Governor Abubakar Celebrates A Life Of Service To Humanity as marks His 60th Birthday
As Governor Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar marks his Diamond Jubilee of 60 years on this planet, it is fitting to reflect on his remarkable academic, professional, political and public service career that has indeed been one of outstanding, selfless and humanitarian service to the people of Bauchi State and Nigerians in general.
The celebrant, who began his academic pursuit at the Jos Native Authority Primary School in his formative years, proceeded to the School of Basic Studies, Ahmadu Bello University, from where he was admitted to study Law in the same university, 1975-1978 and then headed to the Nigerian Law school where he obtained a Bachelor of Laws (B.L) Certificate in 1979. A forward-looking M. A. Abubakar then completed his NYSC programme at Rivers State University of Technology and joined the Bauchi State Ministry of Justice as a Pupil Counsel, later Senior Parliamentary Counsel and Head of Legal Drafting from where he rose to Principal State Counsel and then seconded to the Yankari Game Reserve and Tourism Company as Company Secretary and Legal Adviser.
Being a man of many parts and abilities, he has served the state and nation meritoriously as managing partner, Fortuna Chambers with offices in Port Harcourt, Kaduna and Lagos, Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association, Bauchi State Chapter, Attorney General of Bauchi State and Resident Electoral Commissioner of INEC in Kogi, Delta, Plateau and Rivers states.
After making his considerable mark in the public service arena, Barrister Mohammed Abubakar felt propelled to serve his people in the political sphere where through elective office, he could shape the destiny of hundreds of thousands of men, women, youths and children and by so doing contribute positively to their overall welfare and well-being. Rather than jumping into the political arena without testing the often-murky waters as many political aspirants are want to do, a perceptive Mohammed Abubakar felt obliged to consult widely with critical stakeholders as well as community leaders, professionals, the intelligentsia, corporate titans and union leaders across the length and breadth of the Pearl of Tourism as Bauchi is nicknamed. The purpose of these in-depth consultations was to identify the unique problems and challenges facing the state and come up with a cachet of solutions that would tackle the multifarious problems decisively and conclusively before he finally opted for the number one seat of the state.
Equally, at the time of declaring his gubernatorial ambition, Governor Abubakar had gathered a formidable think tank of professionals, apparatchiks, public policy experts, the intelligentsia and other forward looking elements that were determined to make a difference in the social, economic, political and infrastructural development of the state as they were determined to make a break from the past and consign laxity, lethargy, procrastination and bureaucratic indecision and apathy to the dustbin of history for the overall benefit of the long suffering and hardworking people of the state. And, with his landslide electoral victory in the April 11, 2015 gubernatorial elections where he crushed his PDP rival, Hon Auwal Jatau in all the 20 local governments of Bauchi State, Barrister Mohammed Abubakar won a clear and unequivocal mandate to proceed with his revolutionary policies that was determined to make a clean break from the dark days of the ancient regime.
As a first step, a prudent Governor Abubakar made it clear that he was determined to cut the cost of governance to the barest minimum and this meant doing away with numerous perks of offices that were deemed unnecessary; from reducing the number of vehicles attached to the Government House and the number of official cars used by government functionaries e.g. commissioners, permanent secretaries, the governor’s official staff etc. The plethora of political aides appointed by the previous government mostly to enable employment for cronies and hangers-on was discontinued as henceforth, only those staff that were absolutely relevant to the functions of governance would find accommodation in the Government House precincts. Those that unduly criticized the governor over perceived delay in the appointment of commissioners and special assistants really missed the point as he wanted to put square pegs in square holes and went to enormous lengths to recruit top notch talents both from within and outside the state.
Furthermore, as far as a savvy Governor Abubakar was concerned only the best was good for the state, mediocrity and average performance was a notion openly discouraged and disowned. All the governor’s painstaking brainstorming and wide ranging policy consultations and deliberations is indeed paying off as Bauchi State is witnessing a refreshing lease of life with rapid construction of hundreds of kilometers of roads in the rural and urban centres of the state, countless water bore hole projects are being sunk in persistently arid areas. With the declaration of an emergency in the education sector, a record number of school classrooms, primary and secondary are being constructed or renovated at a fast pace, agricultural machinery like tractors, graders and fertilizer are being distributed to needy farmers while the critical segment of women and youths are being empowered by numerous self-employment schemes under the direct supervision of the governor’s office.
Indeed, Governor Abubakar personally vets all contracts awards or monitors them to the letter to avoid a situation where they fritter scarce state resources and bolt away thereby littering the state with abandoned projects here and there, as the ‘action governor’ has declared zero tolerance for negligence, corruption or corrupt practices in line with the change mantra of the Muhammad Buhari’s administration. As the governor marks his 60th birthday, political observers, public policy analysts and indeed the vast majority of Bauchi citizens are convinced that His Excellency, Barrister Mohammed A. Abubakar, the Executive Governor of Bauchi State has performed superlatively above average while the best is yet to come.
