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A Date With History
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Being Text of an Address by His Excellency, Alhaji Aliyu Akwe Doma, OON (Garkuwan Doma), Executive Governor of Nasarawa State on the Occasion of the Swearing-in of Hon. Commissioners, Special Advisers and Acting Grand Khadi of the Sharia Court of Appeal, Lafia, Tuesday, 13 November 2007
PROTOCOLS
1. It is with a sense of fulfillment and gratitude to Almighty Allah, that I welcome you all to this historic occasion of the swearing-in of the pioneer members of the State Executive Council under this Administration. Also sworn-in are some Special Advisers and the Honourable Acting Grand Khadi of the Sharia Court of Appeal. I thank this impressive gathering which has come from within and outside the State, to honour us with their esteemed presence.
2. This ceremony is no doubt, another giant step towards putting in place constitutional structures of Government in the State. Permit me therefore, to congratulate the appointees, on behalf of the Government and people of Nasarawa State, for the well deserved appointment. However, I need to point out that the oath you have just taken, is a solemn promise to work conscientiously to better the lives of our people.
3. You will all recall that in the process of constituting the Executive Council of the State, I submitted the names of those who have just been sworn-in to the Nasarawa State House of Assembly for confirmation as Commissioners. This was done after painstaking efforts of subjecting the nominees to the strictest criteria of merit, competence and community representation.
4. It is gratifying to note that the Honourable House wasted no time in confirming the list. I will like to use this opportunity, to once more, thank the Rt. Honourable Speaker, Principal Officers and Members of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly for the usual understanding and cooperation. I salute the sense of constructive partnership demonstrated by the Honourable House in our common desire to deliver democratic dividends to our people.
5. Ladies and Gentlemen, I should mention at this juncture that prior to the constitution of the Executive Council, we drew up a 13-point agenda for the development of the state. This agenda covers specific areas of service which we intend to implement in the course of our stewardship. They are, Security, Agriculture, Education, Health, Tourism, Urban Development, Rural Development, Industrialization, Economic Empowerment, Civil Service Reorganization, Solid Mineral Exploitation, Housing and Cultural Re-Orientation.
6. This agenda draws its strength from:
1) The vision and mission of the founding fathers of the state;
2) The philosophy and direction of our great Party (PDP);
3) Our campaign promises;
4) The imperatives of the Millennium Development Goals; and,
5) The need to comprehensively give direction and focus to our development needs.
7. I urge the new Members of the Executive Council to quickly settle down in their respective Ministries and acquaint themselves with the ingredients of these policy thrusts and the overall philosophy of our Administration. These ingredients should motivate their actions and stimulate their initiative and creativity in the discharge of their responsibilities.
8. My Dear compatriots, let me for a moment refresh our minds on our achievements along these lines as enunciated on the occasion of our first 100 days in Office.
9. In keeping with our desire to uplift education as the guiding light of development, this Administration facilitated the establishment of the National Open University of Nigeria Study Center in Lafia. We have provided infrastructures and instructional materials, including collapsible tables and chairs to primary schools. Also provided are funds for the rehabilitation and equipping of tertiary institutions to ensure the accreditation of their programmes. All backlog of scholarship allowances have been paid to our students in various tertiary institutions across the country and abroad. We believe that we are on course in our efforts towards revitalizing the educational sector in our state.
10. Agriculture is undoubtedly, the dominant occupation of our people. Consequently, we have taken steps to boost the economic benefits derivable from this sector for our people. Towards this end, construction work has commenced on the Yam and Sweet Potatoes Conditioning Center at Keffi in preparation for the exportation of these crops to other parts of the world. We have likewise, launched the accelerated programme on Sesame seed production to maintain our leading position in this area and maximize the economic benefits therefrom. Our farmers are being exposed to modern farming techniques and access to credit facilities. Farm inputs, such as fertilizer and improved seeds are now readily available to our farmers. Necessary steps are being taken to revamp the Farm Mechanization Agency to boost agricultural production.
11. Ladies and Gentlemen, you are all aware that the youth are leaders of tomorrow. However, our youth will fail in this noble call if they are not properly guided. This Administration has therefore, established a skills acquisition scheme for unemployed youth in the state. We are being supported in this programme by the Federal Government which has sited a Skills Acquisition Training Center in Lafia, the State Capital. A Micro-finance bank is being set up to access funds for the establishment of small and medium scale enterprises.
12. We are determined to boost economic activities in the State for the good of all. To this end, efforts are being made to attract businesses to the state and expose our people to business opportunities. The Lafia main market is at the last stages of completion, while construction work on the Keffi market has commenced.
13. Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, this Administration has commenced the construction of township roads and a bye-pass in Lafia. Work is also at advanced stage on the 16km solar powered street lighting project. Similarly, we have signed a tripartite agreement involving the Federal, Kogi and Nasarawa State Governments for the construction of the Guto - Bagana and Loko - Guto roads. Preparation of a Masterplan for our urban centres has commenced to guide our urban development initiatives.
14. Health is wealth. We are therefore making the General Hospitals at Agbashi, Mararaban-Udege, Panda and Arikya functional. Health personnel are also being recruited, while existing ones are undergoing various capacity building programmes. A comprehensive survey of the status of our health institutions is being undertaken to guide government in its efforts to upgrade health care delivery in the State.
15. Energy is crucial to industrial and economic development. With the imminent completion of work at the Farin Ruwa Independent Power Project, arrangements are being made to put in place transmission and distribution structures to optimize the benefits of the plant for our people.
16. A State wide masterplan for integrated and sustainable development of the state has been commissioned. The Plan document shall serve as the road map to guide and focus our development efforts in our march to the promised land.
17. The Civil Service is the engine room of service delivery. Accordingly, the State Civil Service has been reorganized to make it more vibrant, productive, creative and efficient. This Administration has also ensured that salaries and overheads are paid as and when due. We believe that the Service is now properly re-positioned to face the challenges of development.
18. My dear people of Nasarawa State, let me now proceed to directly address the new members of the Executive Council. As earlier mentioned, your appointment is the outcome of wide consultations and careful selection aimed at picking the best. You must therefore, answer this call to service with the highest sense of responsibility, commitment and loyalty. Nothing less will be expected of you. Specifically, your loyalty to this Administration must never be compromised, neither should it be divided. Your loyalty must therefore not be doubted or questioned at anytime.
19. We need to be reminded that this Administration is the product of a political process. It carries the trust of the people of Nasarawa State on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). As you are aware, the programmes and policies of the PDP are people oriented. You are therefore, duty bound to ensure that we all work together as a team to fulfill our electoral promises to the people of the State.
20. Let me stress that a society can only develop if it upholds the virtues of discipline and honesty. Indeed discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishments. Accordingly, this Administration will continue to maintain a posture of zero tolerance for corruption. Already necessary measures are in place to plug all areas of extravagance, wasteful spending and flagrant abuse of office. I urge you to make the best use of limited resources to meet the development aspirations of our people. At a personal level, you should be conscious that your conduct in and out of office is under public scrutiny.
21. My dear Honourable Commissioners, you will depart after this swearing-in ceremony to assume duty as the Political Heads of your respective ministries. I expect you to ensure that the ministries are properly positioned to deliver effective service to the public in a professional manner. I likewise call on the Civil Servants to accord the Commissioners the highest cooperation that they deserve.
22. The relationship between the political class and civil servants in a bureaucracy should be cordial and reciprocal. I urge you to ensure strict supervision and monitoring of the bureaucracy in order to ensure that everybody earns his or her pay. Similarly, you should also endeavour to involve the staff of your ministries in the conduct of your responsibilities.
23. Parastatals and supervising ministries must work as a team. In this connection, I hasten to warn that on no account should Commissioners run parastatals under their supervision as extensions of their ministries. Commissioners should concentrate on the provision of policy direction while the Chief Executives should be left with the responsibility of the day to day administration of their parastatals.
24. I am aware that your various communities will exert pressure on you to influence certain decisions of Government. It is imperative to remind you however, not to see yourselves as champions of your local communities. Your actions henceforth, must reflect the collective hopes and aspirations of the entire people of the State. You must guard against giving advice that is likely to mislead the government or set up one community against the other. All your actions must promote a secure, peaceful and harmonious Nasarawa State.
25. Ladies and Gentlemen, I must not forget to congratulate the Acting Grand Khadi of the Sharia Court of Appeal on his appointment. This appointment has come at a time when the judiciary in Nigeria is undergoing tremendous transformation. It is my hope that you will contribute your quota towards the realization of effective administration of justice in the state.
26. Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, permit me to use this auspicious occasion to clarify the status of Development Areas which has attracted public interest of recent. You will recall that in 2002, the immediate past administration, created 16 additional Local Governments in the State. The details of the creation were subsequently forwarded to the National Assembly for necessary consequential orders for them to be constitutionally recognized as Local Government Areas. The lack of response from the National Assembly and subsequent developments in the polity necessitated the conversion of the newly created Local Governments into Development Areas. The previous Administration therefore decided that the Development Area Councils be changed to Management Committees and each headed by an Administrator.
27. Later, in 2004, the previous Administration in keeping with constitutional demands, decided that after the expiration of the tenure of Local Government and Development Area Councils, no further elections into the Development Areas will be conducted in the State until the awaited consequential orders were obtained from the National Assembly.
28. Ladies and Gentlemen, In view of the current preparation for elections into Local Government Councils and continuous public concern, it became necessary to set up a committee to advise on the status of Development Areas and other options based on the reality of the prevailing circumstance.
29. After a careful study of the recommendations of the Advisory Committee, Government is now constrained to consider the implementation of the decision of the previous Administration to the effect that no election should be held for the Development Area Councils. This is because doing so will be against the constitution. For the same reason, Government is also considering a review of the nomenclature and structure of the Development Areas.
30. Let me make it abundantly clear however, that it is not the intention of this Administration to dissolve the Development Areas. Development Areas, as administrative structures in our Local Government system have come to stay and shall remain so until such a time that the anticipated consequential order is received for their upgrading to Local Government Areas.
31. In conclusion, I want to remind all of us that the Nasarawa State project is an on-going programme of service and regeneration. As we step out of this hall, let us brace up ourselves to confront the challenges that we face. If we succeed, it is for the good of all the people of Nasarawa State. The irony of life however is that the more we find solutions to our problems, so do new challenges confront us. Challenges are therefore, a permanent feature of life. Let us not be afraid to confront them, knowing that what we do or fail to do today will determine our place in history. We therefore have a date with history.
32. Ladies and Gentlemen, let me stress once more that having restructured the Civil Service and appointed political heads to the ministries, we are now fully prepared for renewed determination towards progress and development. We must fulfill our call and mission. It is in this connection that I welcome you all on board.
33. I thank you all for your attention and God bless.
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