By IBRAHEEM MUSA

In 1985, Mario Mathew Cuomo, three term governor of New York, uttered a famous quip which  remains a  maxim not just in the United States but elsewhere. The governor, in moments of candour, said that politicians campaign in poetry but govern in prose. Largely, this dictum rings true since he   verbalized  it about 38 years ago.

Indeed, campaign rallies are feisty, boisterous and carnival-like  affairs, where sound bites and promises rouse the crowd,  amidst praises and fanfare. Politicians, in those moments, promise heaven on earth,   pledge a  land of milk and honey, using  saccharine-coated language. However, on assuming office, reality usually sets in as they stare at balance sheets, defaced with red ink, suggesting near empty treasuries. Thereafter, the scales fall from their eyes  and some walk back  their promises, while others impose some contexts.

Sadly, many politicians have eaten their word after victory but luckily, Senator Uba Sani, the Kaduna State governor, has so far kept his own. Last week, he commissioned a slew of projects, flagged off others and  showcased his scorecard generally, ahead of his 100 days in office. Indeed, for Governor Uba Sani, keeping promises is not a mere flash in the pan and at this point, a brief  flashback is necessary.

Kudan, as a local government, boasts of businessmen, retired civil servants and senior government officials as well as   two gubernatorial candidates, including Isa Ashiru and Suleiman Hunkuyi, PDP and NNPP flagbearers respectively. However,  the area council lacked a modern computer centre, where students can sit for JAMB examinations. Usually,  they  travelled  to Zaria, about 27  kilometres away, for their Computer Based Tests and the cost, stress and inconvenience took a toll on parents. Somehow,  they   cried out to Uba Sani and the APC candidate, as he then was,   came  to their rescue.  Right now,  a befitting edifice, well  furnished and equipped, stands  at Hunkuyi, the headquarters of  Kudan  local government area.

Significantly, the Computer Based Test Centre, as events unfolded, was like a  prologue to the main act in the education sector. The governor, on August 21, had reduced school fees in state-owned tertiary institutions. The review, according to him, is in response to public outcry across the state. Truly, students, parents and focal groups, had complained of exorbitant school fees during the last gubernatorial campaign. Point blank, the APC  candidate, as Senator Uba Sani was, had  promised a downward  review. Expectedly,   on  assuming office,  he set machinery in motion and  84 days later, the governor   fulfilled  this  election promise. In fact, students of  Kaduna State University(KASU), Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic and College of Education, Gidan Waya, including those of Shehu Idris College of Health Science and Technology, Makarfi , went wild with jubilation after the announcement.

Uba Sani: Bridging Kaduna’s housing deficit

Accordingly, KASU’s school fees has been slashed, in the downward review, from N150,000 to N105,000 per semester. Similarly, the fees of Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic, a Zaria based institution, has been reduced  from N100,000  to N50,000. In addition, College of Education, Gidan Waya, now charges N37,500 instead of   N75,000 per semester. Likewise, students of Shehu Idris College of Health Sciences, across all courses, will enjoy new fees regime. Indeed, charges  for  Higher National Diploma  courses, the governor revealed, have been reduced from N100,000  to N70,000, while  National Diploma students will now pay N52, 000 instead of N75,000.

Similarly, four days after the fees review, the education sector got another boost, when the Kaduna State Scholarship and Loans Board, on August 25,  released N205 million to  various tertiary institutions across the country. The sum, according to the  Executive Secretary,  represents  the tuition fees  of  students on scholarship. In fact, Bayero University Kano  received N25 million, in fulfilment of an MoU,   for the students’ tuition fees till their graduation. Likewise, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria,  got  N27 million  while KASU received N88.63 million. Besides, the scholarship board will enter other  agreements,  the Executive Secretary promised,  ‘’with Kaduna Polytechnic, University of Jos, ATBU Bauchi, Kaduna State College of Nursing amongst others.’’

Figuratively, the health sector has gotten  a new lease of life, as from  August 30, when 290 Primary Healthcare Centres, across all the 255 wards,   got  state of the art medical equipment. The governor, without mincing words, emphasized his commitment to quality healthcare, expanding access to them and ensuring continuity. More so, he reiterated that quality healthcare, as defined by his administration,  is a fundamental human right and  not a luxury.

Indeed, the Nasir El Rufai administration, in eight years, has provided 255 PHCs but Governor Uba Sani has promised to increase the number. In fact, there will be  an additional health centre in each ward, all equipped and staffed to standard, in the lifetime of his government. The goal, according to him, is to bring healthcare nearer home as no individual, throughout Kaduna state, would travel   one kilometre to access a health facility.  Remarkably, the promise has started bearing fruits, especially with the launching of five mobile diagnostic trucks, fitted with modern equipment, for integrated health services in remote areas. Similarly, the governor plans to recruit more doctors, has approved  the 2014 Consolidated Medical Salary Scale for doctors and   plans  more incentives for health workers.

However, beyond the commissioning of projects, ground breaking for mass housing and flagging off of rural roads, as well as recruitment of 7,000 vigilantes to tackle insecurity, holding the town hall meeting with a cross section of Kaduna citizens was the most remarkable event. Above all, Governor Uba Sani’s commitment to seek the people’s buy-in and input in policy formulation and project implementation was the most significant. If sustained, this will secure his administration’s populist and people-centric  image – a legacy that will  endure beyond the 100 days celebrations.

The Star