From Sylvanus Viashima, Jalingo
Mr. Emmanuel Bello is the Special Adviser to Taraba State Governor, Agbu Kefas, on Media and Digital Communications. In this interview with Daily Sun, he explains the governor’s alleged romance with the opposition politicians in the State. He also throws his weight behind the Federal tax reforms and speaks on other issues.
Give us an overview of Governor Agbu Kefas Two years in office?
First of all, we would need to look at the first year and the conditions that were on ground before we came on board. The governor met a state that was in chaos completely. Even the manner of transition was not smooth. And so, when the governor came on board, he needed to sort these things out. There were agitations, some for decades and some historical, bothering on the ethnic groups and all of that and he had to clear them all. He also met the disaster that was the education system. The system was simply in shambles. The morale of teachers was very low, there were no infrastructure and parents were paying through their teeth and a whole lot of things.
This was the condition we came in and so the first year was basically to set the foundation and decide a direction for the state. So, the priority was to settle crisis, address issues that had been lingering for too long and load of unfinished projects. Even the place the governor is supposed to work from was not befitting. And so, the governor took over the challenge to remodel the government House to the pride of the workers and indeed the people of the state. Indeed, the Government House is the symbol of the progress made so far and the hallmark of the moving forward agenda.
Today, the palliative market that had been redundant for years has been remodelled and ready for commissioning. Our airport has been upgraded to international standard and we can land even the biggest planes there conveniently. The tipper is also ready for commissioning. The health sector is also getting unprecedented attention. In the last two years, we have reshaped and remodelled the General Hospital Ussa, which is ready for commissioning. We also have the Federal University Teaching Hospital, Wukari. These are some of the achievements and if we are to take it sectorially, we would be able to unravel even more.
The governor seems to be romancing with the opposition a lot. Could it be he is preparing ground for a possible defection?
I am worried when people make such speculations. What were they expecting? That the governor should tread a war path with the opposition just because of party difference? Remember that the governor is for every Taraban, irrespective of tribe, religion, region or political leanings. What is most important is to drive development. The time for politics is over and now is time for governance and so it must be treated with utmost seriousness. We can not afford to trivialise governance with issues as inconsequential as politics. The time for politics will definitely come and we’ll still do politics but for now, governance is the priority.
Gone are those days a governor will sit and stop someone bringing development to the state just because they are in the opposition. Any development anyone brings to any part of Taraba State is for the good of the same people he is governing and he embraces it. So, he told them that now that elections are over, what can we do for the good of the state? If you have anything to bring to the growth of Taraba State, bring it. I don’t want you to run away from your state. Imagine a state where the Governor and the minister or other Senators or elected officials are at war. Will anything good come out of it? It’ll be unnecessary distraction. So, it is not romance perse. It is a working relationship that is in the overall best interest of the state and the people.
It’s almost two years since the Governor declared a state of emergency on the education system in Taraba. What impact has that made so far?
First of all, school enrolment has almost tripled because parents are relieved of the burden of paying school fees in Primary and Secondary schools. The state is almost completely rid of out of school children. You hardly see children roaming the streets during school hours and that is a success story for me. Just taking the children off the streets is something remarkable. At the tertiary institutions levels also, there is huge relief as parents only pay half of what they were paying previously. For now, there is no room for increment in school fees. You can check with the University management for instance and confirm that enrolment for post- graduate programmes has reached an all time high. This is because schooling has been made extremely cheap. One beautiful thing is that, students are trooping in from other states as well. They are learning firsthand the beauty of Taraba, its rich endowments and the people.
People are concerned about the true condition of the Deputy Governor who has been away for some months now. Can you address the issue?
We want to put it on record that anyone can get sick at any given time. It’s human. The concern is the supposed mystery around his whereabouts and health status. I can tell you authoritatively that the Commissioner of Health visited him in Egypt where he is recuperating very well. In fact, we are expecting him back any moment from now. So, this calls to question, our collective humanity. Are we going to be praying for his quick recovery or we are going to say he should be thrown out because he is sick. It could happen to any of us at anytime. So, no matter what the constitution says, we must treat the issue with human face.
What is the governor’s take on the tax reforms that have stirred quite a controversy lately?
Well, the attitude of the governor is that he embraces anything from the Federal Government that will bring about meaningful development. He is a stickler to what is right in the bigger picture and has no time for unnecessary squabbles just for the sake of them. That is even why we were among the first states to implement the minimum wage set by the Federal Government. We are not at war with the centre. Besides, the tax reforms actually align with our policy here in the state. That is why we have a taskforce on taxation to block all the loopholes and broaden the tax net to boost the IGR of the state. We believe in being responsible as a state and playing by the rules.
Are you not concerned that the promises you have made to the people may overwhelm you eventually?
How? The promises are very practical things that don’t require rocket science to actualise. At time, I am shock struck when I listen to people talk. Of course, the governor is just making declarations around issues that are practically doable. They are not impossible things. What’s the big deal about building roads? Let me tell you that he was already providing free education to several people in Wukari Local Government Area where he comes from. So, it’s not a big thing really. There is a lot of money in government to do all these things comfortably. He has engaged army engineers and has equipped the state-owned construction company with all the machines they need to build any roads. We have all the equipment, enough to start projects. It’s just that maybe because people of the state are so used to bad governance that when they see elements of good governance, it seems too true for them to believe.
The Governor did not promise to take anyone to Mars or something. It’s just the basic things that good governance entails that he has promised to provide and he will do them all conveniently. I can tell you that the people of Taraba are in for a shocker. And we have a lot of foreign partners to work with us to make the state work.
What are some of the benefits that the governor’s trips around the world have brought to the table so far?
The head of European Union was here to visit and he said that in Nigeria, Taraba was the first place he wanted to visit. I can tell you even the governor was surprised because it has been that way in the past. In the past, people visiting the North -East rarely thought about Taraba or Jalingo. But the narrative is now different. He said Taraba was the first place he wanted to visit in Nigeria. When we deal with foreign partners, we are not giving them money. Instead, they are bringing money to either invest or help us in key areas. What you need to understand is that, these are very serious people so they can not just come and sink their monies in a place. They need to know that they are dealing with serious entities. You will agree with me that Taraba had a rather not so pleasant reputation previously. So, it’s important for the governor to go out there and let them know that there is a new Sheriff in town and the state is ready for serious business. That is why you can see that people are coming in, in droves to see things for themselves and the practical manifestations of the benefits of these trips will be there soon for everyone to see.
Taraba was almost getting blacklisted by the international community. The man that came that I spoke about earlier went straight to Gashaka where he saw the potential there and the World Heritage site. That was even before he came to visit and engage with the governor. So, when the governor travels out, it is to market the state to attract foreign investors and attention to the state for the good of the people of the state.