31/05/2020
TEXT OF A PRESS CONFERENCE BY BAUCHI STATE ALL PROGRESSIVES CONGRESS (APC) MEDIA/PUBLICITY COMMITTEE TO COMMEMORATE THE DEMOCRACY DAY
Gentlemen of the Press
You are most welcome to this Press Conference which happens to be the first of its kind since the inauguration of our committee by the leadership of our esteemed party APC State Working Committee in Bauchi State some few months ago with the aim of partnering with you for a better Bauchi State.
We deem it imperative and timely to address this Press Conference in view of several factors that deserve public attention on state of affairs as they steadily unfold themselves in our dear Bauchi State in the past one year under the PDP style of governance.
The situation at hand is the most unfortunate and worrisome ever in the political history of the State because within just one year in power, the PDP has hurriedly pushed the State into economic insolvency, political instability and social menace needing an emergency solution courtesy of incapacitation, greed at its peak and cluelessness.
As part of its policy, APC remained silent in the last one year as a strategy while watching and monitoring how things were unfolding themselves against all facets of socio-economic and political development of the State waiting for the most ideal time to state the obvious which is now.
Looking back to the governing style of the APC (2015 – 2019) when it had the opportunity to govern Bauchi State for four uninterrupted years with total commitment to the overall development of the state irrespective of any parochial sentiment, compared to what is on display today.
We have every reason to thank the Almighty God and the people of Bauchi State for the trust and confidence reposed in APC which was neither betrayed nor abused. Even the gang of those unholy critics that traded hatred against APC knows internally that the party while in power had tried its best, did its best and served with passion before it quit the scene with satisfaction. While in power, APC displayed credibility, respect to the rule of law and strived within available resources to fulfill its campaign promises through unquantifiable service delivery that can be described one of the best so far.
Despite its purported defeat at the 2019 gubernatorial election, the party is waxing stronger while in opposition and repositioning itself to confront future challenges with courage most especially if the state government fulfills its promise to conduct local government elections sooner than later which we doubt for fear of the obvious.
This Press Conference as said earlier was necessitated by unbelievable factors, and if left unchecked, it may eventually cause the total collapse of the State due to the sophisticated level of cluelessness and political sentiment and imbalance on display by the kindergarten leaders in power that cannot ordinarily differentiate between judicious use of public resources for service delivery and squandering public resources to comfort some selected maggots and their gluttonous co-travelers.
We are here to celebrate the Democracy Day and express the opinion of our teeming supporters, as opposition party full of determination and vigor. We have to make our one year report public on the stewardship of the PDP led government for comparison with what APC provided the State within same time frame while in power.
In 2019, the Peoples Democratic Party while campaigning had mischievously claimed to have the temerity and dexterity of delivering better services to the State including opening a window of bountiful employment opportunities to youth and women as well as improved security to lives and property if elected.
The applied trick can rightly be said to have worked over the intelligence of electorates. But ironically, it is just one year while in office we are all living witnesses to the policy thrusts on implementation by the PDP led government that is at variance with what it promised during the campaign. Instead of the employment opportunities, the youth are pauperized and frustrated. The vocal ones among them are threatened with arrests and intimidation to compromise their positions.
APC and the deprived members of the public are at liberty to give an objective assessment report on the government that lacks sincerity, direction, credibility and integrity.
Although, we are aware of how a contract for the supply of plastic classrooms furnisher by the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) worth over N500million was awarded to only two Bauchi based ‘contractors’ without bidding as well as how the State’s proposed 1000 Housing Estate project proposed to cover the six Emirates of the State would be shared among unregistered contractors whose only qualification for the favor is membership of the PDP. The concern of the PDP government is not centred on capacity and capability to execute the projects satisfactorily but on how to position party loyalists financially against 2023 re-election bid despite the glaring poor performance rating because they have a price for settlement not integrity.
We are not talking of the N3.6billion assorted vehicles scam that exposed the mindset of the PDP led government on probity and how the contract was awarded as an emergency case through an Executive Order to a mal-functional company that has no operational address but a private residence.
If we may further ask, why is the State House of Assembly financially strangulated against effective legislative functions and its leadership always under threats? The Honorable House deserves every support to function effectively for the good of the State. We appeal to the Honorable lawmakers to block the ongoing attempt by the PDP led government to privatize public properties. They are properties provided by successive governments and patriotically sustained. The gluttons and the locusts are now making efforts to hijack to properties. We say No!
Again, the Honorable House should not allow the State to access any foreign loan from any foreign country or organization. We are aware of ongoing efforts by the PDP led government to secure a $200million (N100billion) foreign loan. APC has already instructed its lawyers to reach the courts to stop both the corruption infested privatization and the loan issues.
PDP had in 2019, without facts at its disposal other than its usual trademark, accused the APC led government of over bloating the state’s civil and local government services with ghost workers with a monthly salary bill of N5.1billion combined. That mischief and illogic allegation served as the signature tune of the PDP at the gubernatorial campaign. The figure of N5.1billion was correctly quoted and was severally defended by the APC. After the purported defeat of the APC, it was generally expected that the PDP would prune down the figure to reality after assessing power. Surprisingly, in its first 100 days in power, same PDP instead of pruning the figure down, it je**ed it from its castigated N5.1billion without fresh employees to over N6billion without fresh employments. Not satisfied with its level of deceit, within few days after, the governor again je**ed the salary bill to over N7billion still without fresh employees. The people were thrown into confusion and doubts. It was from that point many formed sincere opinions on what to expect from the PDP. Characteristic of the PDP led government it tried to fool all with the bogus figure but never showed any sign of remorse. We quickly read the writing on the wall and the direction. We long expected such to happen and it happened along with other scams that we shall periodically make public for the records.
If the development is objectively compared with the APC announced N5.1billion for the sake of comparison, even a certified lunatic can quickly point to where sincerity reigns. And with that development, can APC be said to be a more sincere and committed party to the socio-economic wellbeing of Bauchi state or the gangsters referred to as PDP that was rigged to power by agents of doom for selfish interest which is systematically being unfolded laced with tribal sentiments?
Let us now objectively review the performance index of the PDP led government in Bauchi state in the last 365 days for posterity.
Health:
Our health facilities where they exist in the last one year were turned to mere consulting centres managed by frustrated staff. There are neither drugs nor dressings for patients. There is no staff motivation or job security. Patients on admissions are either left to fate or cough out their medical bills without subsidy as obtained in an APC led government. The health facilities are underfunded to finance roads renovation, a top priority of the PDP led government because of what it is involved in the award of roads projects including the use of family members as fronts for multi-national construction companies.
Roads Construction:
The PDP led government has awarded lopsided roads projects in few locations to add beauty and ease transportation problems while real communities in need of such facility are denied the benefit of such projects, either because of tribal or regional difference. We thought there was to be an even distribution of the road projects as a tradition bequeathed by the APC led government. Unknowingly, the mindset of those in control of government is in the opposite direction. We were told that over 70 contracts were awarded to the benefitting companies through the Due Process mechanism as just 7kilometers of renovated road gulped over N2.7billion within Bauchi metropolis.
Gentlemen of the Press, in elementary economics, projects are executed on the strength of their economic values to the socio-economic and political development of the benefiting community. We must be categorical here to avoid misinterpretation by mischief makers by stating that we are not against the provision of needed infrastructures, we know that in ideal situations, certain factors must be considered before road projects are contracted out, unless if awarded with attached strings of a selfish interest as we all know what PDP stands for.
To our understanding, there are several communities that desire portable water than trunk A or B roads. Others are for economic empowerment towards self-reliance than roads while some electricity supply is their immediate need and agricultural inputs than roads while the youth in unison are for gainful employment not roads. In line with this, we are told that within 365 days, the PDP led government had expended the sum of N45billion on services that portrays the government fraudulent. It is unbelievable and deceitful for any sane mind to have made that clownish statement for intelligent people to believe. We are undoubtedly made to believe the likely presence of those over N45billion claimed projects in the outer space for the invisible jinn. Where are the projects located and who can convince our troubled minds to believe that folktale? Was the PDP government referring to those poorly renovated and constructed classroom blocks at selected primary schools painted in PDP colors or the mushroom two layer roads located in few areas that can easily be swept by flood? Why is PDP refusing to accept its trademark which is failure but chose to play over the intelligence of the people? Why all those claims despite glaring evidence of failure in all sectors? Let the truth be told. APC while in power never claimed what it never provided for the good of Bauchi state through prudent management of resources. Today, we have a government that specializes in rhetorical statements to register its presence on the political turf with bogus claims of performance. One may not be wrong to say that Bauchi State has today got an inept, senseless, super corrupt and clueless party in power that believes in folktales for accolades than reality. To remain objective in our assessment, we reproduced part of the interview granted to Bauchi Government House media crew by Engr. Joshua Sanga, the Chairman of Bauchi State Budget Monitoring and Public Procurement Agency on the one year scores of the PDP led government in Bauchi state.
The expected learned Engineer said: “Over 70 different projects were awarded through due process and issued with certificates of no objection. And the Agency was fully involved in the awards of those 70 projects.
“Ideally each and every project in the excess of one million naira in the state ought to come to this office before even been awarded, we have to check the price, we have to check the award process, the procurement process, the right contractor was given the job or not and to ensure that the job is done”.
Engr. Joshua Sanga, consciously or unconsciously, exposed a bundle of contradiction and the body language of the PDP led government by attempting fruitlessly to murder truth on the altar of bootlicking sojourn unlike a professional in his field of specialization.
In his desperation to hide the truth for shield to the clueless administration rigged into power, Engr. Sanga said 70 different projects were awarded through due process and issued with certificates of no objection. Does he have the power to object what was submitted to his office for mere signature and approval by the powers that be? Is the Agency he presides over not a mere rubber stamp?
Sanga for obvious reasons was mean with the truth for fear of the wrath of his boss. We hate to join issues with the poor Engineer because we know of the environment he found himself. In our subsequent media interactions, we shall release the list of several contracts awarded not through due process. It is after that, we shall invite Engr. Sanga for a bout.
But for Engr. Sanga to remain with his credibility and respect, let him endure the labor to give an account of those his 70 claimed projects worth over N45billion within 365 days in Bauchi state. Let him not forget to include unit costs, location of project or type of service rendered, list of companies that submitted tenders for the projects including their contact addresses for easy contact, due process reports etc before the award. We shall then surprise him with the list of those fictitious companies that were claimed to have submitted their biddings for the various projects. Engr. Sanga ought to know that he is occupying a public office and must be careful of being negatively used for a selfish interest. He drives the sustenance of his livelihood from public purse. We are equal stakeholders in the Greater Bauchi Project and we are entitled to know how our resources are managed by whosoever is piloting the affairs of our State.
As Engr. Sanga tried to portray the administration he serves in good light, we in the opposition shall give him a supporting hand without an asking if he can give an account of how the contract for the 105 controversial assorted vehicles was awarded and the companies that submitted bids for the supply including the unit price of each of the vehicles, year of manufacture and comparison with the unit price of each in the open automobile market and why the procurement was through an Executive Order.
Again, he said all contracts above N1million in the state ought to pass through his office to undergo his stated due process. If we rightly understand the meaning of ‘ought’ to pass through his office, then we reserve our comments on how many of such contracts never passed through his office from SUBEB, RUWASSA, Ministry for Local Governments and Chieftaincy Affairs or those contracts from the State’s Ministry for Education and the other drain pipes including the health sector.
In our collective resolve for a robust and vibrant civil service, we challenge the PDP led government to give an account of its welfare package to civil servants within the past 365 days it has been in power. During the campaigns, PDP promised the payment of Leave Grants, steady monthly payment of pension allowance to the suffering pensioners and other benefits accrued to civil servants. But in Its usual style, it is now over five months, no single pensioner in Bauchi state received a dime from the state government despite the availability of funds that are channeled to inconsequential services better called SQUANDERMANIA in more serious climes.
State Government-owned Tertiary Institutions are now in tatters. Most qualified lecturers and other academicians that add value to education have been frustrated out or transferred to inconsequential places to rot. There is an ongoing case of brain drain in Bauchi state in the last 365 days.
Those who have displaced administrative and academic prowess in the tertiary institutions are now victims of unabated political frustration and threats. The institutions are now turning to mere gossip centre status and political rascality venues that were absent during the APC government that has been greatly missed.
Corona Virus Pandemic:
Talking about the incapacitation on display by the PDP led government to tame the spread of the deadly corona virus needs not to be over emphasized. We all know how the deadly virus reached our state. We expected a pragmatic approach to contain the spread of the virus within the powers of government. We are disappointed with how the situation was handled. Instead of a sincere approach, the worrisome situation was given a political color laced with deceit of prompt action while the situation worsened. The people were subjected to several draconian laws under the guise of fighting CONVID-19. Legitimate sources of livelihood and palliatives were denied the people. Even donations receipted from good Samaritans and corporate bodies were horded by the PDP led government. Without concern to their plights, commercial motorcycle operators (Achaba), were forced to disconnect from their trade and rendered jobless with a claim of providing them 1000 Keke Napep as replacement. We are now told that the government has received 250 of the 1000 promised Keke Napep and ready for distribution through different organs that have no relation with Achaba operation. If truth must be told, how many of those grounded commercial motorcycle operators will benefit from the distribution pattern and the terms attached to legitimate ownership of the Keke Napep? That is a typical case of robbing Paul to pay Peter. APC most sincerely sympathizes with those deprived from eking a legitimate livelihood and with time, they shall bounce back to business under a humane government that cares for their progress. For the records, let the government give an account of the monetary donations it received from the Canadian Government, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Tertiary Education Trust Fund (Tetfund) etc. The people are eager to know how the donated monies were expended if expended other than what the donations were made for. It is our inalienable right to demand for details for probity because we know body languages of those in power. While other states were busy fumigating the environs against the deadly virus, Bauchi state was instead busy issuing falsehood. Even the state capital was not fumigated in whole not to talk of the entire state. While the deadly disease was ‘imported’ to the state from Germany, there was no serious effort to curtail its spread. We are all witnesses to the lukewarm attitude of the PDP led government towards curtailing the spread of the virus. It is only the Almighty God that loves the people and protected them but not the PDP led government that was making fortune out of the bad situation.
Water:
Water in Bauchi and environs has become gold courtesy of PDP’s incapacitation for solution because the taps have remained dried for over seven months without solution. The only solution announced by the government is the purchase of water tankers to distribute water within the environs. This development is not only laughable and unbelievable, but pathetic at this technological age. The government seems to be more concerned to the purchase of exotic vehicles than provision of portable water to the people. The ongoing Bauchi multi-million dollar World Bank project cannot be claimed by the present government because it was made possible and facilitated by the former APC government before its exit. The PDP led government has made no effort to provide solution to the acute water shortage in Bauchi and other places till date. Instead of water projects, it prefers to provide few road projects within visibility of passersby that it considers more important to human lives than water to deceive the gullible to believing falsehood of performance.
At this juncture, let me digress and use this opportunity to sympathize with those parents whose children were denied payments of NECO, WAEC and other examinations by the state government as it has been the practice since 1999. Let them know that the education of their children means nothing to the PDP led government and it has no regrets or apology to offer the parents.
Gentlemen of the Press, today in Bauchi state, we are forced to accommodate cluelessness and ineptitude as the system of government on display and jealously protected by insane and unproductive aides. Look at the verbal war that ensured between a Bauchi based respected religious leader and an aide to the state governor, supposedly, a member of the state executive council. The respected cleric only voiced out his opinion on the government which was not pleasant to sycophants on the corridors of power. Instead of that clueless semi-illiterate aide to give account of his stewardship in where he serves that is adjudged a drain pipe of public resources, he chose to be lost in a wild goose chase in defending fiction.
That exposes the mindset of the PDP led government on Freedom of Speech. It loves sycophancy, bootlicking and praise singing spiced with lies, pretence and deceit than rendering services.
APC while in power was severally attacked by same cleric which it ignored with maturity and sense of concern. It piloted the affairs of Bauchi state with decorum and caution. It avoided meddling into pettiness and trivial issues. Rights of the people to Freedom of Expression etc were respected and encouraged. Today, it is history as the majority, are silently regretting their negative actions against the APC at the gubernatorial poll. But there is no cause for regret it can only serve as a lesson and guide against future. The journey has just begun.
A careful study on agriculture today, shows that fertilizers and other agricultural inputs for this farming season may be beyond the reach of the peasant farmer. The government has made no effort to either procure the essential agricultural commodity before the fall of the rains or it has horded the commodity for specific political and sentimental purposes.
As part of resolutions reached by the Northern Governors Forum at one of their meetings in Kaduna, non-indigenous almajiris are to be evacuated from the states to their states of origin for safety against COVID-19 pandemic. All the Northern States have implemented the resolution with dispatch except Bauchi state due to lack of concern to the health of the people and the almajiris that is worrisome.
May the Almighty God continue to protect us all! Ameen.
It may not be wrong if we use this medium to ask some few questions for clarity and we mean no evil but for records purpose only.
Lest we forget, is it true that the state government, with the approval of the state governor has paid rent for the personal residences of the governor and his deputy as they still occupy the residences as tenants? We beg to be answered to form an opinion and strengthen the records for posterity. And is it true that the state government is making desperate moves to de-freeze its account that has over N11billion with FCMB? Why should that account be de-frozen despite the baseless allegations made by the PDP led government? Does the money in the frozen account belong to the state government or those beneficiaries as approved by the former governor before he exited? EFCC should be cautious on this matter before its name is dragged to the mud. We are aware of the moves and we are not treating the issue with levity because we know the intention hidden. The presidency needs to know.
Gentlemen, permit me to end this Press Conference with a quotation from a former renowned freedom fighter and one of the most respected African leaders ever, the late president of independent Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe who said: “To applaud a politician because he built schools, hospitals or roads using public money….is the same as congratulating an ATM machine for giving you your money on your directive”. That is the Food for Thought today in our model of governance in Bauchi state.
Gentlemen of the Fourth Estate of the Realm, we most sincerely appreciate your patience for enduring to listen to this text and we hope, we shall continue to partner for the progress of Bauchi state and the journalism profession which some of us equally belong.
Thank you.
God Bless
Comrade Sabo Muhammed
Chairman Bauchi State APC Media/Publicity Committee
