Bauchi Propose Flyover: The Good and Bad Side of the Coin.. -By Usman Yanmaza

It’s highly glad to have my audience back on my weekly column, having been away for over 37 days on holiday, attended some personal developmental stuffs while life goes on. While i narrowed my presence on social media those days, about 7 nights ago, I came across an approval from Bauchi State Executive Council on the Governor’s blue ink approval on the proposal of building 2 flyovers and other 14 rural and township roads across the state.

In the course of my sideway, I have been in the Kano state for about 1 month, a city full of spectacular wonders, massive infrastructural projects, worldclass flyovers and so many scenic routes of wonders. Among the tunic steps took by their fast Governors to decongest the commercial city was flyovers, ring roads, bypasses and alternative routes. The recently commissioned Muhammadu Buhari interchange in Hotoro built by former Governor Ganduje is a historic gargantuan project that will not be flush out forever in the history of Kanawas, that is am not talking about Kwankwaso’s Nasarawa flyover, that of Kabuga, Gadon ƙaya, Gyadi – Gyadi etc.

While I will never contemplate the provision of massive infrastructures to any developing state like that of Bauchi, especially at the wake of 21st century where states and counties are fast developing to mitigate infrastructural deficits and dilapidated niches. It’s indeed welcome development, but on the other side of the coin the proposed project is boondoggle, valueless, worthless, inutile and ineffectual to any human – centric being in the state especially in this trying hard time.

Anyway, here are the advantages and disadvantages of the proposed project in question.

ADVANTAGE ;

It’s entirely apt and fundamental for any institution especially that in power to explore any idea, policy, recommendation or project that will sustain and bring succour to it governs. Base on my recent check, the states rated second on “Ease of doing businesses”, Gombe state is far above Bauchi on the rate of ease of doing businesses, why? It’s paramount to note that the first thing among others investors are studying before investing in any giving state is infrastructures and safety of lives and properties.

Lagos State is the most invested state in the country, it’s not a misnomer practice but untaped flow of massive infrastructures, all investors needs to see is first-hand experience, healthy state is a wealthy state, peace is among the factors too.

Current strides undertook by the Government in Bauchi state on provision of massive infrastructures is sending a good signal for the brighter opportunities to both domestic and foreign investors, accessible roads in both rural and urban settlings aren’t only inviting investors but giving an ease of lives to our people whom are transporting their farm inputs from one place to another, middlemen are winning their daily breads via transportation of such commodities. To shorten the example, is the historic road of Warji – Gwaram that interconnected Bauchi and Jigawa, the project have explored and advanced the commercial activities between the two state.

The need for road provisions in a developing state primitively like Bauchi would not be overemphasize, we surely and indeed direly in need of it. The main target stay for flyover in most of the developed cities are to decongest the routes by easing the space for both commuters, travelers and passerbys.

It’s well known fact that Central market in the centre city of Bauchi have became a poor congested avenue for thousands of road users and passerbys. Do drive and taste the road on friday evening to see things for yourself. As soon as you arrive at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa tomb you will no longer have peace of mind untill you go through the gazzy road front of Sha-katafi pharmacy.

The central roundbout have somehow became no-go area, doing nothing if not mostly coursing crash between the two round routes especially those that will traverse to Maƙera or those that will go straight via Rilwanu Sulaimanu Adamu Market adjacent to First Bank. The projects at the busiest areas of Wunti and Central Market will indeed beautify and decongest the city centre.

We were once victims of the failed congested route, in August 2021 days after our father was discharged from hospital after he undergone operation, his ailing body dozed back again, we drove to rush him back to hospital, one ugly friday evening, it took us over 30 minutes before crossing to alternative routes via Maƙera (we didn’t follow central road) took us more than half an hour from A.A Waziri to roundbout via the front of tsohuwar tasha. His surgical body was bloodly licking then, I never hate that road more than that fateful day, what do you think if we aren’t lucky enough spending over an hour in the go-slow? God forbid.!

Our own case isn’t different from that of others, so many innocent citizens are bearing the brunt of the faily congested road, some on treatment, some on tight schedules, some on runny stomach among other compelling reasons.

Wunti road is ofcourse but akin brother to that of central market, although not congested as central courtesy of traffic proceeds and alter U – turns, large center shoulders among others, but i hate myself in 2020 when coming back from my former work, flood entirely overpowered the roundbout, I was in Napeep but the water level ofcourse overwill the Napeep, wet off our legs, and course serious damages to many Napeep and motorcycles engines. When it comes to prominents roads with Go-slow in Bauchi City, no any clairvoyant need to tell you on mentioning wunti market.

Government intervention to those two busiest roads are not only paramount and important, but serious and timely. Gov’t should be committed and honest enough to provide any alternative measures in place to overcome the myopic experience. It’s not always that an institutions availed the liberty of impacting the lives of people as sensitive as these projects.

Here, it’s paramount to salute the state as at last quarter of 2023, report from NBS is indicating Bauchi state ranked 2nd in the whole country with 6.37% marginal points of record on Ease of Doing Businesses, second to Gombe state. It’s a welcome development. So also the report ranking the state as 4th in infrastructural strides, 7th in transparency and accessibility of informations, 8th in skills and labour, 7th in secure and stable environment and 6th in economic opportunity. It’s paramount to commend the giant strides of the gov’t in the state for leveraging the nich and land of opportunities to its people.

Having that project will undoubtedly incurred much more opportunities to state and will also provides the new lease of lives to urban people hitch-free while proceeding on their day to day lively endeavors while also mitigating excruciating pain commuters and travelers are finding themselves in bad temperamental experiences.

Gov’t must create a society that is sync with the speed of the world not to go by the past and primitive world. The legacy will continue to contribute to the betterment of humanity as a whole as in some generations to come

DISADVANTAGES ;

Willy-nilly for any action has it prons and cons, simply call it double – edge sword, sharp and good for battle so also sharp and good to harm yourself for any case of mishandling. The proposed project can be attributed as wrong end of the stick especially at this tumultuous period where human capital developmental indices in the state are in lowest ebb while productive workforces are relatively in short supply. Thus, put the proposed project in question as reservation and reverbarative stance.

It’s rarely unfortunately, regrettably lugubrious that such stupendous amounts of funds will be sank into a project in the expense where retirees are seriously struggling to have meal on their tables, those old compatriots whom served the state for good 35 years are left with their cap – in – hand begging to win their daily breads, up to this moment some of the civil servants are still owing months salaries, some contractors haven’t smile to their banks, payment of salary in the state is being cherry – picking down the numbers that is after spending over 30 days of the month.

The state is perverted into delusions of inadequacy, thousands of issues are at brazenly stake currently. Education sector is in sorry state, Healthcare delivery is in direly comatose, Agric and Civil Service are all in doldrums. It’s mindful to note that Education is not about building or renovation of classrooms, do check on UN global educational standardization, teachers are the first line items insofar as we need to revamp the sector, teachers welfare, training and retraining, prompt payment of salaries and allowances are the first line items follow by teaching and learning stuffs.

It’s rarely heart trembling for one to visit Gov’t junior secondary school of Wayan Makafi and see the tenable rough, rotten and dilapidated structures tantamount to shrine naming as school. Do go to most of our villages and see schools or healthcare facilities for yourselves. Even though we must commend the gov’t for massive intervention on rehabilitation of thousands of schools, but we must still bash the gov’t for not rehabilitating teachers with incentives, allowances, leave grants and promotions..

Human capital development in the entire state is in short supply. The proposed project of 2 flyovers and 16 rural connected roads will worth about N100 Billion which will be funded through domestic loan.

It makes many brain to swirl in dizziness thinking that a state that is maintaining it quo of very low and poor level of human power and capacity, the record on human resources and workforce are relatively unimpressive. The genesis of commiting such stupendous resources to that project in question and vain refer to that which is unavailing are fruitless, profitless, inutile. useless, futile and ineffectual.

Generic believes being that the state had not piled up enough brownie points to go all the way of sanking such stupendous amount at this highly period of uncertainties and many relevant issues at stake.

Simple, I am always going with the statistics, I must, because I have no gainsaying the wrong that out of N1.93 Trillion generated by states in 2022 as IGR, Bauchi state came as 15th in the country with only about N25.5 Billion on the taxes mainly generated from Pay as you earn (Paye), withholding taxes, direct assessments, capital gain taxes, stamp duties and other LGAs revenues. States like Kaduna and Kwara have marginally surpassed Bauchi in terms of revenue generation with about N58.1 and N35.8 Billions respectively.

It’s disheartening when Governor days back during his budget presentation announced that only 51% of 2023 budget has been implemented citing inflation as the main hurdle of mitigating budget performance. Commitments have to be put in place to go higher above that.

It made our heart to ach seeing that the state is still maintaining it position as the state with highest number of out of school children despite some frantic efforts employed by education authorities to arrest the ugly trend. According to UNESCO report as at 12 October 2022, Bauchi state has over 1.2 million children out of schools with ranked it the first among the entire states. It’s shameful front and fundamental issue that suppose to always give us a sleepless night.

The state is among the top 15 states with poor impression on infant mortality rate, about 524,799 new born babies are dying in each 1,000 births in the state which is representing 69% record, that is I am not talking about neonatal and antinatal cares. Away to secondary healthcare institutions, go round to General hospitals across our 20 LGAs they are in disheartening sorry states, poor infrastructures, poor funding and poor provision of drugs and other healthcare related equipment like diagnostic test machines, beds, power supply etc. I could nearly wept whenever I visited Specialist Hospital here in Bauchi.

2022 International literacy report is ranked Bauchi 8th as poor literacy state. So, honest to goodness, prior to all those stock of issues in trade, the project is unneeded, inessential, unessential for it’s not basic or fundamental requisite pillar that will reduce poverty, illiteracy, out of school, hunger, deprivation and front salary payment or gratuities to our people.

In a state where so many health and non health workers are in mass exodus in search of greener pastures in some states, the project is uncalled for, ineffectual, suffocated and caricatures.

As prisioners of the failed system, we won’t mild our eyes away from the seriousness of this matter that the human development indices in Bauchi are not encouraging at all, as poverty, deprivation and hopelessness continue to eat deep into the average sound of the population.

To correct the erroneous impression, let us narrow our garment and cut our coats according to our material available,
We shouldn’t be subservient to copy from some state by wasting humongous amounts of money on something else while leaving the essentials unattended. Some elements of naivety in our thoughts is telling us that we would have a negative imagine on those kind of projects.

Having said that i agreed with the assessment of poverty and struggling of the state to cope with mountainous debt being incurred to satisfy God knows. Meanwhile the IGR and the Abuja cuts federation are very short to complement the yearning demand that has outwitted the income and yet despite the paucity of funds and gruesome indebtedness, economically, we are not producers of anything, our industries are all stranded in sorry states. We are subsistence farmers that lack complementing tools. The gov’t can instead invest part of the money meant for the project to support Agriculture, Education, Healthcare and Civil Servant or revamp the decay furniture company, alind, Zaki flour mill or Arewa ceramics in the state. Economically however we are hard – pressed.

Those among other worrisome issues has really become clogs in the wheel of our overall development as a society. No matter how we must also note that nature can’t be cheated, It’s even brutal if it sense that we are not angry with the gloomy geometry of the unemployed youths in the state. Our graduates are perambulating on the street in demonic feeling of hopeless, despondent and anxious of the future. So also there is no economic and financial security that will ensures parents are sure of what the future holds for their children.

The saying goes that “Idle man is a devil’s workshop, we aren’t a student of literature, thus have assumed that all animals are not equal in an unapologetic manner leaving those youths in the street is posing a very bad signal to our safeties, in a long-run we would all detest it among those culpable things they will do. Our homes will not be safe for us, viewing with the gravest concern, there is a relationship between development and security, but we can’t have development where there is insecurity likewise we can’t have security where there is no development.

While we are not wishing for such sign of non – conformities, but steps have to be taken to clip the growing wings of unemployment, poverty, hunger and hopelessness rooted in our people.

Gov’t should start viewing every situation for what it is and not for what it want it to be.

Usman Yanmaza is a columnist and writer from Bauchi state.