Isaac Shobayo, Yekini Jimoh and Biola Azeez examine the challenges which governors of the North-Central geopolitical zone in the country have to grapple with in the next four years.

THE 2011 elections have been lost and won. Both the victors and vanquished are gradually putting the past behind them and adjusting to the reality of life. The victors, in particular, are beginning to see the act of governance as an uphill task and not as a picnic, considering the challenges staring them in the face and how to surmount them. In the North-Central, two of the governors, Alhaji Tanko Almakura of Nasarawa and Alhaji Abdulfattah Ahmed of Kwara State are newcomers, while the likes of Governors Jonah Jang of Plateau State and Gabriel Suswan of Benue State were re-elected for the second term. However, Governor Ibrahim Idris of Kogi State is on his way out of government, as his term expires next year.

The Nigerian Tribune’s investigations revealed that the challenges before the governors are numerous. Apart from the quest to execute their party or personal programmes for their respective states, some of them, especially the first timers, are grappling with abandoned projects inherited from their predecessors.

Nasarawa State
The 14-year-old state has been grappling with development since its creation; most of the successive administrations had done little or nothing to change the face of the state. The belief among some of the elite in Nasarawa is that the advent of democracy is rather a curse than blessing to the state, claiming that among its contemporaries, Nasarawa was still crawling, and was yet to experience modernity in term of basic infrastructure.

The Nigerian Tribune learnt that it was the yearning for change and development by the people that led to the defeat of Alhaji Akwe Doma of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), whose style of administration was described as being ‘’more of analogue than digital.’’ The people voted en-masse for Alhaji Tanko Al-Makura, who was an associate of Doma but parted ways with him immediately he declared to contest the governorship, which he won on the platform of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).

One of the frightening challenges before Governor Al-Makura is tackling the ecological problems confronting the state, particularly, Lafia, the state capital. Successive administrations in the past only paid lip services to the problem, rather than addressing it squarely. There is the need for quality drainage systems, while the state capital needs to be given a face lift to make it attractive.

There is virtual lack of Federal Government presence in the state; apart from the Nigeria Telecommunication, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Nigeria Prison, Nigeria Custom Service (NCS) operating from rented apartments within the state capital, there is no other federal institution in the state. The CPC government of Al-Makura needs to jettison the hard-line posture of his party to lure federal presence to the state.

Apart from this, Governor Al-Makura would have to ensure the completion of abandoned projects dotting every nook and cranny of the state, and as well consider the possibility of industrialising the state with the aim of boosting its economic base. He should, as well, consider the possibility of revamping the dead Fertilizer Blending Firm in Lafia and other moribund establishments like Nasarawa Sacks and Packaging Company at Akwanga and beef companies and others lying prostrate in different parts of the state.

On the political front, the major challenge which the CPC governor will face will be how to handle and work with the state House of Assembly dominated by members of the PDP. The CPC has just two members, while the PDP has 22.

Operating in such an environment requires diplomacy; otherwise, the possibility of frequent friction might not be ruled out. The case of the Second Republic governor of Kaduna State, Alhaji Balarebe Musa of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) in 1981, readily comes to mind; the House then was dominated by members of the defuntc National Party of Nigeria (NPN) and he was eventually impeached.

Another political challenge is that being the only governor of the CPC in the country, he has to prove himself and work assiduously to justify the mandate given to him and as well demonstrate what positive change his party can bring to Nasarawa State. Analysts are of the opinion that the way and manner he handles the mandate would determine the future of the party in 2015.

Benue State.
Second term governor of Benue State, Gabriel Suswan, towards the end of his first term in office, experienced stiff political opposition from those who could be described as his former political allied in the PDP but who jettisoned the party for the ACN for a veritable political platform to sweep him out of government in Benue State.

One of the challenges of his second term in office might be taming his political foe who might want to derail him from an easy ride between now and 2015. Though the governor, at his inauguration, called for reconciliation among political stakeholders and people of the state to usher in the much desired stability and economic growth, analysts said the reconciliation might be a mirage considering the depth of wounds on both sides of the divide.

The controversy trailing his academic credentials has since become a source of concern. The alleged scandal has just refused to go away despite repeated explanations. The whistle blower has simply refused to let the sleeping dog lie, thereby forcing the governor to be on his toes all the time.

Political observers say that this, more than anything else, is a serious challenge to the governor because it borders on his integrity as a public office holder. They pointed out that if this continues, it might blur his focus and derail him from actualising his programme.

Another challenge is how to curb the activities of the restive youths in the state who are willing tools in the hands of desperate politicians and are a thorn in the flesh of his administration. To keep the youth off the streets and from being used for nefarious and subversive acts, there is the need to engage them and this could only be achieved through gainful employment.

Analysts are of the opinion that the task of taking them off the streets is not going to be an easy one and therefore requires a systematic approach. They added that if the governor refused to take the issue of youths seriously, it might become an albatross for his administration. They say that the governor needs to initiate state poverty alleviation schemes, and establish small and medium scale industries to engage them.

The state is known as the food basket of the nation, but this is gradually being eroded due to lack of clear cut policies on agriculture. It was learnt that the potential of the state in this regard is yet to be harnessed. Analysts posited that the state could do more in this regard if the administration could double its efforts.

Plateau State

Abdulfatah Ahmed
The state, more than any other state in the country, Plateau witnessed unprecedented ethno-religious crises that nearly crippled the state, forcing the Federal Government to deploy military Special Task Force to salvage the situation. The operation of the STF was also shrouded in controversy, leading to distrust among the people of the state.

Relative peace has since returned to the state, but Governor Jang, as Chief Security Officer of the state, needs to consolidate on the peace-making efforts. Though various measures are being put in place, like the Operation Rainbow, to compliment the operations of the STF, those who have been monitoring the trend of events in the state are of the opinion that the governor still has to go beyond this for lasting peace on the Plateau.

The general belief is that since nobody has ever been punished for the violence unleashed on the state, there is the possibility of people perpetrating such unholy acts for selfish reasons. Some are also of the opinion that previous administrations lacked the political will to implement the reports because those indicted were considered as sacred cows. Implementing this might be an uphill task, but the people of Plateau and beyond are anxiously waiting for the governor to take a stand on this.

From all indications, implementation of the new minimum wage might also pose a big challenge to the administration, as the government has repeatedly pointed out that it could not implement the wage due to dwindling subvention coupled with low internally generated revenue. It was learnt that discussions are presently going on between the government and the state Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on the minimum wage.

Despite government’s efforts to resuscitate moribund industries owned by the state government in the past four years, the majority of such establishments are still in a comatose state. One of such is the Jos International Breweries which is now a shadow of itself. This and many others might be daunting challenges to the government, considering the huge amount needed to bring them back to life.

Kogi State
Today, Kogi State is one of the developed states in the country as a result of the tremendous achievements of Alhaji Ibrahim Idris. Still, the governor is presently faced with some challenges, one of which is the payment of the newly approved minimum wage by the Federal Government. The governor has promised to pay the new minimum wage once the Federal Government increases allocations to the state.

Another challenge is the issue of potable drinking water in Lokoja, the state capital, even though the state accommodates two of the biggest rivers in West Africa, River Niger and River Benue.

The governor embarked on the construction of the Greater Lokoja Water Project at the cost of 10 billion naira, deriving sources of water from the River Niger. Already, the project is 99 per cent complete, as it is expected to commence test running in the state capital any moment from now. There is also the International Stadium, Lokoja, which is about 90 per cent completed.This project was embarked upon by the former governor of the state, Prince Abubakar Audu, but was later abandoned. Before its construction, the Lokoja Township Stadium was nothing to write home about.

But the governor took up the abandoned project some years ago, and it is expected to be inaugurated this year.

The administration has embarked on various road projects in the state.In Lokoja, work is ongoing on the roads, as Lokoja serves as one of the major high way linking the northern and southern parts of the country. The state governor is making effort so that the Abuja-Lokoja-Okene Road is completed by the Federal Government.

Kwara State
The immediate past administration of Governor Bukola Saraki of Kwara State secured a N30 billion bond for the execution of some projects in the state a year before the expiration of his two-terms. According to the Head of Service (HOS) of the present Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed-led government, Mohammed Dabarako, the state needs about N700 million every month to service the debt. The HOS added that with the financial burden of servicing the debt every month, there was little or no fund to pursue issues of development and the deal between the state government and different segments of workers in the state.

Another frontal challenge to the young administration of Governor Ahmed is the issue of projects that were initiated but not completed by Saraki. These projects include road construction works in many parts of Ilorin, the state capital; metropolitan square, medical diagnostic centre, construction of cargo terminal at the Ilorin Airport, stadium complex, judges’ residential quarters, and the renovation of the state Sharia Court of Appeal, among others.

The governor, who said he was not happy with the slow pace of work on some of these projects during his recent inspection visits to the work sites, had to terminate some contracts. This is not unconnected with the feeling in some quarters that he was planning to have some of the projects completed to mark his 100 days in office.

While most of the contactors were openly complaining to the governor during the inspection of the projects that more funds should be made available to complete the projects, the governor said they should engage in what he called spontaneous financing, as finance houses recognised that the government was one of the credible ones in the country.

Another hurdle before Governor Ahmed, according to some of the people in the state, even among his own Igbomina brothers and sisters, is that bordering on credibility. The people, in separate interviews, said they were not sure that the governor would not be an instrument in the hands of some political godfathers, particularly the Saraki family and his immediate predecessor, who is his political mentor. The fear among the people is that the governor would be dictated to and thus may not be able to provide the dividends of democracy to the masses, since all the funds meant to provide development programmes for the people would have allegedly been allocated to some individuals’ pockets.

While many would sing the praises of the immediate past administration of Saraki to the high heavens for changing the landscape of the state capital, many residents of rural areas of the state complained that the grass roots have been neglected for long. Residents of rural areas of the state say their lives could be better off with good roads as most of these roads are bad.
Particular mention was made of rural roads in the Kwara North and South senatorial districts.

One of the respondents to the issue at hand said that Governor Ahmed should set a machinery in motion to know where the shoes were pinching the people of the state. “They should go to the grass roots, feel the pulse of the people to know where to start addressing their problems, especially where the last government stopped. He should make people thank God through him for providing good governance and dividends of democracy after he has left office. They should see government as providing for all and not for certain people or some areas. Every one should be carried along”, said Hajia Muslimat Kamaldeen, a founding member of the Foundation of Muslim Women in Nigeria (FOMWAN).