Appreciating Capt Idris Wada’s style of governance amidst financial challenges

Appreciating Capt Idris Wada’s style of governance amidst financial challenges is a commentary written by Abu Micheal.

The efforts by Kogi State government to maintain a clean bill of not owing its workers salaries as compared to other states of the federation calls for reflection.

This is because available information shows how state’s that are better placed on the financial index than Kogi State are indebted to its workforce for upwards of four months.

The figures being bandied as what accrues to the state government from the FAC is not hidden as it is usually published in the national dailies.

Kogi State is one of the highest paid Civil Service State in Northern Nigeria and one among the highest in the country.

For a State that receives a little above N3billion on the average as monthly federal allocation added to an average monthly internally generated revenue that hovers between N500million and N600million, makes the State to earn about N3.6billion on the average monthly.

A critical and sincere look into the government’s expenditure profile would reveal that it takes only  a magician administrator in the mould of Capt Wada, who amidst the challenges faced his administration is able to cope with obligation to its workforce.

Capt Wada’s administration has not only increased and sustained its commitment to regular payment of pension and gratuity, it has also sustained the payment of car loans to the workers in the State Civil Service.

One noticed fact you can’t take away from the Capt Wada’s administration since its came to the saddle is that, it is not flamboyant, neither has it been reckless in spending when compared to past administrations.

It will not be out of place to say the Wada administration has made selfless sacrifices its watchwords.
The state’s monthly wage bill to its workers is put at about N3billion.  Statutory deductions such as that of UBEC, MDGs, and loans taken by previous administration of the state  are usually made at source on the state monthly allocation, such that what finally gets to the state differs and is far less than what is usually published.

Similarly, deduction is made at source  concerning the bond the state procured. Some monies owed to contractors by the state government are also deducted. It is worthy to note that these contractors went to court and got orders compelling the deduction of their monies at source.

Back home, the state government makes monthly payments to local contractors who have certificate of job completion for contracts already executed by past administrations as well as payment to contractors who are currently handling state projects.

In all, so much is statutorily and also by the instructions and knowledge of the state government deducted on monthly basis at the FAC and paid as counterparts and to contractors.
On the average, the state is barely left with nothing for overhead cost, to run governance and administration, a challenge that is best imagined vis-a-vis the peoples expectations and responsibilities.

Over three years in the saddle, there are sufficient signals to however suggest that Wada has made tremendous impact as the seeds of the benefits of his selfless sacrifices are beginning to germinate.

Indeed, Kogi is presently undergoing an agricultural and industrial transformation and this has been made possible through the influx of foreign investors to stimulate the state’s economy, as a result of which, Kogi now plays the role of a catalyst, culminating into the signing of about 15 memoranda of understanding running into billions of Naira.

The attraction of foreign partners into the state’s economy is anchored on the political will of Capt Wada whose view of the state’s poor financial profile he pointed out will not create the needed enabling environment for business to thrive, without the sacrifices.

Amidst the obstacles financing has posed to governance in Kogi State, Capt Wada, the man at the helm of affairs has remained undaunted disclosing most times that it is not an excuse not to deliver democracy to the people.

Little wonder, in virtually all sectors of the state’s economy, so much impact has been made. For example in the Health sector, aside the government’s free rural health programme that has provided succor for over 120,000 persons, the state under Capt Wada has renovated all the state general hospitals across the state. The hospitals have also been fully equipped with modern facilities. Aside the University Teaching Hospital established in Ayingba and the take off of the KSU faculty of Medicine, the state diagnostic and imaging centre is nearing completion. Other efforts in the health sector include; employing and equipping the capacity and manpower, accreditation of tertiary academic health institutions in the state.

In the agriculture sector, today, the status of the state as a food basket has been improved upon by the present administration through its revolution on produce such as rice, cassava and other crops the state has comparative advantage.

Capt Wada’s administration  made history by completing all inherited projects such as the stadium, state secretariat, confluence beach hotel and about thirty five road projects it inherited, the present administration in the road sector also begun and completed several state and rural roads, with all local government area headquarters having their township roads under construction. Similarly, the administration is currently dualising the major arterial road that passes the state capital while it has also opened up the Ganaja Otokiti bye pass. The 16km bye pass road has opened up a new lokoja town for other socio economic opportunities.

In the area of Housing, the administration aside the construction of an earlier 270 post flood housing estate,  sustained effort in the building and the maintenance of government buildings. The administration is currently building a 500 housing units in Ganaja and Crusher areas of Lokoja.

All Iconic secondary schools in the state have also been given a face lift. There is also the massive renovation of primary and secondary schools across the state. The government is equally improving the building and hostel facilities in the state’s tertiary institutions. Until recently, the administration has in the last two years paid the WAEC fees for final year students across the state as well as in the payment of bursary to its students in higher institutions.

For a state to be adjudged as very peaceful amidst the challenges of insecurity facing the country is no mean task, and didn’t come by accident. The administration’s concern about attracting investment and businesses necessitated the enormous resources committed to security.

The state is building a modern trailer and motor park in the state. It recently began a mass transit scheme considered as superlative amongst several other projects that are having direct bearing on the lives of the people.

It is not in doubt that Capt Wada amidst all the financial challenges faced by his administration has raised the bar of governance, and made transparency in administration a watchword. The present administration has also checked youth restiveness and political violence through the employment opportunities he granted to about ten thousand youths under the SURE- P programme.

It is good to place on record that the Capt Wada administration has not received any special financial intervention such as that of excess crude as was the case in the past. In three years the governor has been on the saddle, Kogi state only recently got an ecological funds intervention and the funds has been deployed into the construction of embankment and shoreline control programme of Kabawa area of Lokoja.

While the high expectations the people have of the present administration is not out of place, the genuine appeal is for the people to appreciate that amidst tight financial challenge the state is facing, Capt Wada’ style of governance made the welfare of the people a priority.
       
Abu Micheal sent in this piece from Lokoja.