Fombina is the original name of what are known today as Adamawa and Taraba states. The original founder of the emirate, who was the flag-bearer of Usman Danfodio was Modibbo Adama. The advent of colonialism in Nigeria heralded at the turn of the last century, incorporated the area into what is known today as Nigeria, though some parts of the emirate are now in Cameroun. By the 70s, the area became Gongola State, with Yola as its capital city. From the 70s to today, there were many governors who rule the state at one time or another. Many observers believe the state has not been lucky with leadership in post-colonial times. The state has great potential of becoming a leading economy in Nigeria, yet it is among the least developed. This is seen as the consequence of poor leadership in the past.
From 1999 when the country launched its new democratic dispensation, after many years of military authoritarianism, Adamawa state was ruled by PDP. The then ruling party made its last attempt to rule the state and lost to its major challenger APC, which ushered in the new government of Governor Muhammad Umaru Jibrilla (Bindow). This is not the first time an opposition party would attempt to wrestle power from the ruling party in the state. But Bindo has a mandate with history to be the first person from the opposition who would triumph over the incumbent.
The new governor came to power when the nation as a whole and Adamawa State in particular are facing some daunting socio-economic challenges, which is as a result of the action or inaction of the last government of PDP. This is one of the reasons why the government chose to be slow in its action and meticulously in planning, before it unveiled its socio-economic development plans for the state.
It is a well-known fact that the windmill of God grinds slowly, but surely. Bindow’s style of ridership must be different from that of the past, a departure from what we saw in the previous administrations. As at now, it is one of the state facing serious security threats from insurgents. During the last regime, Boko Haram almost took over half of the state. The commercial city of Mubi is still recuperating from the attacks. Many businesses are halted as a result of the activities of the insurgents in the state. This means the Adamawa State Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) is lower than what previous regimes were generating. While at the same time, the federal allocation in nowhere near what the state was getting in the past.
The Adamawa State situation needs a careful and strategic study/plan. For a state like Adamawa where most of its governors are accused of systematically siphoning away its meager resources, there is a serious need for infrastructural development, social policies that can help in alleviating the poverty scourge bedeviling the masses. Doing these will need time and careful planning. The government came to power on the promise of change, as enshrined in the manifesto of the party that brought it to power, so things must now be done differently.
The governor needs to be careful in planning, in order to avoid mistakes of the past governments. As Malam Aminu Kano pointed out, politics is “man management”. There is nothing more difficult than managing human resources. The system theory cannot be faulted as expounded by Easton. Human interest is diverse and aggregating them is a Herculean task. A good leader will always take his time, before he moves into action. Now is time for observation and planning. The turn of the new year is going to be a year of action.
Governor Muhammad Umaru Jibrilla’s priorities includes reviving the education and health sector at all levels, improving quantity and quality infrastructure, reduce employment, restoring the lost glory of the state and modern trends for self-reliance though facing insecurity challenge, boosting the state economy and create conducive environment for both local and foreign investors, as well as concentrating on delivering the mandate given to him by his people, worrying less about the opposition and their petty politics.
Effective leadership is not about being liked. It is defined by results. The way one conducts one’s self establishes and explains the kind of person one is. Bindow is a person with a firm resolve and a focused mind. In his efforts to set his state on a progressive direction, he has already started fulfilling his campaign promises, including road constructions, boosting agriculture by improving dry season farming despite the challenges in the state, commencement of immediate payment of outstanding salaries, allowances and entitlements in the state and more. As far as this writer is concerned, the direction taken by the governor is positive, and in the right direction.
Nana Gwadabe wrote from Kano.
