Right from the down of history, Adamawa State has always been basking in the euphoria of greatness. With centuries of historical antecedence, powered by best tradition of politicians, vibrant intellectuals and tested technocrats in the art of governance, the state is reputed to have formed important power block within the Sub-Saharan Africa. Its phenomenal capacity to produce great men and women of valour and candour cannot be over-emphasised. To situate it, with a view to contextualising its development profile, it could be safe to place it within the gifted.
Despite these endowments and magnanimous attributes of nature, the state has succeeded in producing few patriots but many more parrots in its journey to greatness. In spite of its human and material capital, the state is graciously falling below poverty line due to acute leadership deficiency.
Except for the present leadership under Governor Mohammed Umar Bindo Jibrilla, which is revolutionary in approach due to its masses and proletariat appeal, Adamawa State in the last 16 years of our nascent democracy, went through clueless and short-sighted leaders with predatory instincts on the treasury and monumental looting of the public till. There was lack of honest, transparent and selfless approach to governance as many of them fleeced the state and frittered away its common wealth to the consternation and bewilderment of its poverty stricken citizens.
At a point, the level of governance degenerated to an all time low posture where mediocrity and iniquity ruled. There was profligacy in public expenditure and the state had to buckle under the full weight of ravenous and greedy political family that converted the treasury to personal fiefdom thus leaving the peasantry to carry the can. And in fact, the state was drifting to a hazardous adventure that made it suffer from administrative neglect, crumbling social infrastructure, high level of unemployment, social deprivation, abject poverty, filth and squalor and endemic social malaise. At a stage, the whole scenario was tantamount to abdicating governments responsibilities to the good people of Adamawa. To me, this is a clear demonstration of blatant ineptitude and profound incompetence that stretched development from the sublime to the ridiculous. This is in tandem with the philosophical dictates of Karl Maier who aptly describes it as a “house that’s fallen”.
Adamawa people are getting more attuned to the attractions of good governance in other climes, hence, they ask questions where the past leadership is generally acknowledged to be lethargic in strategic thinking, efficiency, competence, productivity and lacking in motivation and commitment to the core values of democracy.
It could be recalled that shortly before Admiral Murtala Nyako assumed office as governor of Adamawa State, a report by the Central Bank of Nigeria as supported by the World Bank, placed Adamawa as the second poorest in terms of infrastructure and quality of life in the federation state. The state was faced with enormous socio-economic challenges which largely translated to its stunted economic growth and development, courtesy of short-sighted vision that produced short-term “gains” with long term losses.
For now, its not all about dirges and songs of lamentations as the coming into power of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its attendant change mantra is fast changing the face and character of governance in Adamawa State. The popular election of a young and vibrant Senator Bindo as the governor of Adamawa State has opened a new chapter in the index of development in the state.
Senator Bindo’s patriotic and nationalistic intervention in the process of good governance and ruthless pursuit of excellence in the provision of social infrastructure, is one area that continues to attract attention from both friends and large-hearted foes.
I term this structural and systemic transformation of the state as the “Bindo Phenomenon”.
Modibbo is an Abuja based Journalist and Media Consultant.
This article was originally published on Leadership Newspaper