistakes. Remember, it is by mistakes we learn, mankind mostly learns from mistakes not from examples. Always learn from the attitude and behaviour of the people. The world itself is an institution of learning.
Your Excellency, leaders learn by leading and they learn best by leading in the face of obstacles. As weather shapes mountains, problems shape leaders. Your experiences in private and public sectors will guide you to do the right thing at the right time and for the right purpose. Yes, good leaders are mostly always great simplifiers, who can cut through argument, debate and doubt to offer solution everyone can understand.
As you took over the mantle of leadership as Jigawa governor on May 29, 2023, I prayed to Allah to guide and give you wisdom to think of so many issues bothering the state, especially the workplace. There is a great need to accelerate the level of development in areas like education, health, economy, security and human development, etc and this solely depends on the competent and dedicated team you will choose to assist you in this onerous task.
Your Excellency, to this regard there are some heads of ministries, agencies and parastatals, etc that deserve not to be in this administration because they have performed below average in the state (2015-2019 and 2019-2023).
Frankly, there’s the tendency of some issues if certain people are retained. To a point, giving up might be the resolution based on a lot of reasons to lose faith that I have seen. Jigawa is lagging and in some sectors it is stagnant because of incompetent people, some places were left vacant, some were left for long without replacement and promotion based on merit and these made many things undone, uncompleted, unnoticed, uncelebrated and unappreciated by the general public.
So, you need to get and assemble a robust team of young, educated, competent, experienced, honest, talented, and committed people who have the state at hearts; people who can turn things around positively and those who have the passion, interest and love for the wellbeing and progress of the people and the state so that you will succeed and leave good legacies, in-sha-Allah.
Your Excellency, bear in mind that all ministries are important but some are more important than others. So, more priority should be given to some than others. To succeed, you must give honest, dedicated, transparent, selfless and genuine leadership. Since the creation of Jigawa in 1993, the state has assembled an encompassing leadership in all sectors, committed to uplifting the standard of living of the people. So, I hope Governor Namadi will as well write his name in gold in the history of Jigawa state.
Lastly, Your Excellency should realise that the state will not make progress until the citizens have a sense of belonging. I wish you Allah’s guidance. May God continue to help and promote Jigawa to live secured, peaceful, united and move to greater heights.
Adamu Mohammed Usman,
Kafin-Hausa, Jigawa state
