“One man with a courage makes a majority”
By Umar Usman Duguri
It is often said a leader without focus is like a vagabond movement that may swerve to another direction suddenly; likewise, a leader with a focus is a determinant, steadfast and a clear course of successive leadership.
Youths constitutes larger proportion in the polity of governance and stable leadership. This is the reason why youths play vital role in the development of every meaningful society. In Bauchi state, Senator Bala Mohammed didn’t waste time on assumption of office as fifth and sixth civilian Governor of the state one of the most populated states in Nigeria, set up a think thank committee to chart a possible way that will save the youths from restiveness as well as turning them into future product of the society.
This committee comprises of intellectuals, economic expert and experienced and exposed youth. The committee addressed all pivotal issues affecting the youths and women that sometimes ruined their lives to nuisance amongst others.
After careful study of the committees’ report, Governor Bala Mohammed, began to implement the recommendations for good. From the onset, youths were offered political appointments to be part of the executive council and other MDAs and local government councils, for smooth Service delivery and inclusiveness for optimum results. Such appointment includes; Commissioner for youths and sport, Senior Special Assistant on Projects, Chairman Bauchi state Due process, State Chief of Protocol (Scop) Senior Special Assistant on Empowerments, Special Assistant on Domestic and Senior Special Assistant on Security Matters, Special assistant Governor’s office, and Special Assistant on New Media, personal Assistant and so on. These sets of appointees were carefully selected and chosen based on their track record of patriotism, commitment to the development of Bauchi state and activism for the spirit of one nation.
It is on record, Governor Bala Mohamed is the first Governor to ran an all-inclusive government filled with youth and women based on his passion, desire and fulfillment of campaign voyage. These had raised the hope of many people who are optimistic in the Governor (not the mediocre who gave-up) being a visionary leader who believes in fidelity and brighter days ahead. Such appointments confirmed the assertion to the people’s long -waited dream. These appointed youth has the spirit of youthful exuberance and exigencies to tame the tide in any plum position as fulfillment of campaigned promise by Governor Bala Mohamed for posterity to judge. For instance, in the first four years of the Senator Bala Administration 80% of the beneficiaries were youth similarly decision was made in the appointment of new caretaker chairmen for 19 local government t area council plus first female chairperson to administer Bauchi local government council.
Pundits believed, Bauchi state is on course now that; youths were given sense of relevance in the polity and policy making in the state for the first time in the history of the state that has over 65% of youth population.
Aside from political appointments, senator Bala Mohamed, engaged restive youth and women on different skills acquisition programs for self-reliance and collateral to the state. In four years not fewer than 10,000 ten thousand youths and women across the twenty local government areas have been trained on professional activities whilst others were offered modern equipment to aid in their businesses. That aside from the agricultural empowerment initiative programs that that turned hundreds of youths to millionaires. The program was purposely design to deliberately shift attention of youths from eyeing- civil service as best way to earn a joyful living or petroleum dependency to another pivotal sector that has been neglected for over the years and in addition to the dwindling global economic meltdown that affects economy globally.
The agricultural train the trainee program, which was an appendage of the agricultural revolution in the state serves as a blessing to the civil service dependent state, the multiple Beneficiaries’ has so far trained and engaged the service of their fellow youths, expert has been drawn into the program to harness and share-knowledge on wide range. Seven months ago, Bauchi state emerged the best state with bumper harvest of cash crops in the northeast.
Another economic empowerment program is the partnership with UMZA International farms limited, major rice processer to invest 38 billion in sugarcane plantation, the aimed of partnering is to engaged at least two thousand youths on general rice processing; already the Bala Mohamed administration set aside hectares of land for the rice processing activities sited along Maiduguri road. Economic expert believes if a single adult parson is engaged in a service it will have multiply effects, that is; the first set of two thousand will affect to at least eight thousand beneficiaries.
In order to cushion the effect of petroleum subsidy removal by the federal government recently, the Senator Bala Mohamed administration this week officially commission 30 branded Toyota Hiace buses to Yankari Express Corporation, this according to the Governor “the initiative would mitigate the hardship as well as alleviate the transport challenges faced by the people of the state and expressed confidence that with the development, the transport corporation would make transport accessible to citizens, regardless of their financial challenges”. Further says, “ his administration is not just putting buses on the road, it will create jobs, boosting agriculture, commercial activities and opening up Bauchi state for business, assuring that his administration will remain devoted to principle of good governance, transparency, and above all, service to the people of the state.
The Bala Mohammed awarded completed and ongoing four years of its inception, the projects include constructions, dualization of major roads linking the state from all the interstate boundaries, the urban renewal projects, constructions of bridges, culvert, and modern water run ways. These projects were awarded to the indigenous companies and individuals in order to engaged indigenes of the state. They are; Awalah hotel to Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa International Airport, Awalah to Yuli site of the State University, BAHA to Bauchi new Cemetery, as well as the Awalah to Miri, Adamu Jumba road expansion (0.80KM), Dualisation of Sam Njoma road (1.85KM), all which was already in good progress.
Others are the accelerated development within Bauchi, Karofin Madakin – Kan Kasuwan Railwa, Stadium/Rijiyan Bauchi – Unguwan Tudun Yaya, Kasuwa – yakubu Wanka – Babangida Square, Bata – Nufawa – Unguwan Jaki, Adamu Bazamfare – Makera, Doya – Inkil, Railway – Sade – House – unguwar Hardo – Karofin Madaki.
The new multi- billion-naira Government house and the 2500 Mass housing projects, provides another opportunity for youths to be gainfully employed to reduce poverty rate in the state. So far, not fewer than ten thousand indigenes have been enriched; through direct labor from various working companies while others may benefit from the supply of basic tools etc.
During the global pandemic of coronavirus, the government temporarily banned the use motorcycle for commercial activities to contained the spread of the virus, an impetus that gave Governor Bala Mohammed to purchased 1000 tricycles and buses to cushion the hardship thereby, providing more job opportunities for youth and women tagged “Kaura Economic Empowerment Program” to boost their economy and improve the state Internally Generated Revenues. The KEEP alone, spreads across the twenty local government area of the state while some hundreds of people were given cash amount of fifty thousand naira to set up a business.
With the success recorded in the massive Economic initiative activities going on, Bauchi state will be out of poverty completely in a jiffy! Already, the economy of the state has significantly increased 60% increment against the inherited cancerous poverty government before 2019.
Unarguably, Bauchi state is moving to an Eldorado with caution and passion against all odds of the past.
