60 DAYS IN OFFICE: TOP REMARKABLE ACHIEVEMENTS OF GOVERNMENT UNDER AHMADU UMARU FINTIRI.
By: Muhammad B Muhammad
The two months of Fintiri administration has proven beyond reasonable doubt that it's not how long but how well a Government works that determines success. His credible and vigorous performance has made a complete difference in governance. This feat was achieved through doggedness, prudence, justice, fairness, transparency and accountability in the effort to curbing all manners of senseless and endless public looting that has been the order of the day previously in Adamawa State. In the last sixty days, this has been our promising journey:
1.Security: We have reinvigorated the security architecture of Adamawa after convening many closed door meetings with Security Chiefs. The Governor gave them marching orders to bring to book all perpetrators of crime and criminality in the state. He was the first Governor to visit the Sambisa Forest, the hideout of criminals in Adamawa. This led to the arrest of more than five hundred Shilla Cult boys and a reasonable number of kidnappers. Above all, with the efforts of Fintiri led-administration, more than eleven victims of kidnapping who are members of Tabital Pulaku Njode Jam Foundation have regained their freedom among other victims of the menace of kidnapping. The problem of kidnapping and cattle rustling in the state have been reduced to the barest minimum. The coming of Governor Fintiri has ended the farmer harder clashes which has been the cause of concern to the people of Adamawa during the tenure of the last regime. Today, snatching of phones by Shilla boys has become a thing of the past. Adamawa people now sleep with their two eyes closed.
2. Local Government: Governor Fintiri has revived the local government administration in Adamawa by granting full autonomy to the local councils. Today, these local councils manage their resources in accordance with people's expectations. He has taken back to the council areas, the payment of salary to their workers against the backdrop of the old system of the immediate past administration. To ensure prudence and proper management of these resources, he constituted local government transition committees which came on board after the amendment of the local government administration law 2004 as amended by the state Assembly. The Governor immediately directed the conduct of local government elections to produce elected representatives as enshrined in the constitution of Nigeria which is coming up in November this year. Campaigns have already started in earnest in that regard.
3. Education: We fulfilled our campaign promise in the education sector. Governor Fintiri reintroduced feeding of our students in the public secondary schools in which the policy was started with the pilot scheme project in nine schools to be extended to all other boarding schools across Adamawa by September this year. He has also approved implementation of free and compulsory education from primary to secondary schools from September this year. A directive has also been given by the Governor for payment of matching grant to the Universal Basic Education Commission to access over eight billon naira UBE stimulus to Adamawa. Governor Fintiri revoked and reclaimed all illegal allocation of plots of land both in our schools and outside to individuals by the immediate past administration. He also set up a target of rehabilitation of five thousand classrooms in the state among other achievements.
4. Civil Service: This is an area of our top priority. At the first instant, we paid April and May salary to civil servants at the state and local government levels. we have also stabilised payment of salaries without taking overdraft from the bank which used to be the order of the day. We fulfilled our campaign promise of payment of salary on or before the twenty fifth of a month. We approved the building of two thousand housing units for our civil servants in the next one year. We instilled into our civil servants hope, discipline, hard work, transparency and accountability in the service and revoked all illegal deductions in the salary of our civil servants. As demonstration of his zero tolerance for corruption, Governor Fintiri approved the implementation of treasury single account to block all financial leakages and looting of public funds.
5. Unity: Adamawa people are now more united than before, considering how the Governor is running an all inclusive governance. Every religion, ethnic and other groups filled an inclusiveness in the Fintiri led-administration. Politicians are also well taken care of. The Governor is respectful to all well meaning stakeholders in Adamawa regardless of any affiliation. The fresh air will continue to blow, keep hope with Fintiri administration things will change for the better so that Adamawa will work again.