Governor Bindow: A Whole New Era

Posted by African Examiner Articles/Opinion, Latest Headlines Tuesday, June 23rd, 2015

By Emmanuel Onwubiko – Adamawa State has of recent being in the news for the very wrong reasons of serial failed governance. During the immediate past dispensation the then governor Murtallah Nyako a retired Naval General ruled with an iron fists like a dictatorial regime even as nepotism became the in- thing following series of ridiculous appointments he offered unilaterally to his immediate family members.

Murtalah Nyako made four of his wives to take charge of different governmental mandates just as each of them was assigned particular area of jurisdictions. One of his wives (a judge of the Federal High Court) took charge of the Federal Capital Territory. Towards the twilight of his second four year tenure he was impeached by the Adamawa State House of Assembly and fearing that he may be picked up by the then President Dr. Goodluck Jonathan for alleged treason for alleging that the President was instrumental to the spate of killings by the terrorists he fled to God knows where but resurfaced with the exit of the then President and reportedly reported himself to the anti graft agency where series of petitions alleging large scale thefts of Adamawa State’s money were piled up but was set free after few hours of interrogation. In the interim both the then House Speaker and Nyako’s deputy who took turn to preside over the state as acting governor following judicial pronouncements were serially accused of larges cake heist of government money.

On March 28th 2015 the opposition APC defeated the state ruling PDP whereby a formidable candidate in the person of Malam Nuhu Ribadu featured as the flag bearer and the man who achieved this monumental political feat is no other person than a serving Senator then Mohammed Jibrila BINDOW who was born on 15th April 1956 in Mubi Adamawa State. Mubi is a widely known commercial town and ranks as the commercial nerve center of Adamawa State. BINDOW schooled severally locally and in the United Kingdom and has series of professional and academic qualifications just as he veered off into business to practicalise what he read extensively within the forewall of the academic environment. He is widely travelled and as a lover of his people he was bestowed with a prestigious title of Sardauna Mubi. Sardauna is a revered traditional title which even the most notable Northerner to ever live Sir Ahmadu Bello held in his Sokoto caliphate during the president and immediate post Nigerian Independence.

BINDOW was sworn in on 29th of May 2015 and he has indeed hit the ground running with a groundbreaking revolutionary decision not to receive half of his legal salaries whilst he served his people. To him election as the state governor is not an opportunity for personal or self aggrandizement but rather a period of soul searching and extensive sacrifices for the uplifting of his people. To him politics is nothing but the activities tailored towards lifting his people to their better selves. He was reported as saying that his time as the governor of Adamawa state would be phenomenal and indeed he would use the period to ensure that the citizens of Adamawa state participate actively in the governance of their state in compliance with the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria because the full participation of the ordinary people will lift that state to a status of a well developed and advanced democracy. The governor needs all the supports he can get to rebuild and reconstruct the fatally destroyed infrastructures of the state and introduce reconciliation agenda to bring about peace and progress in a community devastated by the devilish activities of terrorists of the armed Islamists-Boko Haram.

The members of the organized Human Rights community expect him to also prioritise respect for the fundamental human rights of his citizens as the most strategic component of his agenda in government. He must elevate the education of his people especially the women and children and also get the health infrastructures to optimal functions so the living conditions of the people can be improved radically. These can best be achieved only in an atmosphere whereby corruption is fought to a standstill and the administration put in place checks and balances to stop the massive stealing of the people’s fund. Alhaji Ali Bukar an Abuja based business executive told this writer that he believes in the integrity of Governor BINDOW to deliver democracy gains to his people.

The State House of Assembly must also live up the bidding expected of them by the people who elected them in the first instance. Let the governor emphasise the issue of vocational and skill trainings for the thousands of youth so as to keep them away from being recruited into terrorism.

* Emmanuel Onwubiko is Head of Human rights Writers association of Nigeria and blogs @www.huriwa.blogspot.com, www.rightsassociationngr.com, www.huriwa.org.