I thought I may not have to write again, after reflecting on his first one hundred days in office in an earlier piece. But that was before I knew that he has actually executed the 120 projects across Borno State within that period as promised during his tour immediately he was sworn inn. And that, he has attained the golden age of 50.
Quite unlike the proverbial lizard which jumps from the top of an iroko tree unharmed, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, Governor of Borno State has refused to praise himself for the feat he has achieved so far. It is even more awesome that the man clocked 50 recently and only a few people knew about it. But those who know the height from which he jumped cannot however fail to celebrate him.
So many amongst those who had the privilege of going round with him were initially skeptical, others may have silently dismissed him, that he may not be able to meet the target of 120 projects within the first one hundred days of his assumption of office. I was one of those who were privileged to be on some legs of his tour at certain times, and given my past experiences, I was a little uncomfortable with some of his pledgees. I feared that he was being carried away by the euphoria of the new office.
Perhaps, he was the only one who knew where he was headed and how he was going to get there. At every stop, he gives instant orders and personally deploy people to carry out such orders. Looking back at some of the promises he made during his inaugural tour, I agree with the summation that Professor Umara Babagana Zulum, Governor of Borno State is indeed an enigma and an optimist.
Perhaps many of us failed to see through the view lenses of his predecessor and mentor, Senator Kashim Shettima. If we had, we would have known that, Iron indeed sharpens iron. Having been well tutored and having been in the vanguard of Borno’s rebuilding agenda, the Professor of Agricultural Engineering is only working in tandem with the spirit bequeathed to him by Kashim Shettima, to the effect that he proved bookmakers wrong and silenced the narrative some cynics want to promote.
It may be needless to recount each of the projects he executed, as that has been adequately reflected in the advertorials sponsored by senator Kashim Shettima, but suffice it to state, that in areas where pessimism and despair were palpable, he has executed a total of 43 projects, in Southern Borno alone. Perhaps, what is more captivating is the quality of all the projects. With the privilege of going round some of the projects, I can confirm that they were a total departure from the shoddy jobs were are used to seeing in Government projects. One of the site engineers once told me, that, the quality of the job far surpasses what they were used to doing on similar projects in other places. From Askira/Uba to Bayo, Biu to Chibok, Damboa to Gwoza, Hawul to Kwaya-Kusar and Shani, there is no local Government in which one can fault any project started and delivered.
In a clime where project execution has since taken the back seat in governance, Professor Babagana Zulums feat in executing 120 projects in only a hundred days is quite enthralling and shall remain a reference point for other Governors. At the risk of making comparisons, Borno’s immediate neighbors have a model to emulate. Hundred days may have come and gone, but that is just a date, the work must be done.
I quietly took inventory of the 120 projects and quietly took time to verify their stages of completion. Given the time frame, coupled with scarce resources available to Government to do certain things, one could be tempted to ask whether it was magic or miracle, seeing that they were all completed.
Beyond projects execution, the greatest achievement of Professor Babagana Zulum is the confidence rebuilding initiatives in all displaced people to relocate back to their homes and the injection of new energy in the Civil Service. His partial relocation to the state secretariat is a morale booster and a yellow card for those who hitherto take government work for granted. His adaption of a carrot and stick approach in reviving the civil service will tend to rejig the service as the engine room for governance.
Having attained 50 which is the golden age, having earned a Gold in performance, with yet a Golden opportunity to reposition Borno and bring her back on the path of prosperity, one cannot help but celebrate Professor Engineer, Babagana Umara Zulum fnse, mni, Executive Governor of Borno State.
