The hope of a better Adamawa State, which successive administrations have pushed into the vein yard of obscurity, is gradually being restored by the Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri led administration. Our reporter, who visited the state during the 100 days of the administration, took stock of what the government has done so far.
Not long ago, the United Nation Children Education Fund (UNICEF) released a report, revealing that the insurgency in the Northeast and particularly in some parts of Adamawa State has thrown about half a million children of Adamawa State out of school. At the time that this report, which puts the future of Adamawa state young generation on the verge of precipice was released, another damning phenomena was rearing its ugly head, the Shilla Cult menace. Streets, mostly in Yola metropolis were highly unsafe. Phone and bag snatching were rife, while incidences of day light robbery were on the increase. This side of criminality was moving side by side with kidnapping, just as other aspects of criminality permeated the Adamawa State community.
In the civil service domain, the situation was also in soso. Backlog of civil servants salaries were bulging from the seam, while truancy and worker apathy was taking a centre stage. But this was not the end. Local government system was degraded into the abyss of infamy. Aside from its unfavorably statutory situation, corruption, ranging from ghost workers to looting of the councils treasury, was common place. These and many more were the challenges that picketed the domain of the Dougirei Government House when His Excellency Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri stepped in on the 29th May, 2019. However, 100 days and still counting, Governor Fintiri has demonstrated the capacity to reverse the ugly trend that has marauded into the state’s socio-economic status. He hit the ground running and after 100 days of his tenure in office, the narration has taken a different but positive dimension.
In the area of education, the Governor Fintiri led administration has taken several steps to ensure that the damning statistics churned out by the UNICEF on the school drop outs is reversed. First, he introduced free education from primary to secondary school levels. This, as sources from the Dougire Government House told our reporter, is to remove any barrier that will stand on the way of any education seeking child in the state. Other policies adopted to ease access to education in the state include, free feeding programme in public boarding secondary schools, free WAEC and NECO fees among other initiatives. On the long term perspective, government has reclaimed some of the schools lands that were lost to desperate land grapplers as well as approval for the rehabilitation of about 5000 classrooms in the state. The government also set visitation panels to State Polytechnic and Adamawa State University, to ascertain the challenges and quality of intervention that will put the mandate of the institutions on the path of reality. Government also approved the conversion of College for Legal Studies to a faculty of law at the Adamawa State University Mubi. The Governor also led a delegation to meet President Muhammadu Buhari, to lobby for the conversion of Moddibbo Adama University of Technology Yola (MAUTECH) to a conventional University that will make it possible for the institution to accommodate more courses and admit more students.
The Fintiri administration then moved into the environment of the Civil Service, where he cleared outstanding entitlements of civil servants at both state and local government levels, Thereafter, he ensured that payments of salaries in the state is made between 23rd and 25th of every month. To boost the morale of civil servants, in terms of their accommodation needs, government has flagged off the building of 2000 units of houses for civil servants in the state.
To boost the performance profile of local governments in the state, the administration has granted full autonomy to local government councils. This will not only restore the lost glory of the local government administration, but it will also set pace for grassroots development in the state. Fintiri has also set aside a date for the conduct of the local government elections in the state. He took these steps at a time that some governors in the country are desperate in confining council areas into an appendage status.
It is common truism that development cannot thrive in an atmosphere of insecurity. Government therefore took proactive measures to tame the tidal waves of insecurity arising from the arm robbery, kidnapping and the activities of the dreaded Shilla boys. Today, bandits have being degraded and people of the state are now sleeping with their eyes closed and going about their businesses without fear. Some of the measures which the administration took to defeat insecurity include, giving incentives to vigilante groups, by implementing their salary structure and synergizing with heads of security agencies in the state. Recently, the administration has flagged off the distribution of 60 Toyota Hilux Vans and 50 motorcycles for distribution to security outfits in the state; this is to aid their fight against criminality in the state. Among other things, he has also sent a bill to the state House of Assembly to ensure stiffer punishment on some of the crimes.
The broods that will grow to be a cock will be noted the day it is hatched. This popular African proverb symbolizes the Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri led administration. With the steps that the administration has taken and with the achievements that are recorded in just but 100 days in office, the people of Adawawa State are optimistic that the era of Adamawa State of their dream has come.
The hope of a better Adamawa State, which successive administrations have pushed into the vein yard of obscurity, is now restored and the people are happy
