Has Katsina transformed?

There are, of course, many other people who would say that Governor Ibrahim Shehu Shema has delivered the goods, as far as responsible governance is concerned. And I would agree with this school of thought; because I am on the ground. He has certainly not fallen short of expectations of people of the state. He […]

There are, of course, many other people who would say that Governor Ibrahim Shehu Shema has delivered the goods, as far as responsible governance is concerned. And I would agree with this school of thought; because I am on the ground. He has certainly not fallen short of expectations of people of the state. He may not be given to too much talk and exaggerated sloganeering, but his administration’s work is there for everyone to see.
And this cuts across all the sectors of human development, including transport, education, health, water resources, road construction, youth empowerment, rural electrification, poverty alleviation, agriculture, environment protection and sports development, among many others.
Any visitor to the state would depart with a vivid impression that Katsina has indeed been transformed into a modern state, with a plethora of infrastructure essential for everyday living. This development is not limited to the state capital, but equally applies other parts as well.
At the Katsina State Transport Authority (KTSTA) for instance, the turnaround has been stunning. As the General Manager, Alhaji Gambo Abdulkadir Rimi, explained, this was made possible through reinvestment of revenue in the purchase of at least one new vehicle every month to add to its fleet.  
 The education sector has also been revamped, with the construction of 168 new secondary schools all over the state, and the completion, equipping and commissioning of Umaru Musa ‘Yar’adua University.  This is why student enrolment in the public schools has dramatically increased from 142,729 in (2004/05) to 1,524,172 in (2009/2010) session.   
 Other aspects of investment in the education sector include the payment of N832 million annually to the state’s Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) as its counterpart funding, and sponsoring of 338 students to Sudan, Jordan and the U.S. to study Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Arabic calligraphy, Arabic manuscript editing/print Physiotherapy as well as Arabic Computing, Computer Engineering and Marine Technology.
Needless to add, the current policy is that there is free education from primary to secondary school levels to encourage the pursuit of higher education by citizens of the state by reducing the tuition fee by over 25% in all the higher institutions as well as introduced Governor’s Teachers award scheme to boost the morale of teachers.
Healthcare services are not left out either.
A 250-bed Orthopaedic hospital has been established with the provision of the needed equipment to the hospital, just as the administration also constructed and equipped an eye centre in Katsina.
A total of 4.7 million children have been fully immunized against cerebrospinal meningitis just as a sickle cell clinic at Turai ‘Yar’adua Maternal and Children Hospital has been constructed at the cost of N10 million.  The administration equally assisted all health institutions in the state to meet their accreditation requirements and it has enhanced referrals with the procurement of nine brand new additional ambulances.
A lot has been achieved in the agricultural sector too, including among others the establishment of fertilizer blending plants at Batsari, Mai’adua, Bakori and Safana. The establishment of shelter belts, fuel wood plantation, indigenous tree plantation and raising of four million asserted tree seedlings was also pursued to the letter.  
The strides in agriculture also include the supply of 61.41 metric tons of fertilizer to farmers at a subsidized rate of over N3.1 billion, the activation of 27 irrigation schemes across the state, the rehabilitation of livestock development facilities at Kukar Aljanna in Dutsinma and Gidan Kwakwa in Katsina, the procurement and the distribution of 340 tractors in all the 34 local government areas of the state.
Equally, the administration renovated the old Katsina College and Gobarau Minaret to boost tourism and encourage researchers to the state.   

 Rimi wrote from Rimi, Katsina State <[email protected]>;