BAUCHI 2027: A WORD OF CAUTION
As Nigeria’s democracy grows, the good people of Bauchi State and indeed all Nigerians, are expected to progressively show increasing levels of democratic maturity in terms of engaging in issues based politics and making electoral decisions that are shorn and bereft of any primitive sentiments. This, in time, will see the state’s baton of leadership shift to the hands of progressive politicians who will be both genuinely sincere and profoundly committed to the growth and development of Bauchi State. It will surely mark a distinct departure from these heydays of political folie de grandeur characterised by the tendency for primitive accumulation which sees politicians in power, with a legislature idly watching, execute policies and programmes that only suits them.
Rather than solve the problems of education, healthcare, agriculture and food security, empowerment and employment, public housing, public transport, industrialisation as well as environmental degradation, efforts are presently put only in building roads that mostly are of no economic importance and flyovers that, in all intents and purposes, do not have cases of traffic congestions that are of grave concerns to solve. What is therefore certain is that there is either misplacement of priority and or public trust is being administered with double standards.
Regrettably, this tendency will continue to 2027 when this election cycle is completed. Thus, in about two years to come, Nigerians will be presented with yet another opportunity to make decisions at the polls. It is important that in 2027, the people of Bauchi State be cautious. The figures show that much is still desired for the political and socio-economic viability of the state. On 17th November, 2024, the Punch Newspaper published an article with the caption:”15 northern states spent N45bn on poverty alleviation in six months – Report.” In the article, a 2022 Multidimensional Poverty Index Survey conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) was cited among other things, which indicated that more than 70% of Bauchi State population is multidimensionally poor.
This means that more than 70% of the population experience deprivations in the basic needs of life such as food, sanitation, healthcare and shelter. This is especially frightening and if by any chance the trend is allowed to continue, the future of the state will be full of uncertainties. Therefore, immediate measures to intervene and halt the state’s drift towards total collapse is required. To this end, the people of Bauchi State must first unite in ideology, principle and determination. Everyone has to agree that henceforth, both the human and natural resources of the state that are abundant should be optimally utilized to ensure that the state is placed on the threshold of growth and development.
And this cannot be achieved without a leadership that is visionary, committed to the growth and development of the people as well as honest to itself and the people. Therefore, when at the polls in 2027 the right politicians are elected to fill in the 31 seats of the Bauchi State House of Assembly and that of the governor, the foundation building block of a greater Bauchi State will be laid.
Mukhtar Jarmajo, Kukadi/Gundari Ward, Misau Local Government
