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When in December last year Governor Muhammadu Umar Jibrilla Bindow, while signing into law the 2018 Budget of N177.9 billion at a ceremony in Government House, Yola, Adamawa State, said his administration would give priority attention to empowerment in 2018, many may have taken it as mere political statement, particularly for a governor who is aspiring to re-contest in 2019.
It appears that the dream is coming to reality and the government committed to doing just what it promised; some observers have said.
Bindow had noted that majority of the indigenes of the state were living in abject poverty. He stated also that the huge budget of N117billion was mainly to reduce hunger and poverty.
He particularly targeted food infrastructure, as an empowerment programme which he said was going to be used as means of poverty alleviation.
To make good his promise, Bindow released the sum of N500million for the empowerment project; about N20 million to each of the 25 state lawmakers for constituency projects.
Indigenes of the state are being encouraged through the means of this empowerment programme to engage in petty trading that will serve as a source of reliance which they can use for their personal development.
Some were given financial assistance for startup businesses.
Today, observers say that it has been a healthy competition in Adamawa members of the State House of Assembly try to outdo one another in delivering the democracy dividends to their constituents.
The member representing Mubi South Constituency in the House was quoted as saying that his constituency share has gone to empowerment/stomach infrastructure in tune with the state government focus this time around.
The lawmaker further said that he gave out N10,000 each to 3,000 members of his constituency to start up petty businesses and that he also paid NECO fee for 170 students while 404 students received N5,000 each as bursary in addition to buying chalk and books for some schools in his constituency.
The state government, in the new spirit of empowerment, has also determined that there would be prompt payment of salaries.
“Payment of salary is highly important to individuals as without it life tends to be uneasy. Individuals need salaries and their wages to pay for their day to day expenses, therefore, if their salary is delayed, it can lead to anti-social behaviours in society,” an analyst who preferred to be anonymous said.
“Governor Bindow is empowering the indigenes through payment of salaries owed by the past administration which was headed by Murtala Nyako,” the observer further said.
Bindow is committed to transformation, particularly at the grassroots level; his empowerment plan for Adamawa State does not exclude the grassroots, but as a matter of fact, has more to do with those at that level. Since democracy is government of the people, by the people and for the people, the people need to enjoy the benefit of having good leadership that will not take their poverty and suffering for granted and squander public funds,” another pundit said.
Governor Bindow was also quoted as saying that his administration was committed to boosting the state internally-generated revenue (IGR) and had so far jacked it up by over 100percent.
“We have legislators who are serious, and this administration is ready to work with them to transform the state,” the governor said.
Lanatu Joy Shelton
