By Clifford Ndujihe, Deputy Political Editor
IF the 12,000-member Concerned Citizens of Bauchi State Residents in South-West Nigeria, CCBRS, had its way, Bauchi State Governor, Isa Yuguda, would not be re-elected on account of poor performance and non-fulfilment of campaign promises.

According to them, the state governor has little or nothing to show for his sojourn at the Government House so far. They said his supervision of the joint account with Local Councils, which ought have received over N90 billion  in the last three and half years had led  to poor delivery of democracy dividends at the councils.

However, the governor’s Special Assistant (Media), Alh. Sanusi Muhammad, countered that Yuguda had delivered on his promises and deserved to be re-elected to consolidate on his achievements.

CCBRS leaders told reporters in Lagos that they would go home en mass to campaign against Yuguda in 2011, to show their seriousness. “As responsible citizens and lovers of our state and its people, we never allowed the long distance between Bauchi State and where we reside in the South-West to stop us from following trends of events in our beloved state.”

Co-ordinator of the indigenes, Alh. Adamu Katagun, who is the deputy Seriki Hausawa of Alaba-Rago, Lagos, alleged that the governor was elusive and hardly sits down to govern Bauchi.  “I call on Bauchi electorate to look for a credible person, who can perform in 2011.”

Unhappy with the governor’s defection to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, shortly after his election on the banner of the All Nigerian Peoples Party, ANPP, they said his poor performance had worsened the fortunes Bauchi citizenry and hence he should be voted out in 2011.

Citing the example of Zaki and other local councils, Katagun said so much money had been allocated but there was no development. “Go to the General Hospital, you can’t sleep inside because it is smelling. We have only one doctor in the hospital. There is no road. Between Zaki to Bauchi, which is 275 kilometres; Tashina to Gurka (10 kilometres), Zaki to Lodio ( 20 kilometres) and Sakwa to Gamawa, the roads are very bad. The people cry any time it rains.”

Noting that the group worked for the emergence of Malam Isa Yuguda as governor on the promise to turn the fortunes of the citizenry around, Katagun regretted that the Yuguga administration had not done much three and a half years after.

His words: “The present government in the state has not only disappointed the majority of the people of Bauchi State, but has also practically performed poorly. Simply put, the citizens of the state have been shortchanged with poverty, lack of development and other performs of failure in virtually every sector. Less than a year to go, there is nothing in place to show that the state government is working.

“If you visit some hospitals and clinics in some parts of the state, you can’t see basic drugs, medical facilities and enough qualified hands on ground. The educational system is totally in shambles and in some cases the school children don’t even have books, desk and other materials, to assist them in their educational pursuits.

“A particular sad story worthy of mention is the local government system in the state. It is pathetic to note that the joint account system whereby the state government receives LGAs allocations and release a little to them is nothing but unconstitutional, lacking transparency and disappointing. In view of the foregoing, we wish to sincerely appeal to the Federal Government to stop releasing LGAs fund through the state government.”

Responding to the allegations, Alh Sanusi Muhammad (special assistant, Media) to the governor, said that Yuguda’s return to the PDP was an attempt to “use any available constitutional opportunity to develop Bauchi state and to bring it back to the mainstream of national politics” and to at least attract federal presence in the state in the provision of certain amenities and patronage.

On medicare, he said the governor had increased the monthly subvention to hospitals to support their service to the people and that efforts were on to affiliate the Bauchi State School of Nursing and Midwifery to a reputable Nigerian university for degree programmes to boast the health delivery system. He said that the Casualty and Dialysis departments of the Bauchi Specialist Hospital had been expanded and state_of_the_art Dialysis machines were provided.

He said Yuguda administration also signed an agreement with a reputable pharmaceutical company (NEMEITH) for the steady supply of genuine quality drugs to all state_owned hospitals while 30 professionally tested Egyptian doctors were engaged to improve health care delivery in the state.

Muhammad dismissed the allegation of mishandling council funds, claiming that “ural areas which are the agricultural back bone of the state and its economy, are being opened_up through the provision of roads while basic amenities such as portable water, health facility, schools and security to lives and property.”

On alleged absence of the governor on duty post, he said, “Yuguda has mischievously been portrayed by die_hard critics as a non-performer simply because of his commitment to vigorously pursue foreign investors to the state through foreign trips .

“Interestingly, such external tours, has yielded over $4billion worth of foreign investments for the various sectors of the Bauchi economy. This huge foreign investment that were the outcome of governor Yuguda’s mischievously criticized tours, according to Secretary to Bauchi State Government, Barr. Ahmed Ibrahim Dandija will enable the state to create more than 30,000 new job opportunities. Already, a reputable German petrochemical company has agreed to invest more than $3billion in the construction of a light refinery in Bauchi.

The project will entail the laying of pipe lines from the Atlantic Ocean to convey crude oil to Bauchi for the refinery. The refinery project is projected to provide over 3000 job opportunities to those in need as part of Yuguda’s war against poverty and unemployment.

And to cap it up, a reputable Chinese company has also agreed to establish an independent power generating plant in the state using the famous Dindima river in Alkaleri local government area of the state without prejudice to an effort by another reputable South Korean energy giant for the construction of an independent power plant that will generate over 100 megawatts of electricity for domestic consumption and revenue generation through sales to interested neighbouring states,” he added.