To say that Governor Bala Muhammed is a toast of the Nigerian Nation in the last couple of years has been commissioning road after road and other state-of-the-art completed projects as well as flagging-off several other economically viable projects in almost all parts of the state is an understatement.
This excites the governor’s teeming admirers and well-wishers to high extent with Comrade Mouktar Gidado (Special Adviser Media/Public Communications), casting the governor in the ‘eye of history’.
In a released document on the five-year stewardship of Governor Bala Muhammed, Comrade Gidado said it all with pride of displaying glaring facts of unquantifiable achievements beyond debate by any doubting Thomas.
It was on May 29, 2023 Governor Bala Muhammed celebrated the successful completion of his four- year tenure as the Executive Governor of Bauchi State and the commencement of the penultimate lap of his first tenure as a pragmatic leader.
The last four years of Governor Bala’s administration had flown with astonishing speed, but one enduring constant in the passing years had been his bold, firm, courageous, determined and unwavering commitment to selfless and patriotic service anchored on the tenets of probity.
Many still recall those turbulent days post May 29, 2019, when Governor Bala was confronted with a state where virtually every sector had collapsed or near collapse, simply rolled up his sleeves and knuckled down to the business of delivering the dividends of democracy and getting Bauchi State to start functioning again.
He hit the ground running from the first day he assumed office in 2019, fixing roads, bridges, re-organizing institutions and establishments, opening up clamped down spaces like the judiciary and courageously mending a broken, dysfunctional, dystopian and deliberately abandoned state.
The roadmap to kick-start the reconstruction and rehabilitation of Bauchi State was laid down in the inauguration address of May 29, 2019 and in the typical charismatic, all action fashion which has defined his administration, the Bauchi Governor, who was appropriately christened with the sobriquet “Mr. Projects” by admirers and well wishers.
In less than two years into his first tenure, Governor Bala, not only shamed his critics and detractors, he silenced opposition and started transforming the landscape of Bauchi State.
A dispassionate summary of the governor’s administration confirms that virtually every sector in the state has been positively impacted since May 29, 2019 and the definitive testimony of his dedicated, visionary and progressive leadership was showcased when Bauchi State shone brightly on the global map as eminent Nigerians including former President Goodluck Jonathan joined him to commission completed projects spread across the 20 local government areas of the state.
This unprecedented development coming at a time most leaders both in Nigeria and globally used the Covid-19 pandemic as excuse for non-performance, has not only become well referenced in the developmental narrative of the country, but left many social commentators across the country, gushing with sincere conviction that the only person who can realistically beat the impressive developmental record which Governor Bala Muhammed has set in Bauchi State so far, is Governor Bala Muhammed himself.
Two major talking points have stood out in the last four years of the administration, which defined his impressive leadership style and the brilliance of his strategic administrative acumen on the home front and at the national scene.
The first is that Governor Bala has consistently insisted that his administration will protect the welfare and interest of every citizen residing in Bauchi State and only the best will be good enough for the people uncompromised.
The second is that he has become arguably the only State Governor in Nigeria who displays sincere brotherliness, strategic brinkmanship and encompassing accommodation across public divides.
He exhibits the courage and boldness to speak truth to whoever errs and to power, challenging unpleasant national policies and decisions which tend to exploit the people, thus standing out as the most articulate fearless voice of opposition in times of need without sounding offensive.
To achieve the first talking point, he engages the service of the best and tested international and indigenous construction firms for good results to specification and within the timeframe.
Of course, the delivery of quality projects to the people of Bauchi State has become synonymous with Governor Bala Muhammed’s administration in the last four years.
Against the backdrop of the Covid-19 economic lockdown and the noisome buzzing by a clique of jobbers, disgruntled and confused opposition in the state, one most important fact which even those critics in blind opposition will reluctantly admit is that the construction of amazing infrastructural projects like roads, bridges, brand new state-of-art Government House, international conference centre, completion of the Greater Bauchi Water Supply Project, international Hajj camp etc is not a one day job.
Quality projects require careful planning, expert handling and months of hard work to ensure they are delivered to specification to serve the target. This is what Governor Bala has accomplished with class, panache, tremendous success and a lot of goodwill and appreciation from the people who are the ultimate beneficiaries of the projects.
In protecting and defending the overall interest and welfare of the people, Governor Bala Muhammed has become a legendary example for his fearless commitment to always stand on the side of the people as their champion and humane and benevolent spirit especially for the downtrodden has been unparalleled in his governing style over the years.
The outbreak of Covid-19 global pandemic was another major event which tasked the strategic preparedness of many leaders to promptly respond to unexpected situations, but Governor Bala led from the front, promulgating quick response executive orders and operational directives and enforcing mandated guidelines and protocols which not only saved many lives, but set down a strategic roadmap for national adoption.
In the last four years, his regional importance and growing national stature as a political titan, a visionary game changer and a developmental leader, has grown in leaps and bounds. He has also transformed Bauchi and Bauchi State into a buzzing matrix and solid base for the resolution of political conflicts and a bastion for results-oriented, functional leadership against the backdrop of a progressively dysfunctional and administratively dystopian national leadership.
Governor Bala has been resolute and firm, both physically and symbolically in his personal support to his friends and the downtrodden. It is on record that he has been bold and pragmatic in reviewing security issues regularly to address spontaneous banditry and other unlawful tendencies, through the deployment of strategic templates which have often been adopted at the national level.
One admirable factor which has remained constant over the last four years is that Governor Bala Muhammed is greatly loved, admired and adored by the people of Bauchi State irrespective of imaginary differences as their champion and messiah, as he was in 2019 when he took on the opposition, both within and externally, battled them with expertise and courage to standstill, defeated them on all fronts and won the election convincingly, carrying the hopes and aspirations of his people on his broad shoulders.
The scorecard of the last four years has been replete with outstanding achievements, ground breaking events and the initiation of legacy projects, which have not only transformed the landscape of the state impressively but has attracted an avalanche of Awards and Chieftaincy titles from home and away to add to his impressive gallery of plaques and silver ware.
He himself puts it succinctly: “As a people-oriented government, our doors are open for constructive and frank criticisms devoid of politics and mischief, because they serve to make us better performers. At any rate, this is time for good governance despite the ongoing silent negative campaigns targeted at ridiculing my efforts and we welcome everyone onboard to enable us create an environment that promotes balanced economic growth, thriving private investments and job opportunities to continue to build a state of shared prosperity; a place of boundless opportunities for all citizens, and a state we can truly and proudly call as our native home, our pride, our heritage, while looking into the future with optimism and confidence.
“For us nothing matters more than the good of Bauchi State, our people, our collective interests, our treasures, our enormous tapped and untapped natural resources and assets, our accomplishments and our greatness. And so, as we look forward to the next few years, all I can say is that we are inspired by the continuous support prayers from the people that believe our best days of service are ahead of us, and working together, we will surely do more to move Bauchi State to greater heights and to an appreciable pedestal of development with your support”.
Summing up the declaration and position of his boss, Comrade Mouktar Gidado, Special Advisor on Media/Public Communication to Governor Bala Muhammed, simply said: I concur, the position of my boss. We stand by him, for him and to him at any given time and no shaking and regret. The development of Bauchi State remains the priority of my boss and he is doing it holistically”.
The people remain committed from indications to the success of the Bala led-administration beyond 2027 with the majority saying, “PDP has come to stay in governance. Any other party that may attempt to oppose the PDP will surely be disgraced with a humiliating defeat as a bitter lesson”.
Muhammad is a commentator on national issues
