Politics
One Month In Office: A Reconnoitre Of Dr. Agbu Kefas’ Giant Strides In Taraba State
One Month In Office: A Reconnoitre Of Dr. Agbu Kefas’ Giant Strides In Taraba State
By Oluwatosin Alex
The sword of Damocles dangled around Taraba state for several years, the people wailed continuously as the state slides toward imminent disaster as a result of maladministration. There was no hope in sight as it was predicted that it will take years for Taraba state to be saved from destruction but in one month, Dr. Agbu Kefas has rescued Nature’s gift to the nation.
Dr. Agbu Kefas, who was inaugurated into office on Monday, 29th Of May, 2023 was greeted by a heap of issues; Insecurity, debt, unpaid salaries and pension, power supply, unemployment, worsening economic conditions, education crisis, and several others. Due to the abundant issues, there was a premonition that Dr. Agbu Kefas would have a rocky beginning.
Against the premonitions and predictions, Dr. Agbu Kefas has excelled beyond human imagination within his first month in office by creating mind-blowing reforms in every sector of the state.
He immediately tackled unemployment in the state to a large extent with the creation of 300 jobs for women and youths in Taraba state within 74 hours as Governor of Taraba state. He swiftly engaged 300 workers, including women, young girls, and boys, to undertake sanitation duties in Jalingo, focusing particularly on major roads within the city. These workers, appointed with a monthly take-home pay of N20,000, commenced their daily activities at 5 am and concluded by 7:30 am.
In the same vein, Dr. Agbu Kefas declared that commuters will be allowed to work until midnight in the state to boost the night economy of Taraba state. No doubt, this is a development that came after studying other countries and well-to-do states, most of them rely on the night business to further boost the economy and increase the internally generated revenue of the state.
Dr. Agbu Kefas started his administration with the engagements of the youth community in the state. Even before the inauguration, announcements had gone that there will be a three-day summit dedicated to the youths of Taraba state. The summit, which was the first of its kind in the northeast zone of the country, was aimed at giving the youth population the rare opportunity to speak to the government, share ideas, and proffer solutions to the problems faced in Taraba state. The summit which was organized by a 21-man committee selected by Dr. Agbu Kefas held as promised and several recommendations which will be implemented in the current administration were made.
Within his first month, one of the highlights of Dr. Agbu Kefas was his deliberate actions toward creating an enabling environment for the education sector. The first decision he made was to declare a state of emergency on the sector which has been greatly impoverished for years. He also imbibed the character of visiting secondary schools unannounced to get a full grasp of the situation. So far, He has visited Comprehensive Secondary Schools in Jalingo, Nyamusalah Primary School, Government Science Secondary School, and Jalingo Science Secondary School. He has ordered immediate renovation in some of these schools with decrepit structures, in fulfillment of his promise to bring about a reform in the sector.
The agriculture sector wasn’t left out of the reformative hands of Dr. Agbu Kefas. Just last week, He signed a deal with a foreign company to deliver 750 tractors for mechanized farming. Local farmers in Taraba state will be beneficiaries of this laudable act of Dr. Agbu Kefas.
Apart from the aforementioned sectors, there have been reformative activities in the power, healthcare, and security sectors. Dr. Agbu Kefas recently made an impromptu visit to a Specialist Hospital in Jalingo to access the facilities and order improvements on them, He also appointed a new chairman of Taraba Marshall, a security network in the state.
Furthermore, there are exclusive reports that by next week, the governor will make known his commissioners’ list which includes 80% of youths and women. Many of these things have not happened in Taraba state before, it’s truly a new dawn for the good people of the state.
Within one month, Dr. Agbu Kefas has engaged in exceptional activities for the betterment of Taraba state. If he continues on this path, Taraba state will live up to its full potential as nature’s pride to the nation.
He has touched all of his campaign promises within a short period; this confirms his readiness to work and his ability to allow the people to enjoy the dividend of democracy. These are not for the faint-hearted and the feeble-minded, only the Strong can do them.
May Kefas succeed!
Oluwatosin Alex Is A Public Affairs Analyst
Breaking: Speaker Obasa Debunks Allegation Of Spending N17b On Assembly Gate
The Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, on Thursday described the allegation that the House spent N17 billion on the fixing of a gate as spurious and funny.
A self-proclaimed group, Lagos State Anti-Corruption Coalition, had accused the Assembly of spending the amount to construct a gate. The group also sought investigation of the claim.
Speaking at plenary, Dr. Obasa said the allegation stemmed from the fear of some people over 2027 which is still more than two years away.
Obasa further debunked the claim that the House spent N200 million on its recently organised 22nd thanksgiving service for staff.
“It is so funny. How much is the allocation of the Assembly in the whole year that we will decide to spend N17 billion on a gate? They even claimed that we expended 200 million on thanksgiving that did not hold.
“We are aware that at a period like this when we are approaching elections in 2027, we should expect such things. I think some people are scared and I don’t know why.
“This House did not and has not embarked on any such project. We are not that reckless. We had our thanksgiving last Friday and dignitaries from various parts of the State attended it,” the Speaker said.
Addressing further claims by the group about the alleged relationship between him and the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, the Speaker denied attending the latter’s screening and confirmation by the National Assembly.
“They said that I was at the National Assembly when they were confirming the EFCC chairman. I want to believe that there are CCTV cameras at the National Assembly to identify those who attended the event. The press must have written about it too. So the group should do more to confirm if I was there.
“This is just to deny the allegations in the interest of the public and not the writers because the writers are not those we should be joining words with,” the Speaker said.
Earlier, the House, through its spokesperson, Hon. Stephen Ogundipe, had addressed the allegations noting that the Assembly bases its activities on integrity, transparency and accountability.
“It is ludicrous the claim about constituency intervention funds and constituency project funds and their handling by Speaker Mudashiru Obasa and Clerk of the House, Barr. Olalekan Onafeko as claimed by the group.
“One would have expected a self-acclaimed anti-corruption crusading group to do its groundwork before jumping across the fence with conviction that it hit a jackpot to malign an institution of repute in the name of politics.
“Simply put, the Lagos State House of Assembly does not have any such funds. The Assembly does not embark on constituency projects. Instead, once every year, the House holds stakeholders’ meetings simultaneously across the state where constituents have the opportunity to tell the lawmakers their expectations and make requests for the betterment of the state.
“These requests and expectations are compiled and sent to the executive arm of government for consideration as inputs in subsequent budgets. If this is what the group takes as constituency intervention or project funds, we are sure this explanation has given the required education, moreover, it is common knowledge that it is the responsibility of the Executive arm to execute such projects,” the earlier statement by Ogundipe read.
Eromosele Ebhomele
Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly.
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