NEW KEBBI STATE: 12 POINTS OF ADVICE TO GOV-ELECT (i)

NEW KEBBI STATE: 12 POINTS OF ADVICE

AN OPEN LETTER TO GOVERNOR ELECT- DR. NASIRU IDRIS (KAURAN GWANDU)

  

Part One

By Ahmad Umar

Firstly, I congratulate you Sir on your victory at 2023 Kebbi State Governorship election. May Allah give you guidance and protection.

Your Excellency Sir, as you once said that you're welcome and ready to consider any positive advice towards progress of Kebbi State, I seized this opportunity to offer you 12 points of advice divided into two parts; below are part One consists of 6 pieces of advice, while six remaining ones will InshaAllah follow shortly:

1- COMPLETION OF NEW STATE SECRETARIAT COMPLEX

Your Excellency Sir, I advise that within your first 100 days in office to by all means complete the abandoned multi-billion naira new Secretiriate along Sani Abacha bye pass, Birnin Kebbi. It is also advise that, you should invite PRESIDENT BOLA TINUBU to officially commission this Secretariat. This single and simple decision will make you win the love of not only Kebbi people but Nigeria as a whole; been the first Governor under Tinubu's tenure to invite him to commission multi- billions naira project within first 100 days.

2- INFRASTRUCTURE

I advise that you should revisit former Governor Sa'idu Dakingari's blue-print which was full of good design towards the development of Kebbi State.

Sir, you need to also adopt the idea of peer -review mechanism by consulting Governor Babagana Zulum, Gov. Nasir El-Rufai, Gov. Umar Ganduje, Gov.Nyeson Wike, Gov. Ben Ayade, Gov. David Umahi of Borno, Kaduna, Kano, Rivers, Cross Rivers and Ebonyi States respectively; THE BEST PERFORMING GOVERNORS OF OUR TIME, consult them to find out the secret behind their success and implement it in Kebbi State.

3- LOCAL GOVERNMENT AUTONOMY

Your Excellency Sir, if you want eliminate the Poverty bedeviling the state within short period of time, grant financial autonomy to our Local Government Councils. The decision of former Governor Adamu Aleiro to grant financial autonomy to local government is what has been making him politically relevant till date, and the decision of outgoing Governor Bagudu not granting financial autonomy to local government is what made people to speak the language he could understand on 25 February, 2023: you now have a choice between the two options Sir.

4- CONTRACT PATRONAGE

As the case with Local Government autonomy, contracts patronage should be DECENTRALIZED, example, if you decide to do a Project in Bunza look for competent contractors of Bunza origin and award the contract to them. Apply this to all local government. Do not CENTRALIZED contracts to few individuals. Former Gov. Adamu Aleiro used DECENTRALIZED Contracts patronage and he is still benefiting from it as he have wealthy individual across the state who always fight and protect his political interest.

WHEREAS the Outgoing Gov. Bagudu used CENTRALIZED contracts system which resulted in poverty in the state, where only few individuals around the Governor kept enriching themselves. More importantly,you should pay attention to the application of Federal Character Principles in terms of distribution of post and other social amenities amnog 21 local governments in the state, so that the lingering crisis of marginalization can easily be overcome in essence.

5- APPOINTMENT

This is what will MAKE or MAR Your Government. The , more you succeed in appointing right caliber of people the more your Government succeeds and the more you appoint incompetent people the more your Government fails.

Similarly, never give to who ever emerges as your Personal Assistant (PA) a role/Schedule beyond files -kepping,.. any mistake of allowing your PA to interfere in Appointment, contracts issues, selection of Aspirants among others will drastically collapse your government; this was the mistake that led to the failure of outgoing Governor Bagudu's Administration.

6- RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR PREDECESSOR, GOV. BAGUDU AND HIS BOYS

Your Excellency, it is pertinent to also advise you at this juncture that your relationship with outgoing Governor Bagudu and his boys should be restricted to personal greetings only: Start and end at 'Assalamu Alaikum--Amin Wa'alaika Salam' or 'Ina kwana, Ina wuni' no less, no more.

Any relationship with with these people that involves Appointment, Contracts, decision making and other government businesses will woefully ruin your government, or will bring more harm than good to your Government. One can only associates with success not a failure. NEW GOVERNMENT; NEW PEOPLE, period.

As I earlier stated, I divided the letter into two parts so that not make it boring, let's meet in part two for the remaining 6 points of advice.

Once again, Congratulations Your Excellency, may Allah be your guide.

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Ahmad Umar

ahmadugamji@gmail.com