Mr. Inuwa Bwala erstwhile Punch, Tell and Leadership correspondent is a two term Commissioner in Borno State. Presently shepherding the Ministry of Home Affairs, Information and Culture, Mr. Bwala in this interview narrates the challenges that have confronted the State administration since the inception of the Boko Haram insurgency, efforts by the Governor Kashim Shettima to provide succor and the unsung successes that have been buried by the news of the insurgency.

Excerpts:

You are said to be the first professional journalist to head the Ministry of Information in Borno State with your appointment as the commissioner. What are the challenges and how are you coping?

The challenges are indeed daunting, but we have the capacity to surmount them. We need time to create the desired impact, and given my experiences as image maker to three different Governors and the cooperation I have been receiving from His Excellency the Governor, Honorable Kashim Shettima, I hope we shall deliver.

The expectations are very high from the government and from my professional colleagues. The citizenry is expectant, and we are not unaware of these. We are facing some security issues occasioned by the recent insurrection, which had instilled fears in the hearts of our people. People have capitalized on the situation to commit all forms of crimes, which they attribute to Boko Haram.

Bwala

As a state we are in the opposition party and there is a serious gang up by others to undo us. We have some habitual mischief makers, who never see anything good in government irrespective of who is in charge at a particular time. Some have even attempted to cajole some media houses into writing opinions calling for the declaration of a state of emergency in the state.

These are some of the manifest challenges. But we are equal to the task. As a government, barely four months old, we can beat our chest as having surpassed our inaugural promises to the people of the state.

When as a government you showcase things one can practically see or touch, you have little fear of laying your balance sheet before your citizenry.

That the government of Kashim Shettima has demonstrated sufficient willpower to deliver with practical evidences of achievements, in a very short time is not in doubt. The hospitals we promised to commission are there for the sick to visit and testify to their effectiveness.

The tractors are being hired out to farmers. The boreholes are there, the taps are running once more, for one to open and drink from. Beneficiaries of the poverty alleviation projects are witnesses to the government. We have flooded the transport sector with 5000 tri-cycles and 100 commuter buses. You can see that even within this short period that we came on board there are practical evidences of achievements which all one needs to do, is to attract attention to, and the job is almost done. My brief is to publicize government activities, and if the world can get to know about half of the things the Government has done, within so short a time, even critics of the government will appreciate that there are really no issues to criticize the government about.

Perhaps what I need to do is to throw a practical challenge to those who lampoon the government to come forward for a practical verification of our submissions to the effect that we have done that which is expected of a government. By all standards, Kashim Shettima’s Government is living up to expectations.

By this you will agree with me that, the raw materials for the job have been provided. Perhaps what I need to do is to seek for partnership with my colleagues who will help me tell the world that a good job is being done in Borno State, but mischief makers will not allow the world to appreciate the work.

You talked about security challenges. What is the government doing to arrest the security drift and what is the situation like in the state now?

Yes, we have been in the news for the past months not for the good of it. People tended to portray Borno as a war zone, where no one was safe. It is true our dear state has been under virtual siege, and as a government we have been worried.

Every patriotic Nigerian should be worried with the issues of security in some states in the north, especially Plateau and Borno states. As a government, concerned about the security and welfare of our citizens, we cannot afford to fight, because we do not even have the instruments to fight.

We prefer dialogue, believing it to be the most viable option available to us. We have been pleading with our citizens to show understanding in the prevailing circumstances, due to the introduction of certain security measures that may have tended to curtail their freedom. Inconvenient as they may be, the presence of security operatives on our streets have become a necessary evil, with which we may have to contend.

Part of the measures we have so far introduced include amongst others the purchase and distribution of 5,000 tricycles to our teeming unemployed youths, so as to make them less vulnerable as willing tools in the hands of mischief makers. We have provided 100 air conditioned buses for intra town service, all in an attempt to make up for the ban on the use of motorcycles, which was hitherto the dominant means of livelihood amongst our youths.

How can the Government guarantee the security of citizens given that there are still some isolated incidents of insecurity?

Government is alive to its responsib ilities of protecting lives and property of Nigerians living in Borno State, irrespective of their tribe, religion, creed or class. While the Federal Government chooses to adopt a carrot and stick approach, we prefer the carrot option. And without prejudice to what the Federal Government does, we believe that the matter will eventually end on a roundtable. Suppressing an insurgency of the magnitude we experienced takes its toll on our resources, both human and material, but we have never failed to support all efforts targeted at arresting the situation. Beyond our efforts, Nigerians have been praying, and I know God listens to a prayerful nation. In the long run, Government is planning to identify the socio economic and political conditions that gave rise to the initial insurgency and others like it, with a view to addressing them, and creating a free environment for citizens to manifest their potentials. We thank God today that normalcy is beginning to return. Normal activities have resumed, the schools have opened and peoples’ confidence is being rekindled. We thank the citizenry for their understanding and cooperation. We pray that all the infrastructure affected by the crisis will soon be rebuilt.

Given the plethora of challenges, has it slowed the administration in implementing its programmes in Borno state?

Fortunately we have a Governor who is well intentioned for the repositioning of Borno state. Alhaji Kashim Shettima is a rare breed politician, who many have attested to his capabilities.