MASARI RESTORATION PROJECT: LEADING KATSINA BACK TO WHERE IT BELONGS.

The choice of ‘RESTORATION PROJECT’ as his campaign slogan by Rt. Hon. Aminu Bello Masari, then Katsina State All Progressives Party (APC) gubernatorial candidate, was quite deliberate. It was a choice guided by the gloomy reality that defined the economic situation in the state at the time. Rated the second poorest economically, and third most educationally backward state, it was a situation in sharp contrast to what should rightly have been the fate of Katsina, but for the systemic failure of leadership which had been the bane of a state that, once upon a time, had blazed the trail in education and agriculture. Katsina was home to the first post primary school in the north, and erstwhile leading cotton, groundnut and corn producer in the country. Having been in the state’s public service before he ventured into politics in 1992, with his appointment as a commissioner in charge of the works, housing and transport ministry, Governor Masari was not unaware of the enormity of the challenge of restoring Katsina state to its old ranking status among its peers in the country. And with a campaign train that traversed the state no less than five times before the 2015 elections, the picture of the rot and the task ahead became even more clearer and frightening. Still, he remains optimistic that turning the fortunes of the state for the better is, in his word, doable, steeped in the belief that “a problem remains only so to a mind lacking in commitment and conviction”. According to him, even the paucity of funds cannot be suffi cient justifi cation for poor performance, because it’s not how much money you have, but how judiciously you use what you have. And these truths have been his guiding philosophy as he selfl essly pilots the affairs of Katsina state from May 29, 2015, judiciously using the modest resources at his disposal to positively impact on the lives of the people without prejudice to any parochial instinct. As he is wont of saying, “you cannot play politics on matters concerning education or health or security or agriculture”.
EDUCATION: It is an incontrovertible truth that no society can develop above the level of the education of its citizens. This is why for Governor Masari, education remains “the first, second and third priority” of his administration, which is why in the past three years the sector has consistently attracted 22% of the state’s annual budget.
The administration’s numerous interventions in the sector, especially at the primary and secondary school levels have been unprecedented in the state. These interventions have not been limited to infrastructure development, as quality (training and retraining), quantity (recruitment) and welfare (promotion and payment of salary and other entertainments as and when due) of teaching staff have attracted equal attention from the government. With classrooms designed to accommodate a maximum of 50 pupils taking as much as 150 at both primary and secondary schools, the Masari administration quickly embarked on the renovation and construction of new ones so much that a total 752 new classrooms have come on stream with 1, 598 renovated across the state. 10,000 units of furniture, comprising double seater chairs and desks have been procured and distributed.
These efforts are so holistic that private schools are losing patronage as parents now prefer public primary and secondary schools for their children. One of such schools is the Family Support Primary and Secondary School located in Katsina and Daura towns. The school boasts of state-of-the-art science laboratories, an e-library and computer equipped classrooms, the likes of which are not found in any private school in the state. In general terms, the government has so far repaired, rehablitated and built over 160 primary schools and 25 secondary schools, including construction of additional classrooms and hostels (for boarding schools) in each of the three Senatorial zones in the state. Government has promoted, with payment of full areas, over 1100 primary and secondary schools teachers in the state, some of whom have had no promotion for up to 10 years. All girls secondary schools are now boarding. With over 2000 teachers already recruited for primary and secondary schools, 5000 more are currently being recruited under the S Power Programme.
HEALTH. The government has embarked on the renovation, rehablitation and remodelling (by 70%) of the General Hospitals at Katsina, Daura, Funtua, Malumfashi, Musawa and Kankiya. These are being complemented with state-of-the-art equipment to rival the best in the country. In like manner, renovating, rehanlitating and expansion are on going at Dutsinma and Mani General Hospitals. In like manner, health centres in the rest of the local government areas in the state. So far about 690 medical staff, comprising 110 doctors (including 15 consultants), 250 nurses and 330 midwives and allied health personnel have been recruited, with another batch of 500 medical staff currently being recruited. Governor Masari’s administration has secured accreditation for Katsina School of Nursing, the first time since it was established in 1956, and doubled its annual students intake from 50 to 120. Perhaps, the icing on the cake in the administration’s expansive intervention exercise in the health sector is the establishment of a state owned teaching hospital under the Umaru Musa Yar’adua University, Katsina. The project is so much on course that, all things being equal, it would be completed in the next three years.
SECURITY: Governor Masari has addressed the issue of acute insecurity that came in the form of cattle rustling, killings, kidnapping and rape which seriously affected farming and commercial activities in especially eight local government areas in the state. So acute was insecurity that on a day in March, 2014, with then President Gooluck Jonathan and national chieftains of then ruling PDP in town, bandits callously massacred in cold blood 142 people in a community between Faskari and Sabuwa local government areas in an operation that lasted upwards of five hours with no presence of security personnel. On coming into office, Governor Masari initiated the joint security action by the seven North West states of Katsina, Kano, Kaduna, Jigawa, Zamfara, Sokoto and Kebbi, as well as Niger state. He negotiated an amnesty programme for repentant cattle rustlers, who handed over their fi re arms to government in a ceremony attended by the top hierarchies of the military and the police, in return for forgiveness, reintegration and provision of aminities like schools and clinics in their settlements. So far nine clinics and nine primary schools are nearing completion in the affected areas as promised by the Governor. He also initiated, in collaboration with MTN, the launching of Animal Identifi cation and Management Solution Programme (designed to track stolen animals) at Runka in Safana Local Government, Katsina state on Saturday, 2nd December, 2017.
AGRICULTURE: In view of the importance given to the sector by Governor Masari, his deputy, Alhaji Mannir Yakubu is given charge of the agriculture ministry as its commissioner, ably assisted by Dr. Abba Abdullahi, an internationally renowned consultant, as Special Adviser on Agriculture. As a wholly agrarian state, Katsina state is an active participant in the CBN’s sponsored Cotton and Rice Anchor Programmes, with Katsina first in cotton, and second only to Kebbi in the production of rice. Farming in Katsina has been given a new impetus with an unprecedented regular procurement and distribution of suffi cient quantity of assorted fertilisers for both wet and dry seasons farming without the usual annual fanfare of public launching of the distribution of the commodity. A reasonable quantity of tractors, now being assembled in the state, has been procured and distributed to farmers in the state on soft loan by the government.
The Masari administration has concluded arrangements with the Indian Tractor manufacturing fi rm, Mahindra Machines to assemble the tractors and other farming implements at the recently resuscitated Kankiya Metal Works factory. A Faculty of Agriculture has been established in the Umar Musa Yar’adua University to give further impetus the the agricultural sector in the state.
WATER SUPPLY: On a scale never undertaken before, comprehensive rehabilitation and upgrade of the Ajiwa Dam and Water Works (for Katsina township and environs), Malumfashi Dam and Waterworks (for Malumfashi township and environs) and Mairuwa Dam and Waterworks (for Funtua township and environs), as well as the Daura and environs water works, have been embarked upon by the Masari administration, with some already reaching 80% completion stage.
Also, in collaboration with the Federal Government, the Masari administration has embarked on the completion of the abandoned waterworks at Zobe Dam in Dutsinma town, Sabke Dam in Daura town and Jibia Dam in Jibia town. Efforts have been stepped up by the Masari administration to expand the utilization of these dams, which are among the largest man made bodies of water in the country for irrigation purposes. Many earth dams have been rehabilitated, several are under construction in all three senatorial zones for irrigation and animals uses.
INDUSTRIALISATION: Organized an economic and investment forum with participation of leading Nigerian and foreign business persons and companies with Dangote and BUA groups among the local participants while others came from China, India, UAE, US, and UK. Governor Masari administration has liberalized the space and created a conducive environment for investors to do business. Governor Masari has revived some industries that have remained moribund since they were established in 1979 by the administration of Governor Balarabe Musa of the defunct Kaduna State during the Second Republic. These include Kankiya Metal Works, Kankara Kaolin, Funtua Burnt Bricks and Daura Tennery, among others. While the Chinese have already set up shop in Katsina State, Dangote conglomerate has acquired land to establish a tomatoes farm and processing factory. The BUA group has also approached the state government to acquire land for the establishment of a textiles factory and allied products.
ROADS AND ELECTRICITY. The Masari administration has completed all the unfi nished road projects inherited from the immediate past administration, most of which were hastily awarded but barely started on the eve of the Shema administration’s departure in May, 2015. To date, the Masari administration has constructed over 250 kilometres and counting of roads in almost equal measure in the three Senatorial zones in the state, in addition to the over 500 kilometres of rural feeder roads, which contracts were recently awarded for the 34 local government areas in the state. Over N2.5 billion has been spent on the construction of drainage in many urban centres in the state, notably Katsina, Daura, Funtua, Malumfashi, Dutsinma, Kankiya, Danja, Dandume and Jibia towns. The Funtua market and motor park are undergoing rehabilitation and upgrading on a grand scascale. Hundreds of electricity transformers have been procured to service the on going rural electrifi cation project in all the 34 local government areas in the state. Three housing estates with a combined strength of 450 houses are currently under construction and in various stages of completion.
EMPOWERMENT: With about seven different MDAs involved in various empowerment programmes, over 10000 youth have been trained and empowered in various trades and crafts, at the ratio of 60%/40% in favour of women. The agencies tasked with this all important programme include Katsina State Economic Empowerment Directorate (KASEED), Youth Craft Village, Women Affairs Ministry, Department of Girl Child Education and Youth And Women Empowerment. On a last note, Governor Aminu Bello Masari is not your typical, run of the mill polician, whose words are anything but his bond. In Rt. Hon. Masari is a politician who walks his talk, shunning political correctness, the stuff for pretenders; who shake your hands before elections and your confi dence once elected. He does not believe in playing to the gallery to pander to the convenience of the ‘next’ election, his sole concern being what is right and good for the next generation; a conviction which gives him the courage to take what to some may seem unpopular decisions, once he believes in doing so the interest of the larger society is served best