Kebbi State Government says the Gov. Nasir Idris-led administration has delivered over 90 per cent of its campaign promises to the people, effectively pulling the state out of infrastructural decay and underdevelopment.
The state Commissioner for Information and Culture, Alhaji Yakubu Ahmed, disclosed this during a courtesy visit to the management of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Tuesday.
Ahmed, who stated that the delegation was on an advocacy visit to the agency, said the present administration had completely revolutionized governance, infrastructure, health, education and security in the state within a short period.
He said that the administration inherited an acute shortage of infrastructure which had earned Kebbi the reputation of being one of the most under-developed states in the country.
According to him, the narrative has, however, changed following massive investments in urban renewal, township roads and modern public amenities.
“Today, the state, under Gov. Idris, boasts of the best-structured motor park in Nigeria, while its state-of-the-art secretariat has been completed, accommodating more than 25,000 civil servants.
“When the governor came on board, he came on the crest of some campaign promises. Today he has fulfilled over 90 per cent of them, and in the real sense of it, we have the best structured motor park today in Nigeria.
“We now have one of the best state secretariats, which has taken in more than 25,000 civil servants.
“He has already completed the building of four mega secondary schools where skills will be imparted into young ones.
“He has built a number of junior secondary schools and primary schools across all the four emirate council headquarters.
The governor has also completely transformed and changed the whole face of governance and development in Kebbi.
“If you go in there, you’ll be marveled at the development we have attained in these areas,” he said.
In the health sector, the commissioner stated that 32 general hospitals across the state had been completely rehabilitated, alongside scores of comprehensive primary health centres.
He added that tertiary health institutions, including the School of Nursing Sciences and the School of Health Technology, had also been upgraded.
“Still in the health sector, when he (governor) came on board, all the doctors were leaving in torrents because of the disparity in emoluments with their counterparts in federal health institutions.
“He formed a committee and asked them to find out why. The report was that they were not getting as much as their counterparts in federal health institutions.
“He bridged that gap and today, what they get is a bit more than what they give at the federal level. So virtually all those that left have returned. In fact, some others are requesting to come back,” he said.
On security challenges, the commissioner said that while Kebbi, like other states in the Sahel region, faced severe banditry and insurgency, the governor’s proactive measures had restored normalcy.
He disclosed that the state government currently spends more on security logistics and welfare monthly than any other state in the North.
“When this government came three years ago, we met a situation where people could not even go to their farms or markets.
“We were having fatal attacks then, where hundreds of people were killed at a go.
“But today, it’s no longer the case because of the proactive measures taken by the governor in reaching out to the top and the security hierarchy, interfacing with them, providing the required logistics and welfare.
“If you hear the amount of money Kebbi is spending monthly on security, in the North entirely, there is no state that is spending as much as we are spending.
“That is why today, as far as we are concerned, and as the situation is in reality, we are rising from the ashes of banditry and insurgency in Kebbi.
“Very soon, we shall begin to see the results of those actions taken by the governor,” he said.
The commissioner explained that the delegation’s visit to NAN headquarters was to seek strategic collaboration to effectively project the achievements of the state government to the national and global audiences.
According to him, the state believes strongly that the media has vital roles to play in making the country a better place, in making democracy to work and in holding people and government accountable, playing its watchdog role.
He commended NAN for its professionalism and positive role in disseminating information, describing the agency as a media flagship capable of adding immense value to governance.
In his remarks, the NAN Managing Director, Malam Ali Muhammad Ali, commended Gov. Idris’ style of leadership, describing him as accessible and a leader with a listening ear.
He assured the commissioner of the agency’s readiness to partner with the state government in projecting its developmental strides, driving national discourse and strengthening democracy.
Ali said that NAN considered its partnership with Kebbi as important and strategic, considering its size and other peculiarities.
He noted that the agency recently deployed two additional reporters to the state.
“This is in line with our vision, because Kebbi is a very important border state with neighboring Niger Republic and Benin Republic,” he said.
Ali disclosed that the agency was considering expanding its editorial operations to some districts, including Jega, depending on the required collaboration of the state government in that regard.
“Take for instance, the commercial hub called Jega. I know Jega, a lot of economic activities are going on there, but it’s largely under-reported,” he said.
Ali, while assuring the delegation of NAN’s commitment to offering the needed platform for the state government to succeed, said the present information industry demanded competing strategies for newsmakers to make their case and be heard.
“Gone are the days when you wait for others to blow your trumpet. These days, if you don’t blow your trumpet, nobody will blow it for you.
“The nature of the media is such that it’s not friendly, it’s not hostile. It works with information. Sometimes it has to be launched in the right direction,” Ali said.
He expressed confidence that the renewed collaboration would outlive both parties, and remain a strong bond between NAN and the state government in the future. (NAN).
