Hot SourceNAFIU ABU-AKBAR reckons that Abubakar Atiku Bagudu left an enviable track record in Kebbi State
When Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu was sworn in as the Governor of Kebbi State in 2015, though a man of an enviable track record, little did many think he was going to build a better, prosperous, and self-reliant state that would be a model not only in the North but throughout Nigeria. He was so people-oriented in his first term that the idea of him continuing for another tenure was served on a gold platter- and as a faithful servant leader, he didn’t disappoint.
Before he emerged as Governor, Kebbi State, known as the ‘Land of Equity’, had been underdeveloped since its creation in 1991, largely due to the meagre resources at the disposal of the various governments. However, like a substitute player who had waited for his time, Bagudu came and energetically transformed the state’s fortunes—achieving reasonable development, especially in the state capital, Birnin Kebbi.
A master strategist, Bagudu understood that to attract investments to the state, he needed to bolster public-private partnerships, and this he did by creating an enabling business environment. He started by positioning the state for success with a special focus on developing the state. With limited resources available, he began to unlock the doors of productivity and growth through the provision of infrastructure to boost the economic activities of small-scale and medium-scale businesses in the state. Within a three-year period, the fortunes of a once-underdeveloped state began to change for the better. Slowly and steadily, people saw the reality of their dreams, beliefs, and confidence in Kebbi as the ‘Land of Equity’ being restored, and the scales began to balance.
The catalyst that set the change in motion was sparked by massive road construction projects in all 21 local government areas of the state. He matched road accessibility with the provision of power, ensuring that the people enjoyed more than 22 hours of uninterrupted electricity supply. This feat was possible because of the purchase and installation of two 7.5KVA transformers at two strategic locations in the city and more than 35 2.5KVA transformers to boost supplies from the two transformers. This improved the security, entrepreneurship and well-being of the people because major streets within the state capital were always lit, many thanks to the installation of street lights.
With various projects inaugurated in all the 225 wards across the state, from road construction and water supply to construction/rehabilitation of schools and health centres, Bagudu had already set the tone for an enabling business environment, a verifiable invitation that birthed an investment drive and private sector entry into the state.
The benefits of the infrastructural development had started trickling in with the flourishing of large and medium-scale businesses across the state, contributing to job creation, thus reducing poverty restiveness and bolstering food security. GBFoods, makers of Gino tomato paste and Mayonnaise, Bama and Jago varieties, have their presence in the state, as shown by establishing a tomato paste factory in Gafara Village of Ngaski LGA. The factory is the second largest in Nigeria, with the largest single tomato farm and the only fully backward integrated plant in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Other private investors are the Dangote Group of Companies, which has sugar and rice production factories worth $700 million, providing over 75,000 direct and indirect jobs for people of the state and beyond.
The agricultural revolution grew stronger with other prominent investors like Labana Rice Mill Limited and WACOT Rice Limited with rice mills in Birnin Kebbi and Argungu, respectively, along with others scattered across the state. This led to an improved standard of living with the massive employment of youths and women in the agricultural sector. The list included the Kebbi/NNPC Ethanol Project in Zuru Emirate, the signing of many workable and plausible Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with renowned international organisations, including the World Bank, CBN, UNICEF, United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). A partnership between the Kebbi State Government and the United States African Development Foundation (USADF) and the Kebbi State Government strategic partnership for $10 million in enterprise investment cooperation.
True to his promise of welcoming investment that would create wealth and generate employment for the people, especially the youth, Atiku Bagudu always supported entrepreneurs during his time at the helm in Kebbi. At the commissioning/ opening ceremony of a hospitality business, Nugget Continental Hotel and Tours, Birnin Kebbi, the former governor, declared, ‘ It is consistent with our view that the private sector should lead the development and the role of government is to help private sector make a profit.’
This mindset oiled his wheels of progress as a pacesetter and trailblazer in policy and development works. The flag-off of the Presidential Artisanal Gold Mining Development Initiative (PAGMI) in Kebbi, as one of the pioneer states in 2020, underscored Bagudu’s economic transformation thrust and investment drive. His government partnered with the miners to promote legitimate and safe mining practices, including financial support and technical assistance. An unprecedented success was recorded in the solid minerals sector when President Muhammadu Buhari was presented with the first artisan ally mined gold bar sourced from PAGMI artisanal miners in the state. The initiative, which is the brainchild of the Solid Minerals Development Fund, continues to provide job opportunities for the teeming youths with adequate security and protection for the miners and the environment.
Agriculture, one of the major occupations of the people in the rural areas of Kebbi, witnessed tremendous growth under Atiku Bagudu with the influx of foreign and local investors. The sky-high rice pyramids instantly ignite memories of the groundnut pyramids of Northern Nigeria of the ’60s; this symbol of agricultural wealth sparks the hope that a prosperous Nigeria is possible with people like him at the helm. Beyond the influx of private investors, a landmark achievement in the rice value chain was the CBN Anchor Borrowers Program launched by former President Muhammad Buhari in 2015 in Kebbi.
Atiku Bagudu, putting on his hat of accountability, supported the programme wholeheartedly by providing logistics support to the Anchor Borrowers Program committee as they went about the 21 LGAs capturing the bio-data of all genuine benefiting farmers in order to certify that only genuine smallholder farmers got the loan. The program thrived in Kebbi so much that it revolutionised rice production not only in the state but all over Nigeria. It was a success that earned Bagudu the title “Ambassador of rural economic transformation” from the former president.
On the education front, his administration strengthened primary education as it believes foundational education is the cornerstone of any society. In 2016/2017, the Kebbi government released N4.6 billion as counterpart funding for executing Universal Basic Education (UBE) projects to improve primary school education across the state.
This ensured that during his tenure, projects were executed under the UBE scheme, which included constructing and rehabilitating classrooms, providing furniture, computers, and accessories, and building perimeter fencing for these schools. He also ensured that strategies were implemented to improve the standard of teaching and learning in primary schools and boost teachers’ welfare across all of Kebbi State.
Looking back at these monumental strides towards the industrialisation of a state with limited resources, it is safe to acknowledge the visionary leadership of Atiku Bagudu, who understands the enormous potential of the private sector and tapped into it to make Kebbi a one-stop hub for business investment in Nigeria. Fair to him and every administration member, he left Kebbi State better than he met it. He closed the infrastructure deficit and attracted private investors while opening up opportunities for developing human and natural resources that propelled Kebbi State to greater heights.
Abu-Akbar, a Social Worker writes from Birnin Kebbi
