By Yahaya Sarki
One hundred days in the life of any new administration is certainly very important. A serious minded and focused administration must have a sense of direction towards policy guidelines, programmes and activities must be clearly unfolded to the public.
Also, agenda setting and implementation are paramount to the success of any new administration.
Consequently, these are the first yardsticks to measure good leadership and responsible governance in the offing .
Upon his swearing in as the 3rd democratically-elected Governor of Kebbi State on 29th May,2023 at the historic occasion held at the Haliru Abdu Stadium, Birnin Kebbi, the Kebbi State Capital, Comrade Dr Nasir Idris (Kauran Gwandu) hit the ground running by the announcement of his people-oriented agenda to people of Kebbi State .
A quick glimpse at the strategically crafted agenda of Kauran Gwandu, one will have the notion and confidence that Dr. Nasir Idris, Kauran Gwandu is the man to beat, the iconic leader, the gentleman that Kebbians have been yearning for all these years. In fact, he is the best man to succeed the immediate past Governor of the State, Sen. Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, another equally indefatigable democrat and patriot.
Security, education,agriculture,, health, empowerment and infrastructural development formed the goals and agenda of Kauran Gwandu to Kebbi people, with emphasis on inclusivity, equity, fair play and justice to all, irrespective of party or religious affiliations.
The people-friendly Governor hit the ground running with his first official engagement by an assessment visit of the abondoned State Secretariat complex at Gwadangwaji prior to setting up his cabinet.
The project was awarded during the Dakingari administration in 2012 and the contract for its completion was reawarded by the immediate past Governor of the State, Sen. Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, but the work was abondoned by the contractor.
He said:”It is part of the projects I have inherited and I have assured the Kebbi State workers through the Head of Service that when I come I am going to complete the Secretariat.”
The multi-million naira Secretariat complex is aimed at providing the hardworking, loyal and obidient Kebbi civil servants a conducive working environment for the attainment of maximum productivity which is also in line with reform agenda of the civil service by the Kauran Gwandu-led administration.
A 10 billion naira MOU was signed for the completion of the ultra-modern State Secretariat complex.
Security as the top- most priority of Kauran Gwandu has recorded unprecedented progress within a short period of time of one hundred days of the Kauran Gwandu administration.
All the outstanding allowances of the security personnel operating in the areas affected by banditry were immediately paid off by the government to put more vigour in the fight against criminality and criminal elements in the state particularly in the Zuru Emirate where the activities of the bandits are more pronounced.
The resilient and caring Governor, Dr. Nasir Idris, Kauran Gwandu , demonstrated compassion, love and sympathy by visiting the hard-to-reach villages of Shanga Local Government Area, Tungar Makera and Tarana village where the bandits attacked , killed and rustled livestock of the residents of the communities.
The Kauran Gwandu, who was on a sympathy visit also donated relief assistance to the victims and assured them and Emir of Yauri, Dr. Zayyanu Abdullahi, who was there physically to receive him of the determination of the State government to bring to and
end all forms of insecurity in the State.
A similar excercise was carried out by the SSG, Alhaji Yakubu Bala Tafidan Yauri and other top government functionaries to Fakai and Sakaba local Government Areas where relief assistance of cash and food items were donated to the victims of banditry on the orders of the Governor.
All within one hundred days in office, the Governor approved the appointments of some key principal officers in his administration particularly the SSG, Chief of Staff, Government House and three (3) Media Aides, followed by the appointment of thirty 30 Special Advisers with their portfolios.
The environment of Kebbi State, particularly the State Capital,Birnin Kebbi witnessed an unprecedented clean up with the evacuation and desilting of drainages in all the nooks and crannies of the State.
Youths were gainfully engaged to participate in the excercise, thus providing a temporary source of employment to them. Kauran Gwandu graciously approved the release of fifty million naira for the environmental sanitation excercise.
Religious aspect of the State also relieved the midas touch of the Kauran Gwandu administration in his one hundred days in office.
The Governor, who personally embarked on holy pilgrimage to Mecca with the State’s pilgrims said he did so with his supportive family to pray for the State and ensure the welfare of pilgrims as well as a hitch-free Hajj excercise by all the pilgrims of the State.
The Governor said: ” I will also be in Saudi Arabia with you to make sure your welfare receive utmost attention and improve upon areas with challenges.”
It was a celebration galore for civil servants, political office holders,women and youths organisations,religious as well as community leaders as the Governor doled out a tangible financial package to enable them buy rams and foodstuffs for their families to enjoy the festive period of Sallah ( Eid al- Adah) happily.
This development prompted the Kebbi State Head of Service, Alhaji Sufyanu Garba Bena to come out in the media to express appreciation to the Governor for the kind and invaluable gesture to the civil servants of the State.
The compassionate Governor while in the Holy land of Mecca, Saudi Arabia performing pilgrimage, heard of the devastating effect of rainstorm which destroyed over 150 houses in Zauro Town of Birnin Kebbi Local Government Area, directed relevant authorities such as Kebbi State Emergency Management Agency, KSEMA and other stakeholders to come to the aid of Zauro victims with relief assistance worth millions of naira.
Farmers in the state have never had it so good in the history of Kebbi State than within the one hundred days of Governor Dr. Nasir Idris in office as Kebbi State Government distributed N2.3billion worth of fertilisers to farmers across the 21 local government Areas free of charge to boost their agricultural production.
Committees were set up by the Governor chaired by Special Advisers to ensure justice and equity in the distribution as well as to ensure that the commodity reached the targetted genuine farmers in all the 21 Local Government Areas of the State.
In consonance to keeping with his campaign promise to make Birnin Kebbi a befitting State Capital, not a glorified local government headquarters, the Governor performed the epoch-making event of REMODELING KEBBI STATE CAPITAL, BIRNIN KEBBI on 25/7/2023 by awarding the contract for the reconstruction of major roads of the state capital to Habib Engineering Nigeria Limited.
At the contract signing agreement with the construction firm, His Excellency, the Governor of Kebbi State, Comrade Dr. Nasir Idris Kauran Gwandu said the signing of the contract for the rehabilitation of Birnin Kebbi township roads was a clear testimony of his administration’s determination to beautify the State capital in fulfilment of his campaign promises.
The project is to gulp over nine billion naira, entailing the rehabilitation of 15 kilometres of road in the city from NNPC mega station through Emir Haruna road to Haliru Abdu round about extending to AP 2 round about to be completed in 18 months, also with the provision of solar street lights and drainages.
Kauran Gwandu also reiterated that not only the State capital, Birnin Kebbi, other major towns in the four senatorial districts of the State would be urbanised and rural areas too will recieve the desired attention in terms of infrastructural development in all the 21 local Government Areas of Kebbi State.
Fully knowing that education is the backbone of any developed nation, Kebbi Governor also approved N2.4 billion for the construction of new classrooms and renovation of schools under the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) in the state.
The acting Executive Chairman of the board, Alhaji Hassan Umar, made this known while briefing newsmen in Birnin Kebbi on the happy development.
According to him, “The construction comprised, 86 new class rooms, renovation of 224 existing classrooms, supply of 7,215 sets of furniture, and construction of 62 units of world-class toilets.
“Others are: Construction of five number- wall fence for five primary schools, renovation of one number hall and two number hostels, and equipment of three schools with ICT gadgets and facilities as well as drilling of eight number motorised boreholes.”
The projects were expected to be completed within six weeks, he said.
On education also, Kauran Gwandu approved the payment of registration fees for 2023/2024 academic session for all verified Kebbi State indigenes studying in Usman Danfodio University Sokoto (UDUS).
The kind gesture by the Governor was to encourage the students get sound education and to ease the difficulties faced by the parents, espe.cially the indigent ones.
That is not all, as the governor has also graciously approved the payment of scholarship to 11 girls students of Federal Government College, Birnin Yauri released by the bandits
Electricity, which is an important component for urban and rural development as well as for industrial growth had hitherto been erratic particularly in the state capital, Birnin Kebbi.The coming of Comrade,Dr.Nasir Idris, Kauran Gwandu ushered a new dawn for people of Kebbi State on this important energy sector as the Governor revived the 16 to 17 hours supply .
The State Government under Kauran Gwandu remained the provider for electricity equipment such as transformers,cables and other gadgets for distribution to communities, thus doing the work of the Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company.
Another history was recorded as the Kebbi State Governor, Dr Nasir Idris sworn -in 26 Commissioners and created eight new Ministries including the Ministries of Humanitarian Affairs and Internal Security.
Idris also created Ministry of Rural and Community Development, Establishment,Training and Pension,Solid Minerals Development and Mining,Rural and Community, Development, Religious Affairs , Physical Planning and Urban Development as well as Ministry of Digital Economy.
The creation of additional Ministries has paved the way for broadening the civil service and restructuring it for effective servive delivery as well as for more job creation to citizens of the state.
According to the Special Adviser, Kebbi State Governor on Media and Publicity, Yahaya Sarki,
Comrade Dr. Nasir Idris, Kauran Gwandu, the Kebbi State Governor has come with a clear mandate to diligently serve the people of Kebbi State, to change the economic fortunes of the State for the better, so that every indigene of the state will be proud of Kebbi State.
Yahaya Sarki,
Special Adviser ( SA) on Media and Publicity to Kebbi State Governor
