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Beneficiaries of the empowerment
programmes for the down-trodden by the
Governor Sule Lamido administration give
testimonies during the first anniversary
of the Talakawa Summit in Dutse , Jigawa
State
BY DANLAMI NMODU
Abdu Baduku is a traditional leather
worker. At the venue of the first
anniversary of the Talakawa summit in
Dutse, he was one of those who gave
testimonies about how the support and
training provided by the Governor Sule
Lamido administration has boosted their
businesses. He walked up to the podium
armed with his products. He revealed
that after the first summit last year,
at least five training centres have been
established in the state in towns like
Ringim, Kazaure, Birnin Kudu and among
others. Most impressive he noted was the
training programme which has helped them
acquire further skill in their trade. He
proudly said “I can make shoes on my
own” as he spoke in Hausa.
Baduku was not done yet. He proceeded to
show those at the summit examples of the
shoes of various kinds that he has been
able to make. They include what he
called cover shoes, half shoes, and
slippers, bags for men and women,
different kinds of leather product. The
shoes he displayed ranged from those for
the masses to special shoes for the rich
and the blue-blooded. He displayed them
with pride. In the end he prayed for
Allah to bless the government.
Salisu Mohammed Sani a photographer
worked to the podium with some newfound
swagger.He later confessed,literally to
his petit-bourgeois status courtesy of
the empowerment project, which is a
fall-out of the year old Talakawa
summit. Last year, he said, he did not
have a camera. But after the summit,he
said support came in unbelievable
torrent. He confessed that he did not
quite believe the speed of his
transformation. After some weeks of
training, he and others were given
cameras to work with. Today, he says he
has two studios and each one has four
members of staff.In effect he has been
able to employ eight workers;A
remarkable transformation in deed. . Two
women, including Gambo Musa a
traditional birth attendant gave good
accounts of their experience within the
last one year. Gambo highlighted the
fact that the incidence of death of
women during child birth has been
curtainted because of the intervention
by the state. A Fulani woman armed with
her local containers for selling Fura
and Nuru eulogised the state as
well for helping her business.
At the Talakawa summit a year ago, the
poor were encouraged to speak truth to
power. Rather than government imposing
policies on the people, the masses were
allowed to speak out so that leaders
could come up with policies and
programmes for the masses. In the end,
the Jigawa state Government came up with
a framework which served as the basis
for its intervention in seven critical
areas. These areas include skills
acquisition programme for the people;
facilitating access to capital;
providing access to modern tools and
technology, infrastructural development,
providing justice, human security and
environment saving measures; boosting
health; and giving institutional
support. All these measures came in the
aftermath of the summit.
So the October 29th gathering
in Dutse was an occasion for
stock-taking. Governor Lamido told the
gathering that it was an occasion to see
how well the initiative has gone. He was
impressed by the testimonies of joy,
fulfillment and hope given by some of
the beneficiaries. The governor stated
that the people’s dignity has been
restored as they are being respected,
acknowledged and dignified. Lamido said
what was given to the people was not
patronage. Rather, his government was
only fulfilling the basic art of
leadership. Evidently, a leadership that
is obviously responsive to the yearnings
of the people.
Indeed, the Lamido regime has embarked
on very impressive and quality projects
that have endeared him to the people.
Lamido, who is an apostle of late Aminu
Kano’s NEPU’ is working to keep the
people-centred philosophy alive. Though
Aminu
kano was not in government, some of his
disciples who made it to power left
commendable footprints in the sands of
time. The Abubakar Rimi era as governor
of old Kano state remains a bench mark.
The short-lived radical tenure of
Balarabe Musa as governor of old
Kaduna
state remains indelible of in the minds
of those who witnessed the era.
Lamido, even though in PDP has chosen to
approach governance from a prism that
makes empowerment of the people the
centre point of government policy. Even
some of the capital projects in the
state capital seem to be testaments to
his belief. The roads in the state
capital are well-done. Housing estates
for the rich, the middle level income
earners and the poor masses also abound.
Of particular interest is the housing
project with red bricks for the masses
at the state capital. ``Given the
history of poor performance by past
regimes, the Lamido administration seems
to be working miracles. But there is
still a lot to be done,of course’’ were
the words of an indigene based in Dutse.
Some of the dignitaries at the Talakawa
summit on October 29 acknowledged the
positive change by Lamido’s regime. Mudi
Sipikin, Lili Gabari and Tanko Yakassai
all leading lights of NEPU praised the
efforts of the government. Yakassai said
he had gone round the state capital to
see things for himself and he believes
the regime is making the positive
changes. Interestingly such success
stories are not limited to Dutse the
state capital alone as the new
government has spread development
projects in various local government
areas in the state he said..
Abubakar Rimi, the governor of old
Kano
state also spoke in glowing terms. He
said even though NEPU did not form any
government, the records of PRP are open
for all to see. Rimi and Lamido are very
close political associates; some say
soul mates. Rimi said he was impressed
by Lamido’s achievements so far. He
believes if Lamido can get what accrues
to other states in the south in terms of
financial resources get, Jigawa would
have outpaced them.
Specifically, Rimi urged the people to
support Lamido in the next election- a
direct reference to the 2011
gubernatorial elections. He recalled
watching Akwa Ibom people urging
Governor Akpabio to continue. Rimi said
it is proper to urge Lamido to continue.
He concluded that anyone who has seen
Jigawa in two years will see that change
for the better has taken place. Falalu
Bello, a banker also said that the
economy of Jigawa is getting better. He
added that bankers are prepared to
support measures to make agricultures
more viable. Ian Attfield, education
adviser of the DFID said in his message
that the DFID shares the vision of the
state government to improve the lives of
the people in one of the poorest states
in the country. DFID he concluded shares
the vision which is aimed at making
poverty history.
Professor Jubril Aminu, a keynote
speaker urged Nigerians to wake up. He
also requested Northern governors to
imitate the laudable initiatives of
Lamido. He likened the achievements of
Governor Lamido to the Sardauna years.
Aminu said he has gone round some of the
roads constructed by the Lamido
administration .In his view they are
like the American roads as well. He
urged leaders to use public funds well
and the professor who is also a senator
urged Nigerians to stop castigating
their country.
Remarks at the anniversary of the
Talakawa Summit show that the Lamido
regime is doing a good job. The
democratic,people-centred nature of his
empowerment scheme makes it even more
appealing.
WE ARE
RESTORING DIGNITY TO OUR PEOPLE
SULE LAMIDO,Jigawa
state governor in his chat with
journalists including Insider Weekly’s
Danlami Nmodu throws more
light into the events marking the first
anniversary of the Talakawa Summit in
Dutse, the state capital. He also used
the occasion to comment on the unfolding
political events like the alliance
between Muhammadu Buhari and Atiku
Abubakar.Excerpts .
Remarks on the entire programme…
….What we tried to do is to restore
trust. We make you feel trusted; we make
you feel responsible and accountable.
Therefore we appeal to their sense of
honour and responsibility. That they are
very honourable, they have integrity, we
trust them and we believe in them. And
in any case this is something which is
given to you which everybody knows about
to rescue you from going further down..
when you are stable it will restore in
you your full self, your self worth,
your self esteem. So it is a kind of
moral therapy. And you begin to see
yourself emerging and then stabilizing
and then your potential is being
released….And you are now coming out
from your own cycle of depression,
hopelessness, frustration, anger and of
course malice and gossips into a more
responsible human being… who is also a
stakeholder, a partner in society;
somebody who is now part of the society
by his own capacity to produce.
But there is this tendency among our
people to think that what comes from or
what belongs to government belongs to
everybody and they may see it just
like….
No, no, no, it is not their fault… They
draw their lessons from you (leaders).
You are their leaders. And therefore in
the last twenty five, or thirty years in
Nigeria, leadership has defined the
parameters of integrity in the reverse
order. So if you as a governor ,as a
parliamentarian, as an accountant, as a
bank managing director, if you don’t
have this sense of shame, why do you
think this ordinary person whom you
claim to lead, why should there be
honesty?. So it is up to you. If you
change, he will change. Because whatever
they were was derived from the
experience they got from you. So you
must begin to respect people. When you
say because of so, so, so, it means from
the onset you don’t even trust them.
Even a thief when you trust him, you say
look keep this thing for me, he will not
steal from it because you are now
evoking his sense of honour, by trusting
him, by believing in him, even though he
is a thief. So you are still located in
old mindset. Come out, free of all
encumbrance. Be natural and therefore
things will turn out to be natural also.
Are you adding any fresh idea or any new
measure to the Talakawa summit?
In the first place why was the programme
launched? It is because by Jigawa’s
history by all modern statistics or
indices we are being adjudged… So we
will look at the weak links, where are
the weak links? When they are
stabilized, I will never wish to pray to
also go through the same thing again
next year. Then it means we have failed
if next year we have to come and give
people support, then it means we have
failed…
.. Buhari, Atiku, Bafarawa have come
together to form a platform that will
challenge the PDP
After challenging PDP what
next….sometimes I feel embarrassed for
them because the way they talk, people
laugh at them. `Nigeria
is in problem, we must save Nigeria`. So
if they are dead then we are finished.
If they die then we are finished? Good
God! So if Atiku and Bafarawa and Buhari
die we are finished because they want to
save Nigeria from PDP, from this; fair
enough, no, no, no mega party whatever
it is… …Mega party, mega failure
(laughter)
But the PDP has not delivered on its
promises
What is the promise?
Good governance, dividends of democracy
and all that
Okay fine….Look at Yar’Adua by his very
nature, he has integrity. I mean he is
very, very genuine. He is very, very
honest. He has integrity…. Nigerians
believe in him, they trust him.
You mean Nigerians still believe in him
now?
Of course they believe in him. One he
has courage, because he honest. He is
caring. He is concerned and he means it.
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