When Honourable Micah Jiba celebrated hundred days in office in 2010, he made a bold statement as to his intention in Abuja Municipal Area Council, by inviting the Acting National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party [PDP], Alhaji Haliru Bello to come and commission some capital projects completed in the period in question.
The national Chairman of PDP was so surprised at what he saw during the commissioning exercise that he said: “I wish to commend the Hon. Chairman for providing social infrastructures for the grass-root people. In-fact, I cannot believe that this road [New Jikwoyi township/access road] was constructed by a local government. These are a project most state government do, and invite us to commission. I am proud that this is done by a PDP government and the people are happy–. On account of Micah’s hundred day feat in AMAC, the National Chairman directed that henceforth, PDP leadership at national level will embark on verification of projects completed by Chairmen elected under the platform of PDP. In a nutshell, Micah’s hundred days in office was a huge success in AMAC.
Information has it that after the hundred day’s Declaration by the National Chairman of PDP on Micah Jiba’s performance, many Doubting Thomases who did not believe he [Micah] could provide purposeful and effective leadership in AMAC, started according him his deserved respect. Having received accolades that surely served as motivation from PDP, Micah, like the proverbial warrior in Igbo society who was accorded deserved honour for his achievements, increased his speed in the direction of provision of democracy dividend in all facet of AMAC economy.
Watchers of events in AMAC were therefore not surprised when Honourable Micah Jiba came up with plethora of projects as his score card in AMAC when he clocked one year in office. In the area HEALTH, his administration scored high in terms of immunization and provision of drugs to health care units in the twelve wards that make up AMAC. On ENVIRONMENT and related issue, Micah’s administration purchased sanitation trucks to argument Abuja Environmental Protection Agency’s effort in keeping AMAC in particular and FCT in general clean. Non corrosive Waste Bins were provided by Micah’s administration in effort at keeping the council clean. AMAC is also embarking on advocacy and sensitization of the public on the need for clean environment.
On ROAD construction and rehabilitation, AMAC under Honourable Micah Jiba has witnessed the erection of roads in many wards, and rehabilitation of others, of note is the road the National Chairman of PDP commissioned just hundred after Jiba took charge in the Council. On
WATER RESOURCE provisions in the Area Council, a lot of boreholes have been sunk where they are needed. With respect to EMPOWERMENT schemes for youths and other categories of people that should benefit, Micah Jiba’s administration is believed to have done a lot in the last two and half years in office. The AGRICULTURAL sector is not left out in the whole development agenda of the Chairman. Fertilizer and other farm implements are given to farmers as and when do. In 2011fartilizer was subsidized to N1, 000 per bag to farmers in the wards. Also, the Council procured Messer Ferguson Tractor and leased to farmers [hiring] at affordable price. This has made farming easy and interesting. Poultry and Fish farming were consciously introduced in many wards like KARSANA in an effort at alleviating poverty in the Council.
In the area of EDUCATION, the scholarship programme of Micah Jiba administration has benefited many students in AMAC. New classroom blocks were erected in many electoral wards in AMAC. Comprehensive list of projects completed by Jiba in the last two and half years is contained in FOOT PRINTS; a magazine that chronicled Micah Jiba’s odyssey in AMAC so far, this can be collected in the Council for verification.
Probably in recognition of Micah Jiba’s effort in taking AMAC to the next level in terms of providing democracy dividend, ABUJA COLLECTIVE, a group made up of virtually all the stakeholders in Abuja Municipal Area Council, came together after a careful assessment of projects completed by Honourable Jiba in all the twelve wards of the Council to urged the Chairman to run for second term in office. Before coming to persuade the Chairman to continue in office, the group had in press conference on Thursday September 20, 2012 in NUJ press centre informed the press of the reason behind their proposal for CONTIUNITY in AMAC. The Chairman of ABUJA COLLECTIVE, Hon. Charles Ogedi, a former councilor in the Council, reeled out the practical achievements of Micah Jiba to the press. He went further to hand them [press] over many copies of FOOT PRINT Magazine containing all the projects completed by Jiba’s administration and where they are located. It is instructive to note that the FOOT PRINT Magazine is tagged “Working Document” for anybody wishing to verify the achievements of Micah in AMAC, especially the press.
On Friday September 21, 2012 ABUJA COLLECTIVE paid a courtesy call on the Chairman in his office where they told him in an emphatic manner to seek a SECOND TERM in office on account of his unassailable performance so far in AMAC. The Chairman, in response to their clarion call, accepted to offer himself for re-election come 2013. The consensus now in Abuja Municipal Area Council [AMAC] is that Honourable Micah Jiba has provided democracy dividend to the good people of the Council, and he should present himself for a second term in office.
–
Emeka Oraetoka
Information Management Consultant & Researcher,
Wrote in from Garki-Abuja.
P. O. Box18928
