New Adamawa: Can we trust this Change? -By Ishiyaku Adamu Njidda

Governor Bindo of Adamawa State

It is a new dawn in Adamawa with the wind of change of All Progressives Congress (APC). After several years of bad governance and leadership. the question is, can we really trust this change? Let’s celebrate the change we now have, reflect on the backwardness of the state and place the state at par with the happenings in Kaduna. With Bindo, a young and dynamic as well as efficient person, as our governor, el-Rufai may have to work hard to match the score sheets of Adamawa.

For the people, done already was the hard part; suspending every business, queuing under the scrunching sun not only to be in the voters register, but to ensure that one votes and afterwards the vote is counted. Change is all we clamour, the dark days must find a place to rest in the book of history, we can’t settle for anything less but the desired change we worked for. Hence, the rising expectation across states of the federation. Adamawa state is not alien to this quest; the people not only sought change, but a change we can possibly trust.; a positive change, the one with democratic dividends, sustainable and appreciable.

Importantly, it’s a new dawn filled with optimism, credit to the collective struggle that gave birth to the new government, Adamawa, has come under successive bad governance since the returned of democracy in 1999, not only that, the state was recently engulfed with incessant attacks of Boko Haram insurgents which, as a result, crumbled many businesses, displaced people, and causes various degree of damages. As a fact, Governor Bindo must act at an emergency pace; the state is in dire need of good things to happen.
To fix Adamawa, the must do things are enormous.With the confidence, the people confer on the governor, and the respect and determination of the Muhammadu Buhari Administration to right the wrongs of our present situation, one need not to doubt that better days are possible. The government must make hard decisions now to get the applauds of PVC holders in 2019, hence those that will be entrusted with different political appointments must be told the scarifies required of them, and the consequences of doing otherwise. Bindo has no time to waste but to swing into graphing miraculous strategies that will transform Adamawa.

One area Bindo Administration must take serious to revamp is the economy of the state. Adamawa is blessed with abundant human and material resources, readily at the disposal of every investor to harness. The state has vast & suitable fertile land which has been the bedrock of farming success in the state. Also, has solid minerals like Marble, Gypsum, Rock crystal, Iron ore, Gold Dust, Limestone just to name a few. These minerals are found in commercial quantity; the government should take advantage of these natures’s gift and consolidate on the state internally generated revenue and job creation.

The state is also richly endowed with potentials for the development of tourism industry. It is one of the millennium tourist destinations in Nigeria. With tourist attractions like the Sukur Hill (UNESCO accredited world heritage site), Three sister Rock in Song, Koma Hills, Gorobi Rock formation, Gumpti Park etc. Hence, the need for the state government to collaborate with relevant federal government agencies, sons and daughters of the state with international connection to lure foreign investors, explore the various mineral deposits and also invest in the land is equally paramount.

Adamawa State government must begin to look inward for revenue generation to fast track the state transformation dream. The laxity attitude towards IGR and over dependency on federal statutory allocation by the successive governments has massively contributed to the backwardness of the state. With payment of salaries and other staturory government expenditures almost taking up the entire federal share, little or nothing is left for capital development.

Therefore, with the recent crash in the price of crude oil on the international market, no serious government would wait to be told that IGR should be brought to the fore. The event has caused drastic drop in the flow of money to the central vault which consequently resulted to significant fall in the state’s revenue payslip from the FG; As a matter of priority, governor Bindo must seatback and reflects on the things he can do differently to widen the scope of income generation in order to sustain the intended pace of development for the state. We must derail from over dependency on federal allocation and explore other feasible and viable options for revenue generation.

In addition to setting revenue mechanism, the government must do everything to significantly reduce all forms of wastages, cut costs, plug leakages and conform with realistic budgeting; these cannot be achieved without restructuring the state civil service. Another area that must be addressed is the issue of salary payment. It is mind boggling and embarrassing whenever news punch that state government could not pay salaries, this is also a component of the restructuring that can’t be compromised.

The work of change requires commitment to sacrifice, cooperation and hard work. For every development to occur, difficult choices must be made constantly. Thus, the government must bent on delivering good services. The state lacks modern outlook, and it won’t be a favour if the right infrastructure are put in place.

Written by Ishiyaku Adamu Njidda (ianjidda@yahoo.com) from Kaduna.