CELEBRATING LEGACY: GOVERNOR AHMADU UMARU FINTIRI’S SEVEN YEARS IN OFFICE

YOLA —By Kissinger Bukar

On this date seven years ago, when Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri took oath of office and sworn in to office as duly elected governor of Adamawa state, people of Adamawa were hopeful that the new governor would be able to improve on the lot of the state. This was considering the fact that a lot of comparisim was been made to other states such as Gombe that appeared to be more developed in terms of infrastructure and commerce.

And behold, Governor Finitiri exceeded the expectations of people of the state. In fact while celebrating his six years in office, the governor performed groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of an ultramodern International Conference and Event Centre in Yola as part of activities marking his sixth anniversary in office.

The project, worth eighteen point nine billion naira, which was awarded to Messrs Lubell Nigeria Limited, once completed has one thousand capacity seat seminar room, three hundred and sixty capacity auditorium, one hundred seat rooms, and syndicate rooms among others. The project is part of legacy projects under the Fintiri led administration.

It has to be said that from the beginning, Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri’s first term in office has eleven point agenda and is tagged ‘’Positive change has come to Adamawa State’’ while the second term has been recalibrated with eight point agenda with the philosophy of ensuring that “no one is left behind and nothing is left untouched”. This is also to ensure that everyone and everything feels the breeze of “Fresh Air”.

It is worthy of note that the development recorded by the Fintiri led administration is such that while approaching the city center of the state capital, visitors to the state would be faced with new face of Adamawa.

For instance, from Numan direction, there is the Malkohi Super Highway road which has a flyover at its beginning, while at Capital school area the Lamido Aliyu Mustapha flyover was provided to among other things ease traffic situation in the area. Those coming from Song-Girei direction will meet the Fly Over at the old Mubi Roundabout. Even those coming from Fufore and Cameroon through Yola Town axis will meet the Fly over at A.A Lawan Junction. At the center of town, is the Adamawa Unity Bridge, which replaces the popular Police Roundabout. There is also the construction of twenty point eight kilometers Super highway from Welcome to Yola along Numan road to Yola-Rumde-Killa to Army Barrack Junction in Yola. This joined the A.A Lawan junction and half cloverleaf interchange seven span over-head bridge.

Among the sophisticated roads beautifying the state, is the expansion and underpass road along bank road. There are other constructed adjoining streets within Jimeta and communities. In fact road rehabilitation and reconstruction has been executed in virtually all the twenty one local government areas of the state.

Most of these roads have provided access, ease traffic congestion and open up areas for development. It has to be said that construction of roads is unprecedented such that Yola has since assumed the status of one of the most modern state capitals in the country and the destination of choice for hosting conferences and meetings as well as tourists’ attraction.

Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri has also done marvelously well in addressing housing deficit, which has become major problem in the country. A one thousand unit Fintiri Housing Estate has also been completed fitted with street light and tarred road to beautify the area.In the area of ensuring orderliness and commerce strive in the state, the Fintiri led administration also commenced work on the new Shopping Mall to create more conducive environment for marketing among others.

Efforts are also geared toward restoring order at the Jimeta Ultra-modern market where those with erected shades have been asked to vacate to allow for smooth flow of traffic. There are efforts geared to relocate Mubi Market to the new by-pass while the burnt market in Yola South is been redesigned and reconstructed awaiting official opening for business.

Indeed, the Fintiri led administration recognizes the critical role that sports play in uniting youths, enhancing revenue and hospitality. This is why the governor has placed high premium on the Modern Sports Stadium with additional funding to give it international touch and teste.

This obviously will add to youth development while attracting national and international cultural, sporting and other forms of social gatherings to the state. Health, they say, is wealth. During the last seven years, the Fintiri led administration has constructed eight new and renovated Cottage Hospitals in Demsa, Dumne, Girei, and Shelleng among other local governments.

Health workers such as Nurses and midwives were also granted approval for consolidated salary to compete with their counterparts from other states. The Primary Healthcare is also adequately repositioned to meet challenges in line with its mandate in checking routine immunization and responding to outbreak of diseases across the state.

It has to be said that the present administration has also empowered thousands of women and youths from the twenty one local government areas of the state through the Poverty Alleviation and Wealth Creation Agency, PAWECA. This is to empower them and ensure that commerce and trade is encouraged among women and youths. The initiative ensured that each beneficiary is given fifty thousand naira under the Fintiri Business Wallet Scheme.

It is worthy of note that the present administration has periodically empowered these category of persons running into billions of naira towards viable economic activities.

In the area of education, Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri has taken the bull by the horn to addressing Out-of-School syndrome, by providing free education, paying WAEC and NECO fees for candidates, building and furnishing new schools as well as recruiting more teachers. This effort has eased economic burden on parents.

In the light of this, the governor has also constructed brand new secondary schools across the state and three new science secondary school in each of the political zones of the state. Similarly, the governor disclosed that special attention would be given to skills acquisition as well as Science and Technology. The construction of three new comprehensive Technical Schools, one in each Senatorial zone while one of these schools is going to be exclusively for girls had commenced and almost completed.

On ensuring food security, the present administration has constituted a committee on Food Security in the state. The effort, in phases, has provided three hectares of land in every Local Government Area and make it available for cultivation and livestock husbandry for women and youths. The effort was expected to attract investors to the numerous sectors that God has endowed the state especially in agriculture, mineral resources and tourism.

To address perennial flooding in parts of the state, the Governor Fintiri led administration has also constructed a two point nine kilometers storm water drainage at Saminaka in Yola South.

Civil servants are not left out in the current efforts to revitalize the state. Governor Fintiri has lifted ban on employment. This has paved way for the recruitment of more qualified indigenes of the state in the civil service. This is evident in the recent employment in the core civil service including the Primary Board as well as Primary Health Care Development Agency.

It is also worth mentioning that the governor is first to implement the national minimum wage of seventy thousand naira for civil servants. On the part of retirees, governor Fintiri has demonstrated commitment in off-setting backlog of pension arrears. This could be seen in the release of five billion naira for state while retirees from local government area got three billion naira for their settlement of gratuities. This is worthy of commendation.

Even Adamawa Broadcasting Corporation, ABC Yola, the Premier state owned Radio station was not left out in the task of revitalizing the state and placing it on the right position to enlighten, educate and entertain the public. It is true that information is key. It is in recognition of the role of the media and the need for the people of the state to be adequately informed of government programmes and policies that Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri led executive council approved two point zero six billion naira. This is for the supply and installation of four AM and FM transmitters as well as remodeling of four studios. There is also additional allocation in twenty twenty five budget for further renovation work to give offices a facelift. This effort will restore ability of the station to cover the entire state and restore its lost glory. The Adamawa Television ATV Yola was not left out. Effort was made to improve signal and electricity challenges.

The removal of fuel subsidy has led to difficulty been experienced especially in the transport sector. Governor Fintiri in his wisdom has procured ten made in Nigeria buses to ply some strategic routes where passengers pay much less than what was actually been paid. These has eased transportation problem in the state. Various citizens of Adamawa including farmers, traders, civil servants and students take advantage of these means of transportation because it cost less, yet convenient and safe. There are more that the present administration did to impact positively on the common man.

Obviously the effort of Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri in the last seven years to revitalize the state, is a practical demonstration of government’s stance that ‘’Positive change has come to Adamawa State’’ and indeed “no one is left behind and nothing is left untouched”.

It is in the light of these, that there is need to give Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri and his Team a pat on the back for the well mean feat in providing basic infrastructure, and impacting on the lives of people of the state.

Obviously, every visitor to the state capital will marvel at the speed at which projects are commenced and completed. It therefore behooves on citizens to appreciate and support the Governor Fintiri led administration.

The responsibility of building a peaceful and developed state, should be the responsibility of all, like in the words of the governor when he said “Let us continue to embrace the spirit of democracy and build a society where justice, freedom and opportunity thrive for all”. *