Hello my fellow Katsinawa it is Friday once again and I am here with my plate full that I do not know which menu to serve! Is it Economics, Agriculture, Security, Infrastructure, Social Re-Orientation, Women Empowerment, Water, Youth Development, Health or Sports? The table is full but I will choose just one menu for today! Economics is my topic! reason being that, since I chose Education last week, I have been inundated with questions, comments and advices all bordering on budgeting, financial and fiscal responsibility and revenue generation. Choosing this topic this several time I hope will give a gleam into my economic policies. My economic vision for Katsina is divided into two; Micro and Macro. The Micro are those policies that, as a matter of routine policy could be executed off the cuff with much or little legislative ado, while the Macro are those policies that require indepth policy formulation and extensive investment that will take the first two years of my adminsitration. This will involve reducing globalisation to our communal rebirth. For the sake of this discourse, I will choose the micro economic aspect and discuss the later, God willing next week. I have said it, in my little experience round the world, Nigeria is probably the only country that I know on earth where monies, not worked for are being shared every month! This I have said and will repeat here that it is a lazy economics that spur no development. Monies that we do not generate and work for, have the tendency to make us lazy, visionless and corrupt. What we are suffering in Katsina is that such money is not only making us neglect those aspects that reduce our dependence but is making us so confused as to our priorities. At the end of the day we may think we are moving while in real sense we are motionlessly transfixed in the same place! No wonder we celebrate mundane things that we should have for long outgrown! Building to earn 10%! That is why poverty is so endemic in the state to the extent that we are rated as No. 2 on the country poverty index. This, I believe is not for lack of means but for lack of will to do the right thing. For the period that I will rule Katsina inshaa Allah, much as I hate relying on federation account, it will be my most dominant source within the first three years. This I will utilise optimally to make sure that I lift the state up by being innovative, creative and selfless. As a first step, I will make sure that every 3 months I will address Katsina people to give them the breakdown of all monies received, how it was utilised, what we have accomplished from our promise index and what is left. This I will sustain throughout the period of my administration inshaa Allah to enable me build the necessary trust and the requisite buy-in from my fellow country men and women. I alone cannot do it and will require the assistance of all to move the state forward. Secondly, like I earlier said, Katsina state is a salary state. Nothing moves in the state without salary. Our markets are only functional when salaries are paid and dead when salaries are not paid. I have in consideration of this, decided that, four weeks is too long a period to get money or to allow money circulate in the state. I will therefore ensure the prorating of salaries at 50% every two weeks and paid to my employees all across the state. This I hope will ensure that there is certainty of constancy of money in the hands of people and will in effect reduce the burden of debts that government workers are forced to live with. This I believe will have a splinter effect on other areas of life. I will ensure that entitlements are paid, bonuses enjoyed during festivities and incentives initiated to reward dedication and hardwork. I will fight redundancy in our local government adminsitarations by throwing a severance package that entitles anybody from 1-10 years to a full gratuity and one full year salary bonus if he or she voluntarily chooses to severe his service. That way I will reduce redundant hands, have a focused administration and in effect empowered generation of young entrepreneurs. This will allow me the room to employ capable hands to reduce unemployment and service our ageing civil service. I will establish a Bank for Urban and Rural development to support small and medium enterprises and advance a loan of N1billion each to our traders associations in the 3 senatorial zones. The first to return its advance will be rewarded with another loan of N2 bilion to further trade and other commercial activities in the state. I will dedicate N10 million for each local government every month to empower 600 widows and indigent women for the period of my administration. I will be very frugal and ensure that excessive costs of running government is reduced and bogus and dubious sub heads, like security vote are abolished. I will ensure judicial application of funds to areas it is intended and follow it up with personal supervision to ensure that it reaches the intended target. I will devolve power to the local governments to ensure that they function well and each Ministry will be responsible for the management of its funds. I will above all, in conjunction with the State Assembly exploit necessary provisions of penal code to create State Anti Corruption body with the legal power to investigate, arrest and prosecute in a swift manner public office holders guilty of abusing their offices. Finally I will waive my immunity against prosecution for any criminal act that borders on abuse of office. This I hope will help us move while it is your support that will make it count! Thank you!!
Posted on: Sat, 07 Sep 2013 01:27:55 +0000
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