By Emmanuel Onwubiko<\/p>\n
Since the advent of the current constitution in 1999, which is our
\ngrund norm, the transition from one administration to another happens
\nevery May 29th.<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s version has come and gone. However, what are still being
\ndigested across board are the speeches made by those set of governors
\nand the president whose oaths of offices were administered on this
\nepochal day.<\/p>\n
With the exception of President Muhammadu Buhari who made no speech
\nafter his final inauguration, all others like the governors of the
\nnearly 27 states whereby swearing in ceremonies took place made
\nspeeches.<\/p>\n
These speeches are simply the representation of their blueprints for
\ntheir constituents and are the exact benchmarks that should be
\nmonitored by all in line with section 14 (2) (c) of the constitution
\nwhich provides that \u201cthe participation by the people in their
\ngovernment shall be ensured in accordance with the provisions of this
\nconstitutions\u201d.<\/p>\n
In the absence of any inaugural speech from the president in the last
\ninauguration, Nigerians are obliged to hold him on his 2015
\npresidential inauguration speech.<\/p>\n
Perhaps, Mr. President deliberately skipped his inaugural speech on
\nMay 29th 2019 because of the widespread perception that he never
\naddressed up to thirty percent of the key policy objectives embodied
\nin his first inaugural address in 2015. For instance, he said in 2015
\nthat he is the man for all and was no tool of any regional interests.
\nBut he failed to abide by this solemn pledge to be the national
\nleader. He gave out all the top national security posts to his fellow
\nMoslems as against the Federal Character Principles enshrined in the
\nConstitution. Buhari made no speech but the governors did make
\nspeeches in style.<\/p>\n
The speeches by the governors would then form the foundations for this
\nanalysis. In Lagos state, the newly elected governor who was sworn in
\na while ago promised to take swift action to clear Apapa of heavy duty
\ntrucks that have constituted eyesore in over a decade going by their
\nlawless tendencies of blocking all the motor able roads thereby
\ndenying Lagosians of their fundamental human rights as enshrined in
\nchapter 4 of the constitution.<\/p>\n
Infrastructure development and jobs are also some of the highlights of
\nthe Lagos state brand new governor Mr. Sanwa Olu.<\/p>\n
Abdullahi Gandilie whose re-election is hotly disputed in court, says
\nhe would focus on education and infrastructure.<\/p>\n
Sokoto state\u2019s re-elected governor Aminu Tambuwal who made
\ntremendous achievements in the area of primary education has promised
\nto embark on policies and projects that would make impact in the
\ncapacity building of the state\u2019s labour force and the good people of
\nSokoto state.<\/p>\n
Governor Tambuwal has a great record of matching his words with
\nactions.<\/p>\n
On his own part, the Rivers state governor, who is a lawyer, Mr.
\nNyesom Wike sounded philosophical by promising to give his all. Wike
\nis amongst the second term governors that can be rated as someone
\ndetermined to match his words with actions.<\/p>\n
The Rivers state governor is even named by the opposition All
\nProgressive Congress (APC) as Mr. Project. So he made a renewed vow to
\nkeep the flag flying.<\/p>\n
Hear him: \u201cOur task is therefore not yet done; neither our mission
\nin governance accomplished, until we fully and comprehensively deliver
\non the vision of our founding fathers and the promise of statehood by
\nbuilding a State:<\/p>\n
\u25aa that offers equal protection, freedom and opportunity for everyone
\nirrespective of background;<\/p>\n
\u25aa where our people will move up the social, economic and political
\nladder on the basis of their hard work, character and affinity with
\nthe people, not on the basis of their connections or privileged
\nbackground;<\/p>\n
\u25aa where everyone will have enough for themselves and cater to the
\nneeds of their children and families with relative ease;<\/p>\n
\u25aa where quality healthcare will be accessible, affordable and
\nadequate for all citizens, whether poor or rich;<\/p>\n
\u25aa where our children will get quality education with the right
\nskills to advance their careers and achieve their full potential;<\/p>\n
\u25aa where senior citizens will retire with security and enjoy their
\npost-retirement in dignity, peace of mind, good health and happiness;<\/p>\n
\u25aa where development and the benefits of progress are spread to all
\nparts of the State in respective of location; and<\/p>\n
\u25aa the ordinary laws of the land are equally applied to promote good
\ngovernance, justice and fairness to all\u201d.<\/p>\n
Recall that Wike as the education minister under President Goodluck
\nJonathan addressed the important issue of out of school CHILDREN’S
\nsyndrome by building multibillion Naira worth Almajiri schools in the
\nNorth which the current administration has abandoned.<\/p>\n
In Imo state, Emeka Ihedioha has his job cut out for him going by the
\nnotoriety of his predecessor Rochas Okorocha who is easily the worst
\nperformed governor in the past eight years. Expectedly, governor
\nIhedioha of Imo has promised to rebuild the devastated Imo state.<\/p>\n
One of the immediate actions of our government, he says, will be to
\ntake appropriate steps and measures to restore faith and confidence in
\ngovernment.<\/p>\n
Ihedioha told a mamoth crowd that witnessed his inauguration thus:
\n\u201cWe will not waste a day getting to work to renew the Imo promise of
\nour founding fathers. The direness of the situation dictates that we
\nhit the ground running. The fulfillment of the promises we made during
\nthe campaigns starts right now\u201d.<\/p>\n
Ihedioha stated also that: \u201cElections are over. Governance must now
\nbegin. Politics is over, development must now begin. We must now shove
\naside partisan political battles, petty bickering and quarrels and
\nwork together for the common good of our people. I pledge before you
\ntoday, that I will be the Governor of all Ndi-Imo irrespective of your
\ngeo-political zones and political affiliations. We will run an
\naccountable, transparent and inclusive administration\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur mission is to rebuild, reposition and transform Imo into a
\nmodern ecosystem for education, agriculture, industry, tourism,
\nculture, sports, entertainment, human capital development, science and
\ntechnology, and exploitation of our natural resources, thereby
\ncreating an enabling environment for sustainable economic growth and
\nquality life for our people\u201d, Governor Ihedioha stated.<\/p>\n
The newly elected Governor of Gombe State, Alhaji Mohammed Inuwa
\nYahaya of the All Progressive Congress (APC) the fourth democratically
\nGovernor was handed the leadership of Gombe State during a colourful
\nceremony before crowded well-wishers and party faithful at the Pantami
\nStadium after swearing to an oath administered by the Chief Justice of
\nGombe State, Justice Hakila Y. Heman.<\/p>\n
His Deputy, Dr Manasseh Daniel Jatau, had earlier taken his oath of
\noffice and becomes the sixth democratically elected Deputy Governor of
\nthe State.<\/p>\n
In his inaugural speech, Alhaji Yahaya promised to keep his electoral
\npromises and a vow to make the State an investment haven.<\/p>\n
He also assured that the administration will also pursue
\ninfrastructural development and make agricultural activities more
\nattractive.<\/p>\n
THE INAUGURATION CEREMONY IN BORNO STATE, ON WEDNESDAY, ENDED MIDWAY
\nAFTER BABAGANA ZULUM, THE GOVERNOR, SUFFERED PERSISTENT COUGHS WHILE
\nREADING HIS SPEECH.<\/p>\n
Kashim Zanna, the chief judge of the state, swore in Zulum and his
\ndeputy, Umar Kadafur.<\/p>\n
Speaking during the inaugural address, Zulum listed a 10-point agenda
\nhis administration intends working on to develop the state.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy focus is on improving the security of the state as insecurity is
\nthe major impediment that affected people\u2019s lives for a decade,\u201d
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI will ensure the return of our displaced people to their farmlands
\nto ensure national food security.<\/p>\n
\u201cI will also fight unemployment and poverty among youths and embark
\non the massive reconstruction of destroyed communities.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis will enable the people to return to their ancestral homes,
\nwhile we seek more support from humanitarian donor agencies across the
\nglobe.\u201d<\/p>\n
Halfway into the speech, the media reports that the governor started
\ncoughing persistently and began to have difficulties in reading
\nfurther.<\/p>\n
It was suspected that a security official had accidentally opened a
\ntear gas which affected the governor\u2019s breath.<\/p>\n
He was later made to step down from the podium and led away,
\naccompanied by Kashim Shettima, his predecessor.<\/p>\n
In terms of context and contents, the governor of Imo state ranks the
\nbest.<\/p>\n
The expectation of Nigerians is that these governors must serve their
\npeople with all their talents and time and change the notorious image
\nof governors as thieving dictators. It is on record that Economic and
\nFinancial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has listed state governors as the
\nbiggest executive thieves of public wealth. These current governors
\nshould change this notorious status.<\/p>\n
These new governors must not steal the resources of their people.
\nThese governors must cut down on the high costs of governance by
\nrunning prudent and extremely lean government. They need to engage
\nonly the best brains who can deliver and should allow the local
\ngovernment areas to be financially autonomous.<\/p>\n
In all the thirty six states, there is the need to address the issues
\nof poverty, unemployment and youth empowerment. The health,
\neducational and infrastructural demands of their people must be met
\nefficiently. The issue of security is second to none because without
\nstability and security of lives and property, there would be no food
\nsecurity and the economies of their states would be improved. As Emeka
\nIhedioha says, these governors don’t have the pleasure of time to
\nembark on white elephant projects. Only the best and most impactful
\nprojects are good for the citizens.<\/p>\n
*Emmanuel Onwubiko heads HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA
\n(HURIWA) and blogs@www.thenigerianinsidernews.com
\n[1];www.emmanuelonwubiko.com [2];
\nwww.huriwa@blogspot.com;www.huriwanigeria.com. [3]<\/p>\n
Links:
\n——
\n[1] http:\/\/www.thenigerianinsidernews.com\/
\n[2] http:\/\/www.emmanuelonwubiko.com\/
\n[3] http:\/\/www.huriwanigeria.com\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Emmanuel Onwubiko Since the advent of the current constitution in 1999, which is our grund norm, the transition from one administration to another happens every May 29th. This year\u2019s…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":55424,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-67032","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles-opinions"],"yoast_head":"\n