2015: Sule Lamido and Obasanjo’s hypothesis Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, comes across to different people as a comedian, dictator, brash, straightforward or a do-or-die politician. That depends on where you stand. While not a popular man by the standard of Nigerians, Obasanjo is by no means a man who would be said of being afraid of decisions. He would rather take the wrong one. But when he recently said that he imposed the Governor of Jigawa State, Dr. Sule Lamido on the people of the state and the gamble has paid out good dividends, not many, who have not been to Jigawa or interacted with Lamido, would believe Obasanjo. Rather, the criticisms that trailed Obasanjo’s comment at the recent Jigawa State Economic, Political and Investment Forum had to do more with the electoral process. Did Obasanjo vote in Jigawa or the people there voted for Lamido, many are wont to ask. But for those who know the history of the state and the history of the former Governor of the state, Senator Saminu Turaki, a positive confirmation of Obasanjo’s position is not difficult. It is based on the strides of Lamido in the state, since he took over the mantle of leadership of the 22 year old state in 2007. GEOFFREYEKENNA, who returned from Jigawa recently, reports on deveopments in the state In Governor Sule Lamido, a long standing politician and his then Minister of Foreign Affairs, former President Olusegun Obasanjo found a mass-oriented politician of the late Mallam Aminu Kano bent. Quite unassuming, and deep-seated in political thinking, Lamido has taken the Talakawa(masses) politics of Aminu Kano from the level of theory to that of practice. A recent visit to Jigawa confirmed the fact that “imposing” Lamido was a good gamble for Obasanjo. In all areas that affect the lives of the people of the state, Lamido has strived to leave a visible legacy and quite prudently too. One clear positive example of the Lamido gamble is in the area of development of the state, which has a large chunk of it in the Sahara Desert. The Arawa- Guri road, otherwise known as the Eastern by-pass stands out quite clearly. A 104km road, the road is being constructed at an extremely moderate rate of N11b. It traverses about 15 communities in the Hadeija Emirate. The communities include Kabayau, Masama, Gafta, Baturiya, Una, Yalwa, Muisari, Chacharan, Abunabo, Chapchapno, Lafiyari, Kadira, Arinjasko, Matara, Abir before busting out at Guri. For the uninitiated, the beauty of the project is not just in the cost alone but in the fact that the laterite used for the road is brought in from the neighbouring Kano State by the construction firm handling the project, CGC Construction Company. In a society where road construction remains a mega-billion project for some governors, it remains a surprise how he is managing the construction
Posted on: Fri, 07 Jun 2013 03:42:46 +0000
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