As we prepare for the 2015 general elections, in which the president, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is certain to contest for consolidation of his wonderful achievements, it is pertinent to brainstorm the possibility of having Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa State as his running mate in view of his tremendous sacrifice in the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), coupled with his enviable achievements since he assumed leadership some seven years ago.
It is the laudable achievements of Mr. President Jonathan that the entire PDP members have endorsed him for a second term in order to consolidate such achievements as increase in per capital income, reduction in inflation and poverty rate, creation of sovereign wealth fund, increase in the Nigerian Stock Exchange value, reduction in food import, increase in foreign direct investment, increase in life expectancy and increase in crude oil production. Other achievements of Jonathan administration include the attainment of the local content increase in Nigerian-owned crude oil transportation tankers, NPDC exploration and production, railway rehabilitation, development and implementation of National Aviation Master Plan and road map and phone line.
This is not all; Jonathan recorded more modest achievements as construction of 25,000km motorable federal roads, remodelled and renovated airport infrastructure, almost 100 percent access to fertilizer and placing the country as net exporter of cement. In sport, Nigeria has never had it so good. What about the establishment of Federal universities in six geopolitical zones, thereby increasing the intakes of students in federal universities admission and his deep commitment in the battling of the insurgency for the security of the nation. This is just to mention but few.
Likewise, the transformation of Jigawa State under the able and dedicated leadership of Alhaji Sule Lamido in the last seven years is legendary and has stood the test of time. When Lamido resumed office some seven years ago, he left no one in doubt that he came to work and not business as usual. The basic ingredients of human development are health, education and infrastructural developments. These have been the focal points of the Jagora talakawa, Alhaji Sule Lamido, in Jigawa State.
The government of Sule Lamido has ensured the Payment of monthly social security allowance to disabled persons, free maternal and child health care, payment of monthly allowances to students of schools of nursing and health technology, general renovation, equipping, supply of medicament and recruitment of qualified health personnel as well as establishment of Jigawa state medical supply organisation (JIMSO). The health achievements of Governor Sule Lamido are also in the areas of free Medical Care for All Prison Inmates, Free medical care for boarding students, rehabilitation, renovation, completion, equipping and construction of administrative Block at Rasheed Shekoni Specialist Hospital, distribution of free treated mosquito nets to the people of the state and Introduction of “Ask Jigawa People” health initiative. Indeed, the health sector has been revamped to meet the health needs of the teeming populace, focusing on primary health care delivery which has also been ranked the best in northern Nigeria by the World Health Organization’s standards. All these were done for the good people of the state because the government of Sule Lamido believes in the gnome, which says “health is wealth.”
The Sule Lamido led administration has also given much importance to the promotion of education in the state. Under the education sector, Governor Lamido provided free girls and disabled education, introduced public private partnership programme “PPP” on schools improvement, introduction of “rescue our schools” programme for improvement of all learning institutions in the state, re-introduction of schools inspection and monitoring and recruitment of qualified teachers and training for those already employed. His government equally provided learning materials, schools furniture, beds and beddings and hundred percent increment on students scholarships, students’ feeding, e-payment of scholarship allowances, construction of thirty one new hostels blocks for 6200 boarding students (secondary schools), construction of thirty eight new blocks of 3 classrooms each, construction of seventy blocks of science laboratories and completion of renovation works in forty eight schools. Construction of one hundred and sixty nine and six new toilet blocks. Alhaji Sule Lamido government has also sponsored one hundred and three students to study ICT in Singapore and restored overseas postgraduate scholarship programme. This is not all as Lamido administration still made giant strides in education through Construction of new lecture theatres, classroom blocks and Administrative offices in all tertiary institutions of the state, Provision of thirty two sitter buses for all girls boarding schools, introduction of excellence merit award to graduates that excel in their first degree and award of automatic scholarship for post graduate studies, annual sponsorship of one hundred best students in the state to study in overseas and re–introduction of mock examinations for final year students.
Governor Lamido equally made fundamental achievements in the commissioning of an ultramodern edifice built to house the state’s Ministry of Land, Housing, Urban and Regional Planning by the President of Nigeria’s Senate, Most Distinguished Senator David Mark. Similarly, in May, 2013, the former President Olusegun Obasanjo commissioned so many projects executed by Governor Sule Lamido. In view of this development, the former head of state, General Abubakar had also recommended that leaders across Africa borrow a leaf from Sule Lamido’s excellent initiative.
The people of Jigawa State are agrarians thus; Governor Sule Lamido provided farming incentives such as fertilizers and irrigation for the farmers. He ensured the vaccination of animals against epidemics so that the state can supply the required meat and hides to Nigeria and neighboring nations as Niger Republic. The Jagora talakawa empowered the youths and engage over seventy thousand of them in direct employment, skills acquisition and development, making them highly productive. The Sule Lamido administration has also witnessed transformation of good road networks and electrification of metropolitan to the likes of people in the state and visitors to the state.
The administration of Alhaji Sule Lamido in the past seven years has drastically reduced the hitherto high level of unemployment through the establishment of ten Micro Finance Banks that provide succor to the less privileged in the state.
Ordinarily, Sule Lamido ought to have been the running mate of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan in the first dispensation in 2011 but for some high ranking political decision, which Sule Lamido himself did not dispute and accepted it in good faith. Now that Jonathan is being called for second term to consolidate his laudable achievements, he should consider the governor of Jigawa State as his running mate based on achievement, loyalty and dedication to the aspiration of Jonathan in particular and People’s Democratic Party in general. Indeed, This is in spite of some calculated attempt to hoodwink him to other side. Lamido remain committed to aspirations of Jonathan and PDP. Jonathan/Lamido ticket is collective achievers that will further resolve the nation’s economic, political and social problems.
Mohammed Idrisu K/Hausa was the Jigawa State Coordinator of Jonathan Consultative Forum, Jigawa State in 2011
He can be reached on email: kafinhausa61@yahoo.com, phone: 08033400581.
