The Era of Renewed Hope in Musawa/Matazu Constituency 

There is an era of renewed hope for residents of Musawa/Matazu federal constituency in Katsina state, writes Francis Sardauna

For residents of Musawa and Matazu federal constituency in Katsina State, there is renewed hope for them following the election of their age-long helper and ‘Messiah’, Abdullahi Aliyu Ahmed, as lawmaker to represent them in the House of Representatives.

Elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the February 25 poll, the Musawa-born philanthropist and politician has over the years impacted positively and transformed people’s lives, particularly the vulnerable in villages and communities across the constituency.

Born in 1975, Talban Musawa, has continued this passion as he reaches out to people through empowerment, scholarships and community services through execution of developmental projects in almost all the nooks and crannies of Musawa and Matazu Local Government Areas of the state.

‘The General’ as he is trustingly called, had also exhibited the courage to speak truth, challenge national policies and decisions which tend to exploit the people, thus standing out as the most articulate fearless voice of the voiceless in the constituency.

The strategic interventions of the community philanthropist in the area of education cannot be overemphasised, because he has constructed, upgraded and expanded primary and secondary schools and provided them with different instructional materials and desks across the constituency.

For instance, Ahmed has built and equipped a block of two-classrooms with a befitting staff room and a store at Jikamshi Community Secondary School in Musawa. He also constructed two-block of classrooms at Dankande community secondary school with one staff office and a store for the take-off of the community school. 

In order to boost Islamic education and inculcate the culture of moral upbringing among children, the Civilian General has constructed two-block of four classrooms at Dissi community Islamiyya School in Matazu Local Government. 

The Islamic school, according to its teachers, has since admitted over 400 pupils in the predominantly farmers’ community thereby supporting the state government’s efforts in tackling the spate of out-of-school children.

Also, the Talban Musawa has donated a whopping sum of N3,000,000 for the renovation and rehabilitation of a mosque in Sabon-layi and constructed another Islamic school in Malikaji community in Karachi ward of Musawa local government.

Believing that education is the bedrock of  societal development, Ahmed has created an educational scholarship for vulnerable children whose parents cannot afford education. This gesture had drastically reduced the illiteracy ratio because many children have been enrolled in both conventional and Islamic schools in the areas.

The silent achiever, having dedicated his life to community service, has renovated the maternity ward, isolation centre and laboratory room of the Comprehensive Primary Healthcare Centre, Matazu. 

Scanning, microscope, genotype testing machines and two power generating sets as well as beds were among other items purchased by the young Talban Musawa for efficient and effective service delivery in the hospital.

In a bid to eradicate drug abuse among youths in the constituency, the astute politician built a state-of-the-art centre with modern apparatus for the rehabilitation and reformation of drug addicts and offenders in the state.

The rehabilitation centre, located in Musawa General Hospital, is rendering counselling and rehabilitation services to drug users, patient detoxification as well as social reintegration by assessing their physical and mental health in order to stem the tide of drug addiction.

Similarly, over 30 hospital beds were purchased by the community philanthropist and donated to Kurkujan Primary Health Centre. He equally renovated Dissi Health Centre and equipped the facility with beddings. He constructed seven boreholes across the ward to address the age-long problem of water scarcity in the area.

To tackle open defecation in schools,  Ahmed has constructed six toilets and a motorised borehole at Government Day Girls Secondary School, Musawa and six other boreholes at different cemeteries and in some strategic locations in all the political wards of Musawa/Matazu federal constituency. 

In Matazu A ward, the community philanthropist has renovated their dam, purchased and distributed over 100 water pumping machines to irrigation farmers across the ward. He rehabilitated and equipped the Primary Healthcare Centre in Matazu B ward with state-of-the-art facilities.

Five boreholes and a two-block of classrooms with a staff office were constructed by the member-elect at Kogari ward. In the Karadua ward, he constructed a hospital at Runfar Yar Tsaminya and rehabilitated the Karadua hospital, and donated N2,000,000 for the renovation of Nasarawa mosque.

In Gwarjo ward, Ahmed renovated the community hospital, distributed 120 bags of fertiliser and 50 water pumping machines to both irrigation and wet season farmers in the area. While in Mazoji A, he had built a befitting Friday Mosque and four boreholes for residents of the community.

As if that was not enough, Ahmed distributed 100 bags of fertiliser and 50 water pumping machines to farmers in the area. He also renovated their hospital and constructed a dem for them at Fafu to boost irrigation farming in the agrarian community.

Some farmers in Sayaya ward also smile home recently with 20 water pumping machines and 40 bags of fertiliser courtesy of the life-transforming politician. Another dam was also constructed by him in Garu ward as well as a block of classrooms at Tashar Nababa primary school.

Aside from the infrastructural projects he executed across the Musawa/Matazu federal constituency, Ahmed has assisted different communities, individuals and corporate organisations with cash amounting to millions of nairas to help cushion their economic hardship and improve their livelihood.

His endless assistance to victims of banditry and natural disaster in Musawa and Matazu, arguably the first and only political gladiator to have done this within his constituency, is well gazetted and will remain indelible in the minds of the constituents even as they await more projects in the constituency.

He has also provided resettlement packages worth millions of naira for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the constituency and other parts of the state, giving financial support to families of those who lost their loved ones. He also recognized and rewarded academic and creative excellence in different communities in the constituency.

In the past four years, the young Talban Musawa has been distributing over 8000 bags of millets, rice, sugar and spaghetti to vulnerable people in the two local governments to tackle their hardship during the Holy months of Ramadan. He equally doled out hundreds of rams, clothing and cash to the constituents during each Sallah celebration.

He always defends the interest and welfare of the residents of the two local governments irrespective of religion, tribal or political affiliations. He has become a legendary example for his fearless commitment to always stand on the side of his people as their champion and his humane and benevolent spirit especially for the vulnerable has been unparalleled for years.

For not abandoning the constituents in the face of dwindling resources by providing meaningful development through humanitarian services, Ahmed won accolades and endorsement of citizens of Musawa/Matazu Federal Constituency where he contested for the seat and won overwhelmingly.

He also has a vast educational background because he attended Yero Primary School from 1980-1987 before proceeding to Government Secondary School Musawa and later transferred to Government Science and Technical College Funtua where he completed his secondary education.

He had a brief stint with the defunct National Guard and later left to continue his educational pursuit in Isa Kaita College of Education Dutsin-Ma from 1996 -1997. From there, he enrolled into Bayero University Kano (BUK) for Political Science and graduated in 2003.

Upon completion of his university education he ventured into business and joined the services of D Radda Ventures as its General Manager. The Talban Musawa’s regional importance and growing national stature as a politician, a visionary game changer and a developmental leader, has grown in leaps and bounds. 

Thus, in 2015, he was appointed as Personal Assistant to the then Chief of Staff, Katsina Government House and now Governor-elect, Dr. Umar Dikko Radda, and when his boss was appointed to head the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), he was reappointed as his Personal Assistant, a position he holds until February 25 when he was elected as member House of Representatives for Musawa/Matazu federal constituency.

With these innumerable achievements and educational background, the Talban Musawa has not only become well-referenced in the developmental narrative of Musawa and Matazu, but has left many social commentators in the area gushing with sincere conviction that he remains an outstanding politician among his peers in the constituency.

Therefore, the emergence of the Bayero University graduate as a member of the  House of Representatives, has brought respite and renewed the hope of the residents of Musawa/Matazu federal constituency that more democratic dividends will thrive in the constituency.

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In a bid to eradicate drug abuse among youths in the constituency, the astute politician built a state-of-the-art centre with modern apparatus for the rehabilitation and reformation of drug addicts and offenders in the state.