Before Senator Bala Mohammed came on board as the Executive Governor of Bauchi State, infrastructure was ramshackle in the State and economy was on the verge of collapse. States such as Gombe State which Bauchi State gave birth to in 1996 and other States of Nigeria that came into being within the last two decades were said to be infrastructurally ahead of Bauchi State. The good citizens of the State had, therefore, got fed up with the intensity of the havoc wrecked on the State that led to setback in the ancient Bauchi State, thinking reviving the lost glory of the State were beyond the realm of possibility. However, with Devine intervention, since Bala Mohammed took over the mantle of leadership of the State on May 29,2019, he has been making giant stride to steal the limelight from his counterparts across the Country; in terms of any developmental policy and programme derivable, Bauchi State is never left out.
As a Governor who came with the State at heart and with a Blueprint fully prepared to give his all, to salvage Bauchi, Senator Bala Mohammed squandered no time to hit the ground running in the areas of infrastructure, health, agricultura, education, economy among others. It’s on record that the tremendous achievements of Governor Bala Mohammed in his first one year in office, in the aforementioned areas have surpassed and overshadowed what the previous administration recorded in its 4 years, which proved to be goofing off and around.
Like a downpour coming from the sky, Senator Bala’s infrastructural projects have so far touched virtually every nook and cranny in the State, some of the unprecedented projects spread across the State have since been completed, other projects have reached an appreciable stage, while some are about to kick-off. The completed projects include the construction of Yalwa-Sabon kaura road; Ibrahim Bako-Tirwun in Bauchi metropolis; Sade-Akuyam in Misau local Government; Azare township road in Katagum Local Government. More so, the renovation and upgrading of Primary Schools have been completed 100%. It’s worthy of commendation to note that, Governor Bala in order to ensure fairness and put smile on the faces of his good people, Senator Bala always approves with immediate effect, compensation to all citizens whose property would be affected by the projects even before the commencement of any work.
The abandoned CBN roundabout-Railway roundabout which was posing threat to the people of the area, especially during raining season is now on the verge of completion. Other infrastructural projects ongoing in the State are, construction of Muda lawal market road; Burga-Yalwan Duguri new road; construction of new Hajj camp, Bauchi water project; renovation of Alkaleri General Hospital; construction of many blocks of classrooms in public Primary and Secondary Schools at 4.5 Billion Naira among others. Not only that, other soon to be kick-started projects across the State by the indefatigable Governor Bala led administration include: construction of 2,500 housing estate; Bakin Kura-Malam Goje new road; construction of new road from Gwan-gwan-gwan linking Bakaro to Kar Dumi area in Bauchi metropolis; construction of Muda Lawal market-Bakin Kura area among other Socio-Econominc projects that are directly of indirectly germane to the existence of the good citizens of Bauchi State and which will eventually touch their lives positively.
As a Senator and former FCT Minister who is interested in initiating Global standard projects, and who has much acquaintance with quality projects, the Governor awards contracts to companies whose work meets Global standard and he makes difference by regular and timely supervision of any project to ensure efficiency and completion within timeframe and to ensure comformity with conditions of contract. And this has not come with a surprise when one takes a memory tour into the archives of his antecedents during his unmatched tenure as FCT Minister; he transformed Abuja into what is called ” the best place to live”, and his track record still remains unassailable over the years. All allegations made against him by mischief makers to put his reputation to disgrace, his uncommon accomplishment has continued to speak volume, the Governor, therefore, remains untainted.
On the other hand, lack of contunuity of predecessor’s project is a common political syndrome, which has been an obstacle to progress. But in the case of Governor Bala the narrative is different, as he places a premium on that aspect. It could be recalled that, earlier this year, in his extraordinary approach to ensure all abandoned projects awarded by the previous administration are completed, Senator Bala Mohammed read a riot act, threatening to sue some contractors handling road projects abandoned in the State. He ordered refunds if the infrastructure could not be completed on schedule. This was out of the Governor’s sense of responsibility to ensure the full execution of the projects and fortunately, since his proclamation, the contractors have taken stock of their responsibility unlike before.
Despite coming from a different political party with the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Abubakar Y. Suleiman, Governor Bala’s passion for progress is beyond politics, that is why the two arms have never been at loggerheads; their relationship has always been cordial, working in harness in the best be interest of the good citizens of the State. This could not have been possible, had the Governor not put the State’s interest first.
To sum up, one can confidently stand to give testimony that the journey of Bauchi State to the promised land is fortunate to have a seasoned pilot who has navigated his way right from the beginning. The extraordinary steps taken by workaholic Governor Bala Mohammed in terms of infrastructure in Bauchi State, are a corroborating evidence to the popular ” New Bauchi State” slogan.
Sulaiman Maijama’a writes from Faculty of Communication, BUK.
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