The Miracle Man of Bauchi

Adamu Mu'azu

Following a recent trip, The Source discovers that Governor Adamu Mu’azu of Bauchi State indeed deserves garlands for his magical transformation of the state
By Tony Egbulefu
Sometime last year, Governor Ahmadu Adamu Mu’azu of Bauchi State, had cause to beat his chest and declare that the prime target of his government was “to leave a good legacy of service for the people of Bauchi State, which 800 years will not wipe off.” Looking back at the past six years, he added with some sense of fulfillment that the journey for him, has been “a march to posterity.” And that he has “gone far in the journey.” This, indeed, has proved to be a statement of fact, judging from what Mu’azu has been able to make out of governance in Bauchi State since 1999.
Beginning from May 29, 1999, when he took over the mantle of the state’s leadership, Mu’azu has typified a visionary leader with an insatiable hunger for action and positive transformation of his domain. And with just a few months to go, he has left no one in doubt that his resolve all through the past seven years is a wholistic re-building of the State, from a rural entity, lacking in infrastructure and development, to an enviable modern state, where amenities and every conceivable requirement of modernity, welfarism, social and economic empowerment are served the governed by the government.
For Muazu, quite unlike many of his peers, service delivery are not privileges to the governed, but the basic essence of governance and government, which he sees merely as “a regulatory organ of societal development,” that is morally bound to the social contract between the electorate and the elected. “Today, you can feel and touch government in all spheres of life in Bauchi State,” Mu'azu says. Above all, he is happy for this peoples' backing. “We are happy to acknowledge the support of the electorate in boosting our morale to meet up with their expectations of our capabilities,” he says.
Indeed, no facet and sphere of the socio-economic live of Bauchi indigenes, has not met adequate attention, since the Mu’azu administration came to be in Bauchi. In a state that was created in 1967, out of the defunct North-Eastern State, education of the people had remained a fringe issue to its successive governments. Even after 1996, when a new Bauchi State emerged after the carving out of Gombe State, no government in the state had seemed genuinely concerned to remedy the ravaging illiteracy and disinterest in formal education among Bauchi indigenes. But Mu’azu, set out to change all these right from 1999. The Mu’azu rescue initiative in the educational sector of Bauchi State, has today, translated to the construction of 3,015 new classroom blocks in the state and the rehabilitation of 2,605 run-down ones across the state.
In a state with an ignoble tradition of learning under trees on mats, Mu’azu followed up with the provision of 178,272 set of twin desks for primary school pupils, 7,130 teachers tables and chairs and supply of 1,861 free instructional materials to primary schools.
To enhance capacity at the primary level, the Mu’azu government has since 1999, employed 7,051 teaching and non-teaching staff, formulated in-service training opportunities that have benefitted about 1,722 teachers and built 21 new teachers quarters. About 8,559 teachers have so far been elevated in the state, and there had been prompt payment of salaries. Annual leave and transport grants are also part of the package.
The state’s Universal Basic Education Board has added to the revolution by constructing 280 classrooms, and a total of 88 new junior secondary schools, in the state and took over 44 community secondary schools. It has also constructed nine selected secondary schools and renovated nine others. Among the primary schools that bear eloquent testimony to the huge outlay Governor Mu’azu has committed to education in the state, is the ultra-modern Jubril Aminu Primary School in Bauchi town. Owing to the Mu’azu drive, school enrolment in the state, as well as excellence, have also remarkably improved. Three thousand students entered for the 2006 University Matriculation Examination (UME) in the state, while a total of 13,811 candidates secured five combinable credits from both NECO and WAEC, placing the state 15th on the WAEC table. However, only four students were able to achieve the success of securing five credits with the combination of the two exams in the entire state as at the time Mu'azu took over in 1999. Generally, the number of students who scored five credits and above in WAEC and NECO rose to 255 in 2000,370 in 2001,3,850 in 2002, 13,985 in 2003 and 7,465 in 2004 and 13,811 in 2005.
Again, under Mu’azu, indigenes of the state studying in universities now receive N18,000 yearly scholarship grants. This is a huge leap from the paltry N3,000 and N2,500 for science and humanities students, respectively before the governor came on board.
To further improve on education and learning in the state, the Bauchi State government, in 2001, built an ultra-modern state library complex, housing a community resource centre, named after Professor Iya Abubakar. Commissioned in 2003, the complex boasts of a huge public library, furnished with books in diverse disciplines and areas of human endeavour. It also contains a well-stocked children’s library, cyber school, newspaper reading room, business centre, DSTV section (for relaxation), serial, reserve and reference material section (dedicated to invaluable and scarce books and literatures). There is also a computer, training and technical department. These department, train manpower such as government functionaries, private individuals and senior executives, in computer operations and cybernatics. The complex also has what is referred to as “American Corner,” dedicated to instructional materials, books, literatures and novels, concerning the United States of America (USA) and its peoples.
While Aisha Mu’azu (not related to the governor), who is the director of the resource centre, credits the centre with having made half of the state computer literate, Nasir Umar Launi, co-ordinator of “American Corner,” says the section “has everything one needs to know about America, including information on how laws are made in the US, how admissions can be secured and how to get grants.” On the average, the library host 200 members of the reading public everyday.
Within the past seven years, Governor Mu’azu has also made determined efforts in the health sector, such that have brought qualitative healthcare delivery home to the people. Among these are the renovation of Misau, Toro, Zabi, Darazo, Shira, Zaki Gamawa, Alkaleri and Madaki general hospitals. Quite remarkable also is the giant strides the governor took to reposition and upgrade the state’s Specialist Hospital. In this regard, the governor added impressive modern complexes to the Specialist Hospital, which include an ultra-modern maternity complex, gynaecology complex and two special amenity complexes. All these additions are furnished with state-of-the-art medical equipment and accessories, including electronically operated beds, airconditioners, refrigerators (in the special amenities) and self-contain hospital rooms. To illuminate the perimeters of the hospital, are newly installed solar-powered street lights.
At the moment, Mu’azu has added six general hospitals to the renovated stock. This include those of Bogoro, Warji, Bobo, Burra, Giade and Azare general hospitals. Existing hospitals which he upgraded to the status of general hospitals include those in Itas, Dambam, Dass and Udubo. Those upgraded to public health centres are Dull, Sade, Gwara, Makawa, Urban Maternity, Azare and Bara health centres.
To boost manpower in the health sector, the governor embarked on the construction of a school of Health Technology in Ningi. Carried out in two phases, the institution with its hostels are now awaiting commissioning. Added to the school of Health Technology is the renovation and stocking of the state’s schools of nursery and midwifery. In all these, the governor says his aim “is to provide sustainable health programmes – create channels to get healthy as well as train health personnel and experts.”
In the area of infrastructural development, Mu’azu has also treaded the path to the people's heart. In the past seven years, the Mu’azu administration, has constructed over 1,000 kilometres of roads within the state. For township roads, a record 230 kilometres have so far been constructed by the government. Part of the government’s modality for achieving this feat in township roads, is its deliberate policy of constructing four kilometres of township roads in every of the state’s 20 local government areas.
Today, the state through the road construction vision of the governor, proudly boasts of over140 asphalted raods in Bauchi town, Misau, Jamaire, Azare and other areas of the state. Like an icing on the cake, some of the roads are lined with solar-powered street lights, that guarantee uninterrupted night visibility.
Despite the fact that accommodation problem is virtually non-existent in the state, Mu’azu sought to better the situation by building delectable housing estates in Bauchi, for the state’s civil servants and whoever that may desire. This initiative yielded the massive Tambari Housing Estate, for civil servants, being disposed on owner-occupier basis. Another of its kind is the Gubi Estate, which is nearing completion. Besides the rock-bottom prices of the houses, and the beautiful road networks in the estates, another sweet side to Mu’azu's housing programme is that the estates come as a complete package for the estate community – they are self-contained with water projects, electricity transformers and schools.
Mu’azu also earns kudos for his giant strides in the areas of provision of potable drinking water to the people. Conservatively, the government’s expenditure on the area of water is said to have a gulped at least N700 million. Testimonies of this are found in the construction and revitalisation of about 2,000 boreholes in over 3,000 communities in the state. The governor in the same breath, carried out a N377 million turn-around maintenance of Bauchi water treatment plant at Gubi, which now effectively supplies 10 million gallons of water to Bauchi town, daily. In the pre-1999 period, the Gubi water plant supplied less than a million gallons. To spread this wind of change, the Mu’azu government, so far has undertaken water projects in over 12 local governments of the state, stretching far into the rural areas. Dass, Bogoro, Katagum, Toro, Alkakri, Boto, Shira, Zaki and Dambam are among the local councils in which the dwellers, quest for good drinking water has reduced to turning-on the tap. Communities such as Gumai, Durum, Gambaki, Magama-Gumau, Tulu, G/Maiwa, Mbali, Wandi, Pali and Dogon Jeji, have all bided bye to the problem of drinking water. At the moment, the government is following up its efforts in the area of provision of potable water, with the sinking of an additional 600 boreholes across the state.
In electrification, the Mu’azu government has also put up a command performance. The administration so far, has increased the number of towns and villages that enjoy electricity from just 47 in 1999, to about 800 this year. And spectacularly, all are linked to the national grid. This feat is a product of an aggressive electrification programme of the government. In the second phase of the governor’s electrification programme, the number of illuminated communities in the state is billed to hit 1,000 in a few month’s time.
Besides hydro and thermal, the state had been blazing a trail in the provision of solar-powered electricity. As a result of this, the state is right now the only one that has achieved solar-powered street lightening projects.
To further uplift the infrastructural stock of the state, the state government embarked on the construction of an ultra-modern gigantic structure for the sub-treasury and office of the accountant-general as well as commissioners quarters and the complex for the board of internal revenue. So also are three new phase ministerial complexes that form the state new secretariat named after Abubakar Umar, the state’s first head of service. Before the coming of Mu’azu, nine government ministries in the state were operating from different points in Bauchi town. Right under construction at the moment, also, is a befitting modern complex for the Secretary to the State Government's (SSG) office.
The Bauchi State Government began the first phase of its new secretariat with a total renovation of the only structure that served as the Abubakar Umar Secretariat in Mu’azu’s first tenure. He embraced the second and third phase in his second tenure. The phase three, which is the latest to be completed was completed and furnished at the cost of N537 million and N225 million respectively. It provided an additional 144 offices with quality furnishing and modern facilities and accommodates about five ministries and departments. Standing magnificiently adjacent to it, in architectural splendor is the Phase II.
While previous government’s settled for accommodating guests of the state government in swanky hotels at huge costs, the Mu’azu administration set out with the construction and acquisition of government lodges at Azare, Kaduna and Abuja. At the moment, work for the renovation of the state government lodge at Misau is on-going and nearing completion.
Even traditional administrative structures are not left behind. Currently, the state government is reconstructing the palaces of the emirs in the six emirates of the state. These are those of the emirs of Ningi, Katagun, Bauchi, Misau, Jama’are and Dass. The government also pays attention to monuments in the state. For instance, the dilapidated palace of Yakubun Bauchi, the progenitor of the people of Bauchi town, constructed in 1860 has come back to life after the governor took up the initiative to rehabilitate the palace. This began three year ago when the governor commissioned architects from Niger Republic to take charge of refurbishing monuments in the state. With the refurbishment, the abandoned palace of Yakubun Bauchi is now accentuated as a traditional architectural wonder, suprintended by Ahmed Abubakar, the Hakimun Ganjuwa.
Mu’azu has also made his mark in the area of agriculture. Among the governor's giant steps in this regard are the construction of 4,000 metric tons of grain silos in Azare, the purchase of 2,000 metric tons of assorted grains, which drained the state of over N57 million of (which the government resold to the public at a 50 per cent subsidy to lessen the harsh effects of high cost of grains in the open market). In the government’s efforts to boost agro-forestation ventures in the state, the Mu’azu government awarded a contract worth over N55 million for the purchase and planting of fruit tree seedlings in the local councils of the state. And to check desert encroachment, a contract worth over N130 million was awarded for the supply of about 3,100,000 units of six varieties of tree seedlings. To provide water for crops, human and animal consumption, over N60 million worth of contract was executed for the construction of six boreholes in Udubo, Kubori, Yautare, Jirr, Balma and Galambi.
Remarkable also for all he has achieved is the modesty in Mu’azu. He goes about the state like any other citizen – no gun-wielding securitymen, no sirens blaring. And to add to it, he operates in a modest office.