Alhaji Zannah Umar Mustapha
Ahead of Nigeria’s May 29 Democracy Day celebration, states are beginning to look back on their records of stewardship to the electorates for personal assessments.
Borno state, despite the continuous security challenges is no doubt one of the states carrying out such assessments. The state government is not leaving anything behind in its assessment as it’s beginning to evaluate how the government had affected the common people in the past 2 years.
In this Interview with DailyPost, the Borno state Deputy Governor, Alhaji Zannah Umar Mustapha speaks on the achievements of Kashim Shettima’s administration – a giant strides as politicians would always say. Our Correspondent, Maina Maina sent in excerpt:-
Q: Since the inception of this government on May 29, 2011, the ANPP led administration had embarked on several projects in the state. These were clearly seen in the areas of road construction, building and renovation of schools and hospitals, while some Governors are giving excuses that when they came in, they had to pay debts, and nothing was left for development. Having achieved all these, how would you describe your experience as a stakeholder in this government?
A: Thank you very much. This your question is very broad in the sense that we have to look at the various sectors of our administration achievements which I believe is there for everyone to see; from the health sector, the education sector, provision of portable drinking water, road development projects as well as the other sectors of our developments. This of course are the areas we were able to touch as part of our development effort and promises made to the people of Borno state. In the health sector when we came in, we met some projects on ground, which was started by our predecessor, almost 60 to 70 percent completed, and because this government continued from the immediate past administration, we embarked on some renovation and also completed other projects which the last administration had started before we came in.
Some hospitals that were built and equipped before we came in were commission and we started rehabilitating others from within the state and the local government areas. By and large, we were able to bring in 32 Ambulances, and these ambulances are not just ordinary ambulanceS, but a sort of mobile clinic, because they can be taken to places where there are no hospitalS at all and the doctor can even perform some minor operations in the ambulance even in such remote areas. These ambulances were bought from the United States and are here; and we are going to distribute them to the hospitals across the state. We have also bought some ambulances, the Peugeot Ambulance, which we distributed to some hospitals in the local governments. We have equally stock our hospitals with drugs, and introduced something like drug revolving loan at a subsidized rate to the public. I can say that we have actually reorganised the health sector in the state, and all the basic things that we need in a hospital are in place in our different hospitals across the state.
Our next step in the health sector is to employ midwives and nurses so that we can send them to all the hospitals across the state to meet at least the minimum number of midwives and nurses required in the hospitals. So, by and large, the health sector has received a lot of grants and funds for its development, and I believe the people are happy with the government. They should be happy that we were able to achieve something in the health sector. I would say that we have achieved 90 percent of the requirements in the last two years, and the remaining 10 percent would be achieved in the next two years.
In the education sector, the governor has set out to revamp the entire education sector right from the primary to the tertiary level. His first step was to declare state of emergency on education in Borno. And to make the system work in tune with his vision and achievable mission, Shettima appointed three key Commissioners just for the education sector. Today we have a Commissioner for Education in charge of all post-primary institutions; we have a Commissioner for Higher Education in charge of all the tertiary institutions in the state and of course the Commissioner for Primary Education in charge of the State Universal Basic Education Board. All these are working perfectly to reposition Borno state on the path of educational excellence. Today all our primary and secondary schools have been put to shape, secondary schools are being rebuilt, renovated and upgraded to meet modern requirements. The governor had gone a step further to establish two standing committees on Educational Quality Assurance and a committee on school feeding. While the committee on quality assurance goes round all schools to monitor and ensure that standards are not compromised, the Schools feeding committee also monitors that the N120 million being expended to give the best of meals to students are judiciously utilized. The whole idea is to make schooling more attractive to our children. For once, a student eats an egg in his meal every day, studies in an air-conditioned classroom and gets free education. He or she would rather remain in school than taking to the streets. And honestly this is working for us already. Despite that, the governor has become a visiting teacher to all schools. Every weekend, he takes time off to visit schools with a view to finding out how the students are faring.
We are also making efforts as the governor has approve the procurement of school uniforms and compound dresses for the students. We are going to ensure the installation of physical fitness equipment in schools for inter-house and inter-school competitions in order to bring back those things that were there before. Our students would once again appreciation the glory that was being enjoyed in the past .
Water is life they say, is life. In the area of provision of drinkable water, when we came in 2011, we promised that before the end of the first year of this administration, we were going to drill 100 boreholes, and I want to say that, we have actually surpassed that target of 100 boreholes in the first year. We have also renovated some of the boreholes and they are in good condition now. In an effort to ensure portable drinking water for the rural dwellers, the administration has procured rigs that are capable of drilling up to 1500 metres deep for water, and I believe our people, particularly in the northern part of the state would no longer have to go some distance to look for water, because we are going to make sure that in all the 10 local governments in the northern part, we have at least two boreholes drilled so that the issue of shortage of water would become history.
Q: The security challenges in the country have made some governors to put a halt on developmental projects in their states but in Borno state despite the security challenges, the governor seems to be doing a lot, what informed this?
A: Well, you see, every state has its own peculiar situation and challenges. When we came in, we came with the zeal that we were going to turn the state around, by way of adding, improving, and effecting changes where it is needed. We are young men. When you have young people in place, they make sure the work is done, because tomorrow people would ask questions and they wouldn’t want to be seen as failures, so, that zeal is there. Our journey here is four years, after this four years we would need another four years. If after eight years we are done here and people begin to ask question, what are you going to tell them if you did not have anything on ground to show them for the opportunity given to you? It is going to be a big shame for you to have governed for eight years and you have nothing to show for it. So, we have all these questions in our heads and the community at heart to make sure we give back what we have been given. That is why you see that development is taking place in the state as well as in all the 27 local governments of the state.
We have opened up roads in the hinterlands to make sure they are motorable, as well as adding value to communities around those areas we are developing through construction of roads. Currently, the state government is spending about N36 billion in undertaking the construction of several roads, and making drainages across the state. These areas comprise the Askira township roads, construction of Galtimari bye-pass road and bridge, dualisation of Damboa road Maiduguri, Bama Central Market, Kano-Maiduguri road expansion to eight lanes, Gamboru-Wulgo rehabilitation, Dikwa-Marte-Monguno, Damboa-Chibok-Mbalala road, Koghum-Wiza-Kirawa-Pulka road, Gwoza-Damboa-Ngamdu road, Damasak-Malamfatori road, Lassa-Dille-Mussa-Kautikari-Kuburmbula-Chibok-Hirpaya-Bwalagyang-Forfor-Multe-Kubo road, Ngala township road and drainage, Dikwa-Gulumba-Bama road, Ngala-Kala-Balge road and Miringa-Gunda road. Others include Tashan Alade-Askira, Shaffa-Hyera, Kwaya-Bura-Tum, Benisheikh-Foi, Dikwa-Kala-Rann, Kabanu-Wade-Madla, Kwaya-Shani, Ladi Bida-Monguno, Damasak-Mallamfatori, Kirenowa-Baderi and Dikwa-Mallam Maja-Kala among others.
We just have to work for the people and open up development, by constructing roads, drainages and houses for the people. The construction of about 36 km of roads around Bullumkuttu and the building of the Legacy House, the Teacher Village along Pompomari bypass, and others are things we have been doing and people are appreciating government for that. Those of us saddled with these responsibilities have to do it so that, our people can have a better place. However, this is for the common good of all because when the people are happy, we are all happy.
Q: Recently, some of the youths who went on training in agriculture in Thailand returned home and government has again sent some teachers to India for training. Government has stirred up employment from 10,000 to 20,000 in two years in an effort to rid the state of idle youth. This is quite commendable. As part of the administration that has achieved all these in two years, what are your feelings?
A: I feel highly delighted to be part of this administration; however, because of what we are passing through in this state; employing the youth is rather in our best interest. If you did not employ these youth what is happening in the state today is what is going to happen tomorrow and if you don’t want that to happen, you need to get them to begin to do something. We have never envisaged the kind of insecurity that we are facing today, but all this is because of unemployment. Therefore, we must make sure we do something now to save the future of our younger generation. We need to empower the youth and that is exactly what the Kashim Shettima’s administration is doing. Like going to Thailand, it was meant to give the youth the know-how in agriculture. These youth would in turn train others in fish farming, poultry farming and other aspect of farming, so that at the end, everybody would be self-sufficient.
Q: This administration would be two years on May 29, 2013. How is Borno state coming in with regards to Almajiri education?
A: We actually started one in New Marte, and because of the security challenges, we didn’t make progress as expected. However, what we are planning to do is to bring both western and Islamic learning together so that our young ones would have the benefit of both forms of education in the state.
Q: Environmental problem especially flood during raining season is a thing of concern to the people of Borno state. Do you think government in the last two years has done enough to ensure that the issue of flooding is overcome in the state? .
A: Measures have been put in place in all the areas where we experienced flooding last year. Government has employed the services of some youth who were giving employment letters to work in the Ministry of environment. Government has also given these youth some incentives, aside their monthly payment to encourage them to work. These youth are working, and everybody is seeing the result. The evacuation of drainages along the waterways is actually working for most part of the state that had experienced flooding in the past. Government is also doing its best in trying to construct more drainages to channel water to the rivers so that our people would no longer have to shift base during raining season as is being experienced last year in some parts of the state capital. Some of these drainages we have constructed and those still under construction along the Bullumkuttu axis, we hope to complete them before raining season. The only area we did not touch is the 505 housing estate area along Ngala road. That one too, government is considering awarding the contract for the drainage, and I hope that very soon, the area too would be free of floods, In-sha-Allah.
Q: As observed, this administration has done well in terms of providing fertilizers to farmers at the right time and giving them herbicide and pesticide. Last year, the product was taken to them.What is going to happen this year? Are you still going to do as you did last year or what are government plans for farmer this year?
A: We have put everything in place to make sure that our farmers get everything for this year’s farming season just like we did last year. Now, farmers have started clearing their farms, and in the southern part, they have started experience drops. Government is very much aware of the right time to send in fertilizers. Every local government had about 10 to 15 tractors last year. They had about 15 trailers of fertilizers, improve seeds and we have developed some extension farmers, to also sensitize some of our local farmer on how to use some of the improve seeds and fertilizers government have provided for their own yields. The kind of farming we are doing in this state is seasonal, but this year, we want to encourage the people so that, they can make use of the period to create wealth for themselves. We are also encouraging those who would want to go into dry season farming by giving them the needed impetus to launch into dry season farming which is another way of creating wealth. In the developed countries, they farm at least three times a year. In Nigeria, we do only once and that is not good for our economy, so, we are encouraging our farmers that after the rainy season, they should also move on to dry season farming. And if there is another way again, we would encourage them to move on just as we have done in the Chad basin area last year which was encouraging. I believe that this would make many people to become self-reliant and create wealth for the state and the society, because this society is so large that government alone cannot do it. We need individuals to compliments government efforts in ensuring a better society for our people. We need serious farmers, people who can come in and also generate employment for the people.
Q: On a final note Sir, we have observed also that when the Vice President visited, unlike what an opposition would naturally do, Sambo congratulated Shettima on his developmental strides. Of what advantage is the Vice president’s remark to your achievements in this buildup to 2015?
A: Well, you see, when you talk of opposition, it is before election that we talk about opposition; after the election, all of you have to come together for the benefit of the people. People talk about Federal Government as if it is for one party and not for the other; the Federal Government is the umbrella which all the parties must come under after election. For the Vice President, he has seen that, we are doing well for the people despite the security challenges, and as Vice President of Nigeria and not as PDP, he appreciates our achievements. I believe he is happy with the development just like any other person and just like you, the press who have also observed what we are doing for the people and perhaps appreciated our contribution in developing this part of the country. However, when election comes, the people will decide. However, I am happy that we are being appreciated.
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