100 DAYS in Office Speech by His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Kaduna state

Sept 2008

Fellow Citizens of Kaduna State,

This Administration came into being on 29^th May, 2007 barely 100 days today. As you are aware in my Maiden Broadcast to the people of this State, I categorically emphasized my eleven point agenda/action plan among others namely

a)     Security for Peace and Development:

In the area of security, this Administration in its 1^st 100 days in office takes a giant stride in the promotion and maintenance of law and order for the peaceful coexistence of the generality of our citizenry.

Government would strengthen and enhance all available instruments at its disposal to attend to any incidence of breach of the peace for the overall joy and comfort of our citizens in the State.

b)     Education:-

This Administration sees education as a cardinal social objective that must be pursued vigorously by the State. It is an important social instrument for national unity amongst the diverse people of the country.

In order to achieve a high level fuction and relevant education, this administration pursue the following education goals

i)             Government has pledge to commit 27% of the State annual budget to education, which is over and above 1% of the UNESCO recommendation of 26%;

ii)           Government purchased textbooks, primary school uniforms and charts for 23 primary schools in the State at a total cost of N30,885,550.00. the Flagging off of the distribution of the above items was carried out at the reconstructed 8 burnt classrooms at LEA Primary School, Kargi Road, T/Wada Kaduna this morning; and

iii)          Teachers now enjoy 5% additional salary increase over and above 15% approved salary structure to civil servants. While Government would guarantee accommodation for Primary Teachers both in urban and rural areas.

c)     Agricultural Development:-

The objective of this administration as one of its cardinal principle is to accord priority in the attainment of self-sufficiency in food production. In this direction, this administration achieved the following:

i)             Procurement of 21,000mt of assorted fertilizers in order to meet the increasing demand of the product by people who have taken to agriculture. The commodity has already been delivered and sold to farmers at a subsidized rate with substantial quantity reserved to promote dry season farming;

ii)           Purchase of 22 units of Federal Government Tractors which would soon be commissioned.

iii)          Purchase of excess grains worth N100,000,000.00 from farmers across the State;

iv)         Distribution of 71,390mt of assorted improved varieties which were dressed with chemical to farmers;

v)           Government has awarded contract for 4no additional irrigation schemes under KADP targeted towards achieving the intended expansion of all year round agricultural activities and boosting of small and medium scale industries in the State namely:

(1)Bakin Kogi in Z/Kataf  Local Government area

(2)Panshanu in Igabi Local Government Area

(3)Igabi in Igabi Local Government Area

(4)Kaya in Giwa Local Government Area

vi)         Government has enhanced Fisheries Production in the State

d)     Healthcare Delivery

In order to improve healthcare delivery system in the state, this administration in its zeal to fulfill one of its campaign promises achieved the following:

(i)          Government is to launch a free health care for pregnant women and children tomorrow which will commence simultaneously in 29 hospitals and 112 Local Government Health Clinics in all 23 Local Government Areas of the State. Drugs worth N152,000,000.00 have been purchased for the 1^st 3 months of the programme. The flagging off would take place at Aso in Kagoma District of Jema’a Local Government Area.

(ii)         The need to upgrade State Hospitals in Zaria and Kafanchan to the status of Reference Hospitals in addition to Barau Dikko Specialist Hospital at the cost of N1.8billion is in progress. Already, the sum of N687,728,567.00 has been approved for the take-off of such priority projects; and

(iii)        Government intends to establish a 500-bed state-of-the-art services through the Public Partnership Programme (PPP) such that referring patients overseas will not be necessary after its establishment.

E.     Rural Development

The Rural Development Policy of this administration was aimed at:-

(i)          Complete rural transformation;

(ii)         Reduction of the level of rural poverty; and

(iii)        General improvement of the quality of life of the rural populace.

As part of its efforts, the Kaduna State Government will move away from past narrow sectional preoccupation with the generation of food surpluses to overall formulation of a national rural development strategy with emphasis on the alleviation of rural poverty and enhancement of the quality of rural life. The following was achieved in the 1^st 100 days in office:

(i)          Approve the establishment of Power Generation Agency (PGA) to be responsible for the exploitation of resources from our existing Dams in the State with the view to harnessing these resources to produce electricity, irrigation and safe drinking water;

(ii)         Approve the generation of 30 Mw of electricity from Gurara Dam which would be transmitted via a 132 Kv tower line to Kaduna for the purpose of feeding our industrial layouts;

(iii)        To compliment the efforts of the previous administration in the provision of road network, Government has decided that throughout the period of state economic emergency, repairs, maintenance and rehabilitation of roads will form the cornerstone of its policy. The newly constructed road at Makarfi city layout would be commissioned and the initial concept of this layout has been changed, so as to turn it into a model settlement, such that it will be the only type that has existed in this part of the country. The electrification of the entire layout is to be underground

F.     Youth, Sports and Tourism Development

The welfare of the citizens of this State is one of the most important responsibilities of Government. Government will therefore continue to give impetus to all activities in the recreational and sports areas.

The success of Kaduna State athletes in the field of sports this year will become the benchmark of which subsequent years performance must be judged

The welfare of citizens is only truly enhanced when oyouths are generally employed.

G.     Public Service

This administration is conscious of the reality that all the problems of the underdeveloped cannot be solved at once. We must therefore recognize that the foundation of true development lies in the human labour of our workers. Labour should therefore be properly mobilized so that the nation’s creative energies are maximally utilized.

Upon coming into power, this Government approved the upward review of salary structure. The revised new salaries and allowances are already being enjoyed by the civil servants

·            Government also in its zeal approved the upward review of salaries and allowances for Unified Local Government Service. HATISS salary for some Health Institutions in the State;

·            Provided houses for both the medium and lower level cadre officers as well as creating opportunity for the citizens of Kaduna State to own houses;

·            Pension and gratuity were paid as at when due. There are no cases of arrears of pension since the inception of this Administration.

H.     Good Governance

Fellow Patriots, we must not forget that the collapse of the economy is directly attributable to bad government, corruption and absence of public accountability. The establishment of a viable political system is therefore an essential prerequisite for the achievement of our national goals and objectives. We must now begin a most vigorous search for a new political order, one which the present administration will be proud of to bequeath to posterity.

Consistent with the philosophy of the Administration, - that of consultation with and involvement of the people in the decision making process the, Kaduna State Executive Council has decided to create a Bureau of Budget Implementation, Monitoring and Price Intelligence (BBIM & PI) Due Process office.

Finally, this Administration is not dogmatic. We are not rigidly doctrinaire. We fully appreciate that “Finality is not the Language of Politics.”  But we do not act according to certain principles, one of which was well enunciated by Mahatma Ghandhi, namely that a “Policy is a temporary creed, liable to be changed, but while it holds good, it has to be pursued with apostolic zeal.”

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, Brothers and Sisters, the good people of Kaduna State, I thank you for your kind attention

Once more, thank you and God bless.

Arc Mohammed Namadi Sambo Fnia

Governor Arch Mohammed Namadi Sambo is a true democrat, whose approach to problems is always humane and conciliatory he is a man of peace who patiently looked to the future with courage and hope. His commitment in the direction of transforming the state into a relatively better integrated and functional polity is continuing  with a mission  to create a stable  and cohesive polity capable of securing effectively the interests of the various communities and giving them the opportunity to develop and live in peace  with one another.