In 2007, on assumption of office, Governor Ibrahim Shehu Shema of Katsina State established  CDCs i.e Community Development Committees.

The CDCs were essentially made up of persons of proven character, committed to the service of humanity. They were selected from different backgrounds. In the committees were retired officers of security background, members of the business  community and the political class.

At the state level, Shema appointed a traditional title holder in the person of Alhaji Ahmadu Na-Funtua (Sa’in Katsina) as committee chairman, while Kabir Aliyu Maska, a retired and experienced public servant, is secretary. At the local government level, the state structure of the committee was replicated.

Initially, there was fear in certain quarters that the CDCs were set up to take over the duties of local governments in Katsina State,  especially given the fact that  the key assignment given to the committee was to identify community needs in the areas of  education, water, health,  agriculture, road, etc.

But  as the CDCs swung into action,  they were able to come up with a blue print, which,  to date, remains a guiding and reference document for the current state administration. That is so because  one can speak volumes of the successes recorded in those areas  highlighted.

Courtesy of the CDC, today, over 34 new roads have been  constructed, 146 secondary schools  built, over 3,000 boreholes sunk and more than 56 primary  health centres (PHCs) constructed. There are  also over 12,000 hectares of irrigable lands  constracted at  Jibia and  Daberan and dams across the state.

Besides these, in the first quarter of 2011, Shema added value to governance by creating the Office of Diplomacy and Societal Relations to operate directly under his supervision. And to execute this assignment, he chose a square peg in a  square hole by appointing a broadcaster to head the office.

The person so chosen is Malam Sada Salisu Rumah, who spent more than 20 years in broadcast journalism, and, in the course of his career, created the desired impact. Apart  from being among  the leaders of  NUJ and SWAN  in the early years of  the creation of Katsina State, he equally excelled  in his primary assignment as a broadcaster.

Indeed, he anchored quite a number of programmes while with the state television (KTTV) and the state radio service (KTRS) that were a delight to  listeners and viewers, perhaps, due to their quality in content and presentation.

He warmed himself into the minds of listeners and viewers through the popular  programme “JAN GWARZO”.

No wonder therefore when Rumah was saddled with the responsibility of heading the Office of Diplomacy and Societal Relations, the job was made easier because to market  Shema and his policies and programmes was as easy as taking a glass of water by a thirsty person, largely because the governor had  impacted positively on the lives of  the citizens of Katsina.

Thus, Rumah, on the eve of the April  2011 polls, rose up to the challenge that came from the opposition. He traversed the length and breadth of Katsina to bridge the communication gap between the government and the governed through his organization of  consultative meetings with  Shema.

Through the consultations, the people were well  informed  about the policies and programmes of the  Shema  administration.

In addition, in September and October 2011, tempers  rose in some parts  of  Katsina  when the state government decided to  reinvigorate  Shari’a laws for the  benefit of the people, and  the move faced stiff resistance from a section of  the people.

On that occasion, Rumah and his team intervened  by organizing series of meetings between  the governor and stakeholders to address grey areas.

In  the end, the brewing tension was doused.

Now, to add value to governance, the Office of the Senior Special Adviser on Diplomacy and Societal Relations established a website  and provided GSM phone numbers, for texts only, to enable indigenes of Katsina, wherever they may be, to contribute suggestions, advice and offer constructive  criticisms on policies and programmes of  government which has helped  to make amendments, where necessary.

Surely, in a matter of months, the misconceptions, misrepresentations and misgivings  that characterize the citizenry of recent would be a thing of the past, courtesy of the Office of Diplomacy and Societal Relations.

*Hassan Bako is a public affairs analyst.