[November 17, 2008]

Gov Ali's Pacesetting Strides

Nov 17, 2008 (Daily Trust/All Africa Global Media via COMTEX) --
The policies and programmes of Governor Mamman Ali of Yobe State in the past one year deserve commendation because of the positive impact on the lives of the people.

The provision of potable water for the Yobe communities will help in addressing spread of water borne diseases such as guinea worm, gastro-enteritis and typhoid.

In the education sector, MAL's administration is doing a lot. The state government has allocated 26 percent of its budget to education and the governor directed the ministry of education to evaluate the level of progress in the sector.

The education ministry is rehabilitating secondary schools across the state so that there would be conducive atmosphere for teaching and learning. Other achievements of Ali's administration in the education sector include construction of one boarding primary school in each of the 17 local government areas, training of science and mathematics teachers at the National Mathematical Centre in Abuja and sponsoring of state indigenes to the Turkish International College in Kano, Kaduna and Abuja.

Also, the state government has released a huge amount of money to the State Scholarship Board for students studying at various high institutions across the country and beyond.

In the area of agriculture, the administration's notable achievements include the procurement of grains and selling same to the people at the subsidised rates of N2,000 against the market price of N5,000 to N6,000.

The government also reactivated the state Gujba Fertilizer Blending Plant and the company produced over 40,000 metric tonnes of fertilizer this rainy season. At the same time, money was spent on the procurement of more fertilizer to meet the demand of the farmers.

In the area of healthcare, the administration of Senator Mamman Ali rehabilitated a number of general hospitals across the state, including the Specialist Hospital, Damaturu. Government also awarded contracts for the construction of ultra-modern hospitals across the three senatorial districts, one each in Damaturu, Gashua and Potiskum. The Damaturu Ultra-Modern Hospital is a 200-bed capacity while these of Gashua and Potiskum are of 150-bed capacity.

When these projects are completed, the government is to provide all the necessary equipment and qualified medical personnel to make them standard hospitals.

In area of civil service reform, Ali's administration sent key government officials including the head of civil service, permanent secretaries and directors abroad for professional training. After this, MAL's administration also sent the treasurers and secretaries of all the 17 local governments of the state for intensive training at Lagos to enable them get the necessary skills and knowledge to carry out their responsibilities efficiently and effectively.

The idea behind the training and retraining of the civil servant in the state was in view of the governor's belief that the implementation of government policies and programmes largely depend on the civil servants.

The fight against ghost workers is another area that MAL's administration excelled. As a result of a verification exercise a lot of irregularities and anomalies were uncovered. For instance, a civil servant was identified collecting salaries of more than 50 workers through the inclusion of fake names on the payroll. Ali had vowed no to ghost workers, because he said if the state will continue to pay huge amounts in the name of salaries, government cannot afford to provide other services to the people.

The verification exercise saves the state government N3 billion annually, money that would have found its way into pockets of ghost workers.

Finally, what Governor Mamman Ali requires is the support and cooperation of the people of Yobe State to enable him translate into reality his noble policies and programmes.

Hussaini Mamman, Department of Mass Communication, University of Maiduguri.

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]

Discussions: