(Laying the Foundation)
Lt. Col Mohammed Bello Kaliel was the first military Governor posted to the State. He arrived Bauchi to address the enormous challenges of laying the foundation for the transformation of a relatively rural province into a befitting and vibrant State. Colonel Kaliel, as the head of Government prioritized his programmes, which had to do with the smooth take – off of the government’s agencies and ministries.
He made sure that civil servants posted to the state arrived and took up their various responsibilities promptly. Indeed, the movement from Maiduguri to Bauchi was done in such a careful way that even the hitches of office and residential accommodation were quickly addressed to enable the civil servants settle down to establish a virile administrative machinery.
The crop of highly experienced and dedicated civil servants that came back home on posting from Maiduguri eased the initial teething problems through their administrative skills, vision for and belief in their new state.
As brief as the tenure of the State’s Chief Executive was, Colonel Bello Khaliel has made a mark that was unprecedented, especially in meeting the challenges of making the state an envy of all by laying its solid foundation.
In Colonel Bello Khaliel’s assessment of his tenure of office for two years in Bauchi, he said,
“Bauchi was a province and it was the wish of the people to become a State. I was lucky to be chosen by the Late Murtala Muhammed to go and establish the new administration in Bauchi. Firstly, we took stock of what we had on ground manpower wise, equipment and accommodation. This we did within the first three months of the establishment of the State from Maiduguri in 1976. I had seasoned civil servants from the former Northern Nigeria who were very helpful to me. Secondly, the people of Bauchi were ready to contribute whatever it took to make it a success and that, from provincial headquarter. So I categorically told all my permanent secretaries and commissioners to join hands to work hard. We used the few accommodations that we met. My office was the office of the private secretary of the then Resident, and we took up for the former provincial headquarter as the secretariat. The people of Bauchi gave up some of their house for our workers. The amenities were very scarce. There was no electricity, i.e National Electrical Power Authority (NEPA) and the boreholes to supply water wee very few. Our administration was determined to make a state out of Bauchi and we made it. My first budget in Bauchi state was N200million. My first year was very successful and people appreciated the little job that we did”
(Smooth Transition)
Colonel Garba Duba was the state’s second Chief Executive. His tenure lasted one year and he consolidated the achievements of the first Governor of the state.Colonel Duba provided basic infrastructure – more offices and residential accommodation, and opened up potentials for economic and social growth of the state. It was during his tenure that the famous. Steyr Nigeria Limited, a tractor manufacturing company to country was established. The Tomb Complex of Nigeria’s first Prime Minister, Late Sir, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa who was from the State was also officially dedicated and commissioned. Worthy of note was the administration’s supervision of elections and proper handing over of governance from the military to the first civilian government in 1979.
Colonel Garba’s administration left an indelible mark with the construction of befitting Local Government Secretariats in all the 16 Local Governments of the state and has written his name in gold in the annals of Bauchi state history with the successful handover to a democratically elected government in the state after 13 years of military rule on 1st October, 1979.
Colonel Garba Duba’s concern and inroads into education in the state are aptly expressed in his reflections,
“The Federal Government decided to give us a Federal Polytechnic. A rector was appointed and he reported to me. But we didn’t have a single classroom to start with. So I called an emergency executive meeting and with the rector, we started establishing the Polytechnic. The Federal Government later said that the Polytechnic should be moved to Jos to start and later be brought back to Bauchi when we might have had enough structures for it. I rejected such an offer and consequently, I vacated one of the Teachers Colleges for the Polytechnic, I closed my brigade commander’s guest house which I gave the rector as his quarters and also vacated some of my army offices and gave him to start his office. That is the genesis of Bauchi State Polytechnic till date. By the time we handed over to the civilian administration in 1979, we had achieved much. We had so many Teacher Training Colleges but we had the problems of having enough qualified students for the University. So we introduced Schools of Basic Studies along Tafawa Balewa road which is now the present Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU).”
(Self Determination)
Alhaji Abubakar Tatari Ali, of a noble lineage, an astute politician and a respected statesman took over from Col. Garba Duba as the firsl democratically elected civilian Governor. He won on the platform of the National Part of Nigeria (NPN). The conversion from a military dispensation to a civilian democratic setting was indeed tasking and enormous. It was a matter of priority for the government to ensure equitable distribution of appointments, facilities and basic amenities amongst the civil groups of the state. Urbanization of some major towns in the state was a priority of the government. Educational development was also a matter of priority as more schools were constructed and teachers were sent for training both at home and abroad. Hospitals and other health institutions were established.
Alhaji Ali’s government opened up a lot of road networks, housing projects and industries. His government accorded due priority of agriculture, with the establishment of 16 farm Model Centers in all parts of the state. Governor Ali was synonymous with grassroots development, as all facets of development were spread to all nooks and crannies of the state. He initiated and constructed a five-star hotel, the Zarand Hotel. Alhaji Ali created the famous 43 Local Governments in the state that were later abolished. The administration came to an end after a coup that brought in a new military government in 1983.
(Moral and Social Discipline)
Brigadier Mohammed Sani Sami, a Kebbi State born Army Officer was Bauchi State’s fourth Chief Executive. He took over from Late Alhaji Abubakar Tatari Ali after a military coup that brought in the Government of Major General Muhammadu Buhari on December 31st 1983. Brigadier Sami assumed the mantle of leadership in the state with a focus on discipline the bedrock or harbinger of development. Of course, it was the policy of the Federal Government to address the issue of indiscipline, which had been the bane at that time amongst Nigerians. The government tagged this policy WAR AGAINST INDISCIPLINE.
Governor Sami did not leave any stone unturned to achieve this policy objective and other objectives of the government of Bauchi state. He transformed the Specialist Hospital, Bauchi and improved medical facilities in other hospitals in the state.
Governor Sami embarked upon massive agricultural development programme with his back-toland Programme to provide food for all the people of the state. Civil Servants and the public were encourage to take on farming and even back yard gardening in order to grow more food in the hosting of the international Handball Championship. Equally of note, was the government’s close monitoring of the procurement and sales of essential steered the state for two years and his landmark achievements were in the areas of medical and health, environmental sanitation, agriculture, War Against indiscipline (WAI, and sports development.
On the hosting of the International Handball Championship Tournament in Bauchi, Governor Sani Sami, who is now the Emir of Zuru, an exalted ruler in Kebbi State, in the North West of the country, Said.
“…I can still remember that there was a call by the Armed Forces Ruling Council for a State to host the world handball competition for the year. Everybody complained of lack of money. I volunteered to host it, though I did not have sufficient money. We took it up and we were able to mobilize some funds and hosted that world handball successfully. This marked the beginning of sport activities in Bauchi State till date. I worked on the stadium, and all sporting facilities there.”
(Rural Transformation)
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He was Bauchi State’s fifth Governor. A native of Ipole in Otukpa Okpokwu Local Government Area of Benue state, Governor Christ Abutu Garuba made a mark in the development of Bauchi state in the three years he served as the Military Governor of the State. He initiated the Rural Transformation Programme, which was later adopted by the Federal Government and tagged Directorate for Food, Roads and Rural infrastructure (DFFRI). This programme of Governor Garuba took development to various parts of the state, as various communities were provided with basic amenities like road, water, electricity, agriculture, education and a host of other necessities of life. There is no part of human development that Governor Garuba did not touch in the three years he served the people of Bauchi State.
He introduced the rural development package through BASIRDA (Bauchi State Integrated Rural Development Agency). He developed Sports with the transformation of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Stadium, the construction of the Multi-Purpose Indoor Sports Hall, the Famous Olympic-Size Swimming pool, Open Air Theatre, Unity Park, the Games Village and the establishment of the Inland Bank. The state Television Authority (BATV) and Bauchi Printing and Publishing Company (BPPC) were Col. Garuba’s initiatives. He set up the State Industrial Development Fund and established the State Polytechnic now known as Abubakar Tatari Ali Polytechnic. The Mass Transit Agency known as the Yankari Express was his creation. In the area of education, Col Garuba recruited teachers to boost the educational standard of the State through effective inculcation of knowledge among the young ones.
Colonel Garuba, a charismatic military officer has left a profoundly indelible mark in the administration of the state.
(Boosting Wheat Production)
Colonel Joshua Mamman Madaki, now deceased, was the State’s sixth Chief Executive and Chief Security Officer. An indigene of Kaduna State, Colonel Madaki, arrived Bauchi on 27th July 1988 to assume duty. He initiated and accomplished some landmark achievements. This could be seen in his Wheat Development.
Programme, which took his to different parts of the state, mobilizing and sensitizing farmers and the community to take up the challenge of massive wheat production, which he saw as an economic endowment for the State. He will for long be remembered for his role in actualizing the dream of Bauchi State for clean drinking water. It was during his tenure that African Development Bank (ADB), Bauchi State Government and the Federal Government signed the Bauchi Township Water Project. Edifices like the Babangida Square and Some Government Guest Houses were some of the structural achievements of Governor Joshua Mamman Madaki whose tenure came to an end in September 1990.
(Operation Finish and Go)
After about 14 years of the creation of Bauchi, Colonel Abu Ali, an Amour Officer got a place in the historical development of the state, when he became its seventh Governor. He came on board at a time when an innovation was introduced in the governance of States in Nigeria. The office of the Deputy Governor had now been established. Significantly, Alhaji Shehu Usman Wunti was the first Bauchi state Indigene to be appointed Deputy Governor under a military dispensation. The duo of Colonel Abu Ali and Alhaji Usman Wunti came on board on 4th September, 1990. The policy thrust of the government was “Operation Finish and Go”, implying that all projects embarked upon by the government must be completed soonest before ushering in a new democratically-elected government scheduled for 1991. in the process, Colonel Abu Ali’s government commissioned the Bauchi Township Water project and the 2nd Phase of the State Secretariat. He formed the Wikki Football Team, consolidated the Tomato Processing Company project and completed some hospital projects. He had also prepared grounds for a successful political activity that ushered in the second democratically elected government. One of the negative comments on Abu Ali’s government was the 1991 Tafawa Balewa Civil Disturbances. He however successfully handed over Bauchi State to a democratically elected government in January 1992.
(All-round Development)
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Alhaji Dahiru Mohammed, an astute politician and a technocrat to the core was Buachi State’s eighth Chief Executive. He won the 1991 election under the platform of the National Republican Convention (NRC). He came with the mission to improve the standard of living of the populace, which revolved around water, rural development, agriculture, education, health, roads, tourism, commerce and industry, town and country planning, and sports. (7)
The priority policy issues of Governor Dahiru’s short-lived, two-year government were rural transformation, the civil service and the unity of the state. Some of Governor Dahiru’s landmark achievements were the construction of new General Hospitals, among which is the Alkaleri General Hospital as well as the Primary Health Centres at Dambam, Zambuk, Bambam and Burra. His government completed the phase I of the Games Village. Two new state Hotels were constructed and commissioned at Jama’are and Ningi while the foundation for the construction of the Gombe Referral Hospital was laid by him. The 200 million Naira Education Trust Fund was launched as part of the government’s desire to improve the standard of education. The tenure of Governor Dahiru Mohammed’s government was renowned for food and water for all, free education, health care, emphasis on job creation and social security. His era of service was cut short by the re-emergence of the military in the political landscape of Nigeria in 1993.
(Consolidating the Gains)
Following the development above Wing Commander James Yana Kalau was posted to Bauchi as the first Air Force Officer to govern the state. He arrived Bauchi to assume leadership as the state’s ninth Governor. Commander Kalau worked tirelessly to put the state on the threshold of development and to consolidate the gains of the previous administrations. He came at a time when the problem of fuel scarcity became a national malaise. This crippled mobility and had adverse consequence on trade and economic development. He however put structures on the ground to tackle this and other related problems. His one-year tenure was more on trouble-shooting and solution-finding to attendant problems as well as consolidation of the gains of previous administrations.
(Promoting Peace and Tolerance)
Navy Captain Rasheed Adisa Raji was the first Naval Officer and the tenth Governor to administer the state. Governor Raji’s tenure was a period devoid of any unpleasant social or political upheavals. He worked to promote tolerance and peaceful co-existence amongst the diverse people of the state.
An indigene of Ogun State in South West Nigeria, Navy Captain Adisa Raji ensured that all Federal Government policies and programmes like the Family Support Programme (FSP) were promoted to the letter. He respected traditional institutions which in turn assisted him to relate positively with the citizens of the State thus enhancing rapid and purposeful development.
Anticipating the return of a democratic government in some near future, Governor Raji initiated, built and commissioned the Legislative Quarters, popularly referred to today as “Raji Quarters”. Navy Captain Raji succeeded because he was quick to learn from the experiences of others and fashion out a workable model for his government. He served the State for two years.
(Boosting Education)
Colonel Theophilus Oladapo Bamigboye was the state eleventh Chief Executive. He took over from Navy Captain Rasheed Adisa Raji.
On arrival in the state on August 22nd 1996, Colonel Bamigboye declared, “I have come here to serve. With your support and encouragement, I will touch the life of every citizen of Bauchi State before I leave”.
Indeed, Colonel Bamigboye lived to achieve his mission as the eleventh military administrator of the state. He was a man of action, determined to weather the storm and achieve greatness. A grat advocate of education, Governor Bamigboye overhauled the educational system. He constructed new classroom blocks in both primary and post primary schools and purchased desks and chairs, all in a bid to creating a conducive learning atmosphere and encouraging pupils and students to aspire for the ultimate in education. Beds and mattresses were also provided in students hostels while computers were supplied to some post-primary schools to enable the students cope with modern educational development. Governor Bamigboye’s concern for education was given a strong emphasis in his commitment to teachers’ welfare. In addition to various incentives like allowances and training facilities, subsidized motor-cycle loans were given to teachers across the state in recognition of the pivotal role in molding the intellect and character of the future leaders.
It was during the tenure of Governor Bamigboye and in tune with his policy objective on media development that the Bauchi Radio Corporation (BRC) moved to its permanent site, a privilege that eluded the organization since creation. Bauchi State Television (BTV) also enjoyed the goodwill of Governor Bamigboye’s government with the provision of adequate equipment, spare parts and personnel.
Governor Bamigboye’s attention to the development of the sports sector was also profound. The state-owned Wikki Tourist Football team was highly encouraged and promoted.
During his tenure, Governor Bamigboye also upgraded some Emirs and Chiefs in view of their role in the maintenance of peace and security as well mobilizing people to support government’s developmental programmes.
It was also during his tenure that Gombe state was created out of Bauchi when he was administering the old Bauchi state as one corporate entity. He received and introduced Gomber’s First Chief Executive, Group Captain Joseph Orji to his state, thus ensuring the successful take of the new state. To Governor Bamigboye’s credit is the successful midwifing of the transition of the old Bauchi State into two States.
(Successful Transition)
Wing Commander Abdul Adamu Mshelia, the second Air Force Officer to be posted to the state became its twelfth Governor.
An indigene of Borno State, Wing Commander Mshelia proved himself equal to the challenges of governing the State. His tenure was brief but pointedly addressed the successful transition to another new democratic government in 1999.
Wing Commander Mshelia put in place all the necessary machinery to ensure a successful transition programme. To his credit, elections were successfully conducted and a duly elected civilian government in Bauchi State put in place. This culminated in his historic formal handling over to Alhaji Ahmadu Adamu Mu’azu on the 29th May 1999, as the third elected Governor of Bauchi State.
(Visionary Transformation through Performance)
Alhaji Dr. Ahmadu Adamu Mu’azu became the third democratically elected governor of Bauchi state under the ruling People’s Demo0cratic Part (PDP). Having won 56 percent of the vote in the 1999 gubernatorial election, he took office on 29th May, 1999. he was re-elected for a second four-year term in 2003 which ends in May 2007.
Born on June 22nd 1955 in Boto, Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area of Bauchi State, Mu’azu has an academic and professional background in Quantity Surveying, Construction Management, and Construction Economics.
Until his election as state governor in 1999, Mu’azu was a businessman in the private sector and was the chairman of may organizations such as the Federal Polytechnic in Idah and the Benue-Plateau Construction Company. He was also a member of the Bauchi State Scholarship Board, Director of the Nigeria Ports Authority, and a member of the Bauchi State Rural Development Council.
According to him,
“My coming into politics is one of the greatest wonders in the world. I hardly wanted to be in this type of situation. Having observed over the years the bad situation of the villages in Bauchi State especially mine, I thought we need to have a leadership that will improve and develop the states so that we have a complete revolution of the rural development of the state. This is the major reason that prompted me into politics since I have the assurance that it can be done by me.”
With this Governor Mu’azu brought on board a dynamic quest for development in all areas of the state.
His achievements in the development of the state range from rural and urban electrification, provision of potable water in both urban and rural areas, creation and renovation of educational institutions, construction of quality road networks (urban and rural), and upgrading the palaces of the emirs in Bauchi’s six emirates. |
