In Jigawa, it’s projects galore

It is only when such multi billion naira investment produces results in fact and ‘on the ground’ that Nigerians begin to pay attention. Jigawa state’s people have been paying close attention to Governor Sule Lamido as he has entrenched a functional system, delivering value in policies and projects to his people.With an average annual budget […]

It is only when such multi billion naira investment produces results in fact and ‘on the ground’ that Nigerians begin to pay attention. Jigawa state’s people have been paying close attention to Governor Sule Lamido as he has entrenched a functional system, delivering value in policies and projects to his people.
With an average annual budget of N98.8bn over the last 3 years, about N10bn less than the 3 year annual budget average of a key North Central State with similar population and size as Jigawa state, Sule Lamido is carving the state’s own niche in the comity of economic nerve centers within Nigeria. It is being called Northern Nigeria’s New World. 
The strategic location of the state, bordering the massively populous commercial hubs of Kano and the North East, emphasizes the state’s position as a window of economic prosperity for the region. The administration aims to embed agricultural development as the state’s major enterprise in its emergence as a “New World” and as the region’s economic driver.
It is only a matter of time. Jigawa is critical to solving Nigeria’s food security deficits, as evident by the Federal Government’s resolve to work with the state on the timely completion of the Hadejia Valley Irrigation Scheme. The project upon completion, will unleash unprecedented agricultural activity across the Hadejia Trough. This is expected to bridge the country’s grain-self-sufficiency deficit.
In Jigawa’s many cities, upcoming towns and rural areas, the government has achieved uncommon feats in the execution of infrastructure projects- in fact and on the ground. The result is an upsurge of agro based activities.
The Hadejia Emirate area, famous for its widespread endowment of fertile, arable land potentials, is witnessing massive road infrastructure enhancement. Major link roads have emerged, surrounding the district’s major towns of Hadejia – M/Madori – Kafin Hausa – Garun Gabas – Birniwa – Auyo –   Kirikasamma – Guri – Kaugama – Abunabo and many other settlements.
The apparent impact of the conceptualized, ongoing and completed road projects trickle down to the lowest income earner families; extending windows of link-to-markets, improving accessibility for farm produce transportation and enhancing the viability of agro based investments in arguably the state’s most viable agric investment destination.
The ongoing Eastern Bypass project, covering over 100km across Arawa to Guri is also a bold statement of the state government’s commitment to optimally harness Jigawa’s agricultural potentials, creating expansive means for farm produce haulage and farm accessibility. Also, the Dutse International Airport project illuminates the government’s commitment to attract massive agric investor influx as well as stimulate high net worth agro product exports, via the ongoing cargo terminal project. 
Unlocking Jigawa’s potentials for wealth creation and economic sustainability under the Lamido administration have been without bias. The state government, while determinably pursuing the elevation of Dutse to the zenith of capital cities in Nigeria has also succeeded in spreading high value developmental projects across other districts of the state.
This is a clear departure from the provincial segregation of Jigawa’s districts. Major milestones include the ongoing upgrade of the Hadejia General Hospital to a Specialist Hospital, the siting of Jigawa State University at Kafin Hausa as well as the spread of District Health Centers across the state’s three senatorial districts. It is this visionary stance of Lamido’s administration against a one-city state that has sustained a synchronized development model across local councils.
Emboldened by the Jigawa state government’s passionate dedication to attainment of outlined goals and sworn commitments, there has also been an unprecedented influx of international development partnership schemes across the state. The post-2007 purposeful reforms have attracted donor organizations including the World Bank to support the state government’s efforts in developing human capacity as well as improving community based development schemes.
The many schemes seek mainly to keep the rural population resident in their domains, while providing incentives to promote cottage industries and improving health and educational facilities. This synergy is evident in the state government’s pole standing in the quest to attain the MDG’s goals in specific sectors, ranging from Health and Education to economic empowerment schemes. These amplify the level of peace and tranquility attained over the past 6 years.
A purposeful drive for sustenance of the current administration’s legacies is apparent in the continued capacity development schemes for civil servants, as well as the establishment of merit based ascension across the service. This has instilled core professionalism in the state’s work force, subduing nepotism and provincial tendencies of the past.
The systemic emergence of a highly professional work force has catalyzed overall efficiency in the state’s project implementation processes as well as prudent financial management. Also, the government has earned a reputation for strict budgetary compliance. It has established a system for prompt settlement of workers’ salaries, pensioners’ entitlements, contractors’ fees and counterpart funding requirements. These and many other attractive incentives, including accessibility to land allocation and prevailing peace, have led to an influx of vibrant businesses into the state.
Various economic empowerment schemes are being implemented, comprising of Information Technology Training for youth, the recent E-Tranzact training scheme, agro products processing and many other irrigation and pastoral farming capacity enhancement schemes.
The sustained efforts of JISEPPA on environmental protection as well as road use regulatory enforcements have greatly improved the standing of Jigawa state as an emerging power house in Nigeria’s northern region.
Certainly, the people of Jigawa as beneficiaries of the current administration are keen and vigilant stakeholders. The far-reaching infrastructural, policy and human capacity renewal has engendered uncommon belief and stimulated enhanced communal efforts towards sustaining the achievements of the Sule Lamido government.
Organized groups and highly placed individuals are now calling for the replication of Sule Lamido’s development model across Nigeria. For indeed in Jigawa, it is projects galore.
Kaugama can be reached at: [email protected]