Your Excellency, i am very sure that the 2016 Leadership Governor of the year award Conferred on you, in line with the Leadership Newspaper’s annual tradition of celebrating individuals and organisations that have distinguished themselves in their various fields of endeavour and made outstanding contributions to Nigeria and the world in the course of the year, is a well-deserved award.
Truthfully, the Leadership newspaper award selection board has not erred in its choice of a performing Governor like you. This award coming from a credible and reputable newspaper like the Leadership, is indeed a great honor to you, the government as well as good people of Adamawa state. This is one other award worth felicitating with you on.Congratulations your Excellency.
There is a common saying among my lunguda people that the hands that lifts the thatched roof, are also lifted in the process. True to this saying, the Leadership newspaper by conferring this well-deserved award on you, has also earned for itself a place of honor in the hearts of all well-meaning people of Adamawa State and indeed Nigeria. Yes, for two weeks running, every media in Adamawa state: print, electronic; radio, television or even the social media have all focused attention on the Leadership newspaper. Even discussions in places of public gatherings had the name of Leadership newspaper running all through.
It is no exaggeration to say that Leadership newspaper is the most mentioned national newspaper in Adamawa state since the day you got nominated for this award. Indeed, as their award has lifted you, your popularity and love among your people has lifted the newspaper too. I am sure that Leadership Newspaper will witness increased readership from this day. There is no need mentioning the obvious relationship between readership increase and northwards tilt on revenue generation in any newspaper enterprise. Congratulations Leadership Newspaper.
Your Excellency, on the night of Friday, 17th March 2017 at the International Conference center in Abuja, prominent Adamawa people, Nigerians as well as the International community graced the occasion of your conferment with the prestigious award of 2016 Leadership Governor of the year. It gladdens our heart that the entire crowd gave a standing ovation to a man we saddled with the responsibility of being our Governor. The ovation has also confirmed to us, the good people of Adamawa state, that our choice of your Excellency as Governor has not only satisfied our local need for performance in government, but that the quality of performance is outstanding and meets the demands for national and international recognition. You have made us proud
This award conferred on you is a true reflection of your outstanding contribution to the development of Adamawa state. This is a fact. You have indeed distinguished yourself in the area of governance in Adamawa state thereby creating a template that is worthy of emulation by other Governors in Nigeria. There is no better choice than you.
Your Excellency, every parameter of measurement of infrastructural development will confirm that you have more than significantly transformed Adamawa state from a state of cripped infrastructure and decimal development to one with the fastest growing socio-economic infrastructure. It is on the record that you inherited a state under a state of emergency with parts of it under occupation by insurgents. It is also on record that you became Governor when the Northern fringes of the state was a no-go area. You inherited not only financial liabilities, but human liabilities in IDP camps scattered across the state capital and environs. How under such a difficult state of affairs and at a period of economic recession you managed to achieve such great feat that others failed to achieve in a period of relative peace and economic boom, is outstanding and distinguishing. You have qualified and personified the CHANGE mantra of your political party, the All Progressives Congress (APC). You have demonstrated an uncommon patriotism, strong will as well as commitment to the development of Adamawa state. You are indeed on a mission to CHANGE Adamawa state.
Your Excellency, one cannot list even half of your achievements in a felicitation message that is supposed to be as brief as possible, so i will not even venture into that. I lost my count of the roads you have constructed since it was at 106 roads in just hundred days in office. After that outstanding achievement, you widened the scope of road construction from Yola North, Yola South, Mubi North, Mubi South and Girei, to Kiri-Shelleng roads, Numan, Guyuk, Ganye and later to all the local government areas of the state, so i have since then, left the counting to those saddled with that responsibility. My primary responsibility as an ordinary citizen of Adamawa state and at this time of the political calendar is to pay my tax (which i always do), support you(which I’m doing through this message) as well as pray for you to succeed. I won’t bother myself mentioning the hospitals renovated too, not even the schools and the court complex.
There is a long list of achievements that will surely congest this almost congested felicitation message (honestly speaking), so i leave that task to Hon. Sajo, Mr Mathias and Martins Dickson who as it is, are already doing it better and more professional.
However, there are few achievements that touch my heart and should also be of priority concern to any Nigerian who cares to know how Adamawa state under your stewardship has responded to the plight of Internally Displaced Person’s (IDP’s). This I’m sure is what even the International community will care to know. Even in this my narrowed priority concern, I still cannot mention enough. I will therefore restrict myself to the ones I witnessed from the sidelines.
Your Excellency, there is no doubt that the IDP’s and their camps in Adamawa have received your attention both during and off working days. Apart from unscheduled visits, private visits as well as the delegation of other functionaries of your government, you have used occasions like the Sallah to celebrate with the IDP’s and in their camps. Even the physically challenged persons in the state have had that love and care robbed on them by your Excellency. Your prompt attention to needs in the camp attest to the all-encompassing nature of your government. A philosopher once said that the test of morality of any people is in the way they treat their vulnerable groups. If that is true, Your Excellency, your government is built on a sound moral foundation.
Your Excellency, I have much to list in my synoptic account on this felicitation message, but this is not the time for such, so i must conclude here, by adding my voice and through this medium to the voices of million others who through different mediums are felicitating with you and indeed the good people of Adamawa state on this well-deserved award.
I am sure, your late father, Alhaji Jibrilla of blessed memory must be smiling also at this great honor you have brought to his name, family and the State. May Allah continue to grant his soul rest in Aljanah Firdausi.
Congratulations Governor Umaru Jibrilla Bindow, 2016 Leadership Governor of the year. I am proud of having you as Governor of my dear state. Allah bamti daraja mako. Yalakadai n’gumna. May your shadow never be less. Esto perpetua.
Nelson Tiddawa an author and opinionatic writer wrote from Yola,Adamawa State.
