The Democratic Catastrophe In Niger State -By Mohammed Aliyu Baba

First and foremost, I want to thank the almighty God for the good health and zeal he bestowed on me to come up with this piece. It has been a long time dream in my mind to write something about my home state (Niger), considering inappropriate circumstances surrounding the democratic dispensation of the state; leading to somewhat democratic deficit and to an extent, the absence of dividend of democracy that the Niger-lites and the residents so much deserve but not forthcoming.

Niger State is known to be a middle Belt region state of Nigeria also known as “North Central” with state capital at Minna. The state is considered the largest state in the country in terms of landmass totaling about 76,363km-sq. The 44 year old Niger State was created on the 3rd February,1976 by Gen. Murtala Ramat Muhammad when the then northwestern state was bifurcated into Niger and Sokoto states.

Since inception, Niger State has had military administrators beginning from Murtala Nyako in 1976 to Habibu Idris Shuaibu who handed over to the democratically elected governor in 1999.

Meanwhile, digging much into history is not the cause of bringing this write up into existence despite its importance, therefore, let’s start driving towards the promised land.

It is an unconventional knowledge that little or nothing is expected of military administration. Hence, our focal point will be based on the democratic administrations of late Eng. Abdulkadir Abdullahi Kure from 1999-2007, Dr Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu from 2007-2015 and Abubakar Sani Bello of the present who took over in 2015.

As we all know, Abraham Lincoln said “democracy is a government of the people, by the people and for the people.”

This is a system where citizens exercise their franchise by electing certain individuals who showed interest for governance or political leadership to stir the affairs of the land positively for a good standard of living.

Niger State just like every other state in Nigeria has had three uninterrupted democratic transitions, but without proper advancement in infrastructural development and human capital that could bring about a better life expected from a democratic society.

Even though this writer is not a Niger State base currently, notwithstanding, he grew up, acquired his basic and postbasic education in the state. And therefore, he has also had his share of bitter experience in the past, and as a regular visitor in the present.

Despite the complexity of woeful circumstances in the democratic governance of Niger State, I’ll try to be brief so as to respect your time.

It is just too sad that the level of infrastructural development in Niger State is nothing to write home about as many governmental structurrs are out of shape, out of sorts and others out of service wholly.

Due to unquantifiable decay, I cannot even imagine where I worth to start from and what I worth to start with; is it power?, Education?, Health?, Road-network?, Insecurity?, Or others?

As a matter of fact, the catastrophic governance has touched everything everywhere one could think of in the state.

Do I need to remind us that Niger State is sloganed to be “power state?”

Anyway, it might shock you to know that the state has failed to provide power to the people despite housing Kainji, Jebba, Shiroro and Zungeru hydro-electric power stations. The report has it that the electrification rate is still battling between 50-52 percent, with about 2,694 clusters but only 456 clusters representing 17% of clusters are connected to power grid.

The report also added that these clusters captured are housing 2.66 million people representing 53% of state’s population, and within the grid area, about 76,000 population are not connected.

Lady and gentleman, permit me to give a little expatiation on what ‘cluster’ means here. It’s the grouping of power supply grid within the state just like we have feeders within our towns or local governments.

Now, let me be specific using my personal experience with power supply to Bida local government and its environs. I’m using Bida because it’s more familiar being my origin of birth. So, the power sharing formulaic in Bida does not provides power to any part of the town for nine hours out of 24hrs in a day. The remaining 15hrs are in dreadful darkness and terrible heat. See, if we should discuss the dilapidated nature of power supply in power state, time and energy won’t allow us to talk other issues. It deserves a special article alone just like others we enumerated earlier.

In fact, It’s even abuse of words and mistake of identity to call Niger a power state, because everything about power supply is nothing but a ramshackle including education that is bedrock of human civilization.

I could vividly remember a primary school that was brought to my area (Kangi Makun) in the year 2000; that was at a fresh start of our democracy. It took the Niger State government more than a decade before one non-durable block of three classrooms with an office could be constructed. Right now, it’s already out of shape and the pupils/students are back to square one under the trees and corridors where they started from.

There are thousands of primary and secondary school structures which are in disrepair and without hope for repair just like hundreds of un-motorable roads around the state.

The state of the roads is even a no-go area because it is disheartening. 85% of both state and federal owned roads in the state are bedraggled with full knowledge of the authorities concern. Most of the roads that linked the towns in the state, and even the township roads are nothing but a deathtrap. The motorists that are still plying Bida-Minna road in two to three hours instead of 45 minutes when the road was still alive could have gave a better ordeal.

No any traveler could travel through Niger State without resentment on the nakba state of the roads. A traveler once said: “only the dead can doze off while traveling within Niger State.” The situation is so pathetic and very exhausting.

The state is presently in the third administration since the return of democracy in 1999. The first administration saw the establishment of the first and only state University (IBBUL) and the general hospital,Bida. These are the visible projects of the administration in eight years. After all, the projects that benefit all classes of people are the ones worth to be called projects.

The second administration managed to employ secondary school teachers known as “Talba Teachers,” and refurbished the state’s College Of Education, Minna and reconstructed some township roads especially at state capital-Minna and Bida. The only accessible projects for common man carried out by the administration.

However, for the present administration that took over in 2015, the people of the state are still waiting for miracles to happen as it has no tangible project(s) in place for the past five years it came to power.

Yet, it has given birth to insecurity in parts of the state particularly in Mariga, Munyan, Rafi and Shiroro local government areas. This has led to the establishment of an army super camp by Nigerian Army at Kontokoro to tackle bandits and kidnappers. The insecurities in the affected areas have been threatening the lives of the people as well as truncating social and economic activities of the people in the communities.

Regrettably, the representatives of these communities and their likes at the state and national assemblies are ‘now and then’, a bunch of toothless bulldogs who bark into the bargain of executive once millions can be cornered Into their personal pockets.

As a matter of fact, even common local government chairmen in Niger State don’t usually hold their meetings in the state. They prefer to prodigalize the state resources by traveling down to Kaduna just to hold their meeting. Imagine the sort of leaders Niger-lites have been electing to pilot the affairs of the state?

Again, talking about leaders in the state; it’s a general knowledge that Niger State is home to two of Nigeria’s former military rulers. The dual could have been the genesis of radical development the state is dare in need of since creation 44 years ago. But unfortunately, they seem to have turned their back against the grain, and used/misused their influence at the expense of their native soil. Most of their business establishments are located outside the state (like Kaduna), while leaving the state with nothing but their luxurious residential mansions. Just like the former governor of the state who decided to bless the Republic of Ghana’s economy with a private University. The same governor who once said that, “over 90 percent of Nigerian politicians have criminal intentions, spending huge amounts to gain office for their own benefit rather than to serve the public.” Few years later, he shamelessly replicated the content of his words in his actions.

My dear reader, we hardly exhaust circumstances in the state where everything is seemingly so pathetic to those who are sympathetic. Hence, permit me to take a breather here, but let me tender this candid advice before I go. I want to call on Niger-lites to go back to the drawing board, figure out where the state’s democracy project went wrong, restructure the system and always endeavour to sell on state’s mandates by electing credible political candidates devoid of unnecessary political godfatherism and selfish money bags.

Thank You.

MOHAMMED Aliyu Baba is a student who writes from Kaduna, Nigeria.

He can be reached via: aliyu0380@gmail.com