By Mohammad Lawal Maikudi
Governor Dikko Radda of Katsina State, North West Nigeria is the most visible in addressing issues that touch the lives of people of his state in the last four months.
Going by reports in the media he appeared to have attracted the attention of the media and indeed Nigeria following the bold steps he has been taking to reinvent Katsina State.
No government of any state in Nigeria took bolder or similar steps in addressing the critical issues of security, education, youth employment, transportation and running functional and inclusive government like Governor Dikko Radda.
Today, Katsina State is vibrating because Gov Dikko Radda has pulled almost everybody on board to participate in making Katsina State grow and prosper through participatory project building of an egalitarian society.
In trying to showcase the performance of Gov Dikko Radda, Isa Miqdad, a media aide to the governor highlighted 50 Key Projects, Releases, and Procurements by Governor Malam Dikko Radda since his assumption of office on May 29.
1- Establishment of state-owned Community Watch Corps and recruitment of 1,466 youths into the service of the corps.
2- Procurement of 10 Armored Personnel Carriers for Security outfits in the State.
3- Procurement of brand new 700 units of Motorcycles to enhance security in the State.
4- Procurement of brand new 64 units of Toyota Hilux for security outfits in the State.
5- Purchase of arms and ammunition worth N1.2 billion to security agents.
6- Payment of allowances to security personnel/agents Maintenance of Armoured Police Carrier (APC), and other security vehicles.
7- Recruitment of 7,325 S-Power teachers into permanent and pensionable staff, the first of its kind in the history of Katsina State.
8- Laid a foundation for the construction of 3 special model schools across the 3 Senatorial Zones in the State.
9- Payment of N640,648,546 as scholarship allowances to 47,935 students studying in 126 institutions of higher learning across the country and beyond.
10- Provision of foreign scholarships to graduate students who attended public schools
to study MBBS, Bio-Economy, and Artificial Intelligence in Egypt.
11- Payment of N364,842,000 Million for WAEC students.
12-Payment of N271,000,000 Million for the procurement of instructional materials for distribution to all Primary and Port Primary Schools across the State.
13- Construction of a 16-bed capacity state-of-the-art dialysis Centre in Gen Amadi Rimi Specialist Hospital, if completed will be the first of its kind in the Northern part of Nigeria.
14-Release of N599,900,000 million for the upgrade of Faskari Comprehensive Health Center to the status of a general hospital.
15- Distribution of 198 Motorcycles for Routine Immunization Officers and Ward Focal Persons in collaboration with GAVI and UNICEF.
16- Release of N112.5 million for Medical Students 2023 allowances to 546 students both home and abroad.
17- Upgrade and full implementation of the new residency training allowance for medical doctors in the State, which is better than that of the Federal Government.
18- Approval for the commencement of residency training in state-owned hospitals and the implementation of new entry levels with consequential adjustments for doctors under the service of the state.
19- Approval for the upgrade and implementation of new and revised scholarship funding for Katsina State medical students in all medical training colleges, faculties, and institutions within and outside the country.
20- Commencement of Computer-based training for all Civil servants in the State.
21- Provision of 76.4 hectares of land and N300 million compensation to landowners affected by the projects for the upgrade and development of Umaru Musa Yar’adua International Airport, Katsina.
22- Procurement of 40 new buses to the Katsina State Transport Authority to ease the hardship of transportation across the State at a subsidized rate.
23- Construction of drainages at Kofar Kaura Underpass, Katsina.
24- Construction of a 2.5-kilometer length Katsina town stormwater drainage management phase II intervention under the Ministry of Environment in partnership with ACReSAL project.
25- Release of N1.8 billion to Local Government Councils for capital projects.
26- Purchase and distribution of 100 bags of grains to each of the 361 political wards of the State.
27- Distribution of 40,000 bags of rice as Palliatives to less privileged in the State.
28- Distribution of 50kg of rice and N10,000 each to 7,824 vulnerable households in Katsina, Funtua, and Daura under the vulnerable women and elderly empowerment programme.
29- Reticulation of water pipelines in collaboration with SURWASH for the provision of water in Batagrawa and Katsina.
30- Construction and rehabilitation of boreholes and latrines in Batagarawa, Katsina, Daura, Baure, Funtua, and Kafur.
31- Construction and rehabilitation of solar-powered boreholes and latrines in 15 schools.
32- Construction and rehabilitation of solar-powered boreholes in 10 Health Centers in
Katsina State.
33-Construction and rehabilitation of Musawa Water Works.
34- Award of contract for rehabilitation and upgrade of Dutsinma, Malumfashi, Funtua, Daura, and Katsina Water Works.
35- Signing of Memorandum of Understanding with Infrastructural Cooperation of Nigeria for connecting water supply from Zobe, Danmusa, and Safana. Another face from Dutsinma, Karofi, Radda, Kafin Soli, Tafashiya, and Kankia.
36- Distribution of irrigation equipment by the State Emergency Management Agency.
37- Distribution of relief materials worth N46 Million to 611 flood victims in 7 Local Government Areas in Katsina State such as Katsina, Batagarawa, Daura, Dandume, Mani, Musawa, and Charanci.
38-Distribution of materials to 5600 beneficiaries from 22 Local Government Areas in collaboration with Special National Economic and Livelihood Emergency Intervention (SNELEI) for 2022 Flood Disaster and Vulnerable Groups Katsina State.
39- Distribution of relief materials to 265 flood victims in Sabuwar Unguwa, Dutsen-Amare, and Tudun Katsira in Katsina through the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA).
40-Conducting Manpower Audit and Verification exercise to have a reliable database for the state workforce and ensure efficiency in the civil service.
41- Signing of Treasury Single Account order.
42- Establishment of the Katsina Geographic
Information System (KATGIS)
43- Establishment of the Directorate of Information Communication and Technology (ICT).
44-Establishment of Department of Public Administration Reform.
45- Establishment of Katsina Football Academy.
46- Establishment of Asset Management
Agency.
47-Establishment of the Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs.
48- Establishment of the Katsina State
Development Management Board.
49- Establishment of the Irrigation Authority.
50- Establishment of the Katsina State Enterprises Development Agency.
So observed and critically analysed, the performance of Gov Dikko Radda in four months is equivalent to four years tenure of some governors, especially looking at yhe successes of the endeavours.
