Address on the first 100 days in office

Bismillah hir rahmannir Raheem

Ladies and gentlemen,

Distinguished guests,

Citizens of Katsina State,

Today, we gather here to mark a significant milestone in our journey towards progress, development, and the realization of a brighter future for Katsina State. It is with great honour and humility that I address you on this momentous occasion, as we witness the completion of the

first 100 days of my tenure as the Governor of this great state.

As I stand before you, I am reminded of the immense responsibility that has been entrusted upon me by the people of Katsina State. I am acutely aware of the challenges we face, but I am equally optimistic about the opportunities that lie ahead. Over the past 100 days, my administration has tirelessly worked to lay the foundation for a new era of security, prosperity, and inclusive governance.

During this short yet impactful period, we have embarked on a journey of transformation across various sectors that are vital to the well-being of our citizens. Our approach has been one of strategic planning, engagement, and partnership, both within the state and beyond its borders.

Our commitment to transparency, accountability, and good governance is unwavering. We have taken significant steps to enhance public participation in decision-making processes and to ensure that resources are managed efficiently and effectively for the benefit of all.

I have constituted no less than 20 committees involving public and private officials to look into various areas of how we deliver for the people of Katsina state. As you may recall, my inclusiveness dates back to when I set up the Blueprint Committee which co-opted over 200 of our best and brightest to contribute to our Building Your Future Strategic Policy. I also delivered on my campaign promise to allow the people in Local Governments nominate suitable candidates for appointment in my cabinet.

The reason I have decided to mark the first 100 days is not because it is becoming popular but because it is necessary. Our people are facing unprecedented hardships and they deserve to know how we are laying the foundations that will bring ease to their lives. Some of the measures we have taken are immediate while others are long-term.

My administration campaigned on public sector administration reforms and we one of the first exercises we conducted was a complete review of the mandates of all ministries, departments, and agencies to eliminate duplication and inefficiency in the system.

The result led to realignment of various MDAs and identified the need for the creation of new ones. We created a ministry for internal security and home affairs, a ministry for higher, technical, and vocational education, an ICT Directorate to serve all MDAs, and the department for public administration reforms.

We also sent bills to the state assembly for the creation of the Katsina State Development Management Board, Katsina State Asset Management Agency, Katsina State Irrigation Authority, Katsina State Enterprise Development Agency, and the Katsina State Community Watch Corps.

We have developed detailed plans to staff these new MDAs from our existing workforce and ensure cost efficiency in their set up.

My administration faced systemic challenges beyond our control as the country battled with inflation due to the removal of fuel subsidy from day 1. We immediately responded by freezing price increments on government owned public transport services. We called a meeting with the labour unions to understand the impact on workers and also met with the petroleum marketers association to better understand the effects of on the people.

Our efforts to bring direct ease to people have been ongoing since then. The government expended over 2 billion naira to provide maize and rice to people and recently provided 2.1 billion naira worth of rice as part of the federal government supported palliatives. We have purchased 40 buses to improve affordable public transportation in state with 15 dedicated for inter-city transport and 25 for inter-state transport.

Our social support to the most vulnerable in our society will continue for the lifetime of my administration and we will continue to ensure that the mechanisms are in place to provide help fairly and in a timely manner.

In the realm of education, we have been able to make significant progress. We identified education as key to our future building project and I am pleased to announce that we have provided 2.2 billion naira for the construction and rehabilitation of 361 primary schools. We have launched and mobilised contractors for the construction of 75 secondary schools under the AGILE programme, commissioned the first of 3 model schools promised during my campaign, and tested for the recruitment of additional teachers.

In healthcare, we conducted a comprehensive needs assessment in the sector and have began taking steps to improve primary healthcare delivery in the state. I have commissioned two dialyses centres in the state to increase the availability of dialysis beds from 2 to 16. We have also provided 198 motorcycles for improve immunisation in partnership with UNICEF. Our investment in healthcare will focus on efficient and affordable healthcare for the people at the primacy healthcare centres.

In agriculture, I began my tenure by visiting one of our agricultural extension schools. I am pleased to announce that we have finalised a new extension services program that will introduce extension farming schools and increase the number of extension workers from 72 to 600 as we prioritise agroeconomic development for our people.

My administration has engaged extensively with various technology service providers to find the best solution and operating model for financial management in the state. I signed an executive order to implement a Treasury Single Account for transparency and we have finalised plans to build a technology platform that will best serve the needs of the state in tax management, central billing, budget and planning, and expenditure tracking.

The issue of insecurity is of paramount importance to my administration and we have attacked it head on. The creation of the ministry of internal security and the Katsina State Community Watch was the beginning of institutionalising our strategy to deal with insecurity. We have recruited 1,500 community watch officers from the 8 frontline local governments to empower our people to defend themselves. I have enacted a Security Challenges Containment Order and set up an advisory committee on security.

My administration has expended over 7 billion naira to procure armoured personnel carriers, 65 vehicles, 700 motorcycles,provide training for the community watch officers, and other security equipment and measures I cannot disclose in this address.

We have fought insecurity from day 1 and we will do so in perpetuity to guarantee the safety of lives and property of our people. We have provided support to victims of banditry by providing free medical care and money transfers to support livelihoods.

We have partnered with UNDP to establish the Climate Peace Hubs and Prevention Facilities with a pilot in Jibia to help reverse the trend insecurity in the state.

My administration has done much more than I can provide in this address. We have completed various water supply projects, met with investors, and gained ground in the soft infrastructure that will make policy implementation achievable. We have submitted a supplementary budget to the state assembly to deal with new realities and have gained ground in pension reforms amongst others.

I would like to appeal to the citizens of Katsina to exercise a beautiful patience as we continue to deliver on our mandate in the best interest of the people.

As we review these initial accomplishments, let us not forget that the road ahead is long and demanding. The challenges we face require collective efforts and dedication from all sectors of society. I urge each and every one of you to join hands with my administration in building a Katsina State that we can all be proud of – a state that thrives on unity, progress, and shared prosperity.

In conclusion, I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the people of Katsina State for their trust and support. I also acknowledge the efforts of our dedicated civil servants, partner organizations, and well-wishers who have contributed to the achievements of these first 100 days. Let us move forward with determination, resilience, and a shared vision of a brighter future for Katsina State.

Thank you, and may Allah bless Katsina State and its people.

PAGE

PAGE 1