Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, why are we here?
We are here to assess what Governor Inuwa Yahaya and his team have done with the resources entrusted to them by the Gombe people.
Democracy thrives on accountability and a review such as this even at the instance of the Government is welcome.
What were the promises, and usually there are many during the campaign, and what is the progress report?
If the objective of this self-examination by the Gombe government is a search for honest answers, it is to be commended and I daresay it should be sustained.
Our Government in Lagos back then used to have this review with the people every hundred days for eight years. These interactions will in no small way help to shape the legacy of the Inuwa Yahaya administration long after its tenure.
In point of truth, not many who are benefactors of the policies, programmes and projects of the state at this time are likely to have a bad word to say and it is not what is said now that matters but what is said after.
A useful barometer for self-assessment that I employed was to ask myself whether I would still feel comfortable living among the people when I become an ordinary citizen.
So, this takes me to the legacy of the predecessors of Governor Yahaya in this democratic dispensation, the Governors of Gombe since 1999, namely:
1. Abubakar Habu Hashidu (May 1999 – May 2003) – All Peoples Party (APP), which later became the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP)
2. Muhammad Danjuma Goje (May 2003 – May 2011) – Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
3. Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo (May 2011 – May 2019) – Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
4. Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya (May 2019 – present) – All Progressives Congress (APC)
My recommendations are that irrespective of party lines we must acknowledge the contribution of each person. Let us see their contributions as legacies of resources upon which our promises were made.
The work of predecessors represent useful building blocks because it enables us to start from where they stopped not from where they began.
Perhaps the most enduring legacy upon which Governor Yahaya has consolidated is peace. His administration deserves every commendation because this is what makes it meaningful to call Gombe the “Jewel of the Savanah.”
I know this because I experienced it during my visit to Gombe to inspect and execute projects of Power, Housing and Works. We came for a retreat here and spent three peaceful days without any concern for our safety.
Peace is the anchor of development, and it breeds a sense of safety and security which I experienced on 17th of March 2017, when my team and I drove from the capital in Gombe through Kaltungo to Numan into Jalingo in Taraba State.
While my assessment of the peace of Gombe comes from personal experience, I must confess that my comments here today are not based on my experience alone.
It is often said that if you want to know how well any government is doing, ask a taxi driver. In this case I did not ask a taxi driver, I asked two prominent Gombe indigenes, one male and one female.
I also asked a very seasoned and experienced political editor of a major newspaper.
Therefore, the reviews that I offered so far and those that will follow is the sum total of these sources and my personal experience.
So, in order to assess Governor Inuwa Yahaya from promises to progress, let us find out what his people say.
Let me share the feedback from my sources by quoting their responses starting off with the female indigene:
“The current Leadership in Gombe led by MIY encapsulated the vision into a 10-year Development agenda for Gombe aligned with the SDGs. This agenda has encapsulated the declaration of a state of emergency in education (with emphasis on girl child education) and health .
Targeted investments in infrastructure and agriculture have propelled the state forward. Prudent management of the state’s resources has resulted in the delivery of services in spite of the lean finances occasioned by the Covid-19 pandemic, influx of displaced persons from the epicentre of insurgency etc.
Forward-looking economic policies has earned the state the top spot in the Ease of Doing Business rankings in 2022 and 2023 by PEBEC with highest score based on empirical data from micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in the sub-national ease of doing business ranking conducted by the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council, PEBEC.
Gombe has become a role model in good governance, financial prudence and fiscal integrity.
Governor Inuwa Yahaya has been running affairs of Gombe State transparently and making Gombe one of the most accountable states in budget planning, implementation and financial reporting in Nigeria.
1n 2023, Gombe State ranked top in the States Fiscal Transparency League Table released by BudgIT.
Centre for Fiscal Transparency and lntegrity Watch (CEFTIW), a highly regarded transparency watchdog rated Gombe State No 7 in Nigeria and No1 in the whole Northeast region in good governance, fiscal probity and financial prudence in public service expenditure in the Transparency and Integrity Index.”
The second source, male indigene, said in part:
“Gombe State under Alhaji Muhammad Inuwa Yahya, CON has been focusing on some several major projects to boost its economic opportunities and infrastructure.
Here are some of the key initiatives:
The areas are:
1). Industrial Growth: The construction of the Muhammadu Buhari Industrial Park in the Yamaltu Deba local government area is a significant project. It’s expected to feature 10 mega-factories and create 10,000 direct and almost 100,000 indirect jobs upon completion.
2). Agriculture and Export: Efforts are being made to connect farmers with industrial companies and commercial markets to enhance the export potential of agricultural products such as tomatoes, beans, grains, soya beans, sesame seeds, cotton, livestock, and horticultural products.
3). Energy Sector: There are ongoing sustainable energy projects, including developments in hydroelectric, solar, and wind power. The Balanga Dam, for instance, could provide the site for hydroelectric power plants.
4). Health: upgrade of Primary Health care centres in the State.
5). The peaceful nature of the state is commendable particularly it is at the centre of the North East.”
The third, a political editor, not an indigene but an independent assessor and public informer said:
“1). Provision of subsidised fertilisers, seeds, and other inputs to encourage and support farmers to participate in the wet season farming. This started in 2023. The delivery of the 25% discounted fertilizer, along with other inputs, was to ensure food security in the state and the country as well.
2). To cushion the effect of subsidy removal, the governor reeled off a series of initiatives which included an additional 40% subsidy on the much-needed fertilizers and other farming commodities to boost food production and fight hunger.
3). During his first tenure, he invested hugely in construction and rehabilitation of roads both in rural and urban areas. He also continued with the infrastructure development of the state after securing his second term.
4). KPMG rated it for two consecutive years for elevatIng Gombe as atop performer in the Ease of Doing Business.
5). To put the multi-billion naira newly completed ultra-modern mega motor park to use, he set up a task force to facilitate the smooth transition of the operations from three major motor parks in the state capital to the mega park in Gombe metropolis.
6). He has received commendations for religiously implementing the Sustainable Urban and Rural Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (SURWASH), a World Bank funded project.
7). The state is currently leveraging technology to boost revenue generation, and the governor has thus set a target of 22 billion for this year, 2024.”
These reports are unanimous in their consistency; there has been progress and there has been impact. The interventions in ease of doing business, agriculture, infrastructure, the environment, and good governance, amongst others are resonating and must continue.
The message of the government is also being clearly heard in his communication so there must be no turning back.
Governments should fund communication during their tenure with the same commitment that election campaign messages of promises were funded.
Gombe has paid attention to environmental issues and prides herself as the cleanest city in the north; however, I got to know from her communication efforts that Gombe has set a more ambitious target of being the cleanest in Africa.
This is significant: it sends a message that the government will raise the bar of performance for itself and will not be easily satisfied with small achievements or wallow in self adulation.
This is a necessary attitude for leadership in times of crisis.
This attitude must necessarily prompt the Inuwa Yahaya team to remind itself that the commemoration of five years of promise to progress means that there are only three years or 1095 days left from tomorrow.
The time is further reduced by the new electoral act that requires election notice to be given one year before the election, which means that sometime in Quarter one of 2026, election notice will be issued. From now till the end of quarter one of 2026 what is left would be 22 months.
That is all that is left to define and concretize the legacy of this administration and what will be said about the government after it has yielded power. That will be the most profound verdict and not what we say now.
I have two comments to make here; one from my experience and the other from feedback that my survey yielded.
My experience tells me that what endears us to people the most are not just the monuments we build for their use, but the monuments that we build in their hearts.
In framing the administration’s legacy therefore, my feedback points to three areas in which people expect to see the government active and quoting them they say:
(A) there is lack of potable drinking water (power outage)
(B) more focus on human capital development and less on physical infrastructure
(C) welfare
It is obvious that the government has not neglected any of these areas from the earlier quotations of observers that I have reproduced.
What it seems to me is that the recipients of the services are asking for it to be delivered in a particular way. If public service has any real meaning, it must respond to the needs of those to whom it is directed or intended.
My humble view is that the government would be greatly assisted in commissioning state wide opinion surveys from a larger pool of people than I could possibly have interacted with.
This will take the government straight to the pulse of the people and advise it better about where and when to apply more or less pressure, what to spend money and resources on, and what to move away from.
Effective leadership strategy in challenging situations and times of crisis requires introspection, listening and course correction where the evidence and data dictates.
Thank you.
Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, CON, former Governor of Lagos State and ex-Minister for Works, Housing and Power, spoke at the 5th Anniversary of Gombe State, Inuwa Yahya’s administration
