31 years after the state creation, Adamawa is by development standard, at a state of infancy, a shameful development
* Adamawa’s literacy rate at 57.7% and unemployment rate at 54.9% present an index of insecurity, a horrible development
* In spite of the vast fertile land the state is blessed with, agriculture contributes only 5.3% to the state GDP, an unfortunate development
* Adamawa is blessed with abundant yet abandoned mineral resources, if harnessed, reliance on federal government allocatuon, seeking for loan to pay salaries or execute capital projects would have been mischievous, medieval devilish thought; mineral resources such as Bentonite that has Potassium, Calcium, Sodium and Aluminum; Gypsum, Kaolin and Magnesite; there are indications of the availability of Diamond and Coal, a clueless development
The Periscope Reporter
Senator Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed, popularly known as Binani, representing Adamawa central senatorial district in the 9th national assembly has answered the popular electorates’ call to join the gubernatorial race; a challenge to change the narrative – bring the state out of the maze – from the filthy debris of debts, floating around the orbit of retrogression occasioned by cluelessness among other sentiments restraining the progress and developmental cohesion – as proven tested and trusted palatable taste, politically speaking.
In her declaration of intent to contest for the office of governor of Adamawa state, under the major opposition APC, Binani pointed out that the state is ranked 25th out of the 36 states in Human Capital Development, HCD Index, with 57.7℅ literacy rate and 54.9% unemployment; “that is to say, over half of our people are not employed either in public, private or personal sectors. That is to say they are not involved in production”.
“This is certainly not acceptable. In times past, Adamawa in northern Nigeria and indeed in Nigeria, Adamawa in North East and Adamawa in Gongola were times when our ranking was at topmost in not only spheres of influence but in Governance at the National and sub-national levels. The slide back to the bottom 10 out of 36 states of the federation is certainly unacceptable and must be reversed,” she said.
Binani has in part, attributed the troubling retrogressive figures to the constraints of thinking outside the box to have abandoned the abundant mineral resources the state is blessed with, “which include Bentonite, that has Potassium, Calcium, Sodium and Aluminum, there is Gypsum, Kaolin and Magnesite.
“Importantly, there are indications of the availability of Diamond and Coal; when all these are fully harnessed, it can serve as additional source of revenue for the state and the nation at large. This we must explore.
According to Binani, “despite our rich agricultural land and availability of abundant rivers and their tributaries, Agriculture contributes only 5.3% to the state GDP because we largely depend on rainfall that can only serve less than 5% of land under cultivation.
“There is no reason why we cannot harness our body of water to promote all year round cultivation through irrigation. We must modernize our animal husbandry”.
These and many more are what triggered her interest to answer the “CALL TO SERVE, A CALL TO DUTY”.
The amazing amazon who the constituents prayed would maintain her effective and efficient senatorial represention that they would assiduously rally in supporting, said she would have to answer the larger call, first of its kind, 31 years after the state creation, to have a female governor with foresight and forward looking thought.
Binani has enumerated achievements that unarguably made her the best house of epresentatives member during the period and the best senator from Adamawa state presently, she would improve upon as a governor. The bills she sponsored in both the lower and the upper chambers of the national assembly, promiting agriculture, healthcare, education and rural development; the projects she facilitated and executed and the philanthropic interventions she rendered.
“Indeed the pressure has become so much in the last couple of months, that I am forced to make my position clear. I reflected over it, prayed over it and consulted widely from across all the 21 Local Government Areas of Adamawa State and arrived at the conclusion that, hundreds of calls cannot be wrong.
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a step! Today 14th March, 2022, I, Senator Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed (Binani) have accepted “KIRAN JAMA’A”; I see it as a call to duty, a call to serve. I formally declare my intention to contest for the office of “Governor of Adamawa State” Insha Allah.
“I most sincerely thank you all for listening and God bless! Allah ya bamu nasara,” Binani impressively expressed.
“The journey” to Dougirei Hill “has just began,” Binani would declare.