By Muhammad B Muhammad

Barely two months to clock his two years in office, Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri has summoned a critical stakeholders meeting of the People’s Democratic Party PDP where he reeled out his midterm scorecard with a view to charting the way forward for the state.

Present at the meeting include, Deputy Governor, Chief Crowther Seth, national and state Assembly lawmakers, members of State Executive council, PDP leaders, and local council chairmen among others.

Addressing the stakeholders in the Government House, Yola Wednesday Governor Umaru Fintiri says his administration upon its assumption of office has met the state that was virtually devastated in all ramifications.

He enumerated challenges met on the ground to include insecurity, infrastructure deficit, boasted civil service, financial crunch and fiscal indiscipline, deplorable educational and health systems among others.

“We inherited a socially destabilized society with a disenchanted citizenry who live in constant fear of losing their lives, livelihood and properties. While general loss of trust, attendant upon by ethnic and religious suspicions and intolerance was brewing among our plural nationalities.

“The northern zone which was just recuperating from the attacks of the dreaded Bokoharam insurgents were practically abandoned to their faith with most of them converting the emergency IDP camps into a permanent abode with no hope of return to their ancestral homes. The State was sliding into anarchy with no demonstrated authoritative commitment to sanity and
control.

“We inherited poor infrastructure. Despite the relative commitment of our predecessors in constructing urban roads within the State capital and a few other places, such effort was only good enough to place Adamawa State at its lowest ranking of 33 out of 36 States in the federation.

“In 2018, the annual IGR of Adamawa State was about 6 Billion. This was considered paltry in this age where every State is deploying all its arsenal to transit to self-reliance and sustainability. We inherited a Suffocating 140-Billion-Naira debt burden which we had to service every month from the Federal Allocation. As if this was not bad enough, there was standing monthly overdraft line to pay salaries provided by commercial banks that chocks. This has led to budget indiscipline and non-compliance with extant appropriation laws.

“Our Education system was in a deplorable state. With Dilapidated schools’ infrastructure; Ill-motivated teachers; insufficient instructional materials in our schools; abdication of feeding in our Boarding Schools; inability to pay counterpart funding for UBEC projects in the State (since 2015); refusal to lift the burden of sponsorship for school fees and registration of national examinations such as WAEC and NECO, off the shoulders of our already impoverished parents, etc., our education system was reduced to a dreadful ebb.

The Governor however revealed that his administration was able to reduce cost of governance, enhance revenue optimization, insurance of value for money and improve payroll management system through a number of policies and projects.

“We achieved discipline in our budgetary process and implementation. This led to the budget size of N244Billion earlier approved by our predecessors to be reduced to N143 Billion for 2020 which was considered more realistic for 2019. Subsequently, in 2021 the budget size was N140 Billion.

“We have been faithful to our commitment to pay the wages and pensions of our workers on the 23rd or 24th of the month; we are among the first state to implement the upward review of minimum wages which was passed at N30,0000.00. We not only implemented the minimum wage as approved by the Federal Government, but implemented a Minimum wage of N32,000.00 to Civil Servants on GL 1 – 6 and also agreed on the consequential adjustments to those on GL 7 and above to civil servants of the State.

“We hosted a security summit and redesigned the Security architecture of the State to accommodate local intelligence and incorporated vigilantes and local hunters in the frontlines; we procured and donated 60 Toyota Hilux Trucks and 50 Motocycles to Operation Farauta; Acquired 10 Toyota Land cruiser Trucks for Operation Lafiya Dole; Procured 30 operational Trucks from local Manufacture IVM to support Vigilantes and Local hunters in 21 LGAs of the State; paid monthly stipends to Vigilantes and Local hunters in the State; organized a joint Taskforce raid on mini Sambisa which is the den
of the dreaded urban miscreants known as Shila boys in the State Capital.

“In the Education and Human Capital development sector, we lessened the economic burden of impoverished parents by introducing a tuition-free education in our public schools and paid for WAEC and NECO fees our final students in the public schools; we reintroduced the school feeding system with balanced diet in our boarding schools.

“With support from UNICEF and KFW- German Partners, we are constructing and rehabilitating over 80 Schools in Fufore and Guyuk. We are equipping the schools and distributing instructional material, sporting facilities to the public school. We have Paid outstanding UBE counterpart funds from 2015
– 2020.

“This has enabled us access the required funding for the construction of over 5000 class rooms in basic education schools across the State. We have completed selected internal roads with storm water drainage totaling
5.3km in Adamawa State University (ADSU) and convocated graduands of the School, an event last conducted in 2013.

“Our signature projects in the State
capital under this Programme are the Flyovers and grade interchange with underpass at Total junction and Police roundabout respectively. To compliment these monuments and ensure a coordinated traffic management and guarantee free vehicular movement within the metropolis, about 20 km road network have either been provided or rehabilitated.

“The details are as follows: Yola Town : 0.75 km zumo street, 1 km Mbamba street, 1.2 km Mafia quarters road, 1 km Doctor’s quarters road, 3.2 km Yolde pate – Nyibango road with 2 span bridges, 2.5 km Philip Maken road with links, Masakare, 1.5 km Lagos street, Hometel road , 2.31 km Falu road and links, karewa, 2.7 km Mambila and Jambutu street, Nasarawo, 1.35 km old Government House road and links, 3.185 km Bachure road, 2.2 km Nepa road, 2.2 km WeeklyScope road and 3.2 km Benue Street; the urban renewal project is also extended to the various Local Government areas: 2.5km Izala-gwaida Mallam-Rafa Wayam in Numan, 3.5 km European quarters road in Hong, 6.6km Gulak road in Madagali, 3.8 km Jada Township road in Jada, 5.1 km
Michika Township road in Michika. We are also completing works started by our predecessors: Resumption of work on 37.5 km Kiri – Sheleng road, Completion of 7 km Buwangal – Sangasumi road in Ganye, resumption of work on 33 km Pella – Maiha road and Completion of 5.3 km internal roads in ADSU among others.

“To open up our rural areas for access, we have leveraged on our partnership with the Rural Access and Mobility Programme (RAMP II) supported by world Bank to construct 341 km of Rural roads across the State. Key among them are: Yolde Pate- Prison to Yadim (27.91 km), Parda Muninga – Fufore (18.09 km), Kwanan yaji – Amdur (15.58 km), Longa Ewa – W/Yombe (19.71 km),Hong – Mujili – Kuva Gaya (25.58 km), Mayo guli – Manjaken –
Salma (10.90 km), Numan – Bare (7.42 km), Shelleng – Bakta(16.93 km),Toungo – Kiri (11.47 km), Polwewire – Ndikon (13.14 km), Ngurore –Mayobelwa – Gongoshi (9.3 km),” the Governor said.

He stressed that the government is set to prioritize youths and women empowerment, make Adamawa State a preferred destination of choice and set a tall standard of good governance where accountability and people centered policies and programmes are key.

Governor Fintiri revealed that his administration will build an ultramodern cattle markets in Mubi and Ganye, in addition to revealing that his next urban renewal programme will capture Lamurde, Demsa, Guyuk, and Girei among other local government areas.

While disclosing how his administration granted approval to the health services management board to recruit additional health healthcare workers in the state Governor Umaru Fintiri assured that his administration will continue to improve the health sector.

He charged local council chairmen in Adamawa to sit up as he has received a lot of complaints against them from the people and advised them to adjust and do the right thing to complement his administration’s efforts for the benefits of the grassroots.

The State Chairman of PDP, Barrister Tahir Shehu and Chief Joel Madaki advised the Governor on the need for human capital development, and harps for prayers and tolerance from the people to enable the present administration forge ahead.

In their separate contributions, Hajiya Zainab Maina, and Alhaji Jingi Rufa’i appreciated the efforts of Governor Umaru Fintiri and called on him to prioritize women and youths welfare by improving the living standard of the people at the grassroots.

Alhaji Abubakar Wambai, while reeling out his input, lauded Governor Umaru Fintiri and charged PDP stakeholders in the state to appreciates What the did and spread the achievements to the grassroots level.

Other stakeholders who spoke congratulated the Governor and advocated for building of more infrastructure projects, absorbing retired healthcare workers as well as rehabilitation and upgrade of Adamawa Broadcasting Corporation, Yola.

In his vote of thanks, the Speaker State House of Assembly, Alhaji Aminu Iya Abbas commended the giant strides of the Governor and urged the stakeholders to take the rally round the governor in their respective areas.