KATSINA STATE: GOOD WITH YAR'ADUA, VERY GOOD WITH SHEMA & BETTER WITH NASHUNI

The plague of leadership challenges in quality and in quantity has been the bane of under-development of the African state and Nigeria over time as a nation qualifies as a very good field example except for some people who have fared exceptionally finding themselves in leadership positions at certain times and clines. The state of Katsina very much fall within this exceptional field. This is because right from the transition into the present democratic dispensation in Nigeria if there is anything the people of Katsina lack more than anywhere else in the country it is the misfortune of leadership challenges. This is evident right from the administration of Alh. Umaru Musa Yar'adua as the State Governor from 1999 to 2007 who embarked on laying the foundational for the creation and development of the Modern Katsina State ranging from areas of road construction, rural electrification, rehabilitation of existing roundabouts, development of Katsina town master Plan, construction of secondary schools across the 24 local government areas in the state, the ultra-modern state secretariat, the neem processing plant, the establishment of school of administration in Funtua, the establishment of state university, construction of airport, the general overhaul of streets in the metropolis and other physical projects. In fact, the man (Alhaji Yar'adua) was at that time said to be one of the few Governors in Nigeria that deserve some respect, because of his sterling performance regarding executed projects in the state. This indeed was probably what levitated him to the presidency.
Now, with the state donating her prestigious son to the nation as president the vacuum he left was dully filled by his successor Barr. Ibrahim Shema who took the baton and ran the development race with a supersonic speed and dogged commitment evidenced in his completion of the projects commenced by his predecessor which is a very good example of continuity in governance - one rare attribute amongst leaders in our land and clime. In continuing with building the modern Katsina project he ensured rapid developments in the areas of Free education, Free Healthcare for Children under five years, Pregnant Women And the Aged, Massive developments in the agricultural sector through Songhai initiative, Establishment of organic fertilizer blinding plants producing 4,000 metric tons of organic and chemical fertilizer, Prompt Payment of Salaries, Granting monetary allowance to parents who send the girl-child to school and also to the Almajiris – child-beggars – to encourage them to stay in school.
In addition to the fore going is the Construction of Roads of international standards, Construction of Housing Estates (with about 2, 404 houses), over 68 additional primary health care facilities, Construction of Ultra-Modern 250 bed Orthopaedic Hospital, Construction of Ultra-Modern Government House, development of The Youth crafts Village to empower thousands of Katsina youths and very importantly while the previous government tried to save some funds for the state Barr. Shema's Government went further to not only increase the treasuries of the state but also Freed Katsina State From foreign and Domestic Debts by paying all debts.
Today, as the good people of Katsina prepare to thank Shema for a job well done they look forward again to a better future after Shema and that future is guaranteed in the candidacy of a first class mining engineer in the person of Engr. Musa Nashuni who has until now carved a niche for himself in the mining industry where he plies his trade as well as in corporate and public service that he has served. This man who has been the Area Manager in Amalgamated Tin Mines of Nigeria Ltd, Bukuru also rose from Assistant Project Manager to the exalted position of Executive Director of the Nigerian Mining Corporation before becoming Special Adviser to Executive Governor of Katsina State on Resource development Between 2007 and 2010. Thereafter, he was made the Honorable Commissioner for Works, Housing and Transport, Katsina State between 2010 and 2011 and finally, Honorable Commissioner for Resource Development, Katsina State from 2011 to 2014. In all of these positions Nashuni maintained a record of sterling performance which whets the appetence of the people of Katsina state that they are in for another robust season of industrialization and economic development that will take the state to a whole new level hence actualising the Katsina Dream. This is premised on the fact that the state is endowed with enormous deposits of very valuable solid minerals such as Kaolin also called china clay which is used in making of paper, rubber, paint, porcelain and many other products. It also has much deposits of manganese used for iron and steel production, power etc. salts as well as marble which is a very lucrative demand for building and construction are other solid materials in commercial quantity in the state to mention a few.
Going by this trend, the good people of the home of hospitality are enthusiastically confident of rapid development only possible by the continuity that PDP brings in Engr. Nashuni Musa.

OKPO EWA EDMUND ESQ.
LAWYER, ARBITRATOR & LITERATI