Celebrating The Chief Servant @ 57

The chairman of Northern States Governors’ Forum(NSGF), and the Chief Servant of Niger State, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, is 57 today. Given his contributions to the development of Niger State and Nigeria, his life is worth celebrating and that is why many Nigerlites and other Nigerians who are spellbound by his leadership qualities will join him in thanking the Almighty Allah for keeping, protecting and sustaining him thus far. The Chief Servant was born in Minna, Chanchaga Local Government Area of Niger State on November, 12, 1955. He had his elementary education at Central Primary School, Kuta( now IBB Primary School, Minna) and Sultan Primary School, Sokoto, between 1963 and 1969, before proceeding to College of Arts and Arabic Studies( now Sheikh Mahmoud Gumi College), Sokoto where he obtained the Teachers’ Grade Two Certificate in 1974. In 1977, the young Mua’zu earned the Nigeria Certificate in Education( NCE) from College of Education, Sokoto. In 1977, he went for the mandatory one-year National Youth Service at Jubril Martins Memorial Grammar School, Iponri-Lagos, and returned home in 1978 to serve Niger state as a staff of the Niger State Ministry of Education with responsibilities for teaching, doubling as staff secretary and Food master at Government Teachers’ College, Minna.He later went to Bayero University, Kano, where he obtained a Bachelors of Arts Degree in Education with specialisation in English language in 1983. He proceeded to the University of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, United States of America in 1985, for his post-graduate studies for the masters in Public and International Affairs, graduating in flying colours with a PhD in Public Policy and Strategic Studies in 1989.

Dr. Aliyu cut his political teeth in 1983, when he was elected into the National Assembly as a  member of the House of Representatives, representing Chanchaga Federal Constituency during the Second Republic. Unfortunately his stay in the National Assembly was short-lived as the military torpedoed that dispensation. With his legislative mandate over, Aliyu devoted himself to public service as a civil servant and rose to the pinnacle of civil service as a federal permanent secretary.

Dr. Babangida Aliyu was a permanent secretary in Abuja when there was a clarion call on him to come home and salvage Niger State. Despite the handicap of being out of active politics for many years before then, the popularity of Aliyu, who is also the Talban Minna was so overwhelming that he emerged the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) for the 2007 election which he won easily, given the absolute confidence that Nigerlites have on his leadership.

On assumption of office, he choose the servant leadership model as the fulcrum of his administration. Aliyu  sees his position as that of the servant of the people.

 Robert K. Greenleaf, in his classic essay, “The Servant As Leader”, described the servant leader thus:”The servant leader is servant first…It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. That person is sharply different from one who is leader first, perhaps because of the need to assuage an unusual power drive or acquire material possessions”. It is a leadership model that recognises that to lead is actually to serve. To lead is to be the servant of the people and not to be the Lord of the people. It is to carry people along in all development processes. It is a principle that Aliyu has put to good effect in Niger State since 2007. It is the reason why he established the Directorate of Wards Development Projects in Niger State, whereby all the wards in the 25 local governments of the state identify projects that are of immediate and compelling need in their community and the state government will release the money for financing such projects.

Under the programme, each of the 274 wards in the state are given N1 million every month to execute development programmes consistent with their aspirations and their desires on priority basis. This brottom – up approach to  development have been described by many development experts as a revolution and unprecedented in the history of the country. It started with five hundred thousand naira and was later increased to N1 million.        It is a programme  that has served Niger State so well. It has given opportunity to communities to become decision makers in the execution of development projects dear to their heart.

  The introduction of ward Development project concept has, without question, brought development closer to the people. Among the projects executed by the wards of Niger State under the programme include drainages, health centres, drugs and hospital equipment, construction and renovation of dispensary, construction of lock-up shops, construction and renovation of schools(primary and secondary) as well as Islamic schools, construction of churches and mosques,skills acquisition centres, channelisation of drainages, installation of transformers and laying of pipes for pipe borne water among others. It was gathered that since the emergency of the scheme over 4,293 projects have been executed in the state. Among the executed projects includes, the provision of 690 boreholes, the renovation / construction of 306 culverts and drainages; the renovation and construction of 192 clinics; the construction of 23 market stalls; 70 electrification of communities, construction of 38 religious places of worship; the renovation of 6 courts and police stations; the renovation of residences of 12 District and village Heads; the construction of 2,448 Desks and chairs for schools; the fencing of 7 cemeteries and the grading of 31 feeder roads among others.

In the effort to reduce the housing deficit in the state, the state government embarked on construction of 500 units  General Wushishi housing estate Minna, 500 unit Talba housing estate 250 unit Aliyu Makama estates in Bida; 250 unit Sani Bello housing estate kontagora and 500 unit housing estate in Suleja. 

        Already the government has constructed and commissioned the 500 unit General Wushishi housing estate at Minna.

       

In the education sector, it is the policy of the administration to settle NECO and WAEC exam fees for all students in public schools irrespective of state of origin. He capped this with the introduction of free primary and secondary education for all residents of Niger State, also irrespective of state of origin.

        Other measures taken to reposition education in the state include construction of students’ hostels at the state college of Education (CDE), Minna; provision of over 15,000 set of school furniture for pupils/ students and over 1500 teachers recruited to boost education, while the morale of non-indigenous teachers was boosted by the removal of contract appointments for them, as they were given permanent and pensionable appointment.        The chief servant did not stop at boosting the morale of the teachers through the increase of their salary and prompt payment of such salaries and other allowances that they were entitled to, he took steps to put other needs of the education sector in the front burner.

        He also, sank over 50 boreholes in various schools in the state, carried out renovation of the temporary site of college of Agriculture, Mokwa; approved the establishment of school of Basic and preliminary studies of the state university at Agaie, Ibeto, New Bussa and Tegina; and to relieve parents from the burden of payment of school fees, started free education for every Niger child and this has been credited for the upsurge in school enrollment in the state; helped the state university get 99 percent accreditation by the National Universities commission (NUC) and ensure the recruitment of new lecturers for the school as well as the addition of more courses to create more opportunities for Niger State indigenes that have hunger for education; ensure compulsory immersion in information Technology and e-compliance training for all civil servants, including the teachers; gives out free exercise books and free textbooks to students to encourage them in their studies.He also abolished indigene and non-indigene conundrum in the state civil service, which made sure that non-indigenes in the state teaching service were all converted to permanent and pensionable appointment which boosted the morale of the affected teachers.  

       

       

In the area of agriculture, the chief servant, who is himself reputed to be a successful farmer has turned agriculture around for the better in the state, culminating to the state being recognised as the largest rice producing state in the country.

       

The Millennium Development Goals(MDGs) is another area that the chief servant has been scored high by Nigerlites. Under the MDGs the state acquired 11 incubators which were shared among the general hospitals in the state. And to arrest the problem of epileptic power supply which would not allow the incubators to function, equal number of generators was purchased to power the equipment. To a very large extent this intervention has gone a long way to arrest death of premature babies.

        Similarly, over 50,000 units of insecticide mosquito treated nets have been purchased and distributed to the people free of charge under the roll back malaria programme.

               The MDGS office has shown strong determination to ensure easy access to primary health care services, improvement in maternal health, reduction in child mortality and combating malaria and HIV/AIDS.

        To improve health care delivery 13 comprehensive primary Health centres was constructed in each of the three senatorial districts of the new housing estate constructed by the government.

        Similarly, hospital equipment and drugs are also being supplied to the 13 comprehensive primary Health centres in addition to each of the centres having a borehole.

        Since the shortage of manpower to man this health projects could be a major problem in the future, the schools of midwifery in Minna, college of Health Technology also in the state capital as well as the school of Nursing Bida have been renovated and provided with modern libraries to enable them train students that will manage these health facilities.

        As part of efforts to ensure availability of clean drinkable water to the people at all levels, the programme had sunk 200 new boreholes scattered across the state while 900 existing ones was reactivated.

        Using the money from the 2009 conditional Grant Scheme, the abandoned 52 bi-water projects in different parts of the state have been refurbished.

        Three solar powered boreholes have been sunk in each of the 25 local government areas of the state. Also, three new hand pump driven boreholes have been sunk in each of the 25 local government areas of the state.

        With this fund, the MDGs has commenced the reactivation of the water works at Chanchaga, Bida, Badeggi, Agaie, Lapai, New – Bassa and Suleja.

In a bid to improve the internal revenue base of the state he embarked on internal revenue drive as well as set up a committee to explore the possibility of discovery of oil in the Bida Basin in the state. The expert committee has since discovered that there is oil in commercial quantity in the state. Already the state government under the leadership of the Chief Servant has set up a consortium of local and international investors to see to the exploitation of oil in the state and the construction of a refinery. Because of the tenacity of Aliyu in this project, Niger State is the next in line to be declared an oil producing state which will definitely impact positively on the economy of the state.

For his patriotism and love for a united Nigeria and for being a totally detribalized leader, if Nigerians decide that the 2015 presidency should go to the north, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu is my candidate for president. Happy birth day, to the Chief Servant @ 57.