‎Nasarawa State Governor, Umaru Tanko Al-Makura agrees that no one should be a judge in his own case. Nevertheless, he disagrees with those who accuse him of not doing much to justify federal allocations to the state. In this interview with Adedayo Adejobi, the governor explains why it is unfair to accuse him of non-performance. Excerpts:
How he is coping with economic recession and sustaining the state
To be able to access some wealth of proximities to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) that is why we spent about N2.7 billion to reform the land system. We have completely transformed and reformed the land system where we have the Nasarawa Geographic information System (NAGIS) in line with what operates exactly in Abuja.
The sole aim of mapping the entire state is to reform all land administration, especially within the axis of the FCT which will in turn give value to the land in consonant to that of FCT for revenue generation. The land ministry has already generated some good revenue within the period under review.
Our Geographic Information System is even more sophisticated than the one in Abuja. These are the types of infrastructure and foundations I have put in place. And so by the time we start to earn revenue from these land reforms, we shall be the better for it. I wouldn’t be wasting my time waiting for federal allocation. As it is now, our internal revenue generation is about 300 per cent more than what I met, and it will keep increasing. I am now signing at least 100 certificates every day and that fetches money. So, it is just a matter of time, I wouldn’t be counting the clock waiting for federal allocation because the internally generated revenue from the land system would have cushioned whatever problems we have. So these are the kind of things I feel should be done to this state, by taking care of the vulnerable, the abandoned, the neglected but at the same time also coming at par with one’s colleagues in certain basic expectations or benchmarks in terms of infrastructure, exposure and development.
Reaction to allegations of non-performance
Every analyst or judge is entitled to his own opinion on what is his perception about my performance. I think it would not be modest for me to score myself. I’ll rather this scoring be done not even by the press or the elites, but by the very people who voted me and are the beneficiaries of my interventions.
However, I will only give you an insight into what I consider to be my efforts since I came on board. My pre-occupation as the governor of Nasarawa State is to make sure I attain and achieve three things namely: sanitise the system by being accountable to the people that voted me – in terms of performance, physical and financial transactions. On that same score note, transparency, prudence are all part of it and to inculcate certain values, virtues, ideas that will make every citizen trust the government. We also want the citizens to take interest where everybody takes government as everybody’s business. It has to do with morality and perception. I am making attempts with the slim resources within my disposal for effective development of our schools, hospitals, the airport and cargo port, farmers and youths. To see that all ordinary people access basic health services that is why our emphasis as a state now is on primary health care delivery system. We have renovated refurbished, provided furniture, books and ICT. We have also collaborated with the state and the Universal Basic Education (UBE) board.
What is his greatest desire as a leader?
Achieving good governance at all levels of government requires absolute sacrifice, selfless service, as well as high level of commitment to the well-being of the people. Democracy, they say, is the government of the people by the people and for the people. In other words, it is a total engagement of the people who take the pains to elect leaders that will in turn deliver dividends of democracy for their improved living standard.
As an elected leader, I see it as an obligation to fulfill my covenant with the electorate by ensuring the provision of infrastructure and other basic social amenities. Falling short of my electoral promise may bring about loss of confidence and untold hardship to the people as told in the case study of Nasarawa State’s fifteen years of democratic rule where basic social amenities were neither here nor there. However, over five years in office, my administration changed the twelve years of agony of democratic rule in the state to a more habitable and structurally established society through deliberate effort to improve the living standard of the common people.
What are the developmental strides so far?
So far, a total of 350 kilometres of township roads were constructed in Lafia, the state capital. These include 1.43km Abdulkura Street and Abdul Shitu Adamu Muazu Road, 1.41km Agwai Anguwar Nungu Junction and 4.8km Lafia East – Government Guest House towards Makonjigi Road. Others are 1.2km People’s Bank – New Market Road, 3.5km UAC-Gonar Mallam Sarki Road, as well as 1.2km Awe Street road. The 3.75km Stanbic Bank-Kurikyo Road, 600m Treda Kurikyo Road and 1.2km INEC office, Alkali Street-Adamu Mu’azu Kurikyo Road. Others are 10.5km Gonar Mallam Sarki Kwandere-College of Agric Road and 900m Governor Isa Street road. Other local government headquarters benefited from the road construction project where 3-4km of roads were constructed in all the areas bringing the total kilometers of urban road constructed within the period under review to over 100km. The rural communities are also not left out as a total of 236km of roads were constructed. Most of the projects both urban and rural roads have been completed, while others are 80 percent completed, bring the total sum of roads constructed to about 350 kilometres.
What about power generation and supply?
Still within the period under review, the epileptic power being experienced in the state is now history due to huge investment injected into the power sector through continuous procurement of low and high capacity transformers, as well as other electrical inputs to realise 24 hours electricity supply. I procured over 75 transformers of different capacities mounted at different locations across the state.
Efforts in the educational sector
The priority accorded primary education in the state has re-awakened the lost glory of primary education through the payment of 50 percent counterpart fund for UBE project plan. So far, a total of 113 units of three classroom blocks with office and four unit toilets and 32 units of two classrooms blocks with office and four unit toilets were completed. The government also facilitated the construction of 45 blocks of three class rooms under ETF projects. Two blocks of story building with eight classrooms each, two offices and 16 unit of toilet were also constructed as a pilot scheme as well as construction and distribution of 155,000 set of school desks.
More construction of schools have been advertised for implementation this year. They include 36 story building with eight classrooms each across the state, 16 three classroom blocks, 45 renovation of schools and provision of boreholes, as well as construction of additional 6000 school desk.
This is in addition to the payment of both WAEC and NECO fees of all students as well as provision of instructional materials for improved learning standard of the pupils.
To address the impending problems of farmers, especially as regards access to fertilizers, we have introduced a deliberate policy that would provide the commodity at the door steps of farmers and at affordable prices. That is in addition to the provision of farm implement and free improve seeds to farmers.
The state government has also entered into an agreement with foreign investors to cultivate rice in large scale and other agricultural product for the economic advancement of the state.
What has government done in the health sector?
The health institutions in Nasarawa State got a new face lift through renovation and equipping of hospitals with modern health facilities for quality and easy access to health needs. All the primary health care centres have been upgraded to standard clinics with modern facilities.
To further make quality drugs available and affordable especially to the common people, the state government signed an agreement with the DFID on drugs revolving scheme.
What is government doing about youth empowerment?
The youth constitute over 70 percent of the society and as such, the state government is not living any stone unturned at engaging the youths with one form of skills or the other.
Apart from engagement of over three thousand youths in each of the thirteen local government areas of the state into traffic wardens, vigilante group as well as sanitary inspectors, the state government recently sponsored a reasonable number of youths to Singapore to acquire different skills.
I personally led the delegation where we procured some skills acquisition machines installed at the four technology centres across the state.
Going by my antecedents as one from the private sector, we have initiated ways of generating revenue for the state which prompted the completion of Lafia Modern Market and restructuring of Karu International Market, which will no doubt generate huge revenue for the state.
On the digitalisation of the Nasarawa Broadcasting Service
We awarded a contract for digitalisation of the Nasarawa Broadcasting Service (NBS) to the tune of over N2 billion in line with NBC’s procedure. The Nasarawa printing press equally acquired new digital machines and commenced operations.
Is the state borrowing to do all it had done?
One of the most interesting things is our refusal to take loan of any kind despite the capitally intensive nature of projects embarked upon by the administration.
But instead, the government paid over N25bn out of N35bn back-log of debt inherited from the previous administration. We procured and launched over 100 unit of Keke Ta’al to address the security challenges associated with commercial motorcycles, as well 50 units of 21-seater buses to improve the transport system in the state.
The government also donated over 50 Hilux vans to the police for improve security surveillance. Sports development and recreation centres also got renovated.
No wonder Transparency International (TI) ranked us high in accountability and transparency in the discharge of our duties as a government.
Quote
Falling short of my electoral promise may bring about loss of confidence and untold hardship to the people as told in the case study of Nasarawa State’s fifteen years of democratic rule where basic social amenities were neither here nor there. However, over five years in office, my administration changed the twelve years of agony of democratic rule in the state to a more habitable and structurally established society through deliberate effort to improve the living standard of the common people.
