NIGERIA NEWS :: THE OPTIMIST VOICE

Archives on Optimist Voice's Conference October 31, 2009

Former Gov. Ahmadu Mu'azu

This publication just last month picked Former Governor Mu’azu as one of two national winners of its annual exceptional service award, and for very obvious reasons. The Optimist Voice is not the first to acknowledge a job well done by the Mu’azu Administration. It is just contributing in its small way in holding up leaders worth emulating as torch bearers. Many organizations and individuals credited the past administration of the state as one of the best in the federation, especially in the final years of their 8 year term. The press was even circulating rumors that Governor Mu’azu was among the final three candidates that may be ushered to run for the Presidency under the banner of the PDP in 2007. The reason included utterances from the Nigerian President himself at that time. President Olusegun Obasanjo has this to say about Mu’azu Administration “I have gone around this country, in terms of performance, Governor Mu’azu is the first. You know if you are not performing I will say it…”

The Former President was not the only one among his peers with such comments. Gen Babangida said “I have seen real dividends of democracy in Bauchi. Alhaji Ahmadu Adamu Mu’azu is certainly a Governor that should be emulated for democracy to flourish in our country.”

Apart from Nigerian leaders, Former United States Ambassador to Nigeria Howard Jetter also commended Former Governor Mu’azu thus “This Governor does not score second. In my book he is number one, because he is a man of great honor, a man of integrity, a man of commitment, and he cares very deeply about the people of the state, and indeed about all Nigerians.”

As for the World Bank Chair Paul Wolfowitz when he visited the State during the Mu’azu administration this was his comments “I think this is one of the cleanest states in this country.” Such comments and what we know and acknowledged visibly vindicate our choice of Governor Mu’azu for the annual award for exceptional performance.

Finally, it is in the best interest of Governor Yuguda and the people he swore to work for, that he should wake up to the realities of the task ahead of him. And that he should stop banking on his affiliation with Abuja and the ruling party PDP to garner a second term by force. His sure outlet is performance and serving the people he swore before God and Country to serve. We do know rigging has been entrenched to perpetuate a lot of politicians who have not served their people. But we just want to caution the Governor in real terms and in the most objective way, that he does not live in Abuja but Bauchi, and his mandate is to administer and work for Bauchi. Such concocted circumventions may not always work.

NIGERIA NEWS

The Bauchi Government's Misuse of Power

Hadiza Wada, DBA

November 21, 2009

One may ride power if he maintains the right attitude channeling it positively, but if he is not careful or not in the right mind set, power can ride him and turn him into a loose cannon. With just about a year to election in Nigeria Bauchi State is increasingly turning into a catastrophic embarrassment. The news emanating from the Yuguda Administration nowadays is always not about development and taking care of the people and their concerns, but it has for a long time now been an issue of marking and eliminating people from government on the flimsiest of excuses. The most recent is the news about the sacking of 44 Permanent Secretaries and Directors. This came shortly after the mass sacking of a whopping 90 officials that occurred in May 2009.

The most recent news few days ago was that of the State Amirul Hajj being barred from entering Medina to take care of about 2000 Bauchi State Pilgrims who have arrived in the holy land for the performance of annual requirement of Hajj. And the problem as explained by media sources is not emanating from the Saudi Authorities, but the state government who had hurriedly anointed an Amirul Hajj that does not have the required paperwork to perform his official duties towards the Pilgrims. The reason, the Amirul Hajj that was previously cleared by the Saudi Authorities has been sacked by the government during the most recent mass sacking exercise.

The Bauchi State government appears to have pretty bad advisors, who cannot face their boss, the Bauchi State Governor Isa Yuguda, and tell him the bitter truth. No matter how much one wants to be accepted, in politics, your assured ticket to admission in public's eye is if you performed your job well through visible projects that have helped the people. Governor Yuguda's advisers keep pushing him onto a course, in my opinion, that will bury him politically for life.

The state government in Bauchi tends not to understand that the problem with the Yuguda Administration is the administration itself. The administration needs to stop scapegoating others and turn inwards for solutions. The administration failed to first look within itself to find some positive ways to improve its performance and image. They want everyone to believe it is others, not the administration and its leadership that are the problem. So the administration has been busy ever since, for close to three years, reshuffling cabinet, sacking deputies, going after members of the past administration, and now firing a whopping 44 Permanent Secretaries and Directors.

Some argue that it could be that Governor Yuguda came into power in Bauchi State with no real plan or vision of what he wants accomplished for the state and its people. They back that claim with the last minute political upheavals that nearly barred him from running for the office. But while this may be credible, for how long will that be true. Even if he was not prepared and unsure of victory at first when he contested, he had by now garnered enough time to create a plan and vision and start implementing it. There is no excuse one can ever come up with for the total lack of performance.

It is a known fact that the task before any newly elected official (e.g. a State Governor) who succeeds a predecessor with a remarkable performance record, may turn into a tough act to follow. But what Bauchi State people expected at the very least was continuity to the best of that person’s ability, towards more growth and development. But that expectation has been dashed, and is yet to be realized. The development continuity has been arrested, and has been virtually stagnant from where the Mu’azu Administration has left it close to three years now.

To add insult to injury, just a few days ago, a Nigerian daily called “OnlineNigeria” carried a report written by Ali Garba saying that the Yuguda Administration, on charges of corruption, is banning the Former State Governor and some members of his administration from holding any public office for the next 10 years. It claimed that it is adopting the recommendations of a Justice Bitrus Sanga Commission of Inquiry, a commission that the Yuguda Administration has set up in the first place to chastise members of the past administration for reasons best known to them, but definitely not in the interest of the people of the State. If the present government genuinely cares for the people, it would be more concerned with their problems, taking steps to alleviate them.