In 2015, campaign promises paved the way for politicians into various government houses in the country. With the 2019 elections around the corner, some of these unfulfilled campaign promises may prove to be pitfalls for incumbent governors seeking re-election, Daily Trust on Sunday reports from various states across the country.

El-Rufai: Facing the insecurity hurdle

Three years into his government, Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State has touched on some of his promises while others are still awaiting attention.

He started with the education sector and the reclamation of lands meant for schools. He demolished encroachments on school lands and rehabilitated schools, providing more classrooms, water and toilets. This is a continuous exercise intended to fix the more than 4000 public primary schools, most of which the government found in dismal states.

He has also reformed the civil service by reducing the size of government personnel, conducting biometric verification of civil servants. He also embarked on local government reforms. He has also removed 2,484 ghost pensioners from the state’s payroll, saving N1.3bn per annum. He also cancelled 450 accounts belonging to the state government in favour of a Single Treasury Account (TSA).

However, although the state government has bought 107 cars, 51 motorcycles and bulletproof vests for the security agencies, the problem of insecurity has continued to dog the state and scare away many entrepreneurs. This security issue will most likely be a key issue in the run-up to the 2019 elections.

Lalong’s LG elections gamble

Simon Bako Lalong rode to power on campaign promises that he would return internal security to Plateau State, offset backlog of workers’ salaries, ensure an inclusive government and a promise to re-start abandoned industries, especially the rebuilding of the Jos Terminus main market.

His first major score point was clearing the backlog of inherited seven months salaries of civil servants and pensioners arrears. He followed it up by sustaining the payment of monthly wages promptly, which has earned him the name, Governor Alert.

With the help of his five-point policy thrust, which includes Peace, Security and Good Governance; Human Capital Development and Social welfare; Agriculture and Rural Development; Entrepreneurship and Industrialisation; and Physical Infrastructure and Environmental Development, Lalong seems to have redeemed most of his promises.

He often boasts of returning peace to the state, which he says is the cornerstone of other developmental strides.

The state government successfully mediated in the crisis between Fulani herders and Berom farmers at the beginning of the administration, bringing respite to the almost two years of attacks and counter-attacks within Barkin Ladi, Riyom and Jos South local government areas. But Lalong doesn’t seem to be showing much enthusiasm lately, as, in the last one year, a resurgence of violence in parts of Plateau North is threatening to undo his peace efforts.

His government has been inclusive. There are claims that the governor had given appointments to all 45 minority ethnic groups in the state, thereby mending broken bridges among the various tribes in the state.

During campaigns in 2015, Lalong had hyped on the huge debt profile of the state, condemning any attempt to plunge the state into further debt. But in the last three years, he has collected loans, specifically from the Federal Government even though his commissioner for information, Yakubu Dati, recently said the state government had reduced the N220billion debt it inherited from the immediate past government of the state to N122 billion.

The governor surprised many when he focused his attention on completing the flyover at the State Secretariat junction, the Muhammadu Buhari Way and other road projects he initiated, even at the detriment of starting new ones. However, Governor Lalong had, during campaigns, assured the citizens that he would reactivate the long-abandoned state-owned companies; and his positive pronouncement on the Terminus main market boosted his ratings. While he has since revived the Highland Bottling Company, the Panyam fish farm, the Bokkos fertilizer blending plant, Dati said Terminus market was in the process of being rebuilt and bids had already taken place.

In 2016, the state government signed a N230million Memorandum of Understanding with a UK-based company, Roughton International London Limited, in collaboration with Cynergy Associates Consortium, to commence the first phase of redevelopment and enhancement of the burnt terminus market.

A few months ago, the state government opened bidding for the reconstruction of the market, with two companies: MM Attat Construction Limited and Edil Belmonte Limited submitting bids.

But despite his achievements, Lalong broke a promise he made to democratically elected local government chairmen shortly after he assumed office. He had assured them during his campaigns that he was not going to sack them if elected, and had reiterated his point shortly after he won election. But just when they were getting comfortable, the governor pulled the plug and replaced them with caretaker management committees over what he described as alleged corrupt practices. Since then, Lalong has replaced one caretaker committee with another and is being attacked for not conducting local government polls, a setback he blames on the security situation in the state. Depending on how these play out in the next months, the governor’s handling of this situation will be a key factor in the 2019 elections.

Many challenges facing Ortom

Before assumption of office in May 2015, Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State had promised to reposition the Food Basket state. Ortom’s promises were carefully encapsulated in the blueprint of his administration: “Our Collective Vision for a New Benue,” which was meant to be a compass for effectively dealing with the challenges of governance in the state when the government finally hit the ground running.

The government, under the All Progressives Congress (APC), was expected to be guided by the five strategic areas of the blueprint, such as Provision of Good Governance anchored on the fear of God, Agriculture-driven Industrialisation with a passion, Provision of Critical Infrastructure to facilitate development, STEAM-based Education/Health Services and Promotion of Gender Equality, women, children, youth and people with disability.

Besides, Ortom had, during his inaugural speech on May, 29, 2015, promised to reconcile all aggrieved people in the state within his 100 days in office.

However three years into the lifespan of the administration, some of the promises made had become a reality, others appear stalled, occasioned by excuses of financial/economic recession, as well as security challenges, while the remaining are likely to become a plea bargain to secure a second term mandate.

For instance, the governor has kept his promise to stand solidly on the decision of his people by not compromising their interest on the enactment of laws like the Prohibition of Open Grazing of Livestock, Prohibition of Abduction, Kidnapping, Hostage-taking, and Secret Cults Law, 2017.

The governor, in affecting the agricultural, educational and health sectors of the state, engaged and brought back international development agencies that had earlier left because the state defaulted in counterpart funding.

To this end, UNDP, IFAD, World Bank, UNFPA, DFID, USAID, CRUDAN, Mercy Corps and several other bilateral and multi-lateral agencies showed up to work with the state government to support the social and economic development of the state.

So far, over 40 health care centres had been built by the administration between May 29, 2015, and now, while the government had procured and supplied ambulances, as well as essential drugs to Agatu, Gboko, Ohimini, Oju, Tarka and Ushongo local government areas of the state.

Although the state government had mobilised contractors to site in order to complete 11 road projects scattered across the state, its achievement in this area has suffered frustration, which was blamed on the limited resources available to the administration.

Until the beginning of this year, payment of salaries has been a problem.

Another humanitarian problem of the state is the nearly 180,000 people living in eight internally displaced persons camps, occasioned by suspected herders invasion of their land, killings of people and displacement from their homes, which invariably poses a major threat to food security as another cropping season has arrived and farmers are still in camps.

Based on these promises and the administration’s performance so far, the focus of the Ortom campaign for a second term will be hinged on his ability to contend with perceived adversaries of the grazing law to ensure its non-reversal.

Gov Abubakar and the burden of local government elections

While campaigning to be elected, Governor Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar promised to diversify the state’s economy through agriculture, tourism and solid minerals development. He also promised to revive education, health sector, provide employment and embark on infrastructural development, especially road construction. The governor was also said to have promised to conduct local government elections if elected.

In the last three years of his administration, Governor Abubakar has recorded success in some areas while he failed to meet expectations in others.

Immediately after his assumption of office, Gov. Abubakar awarded contract for roads construction across the state, including the over 100-kilometer multibillion-naira Misau-Bulkachuwa-Gamawa road. Township roads in Bauchi metropolis were also awarded for construction.

In the area of agriculture, Governor Abubakar introduced many programmes and provided incentives to promote agricultural development in the state. He revived the state-owned fertiliser blending company, which produces fertiliser for farmers and sold at a highly subsidised rate.

However, despite the achievements he made in many areas, many observed that he has fallen short of expectations in the last three years of his administration.

Many believe the governor embarked on too many projects at the same time; hence he is slow to execute most of them.

For his critics, especially those he has been at loggerheads with for a long time, his failure to conduct local government elections as promised during campaigns is one of his failures. They believe he has nothing to boast of to convince the electorate ahead of 2019.

But the governor’s supporters believe that his performance should be viewed based on the situation the administration found itself when it assumed power, including an almost empty treasury and unpaid debts, as well as outstanding four months salaries.

Tambuwal’s burden of inherited debts

When Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal was taking over the mantle of leadership in Sokoto State, he promised to complete all projects that were left behind by the immediate past administration.

Although there was no mention of liabilities during the handover ceremony as both Tambuwal and his predecessor kept mute on the matter, it was clear that the governor inherited projects worth billions.

Some of the projects include the Independent Power Plant, the 500 units of Kalambaina Housing Estate and multiple road projects.

Our checks, however, revealed that many projects sited in rural areas were not completed.

The governor has completed some road projects commissioned during the recent Democracy Day celebration. They include Katsina Road, Sani Dingyadi Road and NNPC Mega State-Mabera Road.

Our checks also revealed that the multi-billion naira extension of the Usman Faruk Secretariat has remained abandoned probably because of the legal issue trailing the contract.

The project was awarded by former Governor Wamakko in 2013 at the cost of N5.7 billion but revoked a few months ago, citing the slow pace of the project. It was, however, re-awarded to another contractor at the cost of N5.2 billion. This led to a legal tussle between the state government and the first contracting firm, Messrs Edile Construction Nig. Ltd.

In the health sector, the present government has renovated and upgraded hospitals, including the Silame Primary Health Care Centre, which was upgraded to the status of general hospital and the upgrading of the specialists hospital, Sokoto and Dogon Daji General Hospital in Tambuwal Local Government Area. Additionally, the Malaria Control Agency was established by the state government to tackle the disease head-on.

It would also be recalled that the governor, upon resuming office, declared a state of emergency in education and set up various technical committees to design a blueprint towards achieving the objective goals of enhancing enrolment, especially of girl-children, renovation and upgrading of schools and construction of new one, enhancing welfare of teachers, among others. The committees had since submitted their reports, which led to the implementation of a new salary scheme for lecturers in tertiary institutions in the state. It also led to the construction of a N1.2 billion secondary school in the only local government area without a secondary school in the state.

Similarly, the programmes offered by the state university received full or partial accreditation because of the new policy; but pundits, however, believe that more need to be done in the sector. (Daily Trust)

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