Few days back, most Nigerians who have had the faintest opportunity to have encountered the late technocrat and politician and the then governor of Kaduna state Mr. Patrick Yakowa who died about a year ago in an air crash on his way back from the funeral of the late father of the Presidential Adviser on Research and strategy Mr. Oronto Douglas in Bayelsa state, gathered in Kaduna on December 15th 2013 to pour out tributes to the memory of this gallant political achiever who worked professionally and competently and systematically graduated through the ranks as top public servant in both the Kaduna state government and the federal government where he once held sway as federal cabinet minister in charge of Solid minerals.
The late transformational leader of Kaduna state late Governor Patrick Yakowa of Kagoma town in Southern Kaduna was the one that appointed as his deputy the Zaria born young and upwardly mobile accomplished public accountant-Alhaji Ramalan Mukhtar Yero the man who later succeeded him in compliance with constitutional provisions after the unfortunate plane crash that killed both him [Yakowa of blessed memory] and the then immediate past National Security Adviser of Nigeria- General Andrew Owoeye Azazi [rtd] who both ironically were my fellow parishioners at the Church of Assumption Catholic Church Asokoro in Abuja.
While working for The Guardian, I remembered a historic encounter in Kagoma Kaduna state, that I had with the late Kaduna state Governor when he worked as Nigeria’s minister of Solid Minerals in which he highlighted certain salient strategies that the Federal Government of Nigeria has marshaled out to reposition the Solid minerals’ sector to showcase the potentials that the non-oil mineral industry holds as a possible partner in the economic transformation of the country together with Nigeria’s abundant crude oil resources.
Sadly, his stint as the Nigeria’s minister of Solid Minerals never went beyond some few months before he returned to his home state of birth Kaduna state government and rose through the ranks before he was made deputy governor by the current Vice President of Nigeria Alhaji Namadi Sambo who was the then governor of Kaduna state shortly before political fortune smiled on him and he was appointed by another of his then governors’ colleague who also met fortune smiling on his political career path when he was nominated as Vice Presidential flag-bearer under the then Presidential candidate turned President Umaru Musa Yar’aua -the now President Good luck Jonathan as his Vice President on the demise of the then sitting President Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’adua.
A friend Miss. Stacey Odinakachukwu Ukobasi who saw me scribbled few words of this article was too shocked to believe that anything good can come out of the contemporary politicians in Nigeria who have collectively built formidable notoriety as never-do-wells and crass opportunists who are only in public office to loot, destroy and maim public infrastructures and financial resources rather than build the nation.
She wanted to find out if I am aware of the widely celebrated interview granted by the political maverick and governor of the oil rich but deprived in terms of modern infrastructure of roads- the governor of Rivers state Mr. Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi who was quoted in the media as saying that Nigerian politicians are mostly thieves because Nigerians have failed to stone them, and I told her that I indeed read that shocking piece of information which in any case is factual given the fact that Nigerians are mostly gullible and barely satisfied with their political leaders the moment these politicians showcase some white elephant projects purchase at prohibitive asking price and drop some crumbs from the master’s table.
Miss. Stacey Ukobasi now asked, but why are you writing on this topic of uncommon harvest in Kaduna state? Before replying her I also went deep into my Library to bring out a very resourceful book recently written jointly by the powerful journalist who wrote the popular 48 laws of power Mr. Robert Greene and the popular American Musician and rapper known simply with the sobriquet of 50 CENT. The book is called THE 50TH LAW and the colour of the copy in my possession is thick black and the printing and graphics are indeed out of this world and very creative. In this book, the authors explained the reason why most readers and media consumers are too shocked if they encounter writers who occasionally write articles that are positive and reflects the views of a lot of objective observers on certain salient developmental strides of any present day Nigerian political office holder.
These great men wrote thus; “In the evolution of fear, a decisive moment occurred in the nineteenth century when people in the advertising and journalism discovered that if they framed their stories and appeals with fear, they could capture our attention. It is an emotion we find hard to resist or control, and so they constantly shifted our focus to new possible sources of anxiety: the latest health scare, the new crime wave, a social faux pas we might be committing, and endless hazards in the environment of which we were not aware. With the increasing sophistication of the media and the visceral quality of the imagery, they have been able to give the feeling that we are fragile creatures in an environment full of danger-even though we live in a World infinitely safer and more predictable than anything our ancestors knew. With their help, our anxieties have only increased”.
So I have decided to break with tradition to seek to objectively assess the performance of this gentleman who holds sway as the governor of Kaduna state which incidentally is my state of birth and where indeed I spent the better part of my adulthood in Kafanchan, the Southern side of the state known for producing lots of creative minded great Nigerians who have risen in their various fields of calling to achieve acclaim and international reputation.
Mr. Biyi Bandele Thomas [author of several books including BURMA BOY] who is today rated as one of the first ten most notable Nigerian writers in the diaspora is a product of Kafanchan of the early 1980’s. Biyi was the brain behind the production of the film adapted from the book HALF OF A YELLOW SUN written by Nigeria’s foremost young female writer Miss. Chimamanda Adichie who is based in the United States of America now.
So Kaduna state has also contributed significantly to the advancement of black civilization and global intellectualism. The state being presided over by Governor Yero is indeed significant for many reasons one among which is the fact that it is one place whereby the different people of diverse religious backgrounds especially the two dominant religions in Nigeria Christianity and Islam used to live side by side until some few years back when fratricidal religious violence tore apart this bridge of inter-ethnic and inter-religious unity and harmony.
Yero inherited with his then boss Patrick Yakowa, a state deeply divided along ethnic and religious affiliations and so at inception he made it a duty to reunify the diverse nationalities that make up Kaduna state because of his realization that development is impossible without ethnic and religious harmony. It may be too early to pass a verdict of whether he has succeeded in breaking these strong barriers but there are positive signs that if the confidence building measures being put in place are systematically and methodically adopted by the government at both the state and local council levels in Kaduna state then it is still possible to return Kaduna to the pristine peace time of early 1980’s that some of us witnessed and remembers with nostalgia.
Recall that while delivering his inaugural speech, Governor Yero pledged to continue with the projects initiated by his late predecessor just as those who admire his style of leadership say that an assessment of his performance in the last one year confirms that he has not only kept his promises but had adopted an ideology of continuity of all projects initiated by previous administrations in Kaduna State because basically virtually all the projects conceptualized by his former boss in partnership with him as Deputy governor were actually planned with the best public interest in mind.
The Governor has reportedly initiated security and peace building efforts and has recorded tremendous success in securing the lives and properties of all and sundry as well as forging greater unity among the diverse people of the state. I must admit that peace and confidence building measures in communities torn apart by violent clashes, it will take some time for the outcomes to begin to trickle in.
In the coming years leading to the end of his first tenure in office it will become clearer if these steps put in place are actually yielding dividends but seriously, most people wish that Kaduna State should once more be peaceful and for the diverse people to live side by side as good neighbors and not what currently obtains whereby people of the two religions live in two separate parts of the major towns known as Jerusalem and Mecca because of mutual distrust and the fear of the unknown among adherents of the two dominant religions f Islam and Christianity.
During the period under review, the Kaduna state helmsman had reportedly given greater attention to the provision of adequate security equipments and logistical supports to all security operatives in the state. Through the community dialogue initiative of Governor Yero, the people are now said to be adopting new methods of conflict resolution which is based on consistent interaction in resolving all contentious issues. These efforts have helped in maintaining peace and stability throughout the state. Education is also rated as among the topmost priority of the current administration and the welfare of teachers is not left at the bottom of the ladder of hierarchy of priorities because the teachers are carried along in the execution of basic strategies that are aimed at repositioning the educational sector for greater productivity and efficiency because of the belief in public segment of the Kaduna state administration that education holds the key to unlock the solution to the perennial insecurity that threatens Nigeria because of the high unemployment of the youth who ought to be actively engaged in productive economic ventures.
Education as the second on the list of his administration’s priority has reportedly received attention in both infrastructural development and capacity building for teachers. Those in the know say there are measures in place that could effectively reverse the falling standards of education and some of these workable strategies include the meticulous recruitment of quality additional qualified teachers while rehabilitating and reconstructing infrastructures in public schools. The Governor’s Special Adviser on Media is one man who understands the workings of the mechanism of governance and who indeed have a lot of positive things to say about his political boss.
With the realization that teachers can only give what they have, Yero reportedly introduced regular training workshops for teachers in core subjects of English Language, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Biology. His administration has also sustained the payment of bursary to indigenes of the state studying in tertiary institutions across the country. 25, 000 students are currently benefitting from the scholarship scheme. These are uncommon harvest of transformational leadership if sustained.
In the agriculture sector, Governor Yero has reportedly introduced practical ways of transforming farming from mere development programme to a major business and source of revenue to the state. During the 2013 farming season, the Governor approved the sale of fertilizers and seedlings to farmers at 60% subsidised rates. He also extended assistance to indigent farmers by distributing free fertilizers across all the 225 wards in the 23 Local Government Areas of the state. The result of this intervention has manifested with the bumper harvest recorded this year. It is apparent that the Kaduna state political establishment under the current dispensation have followed the transformational leadership styles of the current minister of Agriculture Dr. Adeshina who has done so much to chase away middlemen from stifling the transparent distribution of fertilizers and farm inputs to the genuine farmers. The other day during the celebration of the International Human Rights Day, I led a team of human rights campaigners to visit and interface with the Minister of Agriculture who recently bagged the prestigious award as the Forbes African Man of the year for 213.
Back to our conversations on Kaduna state, it is imperative to remark that remarkable impact on the water supply projects across the state are said to have been made within this very brief period under review and it is believed that with diligence and greater discipline including prudent use of public fund, a lot more could be achieved before the administration runds up this tenure in 2015. Recently, the Kaduna state governor appointed a versatile public servant and three times representatives of his people at the National Assembly Mr. Audu Dogo to man the strategic ministry of water resources in a cabinet shake up considered as one of the finest in recent political annals in Nigeria.
Those who know recall that beginning with rural water supply, the many intervention projects of the Governor have now increased access to clean water for rural dwellers all over Kaduna state. The Yero administration has provided many Solar Powered Boreholes and Hand Pump Boreholes in each of the 34 constituencies of the State and at least one Solar Powered Borehole in each of the 23 LGAs. On hearing these developments I told one of those who work with the governor that our coalition of civil society community will in the earliest part of 2014 pay the state a working visit to see for ourselves these acclaimed achievements and to feel the pulse of the people about the various development projects.
Other water projects said to have been constructed or upgraded including the Zaria Regional Water Project, Kafanchan/Kagoro Water Scheme, Zonkwa Water Project and Saminaka Water Supply system have reportedly received adequate attention in the last one year with most at an advanced stage of completion.
In the same vein, the Yero-led administration had reportedly connected 20 rural communities across the length and breadth of the state to the national grid in order to bring about rapid development as well as control urban/rural migration.
In the health sector, the Governor is said not to be relenting in his determination to ensure quality healthcare for the people. To achieve better service in hospitals, work on the upgrade of the Barau Dikko Specialist Hospital to a Teaching Hospital will soon be completed. Work has also reached advance stage at the 300 bed hospital located at the Kaduna Millennium City. From Kafanchan, the people have asked that health facilities be built to reach some of the unreached communities in remote parts of Southern Kaduna state even as the Kafanchan general hospital will be in a position to offer greater services if it is radically transformed and upgraded even to the level of a teaching hospital given that a campus of the Kaduna state University is in Kafanchan.
Furthermore, in rural areas the Yero administration is reportedly upgrading 68 no. 8-bed Primary Health Care Centres (PHCs) spread equitably across the three senatorial zones of the state. Work on rehabilitation, expansion, remodelling and upgrading of PHC Fadan Kagoma to a Rural Hospital is also ongoing. Free Medical Care for pregnant women and children under five year is also being sustained aimed at improving maternal health and reduce infant mortality.
To empower youths in the state, the Yero administration is presently said to be training 7600 youths in various skills under its Youth and Women Empowerment Programme. At the end of their training, each beneficiary is to receive a starter pack to assist in establishing their own businesses. This is in addition to earlier job creation under the SURE-P scheme when beneficiaries received various vehicles and tricycles at 50% subsidy with a repayment plan of 1 to 3 years.
Governor Yero has so far remained devoted to ensuring equity and fairness while leading the people of Kaduna State. Honestly, in my recent visit to my place of birth in Kafanchan to see by myself the consequences of the recent sectarian violence that tore apart that once beautiful place, most people pray and wish that the state governor will maintain this attitude of social justice, equity and equality of all people to enjoy their fundamental freedoms and benefits of this democracy.
Emmanuel Onwubiko; head, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria blogs @www.huriwa.blogspot.com; http://www.huriwa.org/.
