The Executive Governor of Adamawa State

Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri has every reason to celebrate his fifty-three anniversaries as the Governor of Adamawa State. From every political calculation and calibration, the unequivocal conclusion is that he is a man of the people who emblematizes the divine injunction that “power comes from God alone.” Throwback to 2019: Governor Ahmadu Fintiri, then an ordinary citizen without federal might, without security, found himself in the eye of a raging political storm, contrived and fermented by treacherous forces that betrayed a political vision and threatened to completely overturn and dismantle a well-nurtured political agenda to achieve their own selfish power grabbing ambitions. Pitted against the backdrop of a manipulated and deviously translated zonal power-sharing arrangement and confronted by the real threat of political annihilation in the face of a viscous opposition that will stop at nothing to secure victory, Governor Finitri found himself literally and practically isolated and surrounded as the last man standing and the only hope for the redemption and protection of the political soul of Adamawa State.

However, he was greatly loved, admired, and adored by the people of Adamawa State as their champion. Ahmadu Fintiri took on the opposition, both within and externally, battled them to a standstill, defeated them on all fronts, and won the election convincingly. Governor Ahmadu Fintiri ascended the throne, carrying the hopes and aspirations of the Adamawa people on his broad shoulders. Fast forward to 2023: The vicious, acrimonious opposition, emboldened with federal might and empowered with the added authority of directing their second term campaign, deployed the full weight of both mercenary and compromised might to the political battlefield. Traditional war songs reigned and echoed ominously at the venues of every campaign stomp, and the poisoned manifesto rhetoric reeked of bitterness, inciting anger, unbridled hatred, and images of political purgatory worse than Dante’s Inferno because of the event of political defeat in 2023. But Governor Fintiri was fully prepared and ready for them, and believing in his superior strategic plans and greatly buoyed by the resilient will of the people, the tide once again turned to victory in the quite remarkable life of this political colossus. The last straw was in the Supreme Court, Abuja, where they had all hoped that the court would give judgment in their favour, in a suit seeking to nullify the free mandate given to Governor Fintiri in 2019.

In 2023, destiny would have it, the divine hand of fate, once again played another master stroke and the monumental miscalculation and failure of the opposition. Governor Fintiri has a plethora of reasons to celebrate his fifty-three anniversary, but in typical charismatic, all action fashion, the Adamawa governor, who was nicknamed “Mr. Projects” by none other than the former Vice President of the country, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, simply rolled up his sleeves and knuckled down to the business of delivering the dividends of democracy to the good people of Adamawa State. At the end of our first four years in office, the gains of the first term will be solidly consolidated. But addressing Adamawa people in a town hall meeting to mark the first year of his first term in office, the governor honestly confessed that normally, the state should be celebrating this important milestone when all the projects he flagged off will be ready for commissioning and correlated social activities, but these are abnormal times and moments like this call for subdued feelings and thankful prayers to God for His abundant grace and mercy upon the state and on the lives of Adamawa people. The scorecard of the last one and a half years has, however, been replete with outstanding achievements, ground-breaking events, and the initiation of legacy projects that have not only transformed the landscape of the state impressively but also ensured the comprehensive sustenance of the well-being of the people in line with the development blueprint that will be released for the second term in office. A summary reveals that virtually every area and sector has been positively impacted in the last year. The urban renewal programme in the capital city has progressed at an amazing pace with the restoration works, including underground drains, sidewalks, green areas, and street lights on most of the roads. The construction of the two multi-billion-naira flyover projects at Total Filling Station Junction and the Police Roundabout, all progressing simultaneously, is an architectural wonder to behold and is expected to be delivered within schedule by Traicta Nigeria Limited. This is even as work on the construction of major roads within the city and the building of several cottage hospitals is also underway. The construction of several critical roads across the state, including Doctors’ Quarters – 1.6km), Mbamba Street – 1 km, Mafia Road with fall out drain gets 1.2 km. Others are Zumo Street and links – 0.7 km) and Nybango to Yolde Pate Road with two span bridges (3.18 3.18 km.

In Numan Local Government, Fintiri flagged off the construction of 3.5km on the Izala-Gweda Malam-Rafa-Wayam township road. This project, among others, will help to mitigate flooding, something residents have had to deal with for years. Jada Local Government gets 3.8 km of township road and the rehabilitation of 0.4 washout section along Jada-Mbulo road. In Hong Local Government, the governor also flagged off the construction of a 3.2km township road linking European Quarters, not forgetting the flagging-off of the construction of 6.6 km township roads in Gulak, Madagali, and 5.1 km in Michika. Straddling most of the local government areas in Adamawa north, central, and south senatorial districts are progressing satisfactorily, with some having reached 92 percent completion, all to be delivered on schedule. This is in addition to the construction of the Scope newspaper road linking Government House. In the last year, the administration has accelerated work on the long-abandoned roads to the hinter communities of Jada and Ganye in Jada and Ganye Local Government Areas of the State, with appreciable work already done on the Ganye main township road The commitment to deliver on the promise to complete these landmark projects and actualize the age-long yearnings of the indigenes and residents of these local government areas to connect and access the rest of the state by tarred road, has been the prime motivating factor driving the zeal and energy to complete these projects and bring joy to the people.

In fact, the people of Madagali and Michika are witnessing projects for the first time since the advent of insurgency in the three local governments of Michika, Madagali, and Mubi. Apart from roads, significant progress was also made in the delivery of health care and education infrastructure and services. The mother-and-child hospital is virtually complete, fully furnished, equipped, and only undergoing necessary testing and preparations for commissioning. Also completed is the road network within ADSU, Mubi community. In the area of education, the strategic intervention of the administration in the restoration, upgrade, and expansion of secondary schools across the state, which commenced in the first phase, continues to deliver remarkable results and improvements in the quality of the public education system, as funds have already been released for the comprehensive restoration and upgrade of scores of dilapidated secondary schools across the state, including renowned schools like Madagali Central Primary School and Farabaraune Primary School in Demsa Local Government Area. Renovation and upgrading of GJSS Belel Girls, Labondo Primary School, the famous Gwaida Mallam Primary School, Numan in Numan Local Government Area, Tambu Primary School, Kugbo in Shelleng Local Government Area, Bachure Primary School, Bachure in Yola north Local Government Area, and GDJSS Shagari, in Yola south Local Government Area, have all been more than 85 per cent completed On the international front, the plan for the construction of model schools across the state is in top gear. In the area of agriculture and in line with the administration’s promise to refocus on agricultural development, the abandonment of fertilizer processing plants with guaranteed off-taker opportunities for over 10,000 farmers, and inspiring capacity to stimulate the fertilizer revolution in the state and related industries and create thousands of direct and indirect jobs for our people is coming on stream.

Indeed, the last one and a half years of this administration have been hallmarked with a commitment to the promise made on inauguration day to provide first-class socio-economic infrastructure and keep the state and businesses safe, secure, achieved through hard work and the accomplishment of more with less resources, and a year cut short so dramatically by the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic and its attendant debilitating consequences. This progressive trajectory will definitely continue into the second year, and while it is already clear that it is not going to be easy given the very poor state of the national economy and the spin-off effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the zeal and dedication to do more and recommit to work harder and deliver greater development to the Adamawa people are already evident in the work going on all over the state. Governor Ahmadu Fintiri himself puts it succinctly: “As a government, we welcome constructive and frank criticisms devoid of politics and mischievousness, because they serve to make us better performers. At any rate, this is a time for governance, not for politics, and we welcome everyone onboard to enable us to create an environment that promotes balanced economic growth, thriving private investments and good jobs; to build a State of shared prosperity; a place of boundless opportunity for all citizens; a State we can truly call our native home, our pride, and our heritage, while looking into the future with optimism. “For us, nothing matters more than Adamawa State, our people, our interests, our treasures, our enormous resources and assets, our accomplishments, and our greatness. And so, as we look forward to the next twelve months, all I can say is that we are inspired by your continuous support and prayers to believe that our best days are ahead of us, and working together, we will surely do more to move Adamawa State forward.”