r Sani-Bello: I am
committed to rebranding
Niger
By News Agency of Nigeria -
May 31, 2018
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Niger State Governor, Alhaji Abubakar
Sani Bello, has said that his resolve to
rebrand the state in line with the
manifesto of the ruling All Progressives
Congress (APC) informed his actions in
the last three years.
He said he was propelled by the need to
change the narrative of the state from
being a civil service state to an
economically viable and solvent entity.
Governor Sani Bello stated this in an
interactive session with journalists in the
state as part of activities to mark this
year’s Democracy Day.
Giving an account of his stewardship,
Governor Sani Bello said he was fully
prepared for the restoration agenda he
set in 2015 after his electioneering
campaign in the 274 wards of the state,
where he was confronted by massive
infrastructural deficiency as a result of
mismanagement of the state resources
by the immediate past administration in
the state.
“When we came on board we met a
decayed system with virtually all the
infrastructures in dire need of attention
and from the onset, we resolved to fix
the infrastructural deficiency of the state,
especially in the areas of education,
health, roads and other sectors despite
the merger resources of the state. The
magnitude of the challenges we saw
during the electioneering campaign ahead
of 2015 election made us not to play
politics of making empty and unfulfilable
promises to our people.
According to the governor, “that time we
had an idea of the challenges, we had an
the idea of the infrastructural gap, we
had an idea of all the projects that were
abandoned. But we didn’t get the full
information on debt profile until we were
sworn in. So this guided us from making
promises that were unattainable. We
knew if we had promised heaven and
earth, we will be in problem now, rather,
we took on the challenges in line with the
manifesto of our party and today we
thank God, we are making tremendous
head way”.
The governor also identified the decay in
the basic education sector of the state as
another area of concern on assumption
of office.
“The sight of our public schools was
pathetic. Our boarding schools were not
fit and condusive for teaching and
learning. Most of the schools have not
been tourched in the last 40 years that
they were built. Our schools were in bad
shape.
“Today out of 40 boarding schools in the
state we have fixed 9 schools under the
whole school renovation project. These
schools were totally rehabilitated with
perimetre fence, well furnished
dormitories, new classrooms,
laboratories, workshops, libraries and
staff quarters as well as functional
kitchens”.
In the area of water supply, Gov. Sani
Bello said his administration in the last
three years have invested heavily on both
urban and rural water scheme, took on
and completed some abandoned water
projects by initiated by Engr. Abdullahi
Abdulkadir Kure’s administration across
the state while his administration has
taken delivery of over 60 massive pumps
for the rehabilitation and total turnaround
of Minna, Bida, Suleja and Kontagora
water plants.
Highlighting his human development and
legacy plans for the state, Governor Sani
Bello said he was committed to changing
the people’s perception and belief that
Niger State is “a civil servant’s state”.
He maintained that the state is endowed
with a lot of potentials which the people
can key into for economic improvement
and dependence.
“I felt bad when I assumed office and
there was this common phrase that Niger
is a civil servant state. It made me feel
very bad. Therefore I want to leave a
system and a legacy that will move the
people as well as the state away from
being dependent on monthly handout
from federal government to a self
sustainable economy.
“We have all the great potentials. We
have all the potentials to be independent
financially and economically. I want us
to see that we produce millionaires and
billionaires in Niger State because we
have the potentials.
“For me the major legacy is to leave a
sustainable financial and economically
viable system where majority of our
populace are financially strong and are
able to take care and cater for
themselves.
“We cannot continue to sit down and fold
our arms and say Niger is a civil service
state. It is not good enough. We can do
better and we have started seeing results
in the agricultural sector with the help of
President Muhammadu Buhari‘s idea of
diversifying the economy.
“We have to help our people by
sensitizing them. We are to encourage
them to engage in economic activities,
agricultural and mining activities. If we
had planned and executed this 10 years
ago, we would have been telling a
different story now.
“I want us to become a commercial
state. I want to expose Niger State, we
want to create a lot of business
opportunities and activities,” he said.
On the calls by various groups across
the state on him to seek for re-election
in 2019, the governor in an affirmative
response said he will seek for a renewal
of his mandate during the next year
general elections.
“Yes, I will seek for second term. We will
go for re-election,” Gov. Sani Bello
declared. “I want to appeal to Nigerlites
to re-elect us to enable us complete
what we have started”.
According to him, most of the projects
and programmes embarked upon by his
administration are still in gestation
period that requires his nuturing to
fruition, “Our projects are still in the
gestation stage and need more time to
work. That is why we are going to seek
for re-election during next elections,” he
maintained.
Gov. Sani Bello also urged Nigerians to
support and elect President Buhari for
second term, stresssing that the
President means well for Nigeria.
“President Buhari means well for Nigeria.
He is so passionate about Nigeria that he
forgets himself. He is not trying to
deceive Nigerians, he is trying to get a
great future for Nigerians.
“I want Nigerians to support and
encourage Mr. President, pray fo