When Malam Dikko took over the affairs of Katsina State as the democratically elected Governor of the State, minds were shrouded in mystery and suspense as to what the young, energetic Governor has in store for his people. I wasn’t an exception, especially considering the campaign promises he made to the people whose faith has been hanging in the balance while praying to the high heaven for salvation from the forces of anarchy bedeviling the state and its inhabitants. Katsina state was in a dire need of a leader who is passionate about its welfare and care for the plight of the people.
Sometimes, nothing is as interesting as waking up to some good news especially in a society full of uncertainty on how an average citizen is going to survive the day. You either eat or be eaten financially by the unconventional armed tax collectors roaming and terrorizing villages while collecting ransom. The news headline that caught my attention was captioned “World Bank to construct 150 Secondary Schools in Katsina” and I quickly delved into the details only to realized that Malam Dikko Radda has been busy soliciting for investments and interventions from different angles. This is coming not long after reading that the Governor has awarded contract for the construction of 75 new Secondary Schools across the state and also forwarded a bill to the State house of assembly seeking to establish the Irrigation Authority and ICT Directorate to pave way for an aura of opportunities for the teaming unemployed youths. This is in addition to the various special training programs for over 13,000 school teachers. A good development in furtherance to one of his campaigns promises which is to boost the education sector.
This is just a tip of the iceberg in addition to the efforts he is investing to curtail the security situation in the state which necessitated the need for a proposed ministry of internal security. Treasury single account implementation and the immediate payment of overdue compensation to occupied land owners.
I am inclined to believe in the statement of Mac Anderson that “Great leadership usually starts with a willing heart, a positive attitude, and a desire to make a difference”. The level of enthusiasm and commitment being displayed by the number 1 citizen in the State is what we are praying and hoping he maintains throughout his tenure as the Governor. At this pace, I believe the achievements will be quite remarkable in the next few years to come and he will quench that thirst of a political icon that the people once found in the late Umaru Musa Yar’adua of blessed memory with Dikko stepping on the plate.Should Malam Dikko Radda succeeds in curtailing the menace of banditry in Katsina which we are very hopeful he will succeed, it will be as though he has solved about 50% of the State’s problems. This is because insecurity will murder a vision even before being manifested into reality and only after addressing that, an enabling environment can be created for the successful implementation of his visions.
Barr. Abubakar Umar Writes from Katsina jikanyau@gmail.com
