By Edwin Aboh Emeka
Politics has always been seen as a game of who gets what, at what time and how he uses it for the general good of the people.
Conversely, the definition of politics which some of our current crops of political leaders are practising is the one propounded by an English Poet – Alexander Pope who defined politics as madness of many for the gains of few.
This practice is so prevalent in the politics of Adamawa State to the extent that if Alexander Pope were to be alive today, he would have been regarded as great prophet because governance is no longer for the people of Adamawa but for the benefits of few in the state.
When you have a government that is so closed and disconnected from the people, then such government needs to be changed and replaced with a more credible alternative.
Such person must not be a greenhorn politician but a tested, trusted and reliable alternative who has been in the system and did not allow the system to define him but he defined the system for the overall good of the people.
I’m talking of no other person but the former Acting Governor of Adamawa State and by the grace of God, the next governor of the Highest Peak of the Nation, Mr Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri.
Any close watcher of Adamawa Politics will notice that the candidacy of Mr Fintiri is divine because as Babayola Tounga once stated in one of his articles that (Adamawa is) ‘a state long held hostage by a few self-serving individuals whose concept of governance is not beyond the subjugation of the people, self-aggrandisement and self-glorification through recourse to ethno-religious divide and the pillage of state resources.”
‘These people have no sense of rights or responsibilities – their responsibilities begin and end with their immediate families and cronies. While a whole state suffers and stutters, they rejoice and swim amidst ill-gotten wealth; the tears of the poor are the oil for their seamy lives.’
Hence, with the emergence of Mr Umaru Fintiri as the governorship candidate of the main opposition People’s Democratic Party, Adamawa will witness great improvements and transformation in the agricultural sector as his government will facilitate access to farmland for young entrepreneurs and farmers on renewable-term basis.
It will support the development of farmers-led Commodity Marketing Board and demand-driven marketing organisations for commodity crops like onions, groundnuts, tomatoes, sugar cane among others.
Under the government of Mr Umaru Fintiri, the marketing organisations would be promoted by the state government on strictly demand-driven basis or at inter-state regional economic groupings.
It also will intensify manpower development and training programmes on the management, operation and maintenance of components of large scale irrigation schemes.
It will promote research and development of indigenous and appropriate agricultural machinery; taking in to consideration the culture and traditions of the people.
The Umaru Fintiri administration will pursue and implement the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in Adamawa State making it the first in the entire country to implement the SDG goals in Nigeria.
Some of the goals contained in the SDG documents include security. Security is on SDG11 whose aim is to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, secure, resilient and sustainable.
Another one is education which is based on SDG4. The goal is to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education that promotes lifelong learning opportunities for all people in the state.
Environment is another goal based on SDG6. The aim of this goal is to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all persons in the state.
Another one is trade and industry. This is based on SDG8 and SDG1 whose goals are to promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and descent work for all as well as ending poverty in all its forms and ramifications in the state.
Infrastructure is another critical area the government of Umaru Fintiri would develop to international standard. This is based on SDG9 whose goal is to build resilient infrastructure that promotes inclusive and sustainable industrialization that fosters innovation for all people.
These United Nations backed Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) which Mr Umaru Fintiri will implement were clearly created and anchored on the Sustainable Development Action Plan for Adamawa State and its people in his agenda.
With these lofty ideas in mind, all that is required from the people of Adamawa State at next year’s general election is impressive electoral investments to solidify the trust already established in the candidacy of Mr Umaru Fintiri.
With your vote for Mr Fintiri on March 2nd next year, Adamawa State will open a new vista of limitless opportunities for all persons in the state.
Mr Edwin Aboh Emeka, a Columnist and Public Affairs Analyst, wrote from Abuja via [email protected]
