The Kafanchan Municipal Authority is one of the three Metropolitan Authorities that Governor Nasir El-Rufai created on August 30, 2021. In this interview, the Administrator, PHOEBE YAYI SUKAI, gives the scorecard of her one year in office. OLORUNNISOLA ABE reports:

It’s about one year since you assumed office as Administrator of Kafanchan Municipal Authority, how have you been relating with other local government chairmen and stakeholders? Do they see you as a usurper and as someone who is encroaching on their turfs?

The general impression was that we have come to take over the jobs of the local government chairmen, supervisory councillors, and that we have taken over everything. We have tried the best we can, to ensure that people understand the concept behind creating metropolitan authorities. Some are beginning to understand, some are still sceptical. When the metropolitan authorities were established, the present local government chairmen also just came into power.

There was a retreat that was organised by the Ministry of Local government Affairs, in collaboration with the Planning and Budget Commission. They took us all to Abuja for five days and then we thrashed out all the issues regarding the mandate of the municipal authority and its relationship with council chairmen. The law that established the metropolitan authority was treated, exhausted, and questions were asked, and a lot of resource persons were there to proffer solutions to some of the questions that were raised.

But to my surprise, by the time we all came in, people started imputing all kinds of meanings to the idea of municipal authority. I think the other metropolitan authorities are probably finding it a little bit easier but for the Kafanchan Municipal Authority, I think it’s a different ball game altogether because stakeholders tried to distance themselves and tried to make people believe that we have come to take over their jobs.

But I am not also surprised. Knowing the local government areas, they have little funding and probably, they were also using us as a cover because we have no access to their budgets. What we are supposed to be working together on, they were not giving us the cooperation, but we also try to make sure that whatever we are doing, we don’t leave them behind.

We make sure that they are in the picture, and we get their buy-in because now that we have started awarding contracts, that is when some of them are coming in to ask for one thing or the other. And I have always been telling them that this is what we have been asking from you all this while. If we had started earlier, we would have gone a little bit farther than where we are now, but I think, to God be the glory, we are beginning to get their buy-in. And even our staff are not relenting in trying to explain the concept of the metropolitan authorities to people of the three local governments that comprise Kafanchan Municipal Authority. We’ve been having engagements with stakeholders, community members, and they are quite appreciative of what is going on so far.

You spoke in passing about awarding contracts. So far, how many have you awarded?

So far, we have awarded eight road contracts. We have also awarded the mini-township stadium contract, we have awarded three roads in Zangon Kataf and three roads in Jema’a local governments. We have concluded all the procurement process and a 1.3 kilometre road will be constructed from Kagoro to Manyigbun in Kaura local government area, opposite the National Open University of Nigerian study centre. Another contract has been awarded for the construction of Kagoro-Unguwan Yorubawa road. The contracts were awarded to Gwaiwan and Associates as well as Shiyum Nig Limited.

Talking about implementation, how sure are you that these contracts will be executed during the lifespan of this administration which is about seven to eight months to the end of its tenure?

The contracts that were awarded, apart from the mini-sport complex which has 24 weeks completion period, all the other projects have 16 weeks completion period. All the contractors have been mobilised to site, with adequate funding, we will be able to complete them.

Talking about funding, since you said you don’t have access to local government budgets, how are you funding these projects?

The law that established these metropolitan authorities is specifically clear. All the projects that would be carried out in each local government under the purview of the metropolitan authorities, the state government is providing 60 per cent and the local government is supposed to provide the 40 per cent of the capital. The quantum amount of all these projects has already been forwarded to the local government under the purview of the metropolitan authorities and then to the Ministry of Local Government Affairs.

Has the local government been forthcoming in giving their counterpart funding?

They have not started yet but we are hoping that they will.

Last week, an oxygen plant was commissioned at the Sir Patrick Yakowa General Hospital, Kafanchan. Did the Kafanchan Municipal Authority execute the project?

No. It is a project under the Ministry of Health, that is aimed to improve healthcare delivery services not only in the zone but the entire state. The plant was funded by Global Fund, a development partner.

So, how are you coping with the intermittent crisis in that area, for example banditry and cattle rustling?

Issues of banditry, insecurity is a global phenomenon, and it is not restricted to Kafanchan Metropolitan Authority alone and don’t forget, the Kafanchan Metropolitan Authority comprises three local government areas that is Jema’a, Kaura and Zangon Kataf. Thank God we have a good number of security agencies in the southern senatorial zone because we have the military Operation Safe Haven which is headed by a Colonel and he’s doing a very good job. We have the police command in Kafanchan, we also have the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). If there’s any security outfit that you know at the state level, we have it in southern senatorial zone, and they have been doing a very good job of maintaining law and order as well as tackling general insecurity. In the past few months, we have been having good sleep with our two eyes closed. The security agencies are doing well. Believe it or not, insecurity is coming to the barest minimum.

How has it been transiting from being of a permanent secretary in a ministry, to being an Administrator that oversees the affairs of three local governments?

Let me use the words of His Excellency, the Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufa’i. When I first heard of the metropolitan authority, he said it’s a ‘crazy’ job and I think it’s actually a ‘crazy’ job because this is something that is new, apart from the administrator’s office that we had in the 70s that had its office at the Magajin Gari, there has never been anything like this in Kaduna State. This is the first time of its kind, where we are having the three metropolitan authorities, namely the Kaduna Capital Territory Authority, Zaria Metropolitan Authority and Kafanchan Municipal Authority. By coming up with something new, of course people will always want to resist but then we will not relent.

Thank God that I had that pre-knowledge that it’s going to be a crazy job and so I’m always looking out for something unusual. So, when people begin to attack, are not ready to accept or resisting, I just remember what the governor told me before assuming office. I try to make sure that I just build the people around me and try as much as possible to be the person’s people; not seeing myself as an administrator or commissioner, but as part of the team working to build the city.

KAFANCHAN MUNICIPAL Facts

*Kafanchan Municipal Authority has awarded about eight road contracts in the last one year;

*The Authority has also awarded contract for the construction of the mini-township stadium at Kafanchan;

*Three road projects are ongoing at Zangon Kataf and three others are being undertaken in Jema’a local government;

*A 1.3 kilometre road will also be constructed from Kagoro to Manyigbun in Kaura local government area, opposite the National Open University of Nigerian study centre;

*Another contract has been awarded for the construction of Kagoro-Unguwan Yorubawa road.

The Star