The Present Governor of Adamawa state, Rt Hon Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri is today three months and tens days in office,meaning he has succeeded to spend his Executive 100 days in office,attending and making official policies and statements in the interest of everyone in the state.
Ahmadu on his inaugural speech at the Mahmud Ribadu square on 29th May,2019 rekindle the hope of millions people in the state to come with an agenda of “HOPE RESTORED”
In his swearing in speech he declared that hope has been restored, and true change has come to the State. “Let us embrace, as I solemnly pledge to provide the leadership that is required to make this change work for the good of all.”
According to him his office will bring a change that will balance policy and politics; a change that will eschew might over right and treat all citizens as equals; a transformational change that will harness the vast human potentials of the people into attaining and enjoying the dividends of Democracy which have so far eluded them.
“Politics is over and the stage is now set for the extra ordinary job of making Adamawa State work again.I am conscious of the challenges and difficulties that lie ahead but someone once said that “the task ahead of us can never be greater than the power that lies within us”.”
Governor Ahmadu said he has a “watch” to:
1 Security of lives and prosperity shall be the primary responsibility of Government
2.The rights of citizens justice, equity, merit, competence and diligence shall prevail.
3. His dispensation shall habour no scared cows neither will we be bullied or intimidated by disgruntled elements seeking to derail the wheels of State craft.
4.His government shall be fair but firm, resolute but considerate.
5.His government shall never again the divide-and-rule policy of the inglorious past determine the deployment of public resources and services.
6.They shall improve the lot of Adamawa State workers and pensioners and free them from the fear of victimization.
7.The pangs of injustice and abuses; all the direct results of bad governance and wrong decisions.
8.He said What happened in 2014 was a child play and nothing compared to what will happen now.
9.Payment of salaries, pension and gratuity on time shall be routine as will be yearly increment and promotions.
10. We shall harness the strength and creative energies of the youth into a winning formula.
11.We will also work urgently on resuscitating the Health sector and break the jinxs of Educational excellence by investing in Teacher’s welfare.
12 We will revive Primary Health Care for children, empower our women and grant the easy access to effective medical services.
The 100 days spend leading the people of Adamawa state through economy generation, resources control of the people whose wealth and all it takes is being manage by the Man who is known to be Mr “Fresh Air”
By way of cross examining and a close look of the promises made by Governor Fintiri to hit ground running with many laudable project,his “hope restore” agenda seems to be on the way and the people are still expectant to have seen it in concrete term the agenda on capital projects,employment generation, revenue generation etc.
His three months and ten days in office to some people is good enough to be an eye opener and a pointer to good leadership to span for the next four years. To them 100 days in office is ample time to kick start or have a way of rising hope to the people or to see promise fulfilled work and policies is hitting the ground running on assuming to office. This is because Governor Fintiri is not new into the issues of governance, at some point in this country he became the most popular Speaker by staging an executable plan to impeach a sitting Governor. He had the experience of control as a Governor, this cannot be something new to him.
It is not a gain saying that the Governor has been prompt in the last three months by paying salaries to civil servants, paid gratuity of many and equally settled the unpaid salaries in arrears of thousands of civil servants, who for one obvious reasons or the order they were not been paid.
On security, he achieved a good by nipping the bud on the Yan Shila young miscreants terrorising communities of Yola North, Yola South and Girei town. But the war against them is seems to be not totally over as pockets of their activities is being witnessing on weekly basis. Armed banditry, kidnapping for ransom and herders’/farmers crisis is reduced to a sort of a level. This is one of the promised made by Governor Fintiri is gradually becoming fulfilled. Congratulations Governor Sir.
But suffice it to say that critics of Governor Ahmadu are of the view that paying Salaries of what soever sort is never an achievement, it is never a pride of doing the most needful in a state that is battling with wide range of social,economic,security issues. Salaries of civil servants by law became a mandatory duty by political leaders to pay civil servants,and it is not only salaries but to pay all entitlements attach to their pay slip as at when due. It’s being portrays to say that the money is theirs and and for whatsoever reasons they can’t be denied of their rights.
He promised to resuscitate Health sector and break the jinx on education. This promise made on the 29th May,one will only be reminded of another promised made recently to pay NECO and WEAC examination fees of the students of secondary schools in the state. Views of people are saying that there are not tangible approach to resuscitate the delipidated nature of the physical infrastructure of the many hospital and schools in the state.
Fintiri who is widely know and Nick named Mr ATM and Fresh air to symbolise his agenda of wealth creation,well fare Governor by providing and meeting the needs of civil servants and political class that brought him to power. But the last 100 days of the ATM Governor in office to other critics are days with many “polluted air” contrary to the earlier promises made to them.
The many brunts of his 100 days in office which he marked in far away Kogi state as the chairman of the state PDP Governorship primary, is his inability to managed well what they tagged”last minute employment” done by Governor Muhammed Jibrilla Bindow. The decision by the government of Fintiri to screen thousands of workers in the basis of due process was not followed left over 10,000 civil servants receiving the brunts of the ATM Governor to not have been paying their salaries for the past five months. Many wondered why the principles of continuity in governance where it normally inherit liabilities and assets is not being observed in this administration? To them,the singular act in this regard is making Ahmadu’s government illogical to have a bad 100 days in office. The argument put by many that the people employed by the past APC administration under Bindo are also indigenes of Adamawa state, having equal status to receive even distribution of state’s own resources.
Under the suppose atmosphere of fresh air where many workers are anticipating the implementation of 33,000 minimum wage in the last 100 days has turned to be a mirage of story of the gods. Their hopes is still in the hub of hopes as States like Kaduna,Rivers and Imo received affirmed assurances by their Governors to start enjoying theirs soon.
Fintiri the ATM Governor as is popularly called was massively voted into power by More than half of the state’s civil servants on ground to be a Governor for the people from the grass roots. This is because he prove reliable when a window opportunity of impeachment knocked the doors of former Governor Nyako in 2014, Fintiri stepped in from speakership to hold brief for three months. In his wisdom, he paid two months outstanding Salaries arrears to all civil servants. To them it is business as usual, while to Fintiri “it is not business as usual.” This possible he learned the lessons of leadership in another different way to approach the issues of governance in a most ideal way and objectives.
Another brunt receiving by both the political class and the generality of Adamawa people is lack of forming his cabinet in the last three months and ten days he served as a Governor. The state is having about 25 ministries a side hundreds of political appointments deem fit for Governor Fintiri to have,at the moment the government has kick started with only four executives (Governor,Deputy Governor, and the SSG). After a month,an attorney general commissioner was appointed to Mann the affairs of ministry of Justice. The decision was immediately counter and challenged by the opposition party,asserted that it’s because of the ongoing Tribunal case filed against the PDP government that made them to do that appointment.
The argument coming from difference angles of opinions is that the commissioners and political appointees will serve as succour to many in terms of contracts and the revolving funds to run the ministries or offices. This is making people into excruciating various degrees of psychological pains
There are also under tune grievances, intrigues of interest of many faction in PDP his party it’s rising its ugly heads against him. It seems all is not well and not comfortable with the Atiku’s camp of PDP in the state, from the initial appointment of SSG to date he took many by surprise to came up with his kind of people to work with.
The coming LGA elections scheduled by the Fintiri’s government is likely to divide the party, the in House disagreement of how the election should go is bringing fracas. The PDP party denied people forms to contest the election, and some were screened out on baseless reason as opined by the Senator representing Adamawa North, Mr Cliff Elisha Abbo.
Abbo is accusing a committee set up by the Governor under the chairmanship of Kwaomati Maori to corner the election to their own PDP click at the detriment of some stakeholders of the party.
The expectations of most Adamawa people is dashed off to surprises as the zealous campaigns put by Fintiri before the election was a cube a sugar in their lips to start work in earnest. The emphasis was to develop Adamawa by hitting the ground running in all facet of life. The expectations is that by now at least many or few contracts would have been awarded to prove a point that the 100 days in office is focus to fulfill all campaigns promises.
Well it is just 100 days he still have a left over of over 1,500 days to convince Adamawa people for his reselection mandate to be possible without much Hick ups.
I’m sure,the Man Fintiri is scheming,tip toeing learning the wisdom to govern well.
This a journey of all hope is not lost if the election tribunal and appeal case favours him.
