By Haruna Aliyu Usman
Our dear state, Kebbi, has been hungry of all sectorial governance, more than a decade ago precisely since the return of democracy in 1999. We have had series of democratic governance in the state each with her weakness, aside suffering infrastructural deficit in the state many sectors have witnessed abandonment or got little attention from successive governments in Kebbi.
Kebbi being a civil servants state has witnessed near dead of civil service as past administrations suffocated the seemingly live-wire of nearly four million citizens of Kebbi state in which nearly three million are civil service dependent directly or indirectly.
Over the years, the state was ruled by retired uniform men who know nothing about civil service and the effect of relegating it to the background because the soul of Kebbi state breath through the civil service.
Successive governments in the state have been mean to civil servants in the state as they value their political appointees more than teaming civil servants thereby creating continuous poverty in a state that knows nothing but civil service.
In Kebbi, no one seems to care what you do as long as the civil service is compressed and neglected, thinkers believes that Abuja breed politicians were responsible for slow development and the dead of civil service in the state as they care a little what the civil servants pass.
In my own opinion, and I stand to be challenged, Kebbi people have find their missing rib in Dr. Nasir Idris, currently he is living within the expectations of his people by breathing life into Kebbi state civil service. As far as I know, no request from ministries and /or departments in the state were turned down by him ranging from increased cash allocations to deserving bodies for effective discharge of official duties to upward review of salaries in the state universities and polytechnic.
In the health sector, he listened to the cries of doctors under the state service of being under-paid compared to their counter parts in the tertiary level which over the years ignited mass exodus of trained doctors and nurses living the only known hospital, Sir Yahya Memorial high and dry. Now that he has closed the remuneration gab, doctors and nurses stayed put which has boosted healthcare, giving to thousand poor citizens of Kebbi state.
In education sector, Idris had built more classrooms to decongest students and/pupils population and upward reviewed feeding programme to acceptable standard to say the least just as he is gradually closing infrastructure gab in the state capital and beyond.
Finally, I want to suggest to Governor Idris to redefine his agricultural policy by introducing a revolving agricultural funds to give farmers access to fertilisers, pumping machines and improved seedlings because the free fertilisers end up with politicians and corrupt civil servants who divert it for personal use to the detriment of thousands of real farmers in Kebbi state who are willing to contribute to the governor’s agricultural revolution.