*says they know exactly what the people of Adamawa need
*Gov Fntiri is taking state to desired destiny – Dogo
Y KATO P. LADAN, Kaduna
An All Progressives Congress (APC) Chieftain in Adamawa state, Alhaji Mustapha Umar Madawaki in what he described as his objective opinion that the administration of Rt Hon Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, the executive Governor of the state is scored below twenty per cent.
The Mukaddas of Adamawa and the only Otumba of Northern Nigeria in an exclusive interview with our correspondent in his Yola residence, assessed the leadership of Ahmadu right from its inception to have missed the first step when he spent six months without having commissioners on ground.
According to him, the first step he missed is giving the government serious administrative miseries which ordinarily would have been avoided, judging it less than twenty per cent is coupled with the fact that he has failed to allow most of the cabinet members to explore and use their God-given abilities to support the government he is overseeing.
He admitted that the government has good and capable people to work with, but no determination and the zeal to make it a successful as the governor is fighting everyone.
“That you are the Governor that doesn’t mean you know everything. A good leader accepts constructive criticism and rises to challenges because that’s where lies the power and trigger of wisdom to lead well
“The Governor is fighting everybody, his cabinet is afraid of him, scared to tell him the truth because of how he portrays himself to them.
“In Adamawa today we have woken up to see the Governor at war with the political class, the common man even our traditional rulers are not being spared,” Umar said.
He further said that the recent meeting of the Northeast Governors in the state has revealed a sour relationship exists between Governor Ahmadu and the Lamido of Adamawa, Dr. Muhammadu Barkindo Aliyu Mustafa.
Umar expressed worries that it’s customary for respect to be given to traditional leaders in the land, pointing out that Governor Fintiri should be blamed for overlooking some nitty-gritty as the Governors while on official meeting failed to pay a courtesy call on any traditional leader in the state, especially Lamido whose base is in the capital.
“It was revealed that these two sets of people are not in talking terms. No matter what it is, people should not know that there is a problem. Their misunderstanding should not be a public issue for God’s sake. He is a Governor of all people, a government well supported by the people of the state, let people see them together in unity and know that there is cohesion. Tell me if they are fighting, how do we go to bed and sleep? He must rise up for the overall good of everyone.” He said.
Umar opined that the biggest problem of Governor Ahmadu is not the construction of flyovers or roads, but that of social interaction between him and his executives and the people of Adamawa State.
While sermonising his views, Mukaddas said, “God is the giver of power, He gives it to whomsoever He wishes and at whatever time He wishes. Mr. Ahmadu is not having two brains or richer than anyone else in the state but God willed him to be a Governor.
“My advice to him, he should govern to leave a legacy behind that his generation and posterity will judge him right; that he served the people of the state God committed into his hand well.”
He continued by saying that Governor Fintiri does not have to force people to acknowledge he has power.
“But Governors earn it by respecting the people and by bringing development.
” If he continues his leadership style other than this he will end up to be democratically elected dictator, and we don’t want a situation where our elected leaders turn themselves into tyrants. But if he can realize the position is God-given, a mundane power that one day he will leave, I think he will change his perception of how he sees leadership positions,” he added.
Umar also said if his life was spared by God in 2023 he will challenge Fintiri’s seat by contesting the governorship position he occupies, swearing that of he (Fintiri) performs credibly well ,he wil never contest against him.
According to him, he is not interested in holding positions, but rather, in the future of the state, stressing that he wants Adamawa to progress.
He worried that despite the many intellectuals in the diverse fields the state-owned, the many technocrats the state is having, but Adamawa remains one of the backward states in the North -East with Gombe and Taraba states created of yesterday ahead of the State.
“I said all these with all sense of objectivity because I’m a son of the state, I will not be happy if my state is not progressing, but much happier if we are all-round moving forward. I pray things will change.”He said
Our correspondent called his attention on the ongoing flyovers under construction, roads in kilometers awarded in so many LGAs of the state including the state capital, the prompt payment of salaries could be an achievement of a sort,Mukkadas said:
“Are flyovers the needs of Adamawa State people? How many cars we even have in the state that we need flyovers, even the tricycles can be counted that will be plying the flyovers when completed.
” The busiest road we have in the state capital is the market road, even at that one can divert and use alternative routes. The state doesn’t need a flyover. The loans collected to construct these flyovers will have been channeled to direct human empowerment and development.
“The flyovers are not to say are not good but it’s a misplaced priority and it earned nothing in terms of scores,” Umar said
While responding on the prompt payment of salaries by the Fintiri-led administration, Mustapha said any Governor that’s not paying salaries is “very irresponsible.”
He said Fintiri does not want to be called irresponsible that’s why is paying salaries.
“By the way, the salaries are the statutory rights of the civil servants, there is no reason why a Governor will not pay salaries because statutory salaries come first before any capital expenditures.
” Once people were able to work it becomes a religious responsible and sacrosanct the Governor to pay them their salaries, then if you have failed to pay salaries after people have worked you have become irresponsible.
“So paying salaries is not a yardstick of rating government good or bad because that salary is paying is also paying himself because he has equally worked including his executive. Therefore paying salaries is not an achievement.
” I don’t see these as an index of achievements, building flyovers, and paying salaries. I expected him to increase and broaden up his revenue base generation. I’m assuring you a good government can generate twenty billion naira in a month in this state because the resources are there to harness.
“I thought the Governor is having a ten or twenty-year development plan like other states to have a good human development by giving International scholarship to brilliant state’s indigenes for the development of the state. Less than this, I can’t see development anywhere in the state.
“This is the reason why I scored this government below twenty percent ” Madawaki reiterated
In the response, Governor Ahmadu’s Senior Special Assistant on Social Mobilization, Mr. Victor Dogo said the views of Madawaki are needless because common sense is there to guide him right that the Governor is performing what is over hundreds percent if he can be honest to his conscience.
Dogo worried and wonder why some people must talk about everything on earth when as they say common sense is the basis for the average person in the market place to be classified average, but when the content of the utterances of a man falls short of common sense you hear him say things like these.
“Modern development is not necessary for Adamawa, the advancement of Fintiri is too fast, too much, too outweighed for common men. Well, his Excellency Fintiri knows where he is taking the people to, and if you don’t like it please step aside.
“The trauma civil servants faced due to salary delay and like issues before now ratified by Governor, Fintiri will always be seen as a thing of joy. Funny and sad enough is to hear a man like a writer who feels the stability in civil service and achievements be not expressed but downplayed. Well, it is now on record that this has come as a relief to our state and a thing of joy.
“The worse is that such a man that lacks the basic character to control his thoughts, also seeing a time that Governors under an emergency and urgency met in Adamawa state purely to address specifics should become an issue of debate on who to visit or not to visit. The honor and respect for lives and property led to an immediate return visit of the Governor of Adamawa to condole with Borno state on the sad event that occurred.
“The writer’s purpose raises the question of what kind of a man is this that claims to want to lead someday will want to raise debates of issues that do not exist. If not a clear picture of his depraved thoughts then he should by now be celebrating the mutual and integrated living we are enjoying with our traditional leaders and government of the day.
“Adamawa is set for great possibilities that are growing in the northeast and opening and equipping the state for such advancement is the Fintiri’s vision, so if touching the lives of the people by Fintiri is far way too high for a person to see today….hmm! I am sorry and disappointed. We can tell a man from the content of his heart when he raises careless or silly comments, never appreciating anything someone else does.
“My advice would be caution yourself because when he meddles with things of such manner we can tell how much you lack the quality of a leader, as even babes don’t read meanings to what does not exist to make issues of them, please grow up the time for everything on earth exist,” Victor said.
