Adamawa: Fintri must make it work

In my piece slightly before the elections, which appeared in some newspapers, with the title “AHMADU UMARU: THE RIGHT MAN FOR DOUGEREI GOVERNMENT HOUSE” I predicted victory for Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintri over his fellow contestants like Chief Emmanuel Bello of the Social Democratic Party and Senator Abdulazeez Nyako, of Africa Democratic Congress.

The elections have come and gone and today, he is the Governor of Adamawa  State and therefore must make Adamawa State work again. A lot of things have gone wrong in the state and billions of taxpayers money spent with no commensurate evidence on ground to show for it.

The first thing in front of Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintri is to rejig the civil service machinery to work, as today indolence permeates the state civil service due to the neglect of previous administrations.

There is a complete lack of vision on the part of the civil servants as even office stationaries to run the day to day administration is lacking. The state civil service and civil servants suffered grievous assault in the hand of the last administration with most civil servants, who retired not getting gratuity and some not getting their monthly pension.

Sir, you need to renew hope in government by revoking all land within government institutions allocated to a certain few, such as land allocated within the Government Girls Secondary School, General Mohammed College, etc. As governor, he needs to be decisive no matter whose ox is gored.

This can be extended to similar government premises such as the proposed station and workshop of the Adamawa Sunshine near Faro. It is equally important for the Governor to step on toes in the effort of making Adamawa State work again after the mess and rot left behind.

The people crave to make the change despite the machinations of the traditional institutions, that yearn for the re-election of the former Governor Bindow in the elections. As such, the Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintri should not let them down.

He should concretized the reforms, that may eventually make the state great by taking up one by one his ten-point agenda. This would remarkably usher in a new era in the political history of the state.

Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintri, need to give the capital city a new face by buying the necessary equipment for the State Urban Planning Development Authority to enable them to carry out their duties as obtained in other states. There is the need for the enactment of a law to penalize offenders and at the same time direct the Ministry of Environment to erect a dumpsite for the dumping of refuse at the outskirt of the capital.

He needs to also pay attention to youth empowerment as he says it’s one his cardinal principle of governance to curtail the menace of banditry and kidnapping being perpetrated by unemployed youths. This would go a long way in having a relative and long lasting peace in the state.

One of the worrisome situation obtained in the state is lack of maintenance culture. The state government expended huge millions of naira to install street lights, but the sad situation is that most of these street light was knocked down by dangerous driving and most of the time, the culprits are not brought to book and replacement of the street light aren’t done. There is a need to to set an agency for the maintenance of the street lights and the traffic lights put in place by the administration of former Governor Bala Ngilari, that cost millions of naira but worked only for a few months.

Revamping of Yola International Hotel would increase the internally generated revenue of the state. It is imperative for the governor, to see to the completion of the hotel, that served as a conduit pipe of siphoning the little resources of the state over the years.

Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintri, ought to know and realise, that his antecedents as Governor when he has the opportunity was the reason he has the support of the people as such, he has to tread softly and fulfil his campaign promises, especially to the working class.

Within the four years, he has to make Adamawa work again or face the wrath of the people in 2023 if he fails. He should not let down the people of Adamawa State.

Usman Santuraki, Public Analyst. Jimeta-Yola

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