World Report

I'd like to start by looking at Bauchi State itself, both past and present, as I'm sure much has changed since the state was established in 1976. Governor Mu'azu could you please begin giving the readers of the Independent a brief introduction to Bauchi State, as you see it?

Bauchi State is one of the three states that were carved out of the former North Eastern state of Nigeria in 1976. The two others are Borno and Gongola state. Bauchi State as it was when created in 1976 encompasses the present Bauchi state and the present Gombe state. As you know, some years back, Gombe state was carved out of Bauchi state. Bauchi state's population as at today is about 4.8 million, and the state is about the third largest state in Nigeria in terms of land mass. Obviously, our state has seen a lot of challenges since the advent of this civilian administration which started on May 29, 1999. To mention all of the specifics of the story of Bauchi, would take an endless amount of time.

You were elected Bauchi State Governor in 1999 and over the years have been commended and appraised as the visionary behind the huge success that has been achieved in the state in recent times. For many, Bauchi State today is the reference model state in the current political experiment in the country and much of this is due to your leadership. What would you say have been the keys to this success?

For any good government to continue, one must think who and how ones successor is going to be. You must also understand that in Nigeria's political history, this is the longest democratic experience. A lot of pessimists had thought that transition in 2003 was going to be the end of democratic governance in Nigeria. Some other pessimists are now saying that 2007 would be the end of democracy in Nigeria. All these claims are baseless and we pray that the God Almighty that gave us this democratic government would make it stay and to continue in our democratic experience in the country. The reason is that we are all evidently seeing a lot of democratic dividends in the country today, generally and particularly in my state, Bauchi.

However, it is not within my prerogative to say I want this or that man to take over from me, the only thing that would determine that is the general profile of who would be taking over from me. However, one should be able to assist to see that whoever is taking over, believes in the good work that we have started: reforms, accountability, transparency, establishing a clear vision with a mission; he must believe in absolute due consultations with all stakeholders to enable us achieve the needs and aspirations of the needy. These are the necessary ingredients for any leader or intending leader to be. Therefore for anybody aspiring to be the Governor of Bauchi state, I would make sure that it he is a visionary leader, who wishes to meet the aspirations of our people, which is what I have tried to be.

One of the hallmarks of your administration has been the pioneering of a number of Government reforms linked closely with the NEPAD ideals of poverty eradication, wealth creation and regional cooperation. Governor Mu'azu, what is the key thrust and major pillars of Bauchi state's acclaimed reform program?

You must look at the historical aspect of Bauchi state. When we came on board, Bauchi state was one of the poorest states in the country. The infrastructure of the state was very bad. As such, we looked at the various indices that we found not working and we began to search for ways and means of improving on them and to take us out of the woods. Some of the problems we encountered included education, health care delivery, infant mortality rate, indices of the GDP and so on. These were some of the things that we needed to look at very critically.

Through that we were able to put up programs that would indeed fight poverty. Indeed we are the very first state in Nigeria that made a law on poverty alleviation and poverty reduction in our society. Also we are the first state that would establish a ministry cooperative development and poverty alleviation in this country during this democratic dispensation. I also want to put on record that we are one of the states that are applying pressure to persuade the Federal Government to ensure that there is a program for poverty eradication and reduction in this country.

New classrooms mean more children are getting a primary school education.

These are some of the efforts that we have made and been able to do through cooperative unions. By the way, Bauchi state has the best cooperative unions in the country. Through them we are able to give facilities to the various members of the cooperative unions in the state to enable them carry out certain practices that would enable them to fight poverty. Coupled with that obviously, some of the greatest problems we have today are with our youth. The restlessness of the youth is worrisome to all of us. Therefore for some of those that are not able to pursue a sound educational career we were able to bring them together, train them in various chosen trades; some in barbing, carpentry, farming, tailoring, welding, block making, furniture making and so on. We trained them for about six months, and we give them equipment and some capital to start their own businesses.

We also thought one of the areas where we can make an impact is in the area of women, especially the rural women. Under my poverty alleviation program, we are able to formulate a specific program for women, where each woman was given a specific amount of money as loan, beginning from a minimum of N50,000 ($400), as capital to about N250, 000 being the maximum amount given out to each of these women. With this money they are expected to carry out their daily activities and be able to cater for their problems financially through their businesses. We also used this scheme to fight poverty.

The current administration has done much in recent times to promote the social needs of the state in areas such as Education, where it has sponsored the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), and health through the campaign against polio and HIV. Could you tell us in specific terms those things that you were able to achieve in these two social areas?

Before our administration came on board, we had a devastating situation here. To give you an example, when I came on board in 1999, I found only four students from the state who had five credits and above and thereby qualified to go into the University, out of the whole of 83 secondary schools in Bauchi state. This was a disaster. With that kind of disaster in education, I thought it relies on me to commit to a thorough and holistic approach to solving the problem of education in Bauchi state.

As a result of that, I looked at, right from the primary school up to the University level. What was wrong with our education system, particularly the nursery/primary schools and secondary schools which form the basis for admissions into the higher institutions? As a result of that, I tried to see the ways and means by which I could block all the loop-holes, and patch all the leakages to be able to put up a better educational system for our people.

I thank God that with the bits and pieces of work that we have been able to do, by last year 2004, when the results of that year came out, we had 7,465 secondary school students ready for higher education. This is the type of index that we have and use to gauge our success.

Through our various means of provision of serious infrastructure, provision of things that do not have so much direct bearing to do with health, we are able to do a lot for preventive health care. For example, by just creating good roads and good drainages that flow very well, we have been able to cut, by over 80% the menace of Malaria in the state, because hitherto our coming to power, it was either that there were no gutters or drainages or that they were already blocked. As a result of that, in front of any home that had a gutter or drainages, you had lava laboratories that manufactured huge numbers of mosquitoes. Immediately they were produced, they just flew into people's homes in the neighborhood. The result of which is malaria.

When we came there was also river blindness disease in the state. The cause of this disease is insufficient, good and potable water in parts of the state. That we were able to eradicate. General Gowon, who is the coordinator of this in Nigeria, was able to commend us and our effort in helping to eradicate river blindness in Nigeria, particularly in my state. The menace of poliomyelitis levels, we have been able to bring down to the barest minimum. As a result we have been able to achieve a lot in terms of health delivery.

As you know and you can see, we have renovated and re-constructed a lot of hospitals in Bauchi state, particularly our specialist hospitals. We have constructed over 10 new hospitals and we are about to commission more. On top of this we have renovated over 20 hospitals which are already in use. Generally, the various indices that I mentioned before, like the infant mortality rate, has been reduced significantly, and things are getting better in terms of health delivery.

On the issue of HIV/AIDS, we have been able to educate our people, enlighten them, we are able to give people living with the disease free drugs. The problem we have been battling with in that regard is the unwillingness of people living with the disease to declare their status. Some are ignorant, but others that are not ignorant are too shy to come forward to declare their status. As a result of these difficulties we are not able to cater for the treatment of everybody, but for those that come to us, I have directed that they should be treated free.

Earlier this year president Obasanjo directed the Federal Ministry of Environment to formally hand over the Yankari Games Reserve to Bauchi state government. While this process still waits the passing of the bill in the National Assembly, Bauchi state has already said that over N12 billion would be needed to rehabilitate the park. Could you tell our readers what plans the government of Bauchi have for the development of the park?

It is a pity we are having this interview in Abuja, I would have shown you the master plan we have drawn for Yankari. Some of the elaborate plans include satellite imaging. We have proper planning for the park. We are also planning a five star hotel with all the facilities that can be found anywhere in the world. Obviously we hope to improve on the welfare of the animals in the park, and we hope to improve on the general ecological condition of the park.

We are doing a particular package of programs for people living around Yankari on the issue of poaching. We are trying to do this so that we can assist them in ensuring that poaching does not become a lucrative business for them. We are giving them assistance of loans to establish their own businesses so that they do not focus their attention on the livestock at the park. By so doing, they are helping us to police the area. In addition to that, we intend to fence the park with electric fencing to stop the poachers from going in. we hope to do a lot in Yankari, but unfortunately, the bill at the National Assembly has not seen the light of day yet. We hope and pray that the National Assembly would be magnanimous enough to soon pass this bill. If they do that definitely we would be in position to begin full action on the development of the park.

What roles are international investors playing in the development of Yankari Park?

The ownership issue of Yankari Park that has drawn so much attention especially when the Senate opened hearing on it, is causing a slowing of foreign investors to the park. It is unfortunate that people just talk when they do not know. What Nigeria needs to boost tourism are foreign investors. It interests me when I hear that people are showing interest in investing in tourism in Nigeria, especially in Yankari Park. The aim of Bauchi Government is not to own Yankari, but to make Yankari work like any other tourist destination.

Our aim is to make sure that tourism is encouraged in this country. Our aim is to make the potential of the tourism industry physically seen and appreciated by all concerned in and outside the country. Also of course tourism is known for its attendant advantages. People would get to know Nigeria better and Bauchi state particularly. All the misconceptions about Nigeria would be a thing of the past as more people flock into the country. We would have more ambassadors coming in and going out of the country. People would appreciate that the stories that they are fed by CNN, portraying Africa as a jungle, are untrue.

They would know that we are people of human values, who have values to teach people too. We are a very liberal, happy people. We respect people who come into our country irrespective of race, sex, religion. We are willing to be friendly with strangers and we are very accommodating too. Therefore the potential of this at the international scene is important for Nigeria and Nigerians. Most important of course is the economic growth that would come with the development of tourism. If we properly develop tourism, we would surely have a huge alternative source of revenue generation.

More than 40 towns and villages are linked by the modern road network.

Some of the greatest growth areas in the Bauchi State economy today are in the agricultural sector, where the state has been supported by the World Bank's Agricultural Development Program (ADP) in a number of projects such as the FADAMA II PROJECT, aimed at developing the vast agricultural potential in the State, eradicating poverty and empowering farmers. Could you shed some more light on the FADAMA II project and its likely benefits to the people?

The good thing about FADAMA II is that it is an off-shoot of the various FADAMA's that had existed in previous administrations. The nice thing about it is that this is the first program that has been tailor-made to our state's needs. It is not designed and programmed in Washington or in Abuja. It is a program that was developed in total consultation, not only with the government of Bauchi, but in total consultation with the end users: the various cooperative unions, the farmers were consulted as to their specific problems, specific needs and what were the likely solutions that they expected as a form of intervention from the World Bank. So this is a tailor-made program.

For example, the Tomato growers in Bauchi state or in Nigeria often have their times of want and then times of plenty. There are times when there is almost a Tomato boom in this country: when Tomatoes becomes a nuisance rather than an asset. Also there are times when Tomato's are needed so much and are so expensive to purchase. The question is why is there this problem and how do we solve it? We ask the question how do we preserve Tomatoes in times of plenty for the times of need? The same applies to all the perishable agricultural produce. In addition to food preservation, we talk about the food processing and packaging and exports. These are some of the things that come with FADAMA II.

Outside the FADAMA project, the World Bank has shown huge commitment to the states development through its financing of some 226 selected projects including Urban upgrading initiatives, community-based projects and health systems development. Why do you believe the World Bank has expressed such a strong commitment to Bauchi state?

I would not know, but according to some of the bits and pieces that I gather, it is because they have come to see a government that offers very good leadership qualities; and internationally-accepted leadership qualities like Transparency, Accountability, openness to criticism and what have you. Through that they are able to encourage maximum performance. As such those states that perform, and those that do not should be treated differently in terms of World Bank support and we are reaping the benefits of good governance in this sense.

And when the World Bank President visited you earlier this year, what do you think his impressions were about Bauchi state?

Not only did I register his impression as excellent, he said it himself. He said to me: "Mr Governor, I love your state. I love your people and I am happy that not only have you allowed me to meet and interact with your people, but the openness with which, and the competence with which, you have decided to allow me talk to anybody in the crowd is wonderful. I could talk to, he or she, tall or short, man or woman, boy or girl the way I wanted. That gives me the confidence that you are running an open system, otherwise you would not allow me such freedom. Some could have barricaded me away from the crowd for fear that the people would say what I would not want to hear about them (the government)." So he was very impressed.

Integral to President Obasanjo administration is the idea of SEEDS, a program which has been established by Bauchi state, but sadly not in many states in Nigeria. What sort of benefits has the SEEDS program brought to Bauchi state and what are your visions for it?

The Bauchi State Economic Empowerment Strategy (BASEEDS), as we call it here, was copied from the NEEDS program of the Federal Government. The program is a very laudable one and I want to congratulate the initiators of the program. In Bauchi state, BASEEDS has taken off just recently, but there are a lot of workings in the nitty-gritty of the academic planning of the scheme. Of course, the various advantages would soon begin to manifest itself in the implementation of BASEEDS.

Sadly, Nigeria is still regarded as a risk market by international investors due to the prospect of conflict and corruption. What methods is the state government using to educate and attract international investors and members of the large Nigerian diaspora to Bauchi state?

Good governance is it. Our president is a firm believer in the idea of good governance. It you run a good government; a transparent, accountable one, I can assure you that everybody would look to work with you. People are getting to know now that Nigeria is better today in terms of good leadership. It is very difficult when people are used to certain ways of doing things: the lazy way; the non-accountable ways of doing things; the cheap ways. If you come to change them and ensure good governance, people would react as they are doing now.

However, people are gradually beginning to see the benefits of good governance. Our president has been exceptionally dogmatic and very determined to succeed in establishing good governance. This is a very difficult thing. It requires a lot of courage, a lot of strength of character. It requires a lot of sincerity of purpose. This is what our president is striving to do. He has been working hard on all these and because of his hard work, we are getting somewhere.

The focus of our report is on Nigeria at a time when the development of Africa is taking centre-state both internationally through the Blair Commission for Africa, and locally in Africa through NEPAD. What are your thoughts and opinions on NEPAD, the idea of Pan- African cooperation and the role of non-African countries in aiding African development?

Africa as you know is a neglected continent, and it is a virgin continent. We have found ourselves in the centre of the world and we are the most neglected. We are not far from the Americas, the Asians and the Europeans, and yet Africans are neglected.

The need for cooperation for NEPAD and Pan -African programs is more than desirable now especially at this point in time when the world is globalising. Not too long ago the Berlin Wall was pulled down. In the last few years, we had seen the emergence of a greater Europe under the European Union. So with the formation of the African Union recently and the various advantages that is expected would follow it such as the free movement of people and goods from within and across Africa, will add to a lot of our sense of unity, purpose and sense of belonging to the continent of Africa.

It is very clear that we need the assistance of our neighbouring continents like the Americas, Europe and Asia. I expect that these people would see the need for them to help us fight Polio, Malaria, HIV/AIDS, and Poverty and so on. I must thank the G8, Paris and London clubs and other members of the donor nations to Africa that have graciously written off the substantial part of Africa's debt.

However, this is not enough. They need to do much more. They need to have additional confidence in Africa through Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). They would need to see that Africa is a virgin land that offers great potential for investors.

What sort of foreign investors are you expecting to come to invest in Bauchi state?

In Bauchi state we have a lot of foreigners. Before I came on board the leadership of the state, we could count on our fingertips the number of foreigners that were doing business in the state, but today, there are a lot of them. We have Lebanese, Indians, Europeans resident in Bauchi state and doing business. There number is growing still.

Finally, Governor Mu'azu, what would you like your legacy to be, when the time comes that you step down from your position as Governor of Bauchi State?

I want to prove to those that believe that good governance does not bring good results, that it is absolutely necessary. I want to leave good governance as my legacy. I want to entrench quality education, good and world class infrastructure in terms of rural roads, rural electrification, water, development of Agriculture, good health care delivery and so forth. These are clearly manifesting themselves already. When we came on board, there were only 47 communities with light in Bauchi state, but today, we have over 600 communities. By the time I leave, I am sure we would have over 1000 communities connected to electricity in Bauchi. Same for education, health, water etc, these are the things that matter to the people. Whoever takes over after me would have to inherit these big liabilities and expectations of dividends of democracy for the electorates.

What is your final message to readers of the Independent, Nigerians in the Diaspora and potential investors in the UK?

The only message I would send to them is that whatever impression they get that is negative about the country, either through the Internet or other media, that is not rue and does not represent the true position here. Nigeria is a good country with excellent people; Highly educated and enlightened and enterprising people. The Nigeria of today, under our president, is a new and improved Nigeria.

Governor Mu'azu, thank you for your time.

Thank you.