WHY THE ODDS ARE IN MY FAVOUR - DR, MUHAMMAD ALI PATE Daily trust news paper: Inside politics Published on Thursday, 13 November 2014 05:01 Written by Ruby Leo Hits: 1114 WHY ARE YOU ASPIRING TO BE GOVERNOR ? When you look at the situation in our country, especially North East, there is need for us to expedite action towards the development of the zone. Coming down to Bauchi State where I come from, we as stakeholders in the state must look at the trajectory of the state not just with 2015 in mind. We have to look at important issues like education healthcare, infrastructure renewal, youth and women empowerment. Those of us who can contribute to the development of the state should present ourselves for the people to choose from. For me, after lot ofconsultations, I sensed that there is a lot of appetite for the developmental ideas I have been proffering for Bauchi State, post 2015 to build on the achievements of Governor Isa Yuguda and his predecessor Mallam Adamu M’uazu. Since the return of democracy, Bauchi has had administrators that have moved the state forward in terms of development. But for us coming behind, we have the responsibility to build on what past governors have been able to do in order to take the state higher. WILL BUILDING ON WHAT YOUR PREDECESSORS HAVE DONE BE YOUR FOCUS IN GOVERNMENT ? We intend to build on what past governors have done nevertheless, our candidacy offers a new deal to the people of Bauchi. Like I just said, we will be concentrating on human capital development. Our interventions in the area of human capital development will be mainly about giving youth and women the right skills to bring them out of the labour market. Job creation is very important to us. Youths need vocational and technical skills more than ever. So they will go beyond acquiring certificates from higher institutions to being put through training for skills which they can use to start small businesses or be easily employable in medium scale companies. We will equally be adding to the infrastructure we have inherited. For example, Governor Yuguda built an airport, so ours is to add to the airport by making our state a transportation hub. We can also use the airport to boost the agric sector by exporting goods outside the state. We are thinking of job creation using the agricultural sector because there are many opportunities for youths in agric value chain. I do believe that with the upgrade of interventions in irrigation, like underground water, we can further boost the agric sector in our state. With a scientific approach and the natural endowment of our state, we can have a year round agriculture and not seasonal agriculture. Another area we can build on is tourism. We have one of the biggest game reserves in the country. Like you know, Governor Yuguda saw to the total repackaging of the Yankari Games Reserve. But it is being underutilized. So we can create avenues whereby this asset that we have becomes more feasible and contribute to the income of the state. In other words, what we have to offer is focused leadership. BUT WHY PDP ? The people of Bauchi have a much more advanced knowledge of politics. They understand that it boils down to what the individual can offer. If you ask me, I will say that the PDP has managed to offer good governorship candidates to our state. The people have a choice and they will pick the individual that is more likely to keep to his promises especially with regard to development. Like I mentioned earlier, from our interactions, the people are interested in our ideas on development which is basically about improving the quality of life in the state. DO YOU CONSIDER YOUR BEING A NEWCOMER IN POLITICS AS AN ADVANTAGE ? If you go back to 1999, you will see that most of those who emerged as leaders were not full time politicians. Most of them were professionals in their chosen fields. Yes, some people come from the political space, but if you take someone like our current governor, he had made a name in the world of banking before he came into politics and he has done well in public service. I can do same. In my case, I believe that my track record in public office is not lost on the people. I have shown that I can harness the human and capital resources of the state to further make life more meaningful for the people. My ideas on development tallies with the aspirations of even the grassroots politicians, so even if I am contesting for public office for the first time, the grassroots can relate with me. And I am sure that with someone like me who you described as a technocrat in politics and the career politicians, we can build a state that is safe to live, work and visit. We want to build a Bauchi State that will play an integral role in Nigeria’s push for greatness. But to make this happen, the politicians, business people and technocrats must work together. QUITE A NUMBER ARE RUNNING FOR THE BAUCHI GOVERNORSHIP. HOW DO YOU RATE YOUR CHANCES? Our chances are great. We have been to the nooks and crannies of the state and there is a great appetite for what we are offering. It is normal in politics for there to be many people with aspirations. But what you think is going to be an advantage to an aspirant might not be advantageous after all. For instance, some might say there are politicians that have accumulated enormous wealth which they can use to run for office. But these days, people are beginning to ask questions especially in Bauchi State. People are beginning to ask why someone would have money to engage in an election but couldn’t create businesses where youths would have been employed. Some might have been in politics for a long time, but this comes with disadvantages too. And more than ever Bauchi people are keen on new ideas and we certainly have shown that we have fresh ideas on development. YOU ARE REGARDED AS THE CHOICE OF THE GOVERNOR. IS MALLAM YUGUDA YOUR GODFATHER? Some people might say that I represent an old order in the state. But we won’t just rely on this because if you have studied Bauchi politics well, you would have noticed that things like “chosen or anointed one” doesn’t work. In this current dispensation, I believe that the national and state PDP will ensure that all aspirants have a level playing field. We are all equal in the eyes of the party and so we expect to be given a level playing field. That is the only way to ensure that we produce a candidate that will retain the state for the PDP. For me, I trust that we are offering what the people are very much interested in. At this moment I can be considered as one of the strong aspirants. On the issue of godfather, Bauchi State under Governor Yuguda has gone beyond that point. We are now in the era of meritocracy. The party faithful and the people are interested in how qualified an aspirant is. They want to know the individual’s track record and I believe that ultimately the people will choose the person they think can move the state forward. WHERE DO YOU SEE BAUCHI GOING IN THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE ? Well, the administration led by President Goodluck Jonathan has carried out a number of policies which have moved the country forward. I believe that Bauchi people are aware of these policies and they will choose wisely come 2015. IF ELECTED , HOW DO YOU INTEND TO HANDLE THE INSECURITY IN YOUR STATE? I believe that shared prosperity is the foundation to a peaceful and secure state. If a few are prosperous and the majority wallow in poverty, there is the tendency for some of the poor to get desperate. We have to work on job creation, quality education through which the youth can gain employment or create enterprises. Government has to ensure a level playing ground for the people to be able to aspire for a good life no matter where they are born. We want a state where any outstanding individual can aspire to be even a governor. Even in my case, I am an example of the equity I am talking about. My zone of the state has never produced a governor and in the name of equity, it would be good for us to be given a sense of belonging by picking the next governor from the zone.
Posted on: Thu, 13 Nov 2014 18:38:08 +0000
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