President Goodluck Jonathan
By George Esezobor Uriesi
Hmmm. I just left Jigawa
State (6/11/2012) in Northern Nigeria after accompanying the President on a 2-day State
visit there. I must confess that I was totally blown away by what I saw. The
Governor, Sule Lamido, totally astonished me. He started the trip by telling us
his vision for the State. He said he did not accept that we had to be backward.
Hence he developed a 2 pronged, futuristic strategy for his state's
transformation. He decided he needed to address education to raise the standards
of thinking of the future leaders of the state to make them internationally
competitive. Secondly, he felt he needed to act on the psyche of his people to
make them better citizens, with raised standards of everything resulting in
much higher self-esteem, so that after his eight years, they could sustain the
momentum and continue to develop themselves and the state at a good rate? Now
this sounds like right?
Well, we went to the most
remote areas you can imagine by chopper to commission schools. This guy has
built a chain of 'proper' schools; proper schools. He's also building a
fantastically equipped teachers training college to develop the sort of
teachers his vision envisages. As well as Jigawa State University, the site and
extent of work of which is already remarkable (again in a faraway village). But
most spectacularly, he's built a special school for the gifted from Primary
through Secondary school. That school reminds me of FGC Warri when I enrolled
in 1979, just brand new this time. The primary school kids put together a play
for us that was just spectacular. And this is in some remote village also.
In the State Capital,
Dutse, it is just simply amazing what he has done. A network of world class
roads (and many still being built), a major water works, top flight government
offices! When asked why, he said he needed to get into the heads of government
workers, to make them realize they needed not be backward. We then went to
commission the new NYSC orientation camp. It is by far the best in the country
as stated by the NYSC chief and it is just unbelievable! World class, if there
is any such thing for NYSC camps! Complete with a sports complex (soccer field,
basket and volley ball courts and a proper athletics track), well-appointed
clinic, et al! If I had found such a facility when I reported to do my service
in Borno State many years ago, I would have felt respected and dignified and
would definitely feel differently about Nigeria and my level of commitment and
patriotism (at the time)!
Mr Prez then went to lay
the foundation stone of the new Jigawa airport. The man developed a blue print
and is going ahead and getting things done! I came away from there with a new
level of respect for some of our political leaders, albeit very few still!
But why have I taken the
time to write all of this on facebook (I can just hear you ask)? For a simple
reason - Lamido is five years as Governor of Jigawa today. His monthly
allocation from the Federal fiscus is approximately N1.7b. Jigawa's IGR is
approximately N200m per month. So the man has all of about N2b available to him
every month. And he has out of this modest amount, accomplished a helluva lot
in five years.
This brings me to my pain.
I know some South-south States that received N17b a month and have little or
nothing to show for it. As a South-southern, I was put to shame by the palpable
progress in Jigawa State in five years! Had to write about it, knowing how
difficult it is to get any progressive thing done in Nigeria and admiring of
the discipline, commitment and dogged determination that it has taken this
governor not to waste his State's meager resources on sheer squander mania -
the easier option!!! Transformation can still happen in Nigeria with the right
leadership! Jigawa proves it!
George Uriesi is the Managing Director of the Federal
Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN
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