By Ismaila Uba Misilli
“It is wise to direct your anger towards problems – not people; to focus your energies on answers – not excuses.”
– William Arthur Ward
EXEMPLARY leadership comes with a huge quantum of focus, dedication and unparalleled attention to the needs of the people. These are the hallmarks of Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya’s administration in the last three and a half years.
Even at electioneering campaigns, we see the same trends meandering into his campaign strategies- making the people’s need the centre piece of his campaign operations.
Governor Inuwa is clearly acting out the quote above by William Arthur Ward, as he visits every ward in what looks like a house-to-house campaign-characteristics of his peculiar ‘Inuwa Gida-Gida’ style.
Dan Majen Gombe is a man of answers. Every ward he visited was bestowed with a new layer of benevolence and a promise to do more than what he has done before.
It is on record that there’s no ward that did not benefit from Inuwa Yahaya’s primary health care programme of a well-equipped PHC and a school, per each of the 114 political wards of the state, especially for the rising number of pupils who are now returning back to school after many years of apathy and indifference to academics.
His words carry a tangible hope and a palpable believability. Records available indicate that his administration has fulfilled nearly 89% of his first term campaign promises. Even the Emir of Gombe, Alhaji (Dr) Abubakar Shehu Abubakar III, CFR believes that Governor Inuwa has outperformed his campaign promises.
Governor Yahaya administration’s three-year score card gave credence to the above assertion by the revered monarch without any iota of controversy. He has worked with glittering evidence all over the 11 local government areas of Gombe State.
Yet he is still dishing out sure hopes and commissioning or flagging off more projects even at campaign time.
While this write up is not about the achievements of Inuwa Yahaya’s first term tenure, there is no way you will write about the Governor of Gombe State, the safest state in North East Nigeria, without touching on his achievements.
Afterall what is governance without dividends of democracy rubbing off on the citizens?
But let me take you back to the assignment at hand. The high and low of campaign journeys and the warm receptions cum appreciations accorded the campaign train of Inuwa Yahaya.
In the course of his state-wide campaign rallies, from Gombe South, to Gombe Central and Gombe North Senatorial Districts, Governor Inuwa spoke candidly and sincerely. He was altruistic and didn’t juggle politics with facts.
Governor Inuwa observed that development is a gradual process and that community problems cannot be solved at once. Not many politicians will speak so honourably.
“I hope people will be patient enough with the government, because people’s needs are endless while resources are always scarce. Government cannot solve all problems at once, there is a need for prudence in managing the scarce resources at our disposal to achieve maximum satisfaction,” he declared.
The governor promised to provide more development, saying, “Despite the meagre resources at our disposal, we will not relent in attending to the plights of our people.
There’s no short cut in governance according to the three times winner of Governor of the Year. All parts of Gombe deserve equal attention.
Everywhere he went, Governor Inuwa was well received with love, pomp and applause, with traditional rulers and stakeholders acknowledging and appreciating the numerous people-oriented projects executed in their respective areas.
Never in the history of Gombe have we had an instance of a governor garnering such unanimous acceptance by people from different classes and social strata.
The workaholic Inuwa Yahaya did not abandon state activities because of election campaigns, he found time in between to do the needful.
Just last two weeks, precisely on 30th December, the Gombe State Government opened bids for the construction of 16 new roads spread across seven local government areas in the state.
The above development is in line with Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya’s network Eleven-100 initiative which seeks to construct at least one hundred kilometres of roads in each of the eleven local government areas of the State.
Also on 6th January, just a day before he rounded off the ward-to-ward campaign, he flagged off the Multi-billion Naira water supply project which aims to rehabilitate, expand and upgrade the senile Gombe Regional Water Supply Scheme, during which he expressed the stern disposition of his administration in providing adequate and efficient portable water to all people of Gombe State.
One other significant element of the state-wide campaign is Inuwa Yahaya’s listening virtue. He was not doing all the talking. He allowed the community leaders to express themselves fully, especially what they needed. He then conducted an instant needs-assessment session with a view to serving each community better when voted in for a second term.
Furthermore, at each ward visited, the campaign rally was illuminated by the unprecedented receipt of hundreds of defectors from the opposition parties by the APC State Chairman, who assured them of equal treatment and charged them to work towards the success of the APC at all levels.
Again In all the political wards visited, Governor Inuwa Yahaya maintained his upbeat disposition, maintaining that the APC will record a landslide victory in the 2023 general elections from top to bottom.
He was not just selling himself to the electorate. He was also selling both his party APC as well as its Presidential flag bearer Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
He assured the people that the APC government, with Bola Tinubu at the helm will continue and ensure the actualization of the Kolmani Integrated Project and the other oil exploitations in the North as started by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Governor Inuwa assured that his administration will continue the repositioning of Gombe State on the path of progress and sustainable development.
After going round more than 100 wards in 10 local government areas of Gombe State, the APC Campaign culminated into a grand road show in Gombe metropolis.
Governor Inuwa’s campaign train took off at APC Square along Bauchi Road and pulled through a mammoth crowd of supporters and well-wishers in their thousands, cheerfully hailing and expressing their unflinching support to the governor and other APC candidates.
The rally went through Jekadafari, Sabon Layi, Union Bank Roundabout; Main Market, Idi to Gombe Emir’s Palace through Shehu Abubakar Road traversing eight of the 11 wards of Gombe LGA.
Gombe Emir’s Palace was the last bus stop for the governor and members of his campaign team, where they paid a homage on the Emir of Gombe, Alhaji (Dr) Abubakar Shehu Abubakar III, CFR to seek for his royal support and prayers for the success of the movement.
While receiving the Governor, the emir described the visit as a home- coming, saying the Governor needs not campaign at the palace because he also belongs there.
The royal father testified that Governor Inuwa has fulfilled his 2019 campaign promises and even went beyond by executing projects that he never promised, extolling his visionary leadership and development drive in executing meaningful projects that have direct bearing on the masses.
The Emir specifically commended some legacy projects of the Inuwa-led administration, which he said would stand the test of time. He mentioned: Network 1100, Rehabilitation, Upgrade and Expansion of Gombe Regional Water Supply Scheme, Muhammadu Buhari Industrial Park, establishment and revitalisation of primary, secondary and tertiary health facilities, building and renovation of classrooms, Gombe State Contributory Health Scheme (Go-Health), the Gombe Goes Green project and security, among others.
So far, the electioneering campaigns have been decorous, colourful and incident free. This speaks to the orderliness, good conduct, camaraderie and cooperation enjoyed by the Dan Majen Gombe from the citizens of Gombe State.
Wherever he went, he leaves a developmental mark with a hope the people can hold on to.
Inuwa Yahaya’s campaign is not just about words and promises, it is about substance and delivery of expectations. It is about the people and a future assured with a man whose dedication and commitment to governance is not in doubt.
The second term seems already assured for Governor Inuwa Yahaya judging by the high level of acceptance everywhere he went and the number of decampees from other parties especially the opposition PDP and above all his record of an unprecedented development of the socioeconomic fabric of the Jewel in the Savannah.
Misilli, is the Director-General of Press Affairs to Governor of Gombe State