- * Accuses Governor of Compounding Citizen's Problems
By Princess Simon (Bureau Chief North Central, in Minna)
Former Niger state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Dr. Abdulhameed Umar Danladi, has called on the Governor Mohammed Umar Bago led administration to adjust where necessary and to be conscious where some policies tend to have adverse negative effects on citizenry, especially in the prevailing harsh economic realities.
Abdulhameed said the essence of government and governance is all about caring for the citizen's wellbeing, adding that a situation where protection of lives and properties of citizens becomes secondary to any government, there's bound to be problem or a backlash effect on the government, who would ,in the long run, lose the people's support.
Speaking to some journalists in Minna, the former Commissioner said, though not disputing that Governor Bago is working as there are several on-going roads constructions projects in Minna metropolis, the fact remains that the negative effects is taking its toll on citizens as people should not be subjected to further pains because government wants to be seen as working for the people.
He gave instances with the roads constructions that have given rise to air borne diseases, respiratory related issues and also affected water supply. He therefore challenged the Governor to stop compounding the frustrations of the greater percentage of the populace in Minna with policies that are anti-masses.
Abdulhameed Umar Danladi who is currently the Special Adviser, Diaspora to Kano state Governor, enjoined Governor Bago to consider ways of immediately ending acute water shortage plaguing Minna metropolis and its environs.
The former Commissioner to ex-governor Mu'azu Babangida Aliyu, argued, "You are constructing roads, yes that is good, but it is negatively affecting the living conditions of the people. Now that there is no water supply anywhere, it should have improvised by distributing water to the people pending the time the construction will be completed".
According to him, a government that considers the interest of the masses first should have started the road constructions in batches, finish one part before starting another instead of disorganizing the entire state capital and almost grounding every other socio-economic activities.
"I also heard that they are coming up with policies that will regulate land and housing. This is igniting crisis between landlords and poor unprotected tenants, and I have always asked them, how many people have this government provided houses for before coming up with the policy?
With the new law, we all know that the next thing is for the landlords to immediately increase house rents even if such houses are no longer habitable, Abdulhameed said, adding that tenants will be forced to pay even more than whatever amount the state government is demanding from landlords as tax.
He cautioned that, when you have more anti-people policies, the government is simply proving that it does not care about the plights of the masses in whatever policies and programmes, and this is not what government and governance should be. NNL.
