“The Trial of Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni”t

By Hussaini Ibrahim Sulaiman

In a society that has been a debris of war, the challenge of development and stability of that polity depends a great deal on the efficient, effective, mobile accountable public service system and robustness of the government. 

There is no contention that the management remains a great thumping yardstick in the provision of effective mechanisms for ensuring development and accountability—it also creates the impetus for national development. With its value, the system can engineer meaningful development in human society. To achieve this, public service must produce the machinery and act as a springboard for such development.  

The credibilitylity of an electoral process in many ways is determined by the level of of infrastructural development nd provision of basic to the people as promised during the electioneering campaigns. 

Observers, without a doubt, acknowledged and enlisted the 2023 governorship election in Yobe State amongst the most fairctions that went smoothly in the country. Yobean came in mass and poured their votes into Mai Mala Buni.

The Governor executed a series of developmental projects in his first tenure and pledged more of infrastructural deficits if re-elected into his second tenure—promised to sustain the prevailing peace of the state. As an agrarian state, he promised to boost agricultural development in the state by creating an enabling environment to mechanize farming and food production.

Gov. Buni, as a grass-root politician, has given the youths a sense of belonging, the Governor has fulfilled his campaign pledge of carrying the youths along in governance, many have been appointed into public and political offices while others trained with skills to get employed and become employers of labour.

INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT:

Roads: Since his assumption, quite several urban and rural roads, in the little time of seven months, have getting a general overhaul alongside pedestrian bridges to ensure the safety of commuters in the state. 

Worthy of celebration, the Karasuwa-Galu community that had since 1973, 51 years ago, sought for extension of the Gashua-Nguru federal road project to the village without success and had remained without a motorable road.

The Governor also flag-off the foundation of a multi-billion naira of Yobe City Mall Center in Damaturu. It was learnt that, if the breakthrough is completed is expected to provide over 500 retail shops, restaurants, a movie theater, a warehouse, a motel and hotel, clinic, among other facilities that will be made available in the world-class shopping mall, the first of its kind in the northeast.

EDUCATION: On his inaugural day—on 29 May 2023, in his speech, Gov. Buni declared a state of emergency in the education sector where he set up a committee for the revitalization of the education sector.

Education Trust Fund was formed coupled with prominent and skilful people appointed to lead the Trust Fund.

They consequently swung into actions where part of the dividend was given to the Trust Fund. The Fund is currently using the resource to address some immediate challenges of some selected Primary and Secondary Schools in the state. So far, the Committee has resolved to drill solar-powered boreholes in schools construct VIP latrines, provide staff and students desks as well and renovate and put them into use in several schools in the state. 

The committee has further widened its means by decreasing the number of out-of-school children and improving the learning environment across the state.

HEALTH: There was an effort to provide health facilities to each of the 178 electoral wards of the state, so far I think about 138 have been completed and put into use. The Teaching Hospital, medical college, and others are fully equipped and enjoyed by the people of the state and beyond.

The Governor has upgraded many Primary healthcare facilities to General Hospitals and General Hospitals to Specialist Hospitals, people need to appreciate these achievements, the data now has indicated that Yobeans no longer travel to neighbouring states for medical care rather people from neighbouring states now come to Yobe for medical care.