Governor Idris Wada
To be a
leader does not only entail assuming a position of authority and power.
It is about having the capacity to translate vision into reality.
The Man
His Excellency, Capt. Idris Ichalla Wada is one of such rare visionary
leaders of our time. Capt. Wada was sworn in as the Governor of Kogi
State on January 27th, 2012. On assumption of office, Capt. Wada came
with a clear vision of “leading by example, by subjecting ourselves to
the highest ideals of good governance, which are hard work, integrity,
discipline, transparency and accountability as our watch word”.
His vast experience as a widely travelled international pilot and
exposure to public administration enabled him to understand that
continuity in governance ensures sustainable development and discourages
dubious inflation in government procurement and contracts. Governor
Wada, like other development-conscious world leaders, adopted the
continuity principle as the focal point of his administration in the
last three years.
The Vision
This is the vision statement
that clearly defined the direction and has remained the guiding
principle of the administration. So far, the Governor has left no one in
doubt that he is truly a leader driven by the passion to serve his
people. Well known for his prudence in resource management and knack for
fiscal discipline, he wasted no time in plugging revenue leakages and
curtailing financial recklessness despite financial constraints in the
state.
Determined to rewrite the history of Kogi State, Governor
Idris Wada adopted four cardinal development priorities as a platform
for achieving good governance.
These priorities were geared
towards improving Education, Agriculture, Health and Social
Infrastructure and human capital development.
The Governor set
out by raising a think-thank comprising illustrious sons and daughters
of the state to prepare a development blueprint, which served as the
road map for development by the government.
A Legacy of Good Governance
Undaunted by the several months of election-related litigation, the
2012 flood and insecurity challenges the administration faced, Governor
Wada has left no stone unturned in his effort to bequeath Kogi State
with a legacy of good governance. An appraisal of Wada's administration
till date shows that there are sufficient signals to suggest that the
administration has made progress in laying the foundation for a new Kogi
State. Kogi has been made a bride for investors, while it has also
witnessed an unprecedented improvement in infrastructural development.
The State like never before, according to observers, is on a threshold
of a new beginning. Putting behind it the past of under development and
putting on the new garb of a fast growing economy through a massive
turnaround in social infrastructures.
Investment in Agriculture and Industry
Indeed, Kogi has in a short time undergone an agricultural and
industrial transformation, made possible by the influx of foreign
investors to stimulate the state's economy as a result of which Kogi now
plays the role of a catalyst, culminating in the signing of about 20
Memoranda of Understanding which have led to investments running into
several billions of naira.
The attraction of foreign partners
into the state's economy is anchored on the political will of Capt. Wada
and the creation of an enabling environment for businesses to thrive in
the state. Kogi State government has attracted investment benefit of $700 million from a US-based investment group, Anointed Holdings.
Towards ensuring the development of the state's
agriculture and industrial sector, the Wada led administration, has
entered into agreement with willing investors, to form Joint Ventures
and later as Build, Operate and Transfer with an enabling legislation to
allow for Public Private Partnership already in existence.
Kogi Trains 4,000 Women, Youths on Cassava Processing
With
the future of the nation depending on agricultural production, the
state’s massive investment in agriculture especially in Sugar through
the establishment of a 50 hectares cane sugar seed nursery, is believed
to be geared towards enabling the planting of 1000 hectare of sugar cane
in about a year, an investment anchored by BUA Sugar, Dangote Sugar and
UniCem Sugar companies. The trio, planning to set up sugar plantation
and refining facilities in the state, it is hoped, would help form the
bulwark for the realization of the National Sugar Master Plan (NSMP).
The administration has placed the State as number one in Cassava and
Rice production. It has through agriculture created 4,500 jobs for
youths and over 3,500 fishermen/fish farmers in the State. Already,
through collaboration, a rice and cassava staple crop processing zone
has been established in the State.
Infrastructural Development
The MoU with Favic Constructions Company for a transport terminal seeks
to exploit the immense location of economic advantage of Kogi State as a
transportation hub. On the average, vehicles from 22 States pass
through the Capital daily.
The bus terminal will have enough
space to accommodate 40 Luxury Buses, 200 Interstate Buses, over 100
taxis and will have 60 Lock up Shops, Offices, Clinic, Police Station,
Maintenance Workshop, ample parking spaces for the public, landscaping
and restaurants.
The facility will also have an International hotel, a Bank, Open Court Restaurants, and Restrooms.
Towards providing mass housing scheme, the state entered into a
partnership with Light House Financial Services Limited to build 1500
houses of various categories for it citizens. The scheme would be
located majorly in Lokoja while other towns would benefit in phases.
Realizing the importance of power in driving socio-economic development
in any society, the state government signed an MoU with Good Earth
Power Nig. Ltd and Astra Coal Nig. Ltd. The companies aside investing in
housing, agriculture, infrastructure and power plants, would utilize
the abundant coal deposits in the State to generate the much needed
electricity for the Country.
The importance of the provision of
good road network in the socio- economic development of any society
cannot be over emphasized. It is in line with this policy that the
present
administration since inception has given road construction and
rehabilitation in both urban and rural areas the deserved attention.
Each of the three senatorial zones of the state have benefited from the integrated road projects of the Wada administration.
Almost all township roads in the 21 LGAs are undergoing reconstruction
with 1500km of township and rural roads involved. Presently, the major
arterial road that passes through Lokoja, the State Capital is being
dualized. Similarly, the construction of Otokiti-Ganaja Road Bye-pass is
on-going and has opened up a new town in Lokoja.
Education
His Excellency's impact is not only in infrastructural development but
also in the fields of education sector which is considered the
cornerstone of sustainable and balanced development.
The Wada
administration has not only renovated primary and secondary school
buildings but has consistently paid WAEC Examination fees for final year
students across the state, ensured the accreditation of courses at the
State Polytechnic, State University and all its Colleges of Education
and School of Nursing and Midwifery, Obangede.
The
administration has built hostels in tertiary institutions in the state,
with the state not only giving Kogi State University over N500 Million
funding support in the last two years but has built male and female
hostels in the school.
The government has also resolved all
outstanding labour issues affecting the university. Furthermore, three
new ultra modern hostel blocks have been built at the main campus of
Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja.
Capt Wada while commissioning the
hostel blocks reassured that the State government will continue to
provide a conducive atmosphere for learning for the students in all
state-owned institutions, saying that it is only in a conducive
environment that can produce good leadership Tomorrow .
Transportation
The Wada administration has also stamped its feet in the transport sector.
It has been established worldwide that transportation is the conveyor
belt of any nation’s economy and the driving force of social
interactions. Nigerians and in particular, the citizens of Kogi State no
doubt depend on transportation to reach or meet their needs for daily
existence.
The transportation system also serves as an adjunct of
the culture and tourism development. It is in view of its importance of
transportation that Kogi State Government evolved policies to regulate
the sector and where necessary intervene to ease the movement of the
people .
The recent intervention of the administration of Capt
Idris Wada aimed at solving the hardship of commuters, necessitated
Government’s purchase of twelve units of 32– seater buses, with each
having a standing provision for 20 passengers as another landmark of the
administration.
It would be recalled that the collapse of the
Kogi State Transport Company, until the coming of Capt. Idris Wada,
caused a lot of hardship on the socio - economic life of the people.
Tourism and Information
Other sectors like information and tourism have also received the adequate attention.
In the area of tourism, there is an on-going remodeling and
reconstruction of Kogi Hotels, erection of tourist gate on Mount Patti,
renovation and rebuilding of Lugard's residence on Mount Patti in
Lokoja as well as the hosting of the yearly Confluence Carnival. Due
attention has also been given to the sports and information sector.
Plans are already in place to complete the establishment of the state
owned TV station. All booster stations of the Kogi State Broadcasting
Corporation in Otite, Egbe and Ochaja have been resuscitated and are now
fully operational while head office of Confluence Radio has been renovated.
Apart from constructing the administrative building of the state
printing press, the government has also procured new machines for the
printing press.
Health, Water and Sanitation
The present
administration has undertaken the construction and resuscitation of over
32 water schemes in different parts of the State as well as drilling of
82 motorized and solar powered bore holes.
The administration has
also embarked on the recruitment and training of Engineers, Technicians
and Hydrologists to understudy the expatriate Engineers currently
managing the Greater Lokoja Water Project.
In its determination to
positively affect and transform the rural areas, Capt Idris Wada’s
administration has spent over 1 billion Naira in providing motorized
boreholes, construction of Primary Health Clinic, classrooms, purchase
of Ambulances and water projects as well as feeder roads across the 21
Local Government Areas.
With so much investment in the health
sector, the administration has provided and upgraded new and existing
healthcare facilities across the State.
By
Michael Emiabata
Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced a national day of mourning on Sunday and the country's top investigative body, the Investigative Committee, is looking into the incidenAirbus said the plane was produced in 1997 and had accumulated some 56,000 flight hours in nearly 21,000 flights.
