Still on Katsina’s infrastructural development

Ever since then, the state of Katsina people as viable options for the transformation of the regional and strategic commercial interests of the people living within the central and western part of the sub Saharan region has continued to grow for decades even after the independence of Nigeria as a sovereign country in 1960.The decision […]

Ever since then, the state of Katsina people as viable options for the transformation of the regional and strategic commercial interests of the people living within the central and western part of the sub Saharan region has
continued to grow for decades even after the independence of Nigeria as a sovereign country in 1960.
The decision of the colonialists to site the first elementary school in the region was predicated on this fact and even after the relocation of the institute to Zaria (Which later became Barewa college) Katsina has continued to serve as a nucleus of economic development of the region.
The dissolution of the regional government and the emergence of states as units of government have done little to reduce the significance of Katsina as a vital route to the economies of many West African states. Over an estimated 3000 trucks of grains and other domestic and industrial required goods and services pass through the state to other parts of the country.
More than the Benin republic-Nigeria borders to the South West, the Katsina-Maradi border serves as a more strategic linkage between Nigeria and other West African countries.
The administration of Governor Ibrahim introduced concerted and total infrastructural development where the overall concept was to move the entire state within a frame work of strategic infrastructure development through mass road networks, drainages, hospitals, schools, and other integrated mechanisms to fast tract the social economic development of the state.
Governor Ibrahim Shehu Shema’s CDC concept as a strategy to identify and eases the execution of relevant development in the state becomes a well organized system. CDC is the community development committees. Through the
CDC strategy unique demands of the community are identified and provided as part of the administration’s bottom-top governance. So far the concept has worked so well that each and every community today in the state is a beneficiary of one infrastructure or the other.
In the last Seven years over 100 road networks have been constructed, rehabilitated or dualized in the state, this is apart from the huge sums committed in the upgrading and internalization of the Katsina airport to compliment the infrastructural development of the state. The entire state
is now intertwined making the movement of goods and services within the state easier and serving the broader ECOWAS commitment.
Electricity supply is equally given priority with over 300 communities connected with the national grid in the state; this is apart from the massive rural electricity projects across the state. Katsina state could today be described as a hub of infrastructures in the country.
As at today, no so many local governments in the country could boast of dualised road networks as seen in Katsina state where all roads at the major local government councils have been dualised with fully working street lights. Over 30 towns’s roads have been dualised in the last 7 years and several others will be dualised before next year.
In the last five years also, over 4000 housing units were constructed across all the local government councils of the state to improve shelter to the ordinary man in the state. Many more houses are today under construction and by the end of year several other thousand houses will be constructed in the state as part of the housing for all project of the state government.
In the area of transportation the state government has acquired over 200 vehicles including over 20 marc polo luxury buses to part of efforts to improve the transportation sector and reduce the menace of road accidents accessioned by the poor transport system in the state.
Water provision is another area that has seen massive investment in the last five years and especially in the last one year with over 1000 communities having access to portable water through the massive borehole construction in all the nooks and crannies of the state. Over 300 solar powered water works, several urban water works, semi-urban water works and over 1000 rural water supply programme through the millennium development goals initiative.
One of the biggest infrastructural achievement so far recorded was in the area of education where several billions of naira was injected to ensure the provision of one of the biggest infrastructure in the education sector of anywhere in the country. Over N70 has been expended in this sector in the last few years alone. The effect of this massive investment is in the school enrolment where by the year 2004 only 142, 729 students were in secondary schools in the state, today over 2, 568.000 students are attending secondary schools in the state. The state has also introduced free education up to secondary school level with free WEAC/NECO payment and hundreds of buses provided to support and encourage punctuality of students in the state. Of recent the state government has investment over N600 million in ensuring a solid foundation for the take off of the federal University cited in Dutsinma local government area by the federal government.
The same massive infrastructural investments are done in the health, agriculture, solid minerals, human resources and youth empowerment as well as in women development. All these are factors responsible for the realization by many groups, organizations and governments of the visionary, dedication and commitment of Governor Ibrahim Shehu Shema since his assumption of office five years ago.
With these developments therefore, a significant aspect of the road of macroeconomic growth of Northern region as well as of the ECOWAS states
bordering Katsina state is not only assured but is destined to grow bigger in the coming years, no wonder several countries in the region are trouping to identify themselves with the achievements of Governor Ibrahim Shehu Shema.
Nagado wrote from No 8 Unguwar Dabino, Dutsinma. He can be reached at [email protected]