SENATOR UMAR TANKO ALMAKURA HEALED A BROKEN NASARAWA STATE WITH PERSONAL TOUCH OF TRANSFORMATION

SENATOR UMAR TANKO ALMAKURA AND THE RESCUE MISSION IN NASARAWA.

NASARAWA State is hugely endowed with numerous natural resources such as arable farmland, solid minerals, tourism potentials and a good climatic condition.

The state is also well located as one of the strategic adjoining states to Nigeria’s Federal Capital, Abuja. So we can say that Nasarawa State is blessed, more so with emergence of the new governor, then Dr Umar Tanko Almakura, who luckily enough has a private sector background.

He is a very wealthy and successful businessman who was on a rescue mission for his state. From all indications, he brought his wealth of experience and business acumen to bear in the running of the state’s affairs then.

Already, he has started charting a course for the economic and infrastructural development of his state. Back then, while inaugurating his transition committee, he promised to complete abandoned projects by his predecessors. This is the stuff patriots are made of. He is the first governor in the present dispensation to understand the critical need for power in driving any state’s economy.

Then he strategically engaged the major stakeholders in the power sector- Power Holding Company of Nigeria. He is also reported to have started meeting with several segments of the society to chart a way forward. From the foregoing, there is no wonder that Dr Almakura made a desired difference , to open up the state.

By the strategic location of Nasarawa State, if strategic planning is done as the new governor has already started, obviously the state will sooner or later reach the status of states like Ogun and Oyo which with the multiplier effects of Lagos expansion, rose to near mega states. It is therefore gratifying to note that Nasarawa State Then had a governor with vision and mission.

Even before his emergence as governor, it was public knowledge that Alhaji Almakura was a major stakeholder in his home state as he invested in many areas of the economy. From tourism, agriculture, education and commerce, his business presence was manifested. As the Governor, he was in a good stead to know the needs of his people.

He lived among them, and feels their pulse. He is a man of the people.
It is therefore gratifying to note that in less than one month of his being sworn in as the state’s Chief Executive, that things were already looking up as investors have started trooping into the state.

This is as result of his many proactive initiatives aimed at jump-starting the once comatose economy. As it is very well known, one advantage of Nasarawa State is the proximity to Abuja, and the likelihood that once the right policies are in place, the adjoining Nasaraswa towns can easily enjoy the same status like the FCT. Therefore what is needed is for the Governor to urgently embark on massive infrastructural development of those adjoining towns like Karshi, Ranfinkwara, Maraba, Keffi and others.

By so doing, he would have created the much sought-for alternative to the congestion of the Federal Capital Territory.

His administration also have a choice to partner with numerous estate developers to embark on the provision of mass housing projects, which I believe many Abuja residents would find as a viable alternative to the hardship being encountered in the Federal Capital, as a result of shortage or inadequate accommodation. Given that people are the drivers of any development, the influx of settlers in the proposed cities will in no small measure accelerate the economic and infrastructural development of the state.

In the area of agriculture, Nasarawa State has an opportunity to replicate the Kwara “miracle” by inviting Zimbabwean White farmers to avail of the vast arable agricultural land in the state.

To do so, the state government must liberalise the acquisition of agricultural land, and in no time the miracle will manifest. Indeed, agricultural outputs from Nasarawa and other surrounding states can feed the FCT populace, but who will spearhead the effort? The good news though is that the new governor has a good disposition to accept new ideas, especially considering his private sector background.

In conclusion, one can say that Nasarawa State was in good hands with DrAlmakura at the helm of affairs. Obviously, in due time when he fully unfolded his agenda for Nasarawa, the state was transformed, and the citizens reaped the dividends of democracy richly.

There is no gainsaying, that if every state like Nasarawa overcomes the challenge of providing good leadership, then it can be said that the state is set to develop to its fullest potentials. Regrettably, what is lacking in most states of the country is leadership but this time around, Nasarawa is in the lead with Dr Almakura.

History will judge Almakura rightly for that courageous part of a wonderful and patriotic roles he played in arresting the nation from imminent drift, in reenacting a fresh agitation for our collective political re engineering and the efforts he marshalled in stabilising our nascent democratic experience at then.

The character traits of any political leadership that is worth its name must begin with trust. That is one of the critical elements that a leader uses to inspire others to achieve a shared vision. For the nub of this piece, His Excellency, distinguished Senator Umar Tanko Almakura this trait has become his signature over the years.

In a society that is surfeited with distrust, it is gratifying to see the likes of this brilliant educationist and serial entrepreneur, Senator Umar Tanko Almakura upholding the timeless value of trustworthiness.

He is in the tribe of our political elites striving to close the yawning gap in the trust deficit in our politics. For Almakura every word is his bond. He is a man with a straight tongue and living conscience.

The distinguished Senator Almakura has not robbed the world of his true essence. Like Socrates said, “Oh man know thyself,” Almakura has discovered himself early, and he has since unbundled himself for service to his people. He has not wavered in his commitment to serve.

Rather, for him, leadership is perfectly equated to service and not self-aggrandizement. In his daily interactions, Senator Almakura is a reservoir of self-confidence and a great store of positive energy, which he has effortlessly and seamlessly deployed to carry people along and achieve tangible results.

*Garkuwan Giza*