By Musa Rabiu
You either like him or hate him for his views, but he is not structured in the mindset of those who specialize in begging the issue. Blunt but fair, caustic and bold, the Chief Servant of Niger State has not stopped impressing his audience with his characteristic style of saying it the way it is no matter whose ox is gored.

His intellectuality is also not in doubt, reason why people appreciate his depth of ideas and contributions when issues assume a fundamental dimension.

Trained as a labour leader, and groomed in the public service, Chief Servant of Niger State Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliyu, is not one that is given to pedestrian discourse. He has caught the fancy of confronting governance with problem solving approach, introducing new dimensions into the art and act of governance. Only recently, yours sincerely was reading the audited statement of accounts of the state published for public scrutiny in the National Dailies across the country. In the history of governance in Nigeria, this is an innovation.

This writer has kept an eye on the happenings around the country and the utterances of quite a number of political players within the PDP and opposition. There are those who criticize for the sake of criticism rather than trying to advance a cause for the good of humanity.

There are others, who for want of getting attention, are fond of making careless and unsubstantiated statements in the name of opposition contribution to national discourse. Criticism within the same political party is often seen as a sacrilege especially as issues are usually treated on the basis of family affairs. But in the mind set of the Chief Servant, the people for whom power is meant should be the motivation for public service delivery and representation.

Therefore, his thoughts about driving a government that is centred on the rural dwellers derived from his understanding that the people must be adequately catered for in the scheme of things as a reflection of their mandate freely given during election. Babangida Aliyu does not beg issues; he reacts to them and most times takes proactive measures to address them before they assume public knowledge.

His proactive approach to tackling issues has yielded results in many respects particularly at the security front where he has managed to sustain his security initiatives to the admiration of all in Niger State. Driven by his desire to ensure that every Local Government is given utmost attention in the equitable distribution of government patronages by way of projects and programmes, he initiated the Ward Development Project as a wakeup call for this even development. The commendation which that initiative has received is legendary, more so that the people are now directly involved in the process of arriving at conclusions as to what project to undertake.

Typical of Chief Servant’s style of leadership and his penchant for calling a spade a spade, he declared recently that the Northern elite must take responsibility for the vexed issue of Boko Haram seeing it as a leadership failure. The Boko Haram issue according to the Chief Servant has assumed a dimension that requires all to speak out in the interest of national peace and stability. Buoyed by the realities in the country as to the level of insecurity, the Chief Servant, declared unequivocally that the leadership must learn to take responsibility where there is observed failure in approach and methodologies.

He noted that the issue of Boko Haram would not have escalated to such monumental dimension if governments at all levels have been responsive to the needs of the people at the grassroots. Leadership according to him is a two-way traffic that requires a sound approach to solving developmental challenges as they unfold. While condemning the Jos Mayhem, the Chief Servant noted with pains that Nigerians must eschew the acts of violence that have capacity to undermine the unity of the country. He noted further that once there is a leadership that can deliver on promise, such a leadership will earn the respect of the people.

Concerned about the state of roads in Niger State in view of the fact that the State has the largest figure in terms of civil servants population, the Niger State Chief Servant has approached the Nigeria Stock Exchange to acquire N9billion bond tied to specific roads projects in the State. Worried that the Federal Government has not been able to redeem its promises in the area of roads rehabilitation and repairs, the State Government has taken the bull by the horn to ensure that this aspect of the national life of the people receives utmost attention.

The bond which attracts a 14 percent interest rate is expected to be utilized for the rehabilitation and construction of several roads networks in the State with emphasis on the Birnin_Gwari roads and its environs. The Bond according to the State Government will be expended purely on capital projects and nothing more.

As part of efforts being put together to address the issue of empowerment in the State, the Chief Servant has recently recruited a total number of 1, 909 graduates into the civil service in the State. In granting them the offer of employment, the Chief Servant charged them to acquire new skills in specific areas of needs to cope with the new challenges of the vision 20:2020, stating that time has come when people must take their destinies in their own hands and help in moving the State forward, the Chief Servant is of the view that rather than join the army of those who are lamenting our present state of institutional decay, problem solving solutions must be sought to address them urgently.

Granting employment to this high number of graduates in the State particularly at a time when States are crying as a result of paucity of funds to meet up with the requirement of the unresolved issue of minimum wage payment, is a welcome development and should serve as a model for appreciating governance and the responsiveness of leaders to the needs of the people.

Muazu Babangida Aliyu is certainly upping the ante for socio_political discourse in the country. His responses and contributions to public debates and discourses have been most inspiring and courageous. Always conscious of the socio-political milieu in the country and aware of the need to carry the people along in the governance process, he has often times exploited the option of dialogue as a basis for socio-political engagement amongst the people. Building bridges of understanding amongst a cross section of the country has also elicited his acceptability as a credible candidate that can be true representative of the people in national assignment. What is certain about him is the fact that he is bold and courageous.

He is outspoken and objective. He is not carried away by the sheer banality of praise singers. A visit to Niger State will tell the story better. The art of communication through town hall meetings has been elevated to an art that is fondly appreciated by the people. It was the process that threw up the need for the Ward Development Projects initiative. Like humans, Muazu Babangida Aliyu cannot satisfy everybody in the State, which would amount to playing God, but a larger percentage of the people in the State and in Nigeria, are gradually.

Musa Rabiu lives in Abuja and can be reached through [email protected]