A frontline contender for Adamawa North Senatorial District, Alhaji Abubakar Kari Abdullah, says his ambition is informed by the genuine need to serve his people, writes Daji Sani Alhaji Abubakar Kari Abdullahi is one of the leading aspirants for Adamawa North senatorial election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). While declaring his intention for the seat, he said the district was begging for development despite the fact that it has all it takes to be developed in every sphere of system. Addressing his supporters drawn from the five local government areas of the district, namely Michika, Madagali, Mahia, Mubi South and Mubi North, Abdulahi noted that his ambition was informed by the dire need of full representation of the areas at the upper chamber of the National Assembly. He said the district has been agonised by the activities of the dreaded Boko Haram sect because of its proximity to Borno State which is the stronghold of the sect, and as a result, the district requires a man of his caliber to revamp the debris occasioned by the activities of the insurgents. He argued that purposeful leadership is the panacea to achieving greatness in the district and was confident that he would invoke his expertise to making sure that the lost glory of the area is revamped. Some elders in the area who spoke to THISDAY were of the views that Abdullahi has been the backbone of the areas while still in the federal civil service, adding that there is record to prove that a sizable number of youths and women have enjoyed his kindness and secured permanent employment at the local government, state and in the federal ministries, department and agencies. He was said to have also dug boreholes to provide clean and potable water for his people from his meager salary. Mallam Adamu Musa, one of the elders in the area said what necessitated the choice of Abdulahi was because of the role he has played as a unifying factor among the people living in the area, despite their religious, political and social affiliations. He said now that he was retired from civil service as a director in one of the federal ministries, it was imperative to support a man of his caliber to become a senator in order to influence all aspects of developments. Musa said because of Abdullahi’s many giant strides in the district, he has been honoured with a chieftaincy titled as the “Sardauna Michika”, adding that the title was meant to encourage other illustrious sons and daughters of the district to emulate his good virtues. Abdulahi further maintained that he arrived at contesting for the senatorial seat for the purpose of enhancing collective development of the senatorial district. He explained that the district is agriculturally and industrially viable, having all it takes to be economically buoyant, but noted that such buoyancy and vibrancy are eluding the district following the absence of federal presence because of poor representation at the National Assembly. He observed that untapped economic potential abound in the district and therefore pledged to ensure full representation of the people of the district in the National Assembly because of the industrial and agricultural potential of the five local government areas that constitute the district. The retired director believed that he had the firm grip of the challenges and aspirations of the people, hence his explaination that with adequate representation, federal presence would be attracted to the district as well as adequate networking with other agencies that would serve as catalysts to the progress and growth of Adamawa North. The aspirant also said he was influenced because his tour of the five local government areas has given him firsthand information about the plights of the people. The constituency requires a robust Senator, who is educated, experienced, exposed and has the necessary integrity, honesty, accountability and spirit of fairness to command respect. This is why I am asking for your support and votes, he said. Indeed, the Sardauna Michika is regarded as a tested and trusted hand, having used his position to improve the lives of the unemployed graduates from the constituency and in the state. Besides, his performance at the council level is believed to have recorded greater achievements. While he was the sole administrator of Michika Local Government Area, from 1983 to 1976, Abdullahi reportedly settled a backlog of eight months outstanding staff salary arrears within three months of assumption of office. Within the period, in the defunct Gongola State, he constructed new council Secretariat office complex. He also created confidence in the people by working closely with the Michika community. This close relationship is believed to have encouraged the construction of 1000 beds Michika General Hospital at its present location. Also, during his tenure as the sole administrator, he constructed two Guest Houses in a bid to promote Michika as a tourist destination and the refurbished as well as upgraded the abandoned maternity clinic. He also ensured the deployment of National Youth Service Corps medical doctors to cater for the medical healthcare delivery to the community. It is on record that he influenced the Federal Science and Technical College, Michika. As a director in various ministries at the federal level, he used his position to influence other federal establishments in Yola, the Adamawa State capital, which includes the zonal office of the National Open University Study Centre; State office of the Corporate Affairs Commission and New Federal Pay Office, among other projects. Given these experiences, Abdullahi would later emerged the Chairman of a number of high powered committees at the federal level, including the committee on revitalisation of the Federal Treasury Academy, Ozoro, Abuja. He was also a team leader of various groups of experts in some federal establishments like the Project Implementation of the National Open University; the Education Sector Reform of the Federal Ministry of Education; Inspection of foreign Accountants of Nigerian Embassies in China, Japan, Singapore and South Korea. He featured in other committees like the Interim Management of the Corporate Affairs Commission; member, Governing Council of the University of Benin as well as member, Governing Council, Federal Polytechnic Mubi, the Headquarters of Adamawa North. According to him, effective representation as a senator would elicit the desired acceleration of development and in turn improve the living standard of the people through the provision of infrastructure and deployment of resources towards community-based projects. A former director in the Presidential Villa, Abdullahi maintained that Adamawa North Senatorial District is seriously begging for transformational changes in all spheres of its economy and therefore presents himself as an agent of the desired change to help accelerate development in the districts. According to him, he has dully consulted with various stakeholders from most segments of the senatorial district, who have endorsed his aspiration to inject human face in the development of the area. Also a member of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru, he expressed determination to use his position and experience to channel development and growth of the district, through various networks of professional associates. While establishing that the issues of socio-economic development and growth require a holistic approach, Abdullahi said he would network with other agencies at all levels to ensure that key projects for the district are captured in the annual budgets. “Networking with donor agencies to attract relevant projects is imperative for me, he said. On education, Abdullahi, while decrying the mass failure of students in English and Mathematics, pledged to establish extra coaching lesson programmes in each of the five local government areas of the district to enhance the students’ performance and qualify them for entry requirements into Nigerian universities. This initiative is intended to provide greater opportunity for our secondary school students to progress to higher institutions of learning and to provide additional income to teachers, Abdullahi said. He therefore disclosed that he would chart a scholarship scheme that would be worked out with the recommendation and advice from Elders Council that would be established for the purpose. The Elders Council, he said, would be saddled with the responsibility of identifying and assessing the peculiar needs of widows in the senatorial district and other vulnerable groups in the communities of each of the five local governments as well as advise appropriately. ICT being the vogue globally, the senatorial hopeful pledged to establish internal services in each of the five local government headquarters through the setting up of cyber cafe. He said the wisdom is to ensure easy access to information and equip the students and youth with current affairs. Certain that the youths constitute the bulk of the population in the district, leaving them to idle away make them more vulnerable. Abdullahi intends to package a youth empowerment programme that would create employment opportunity to the unemployed young graduates. This, he claimed, could be realised through networking and liaison with key states and federal ministries, departments and parastatals for job opportunities. Similarly, he claimed to have mapped out plans to assist the youths by encouraging them in small scale farming and trading to improve their performance. Abdullahi plans to encourage this category of the population to form cooperative societies to enable them access agricultural loans and other welfare packages that would stimulate the youths towards contributing to the development of the district, through community based organisations.
Posted on: Wed, 03 Sep 2014 06:34:50 +0000
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