A governorship hopeful on the platform of All Progressives Congress, APC, in Gombe state, Muhammad Jibrin Barde , has vowed to rescue his people from years-long suffering visited on them under the leadership of People Democratic Party, PDP.
In this interview with TheNewsGuru.com, Barde who is the immediate past Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Sun Trust Bank, speaks about his vision for the state and how he intends to realise it if elected as governor. Excerpts:
What is your main reason for wanting to govern Gombe State?
I left my job about six weeks ago and I have decided to throw in my hat into the political arena. I am fully aware that there are gladiators in that arena and I decided that I will also take that challenge giving the fact that our society needs good leadership.
Leadership is about service and I decided to look at that opportunity. I am seeking the flag of our party (APC) in Gombe State and I am very optimistic that it is my time and turn to rescue Gombe from the rots of present and past administrations.
Gombe people should no longer sit on the fence. My state consists of about 11 local governments in the north-eastern part of the country and in the last seven years, the resources that came our way have been mismanaged. All the development indices you can think of have collapsed.
Our people have no access to potable drinking water; it doesn’t take the state government anything to maintain the dam that was constructed. The Gombe metropolis spends N5 billion annually just to buy water.
Our education system has completely collapsed. Some of the children do not have classes, they study under the trees. The hygiene is below human standard. Our hospitals are just mere mortuaries. This is totally unacceptable given the huge amount of funds the state government has received. The state is debt ridden with nothing to show for it.
I was also challenged by my 11-year-old daughter. I was taking her to school some time ago in London. We were on a train and she said to me now that your generation has failed and I look at her and I said ‘what do you mean?’ She said yes, are you going to make my generation fail like yours too? She added. Why do you have to bring me here (UK) to come to secondary school? She said, ‘you attended a public school, you are smart, intelligent and you did not go to a private school but it is a failure of you generation that hasn’t challenged the present leadership.’ Her thoughts got me thinking.
But contesting for the governorship is not the only way you can serve your people?
I have reached the pinnacle of my career as a banker and I felt that I should give back to the society and the only way I can do that is to take the position of leadership and show an example that we have a clear vision of empowering the youths.
I want to ensure that governance can be done with a high corporate responsibility. The [PDP] administration is full of deception. The youths are just roaming about the street. Unemployment is very high in my state. It is a time bomb that is waiting to explode.
When you have young, energetic, and educated youth who are actually jobless, it should naturally get you worried and agitated. It is a fatal ground for a lot of things. We need to harness these resources, they are very educative people and that is the more reason why I have decided to join the race.
What do you think of the power of incumbency in Gombe?
If you are on ground in Gombe, you will know that it is an APC state and we believed that in 2015, the election was totally rigged. It was won squarely by APC. What has PDP got to show? I have just said to you that all the human development indices abound and I have spoken of education and other sectors of the economy that have collapsed.
Certainly, the people are not fine with the administration of the PDP to get their confidence and their votes.
How do you intend to cope without a godfather?
Our people need to be educated. The vision is very clear, our goals and objectives are very clear. I have been a member of the APC. I contributed towards the formative stage in 2013 and I have supported the party all along to ensure that we get our people in government. Luckily, we were able to form a government at the centre.
The vision of Muhammadu Buhari is very clear and everyone knows that. Since 2003, I have followed him, I have supported him. We need incorruptible leaders; we need leaders that are above board.
What are the accomplishments of the APC that you can point to?
Let me tell you something that I do know. APC government said it will fight for security and safeguard life and property. It specifically said it will fight unemployment, it specifically said it will fight against corruption and improve the economy.
Before now my part of the country including Gombe was almost a pariah state. The number of check points. The number of incidents of bombing across the states was unimaginable. I have been made to step down at various checkpoints.
You may not recall but the number of checkpoints in Abuja was almost irritating. It is easy to forget but we have seen peace returning to various parts of the country even the FCT. APC has fulfilled part of that promise.
Secondly, we are aware of N-Power, school feeding and conditional cash grants. The government has set over N5 billion and it has gone far with disbursement and I feel it is generating employment for the unemployed. And we know about 200,000 people have already gotten employment and I know it will scale up soon, it won’t happen overnight.
On corruption, you have seen the high-profile cases this government has cracked and prosecuted. Sanity is gradually returning to the system because of the anti-corruption stance of President Buhari.
So what should Gombe people expect from you if you win?
I am prepared and equipped for service. I know the yearnings of my people and I am ready to meet them. The health sector is in a mess. Go to Gombe and you will find patients coming to the hospitals with their mats and with drips administered on them because there are no beds. The health sector will be transformed and standards won’t be compromised.
Infrastructure is another aspect I will invest in. Roads and road networks will be built. I will ensure there is clean water for my people to drink. I will create more jobs for the youths; I will empower women and ensure a quality life for Gombe people. There will be a deliberate policy that will boost and encourage agriculture so that there will be food for all.
Education will receive my utmost attention. It is the bedrock of any human development. Quality of education will be improved and teachers and other workforce will be better motivated so they can work optimally. We will also ensure accountability and make sure very kobo received is judiciously used for the good people of Gombe.