10 State Governors To Enter 2017 With Big Problems

This is a concise analysis of the future problems of some state governors in the year 2017 which is some days away.

In Kaduna State, there are quite a number of unresolved issues that would accompany the governor, Malam Nasir el-Rufai to 2017.

 Since the inception of his administration in 2015, the governor has courted controversy, and most of the issues have remained unresolved. They look good to resurrect in the New Year. For instance, the state has not had elected officials in the local governments. As a result of this, many have called on him to take the bull by the horns to conduct a local government election in the state as he promised on assumption of office.

 

Opposition parties in the state brought up the issue towards the end of the year and called on President Muhammadu Buhari to suspend allocations to Kaduna councils if election was not conducted.

 

Sources in Kaduna Government House, however, blamed a court action challenging the validity of the sack of the previous local government political structure for the delay.

 

The bill for the regulation of religious activities, especially preaching in the state, is another issue that sparked so much controversy when it passed Second Reading in the House of Assembly. The governor tried hard to explain that the law had been there and had only been dusted for amendment, but those opposed to it stood their ground.

 

The House has kept silent on it, but the matter may still come up in 2017 since the bill has not been withdrawn.

 

The matter between members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) and the Kaduna State government is also bound to continue in the New Year. 

 

Although the state government has issued a White Paper on the crisis and banned the group, the implementation of some of the recommendations, coupled with the continuous detention of the IMN leader, Sheik Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, may resurrect the matter in 2017.

 

The political rivalry between Senator Shehu Sani and Governor El-Rufai, as well as some of the governor’s aides, is also bound to linger as all moves to reconcile the two parties have not been fruitful.

 

There is also the planned demolition of certain structures like the ones in Gabgyi Villa, which has been put on hold. As the governor makes to complete his projects, he may try to extend the gesture to places he had said he would bring down. 

 

The issue of not filling key positions in the ruling party will also come up as the party moves to put its house in order.

 

Senator Umar Jibrila Bindow 

 

Adamawa State is currently faced with multiple crises, including Boko Haram insurgency, herders/farmers conflicts, armed robbery and salary crisis in the primary education sector, among others, which are unlikely to end this year.

 

Boko Haram insurgency spread to Adamawa from Borno in 2014 when the militants carried out major attacks, killing hundreds of people, abducting women and taking over territories from Nigerian security forces. They controlled seven local government areas, including Madagali, Michika, Mubi North, Mubi South, Maiha, Hong, Gombi and part of Song before their ouster by the military and local hunters in 2015.

 

The crisis displaced thousands of residents to other towns within and outside the state while many took refuge in nearby countries, especially Cameroon. The population of internally displaced persons living in Yola swelled to 170,000 at the heat of the conflict. Although thousands of these people live at government camps and worship places, majority of them live with friends and relatives in host communities.

 

Although the population has drastically reduced after many returned to their recaptured homes following military victory, shortage of food and lack of basic needs remains a challenge to the displaced, with some of them turning to begging to survive. Millions of naira spent on the internally displaced persons could not be justified, going by their conditions in various camps.

 

The suspected Fulani herders/farmers conflicts left dozens dead in Demsa and Girei local government areas. The Fulani and native farmers are accusing each other of aggression, even as there is a rising spate of armed robbery along the Yola-Gombe road and Mayo-Belwa-Jada road.

 

The state government currently owes primary teachers four months salary arrears and a three-year leave grant. And there is no silver lining in the cloud that the salary crisis could be resolved this year.

 

Abdullahi Umar Ganduje

 

In Kano, crimes like cattle rustling and kidnapping may not be the major task before the state government in the coming year. This is because such crimes have drastically reduced in the state following combined efforts by the government and law enforcement agencies.

 

However, the ability of the Ganduje-led administration to complete the numerous uncompleted projects would be its major task next year. With the dwindling economy affecting the country, the state government would find it difficult to finance the multi-billion naira projects like the Murtala Muhammad flyover, Kofar Ruwa-Bukavu Barracks underpass, Madobi junction underpass, million 73km Kano light rail and Kanawa economic city, among others.

 

Most of these projects, according to Governor Ganduje, are to be funded with the internally generated revenue funds.

Although Doguwa, Sumaila, Kibiya and Tudun-Wada local government areas had witnessed a series of attacks by armed bandits, which led to the abduction of many people and rustling of dozens of hundreds of animals, the problem has been put under control for some months now.

Another issue that he will have to deal with in the New Year is his disagreement with Senator Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso. The crisis may deepen as 2019 approaches.

 

Alhaji Kashim Shettima

 

Most residents of Borno State who spoke to Daily Trust on Sunday were of the view that despite assurances by the military high command in the state, that the war with Boko Haram may end this year, obviously, it will extend to 2017.

 

A teacher in the state, Mr. Usman Mamza said, “We are used to such failed statements by top military officers, that the war will end tomorrow. They will claim to have killed 100 insurgents, but no one will see a single corpse. They will also claim that they liberated a particular area several times. There is nothing they will say that the public will take seriously again. We are hopeful that the war will end one day, but not this year.

 

“Of recent, we started having problems and unnecessary delay in the payment of workers’ salaries in the state. November salary was just paid yesterday. We are not sure if they would pay December salary before Christmas. However, I am not aware of any plan by workers to go on strike because of delay in payment of salaries. I will not support that even though I would not want the Christmas to be celebrated without salaries,” he said.

 

Maryam Kolomi, a victim of insurgency at Dalori camp in Maiduguri, said the problem of feeding the internally displaced persons may remain unresolved until the camps were dissolved. “There are multitudes of problems in the camps that have no solutions in sight. Feeding the displaced persons is one major problem. We hardly see food to eat although the federal and state governments claimed they were providing enough food,” she added. 

 

However, a top security officer in the state said that despite the high cases of kidnapping of innocent persons for ransom in some states of the federation, Borno has not experienced such action, at least in 2016. The state is only grappling with the usual abduction of people by Boko Haram insurgents.

 

But the governor will continue to grapple with the issue of IDPs that has been eating the pockets of the state. 

 

Rauf Aregbesola 

 

Some of the major problems the Osun State governor, Rauf Aregbesola, would carry over to 2017 include the inability of the state government to pay the salaries of workers.

 

Workers in the state last received August salaries and are still expecting those of September and October, even as there is no sign that they would get their salaries for November and December this year. Civil servants from level 8 and above are receiving half of their salaries. This is one of the issues the governor would have to resolve in 2017.

 

Also, the non-payment of pensions of retired civil servants is another problem that would spill into 2017 in Osun. The leader of pensioners in the state, Comrade Yemi Lawal, said they were suffering and many of them had died. He described Aregbesola as inhuman, and urged the federal government to intervene on the plight of pensioners in Osun. 

 

After running the administration for two years without commissioners, Governor Aregbesola will be expected to announce the appointment of his commissioners next year. The main opposition political party in the state, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), faulted the governor for refusing to appoint commissioners.

 

The spokesperson of the party, Prince Diran Odeyemi, said Aregbesola was making mistakes in running the affairs of the state because there are no commissioners to assist him.

 

“Governor Aregbesola is running Osun State as if it was his private business. He has made several mistakes because he refused to appoint commissioners who would have assisted him in some areas,” Odeyemi said. 

 

Nyesom Wike

 

Although the Rivers State government recently granted amnesty to about 22,000 repentant cultists, the governor may likely face the re-emergence of cultism in 2017 if the recipients of that gesture are not fully reintegrated and rehabilitated. 

 

While receiving the amnesty committee’s report at the Government House in Port Harcourt recently, the governor said his administration would not give money to the repentant cultists; instead, they will be rehabilitated. 

 

Wike said the repentant cultists would be sent to the state-owned rehabilitation centre in Aluu, where they will commence training on skills acquisition. But the indigenes of the community are protesting against the location of the centre. 

 

The chairman of Ogbakor Aluu, Gashon Benson, said the location of the centre in the community was not good for the peace and security of residents, who he said may have a faceoff with the repentant cultists. 

 

He said the centre had in the past constituted a big menace to the community as past militants rehabilitated there were involved in one crime or another.

 

But the state government is yet to commence the rehabilitation of the repentant cultists, which many believe will be one of the challenges it would face next year.

 

Another major problem that will confront Governor Wike next year is the outcome of the December 10 legislative rerun election, where both the PDP and the APC are trading blames on alleged electoral fraud. 

 

Both parties have refused to concede defeat in areas they lost and have threatened to settle the matter in court. There is likely to be a long drawn legal battle between both parties over the outcome of the rerun election. This may be another major issue that would distract the governor in 2017.

 

Rochas Okorocha

 

With few weeks to the end of 2016, workers and pensioners in Imo State are yet to receive their two months salaries and 40 months pension arrears. Workers in the state have not received their November and December salaries while pensioners are yet to be paid. This problem is likely to extent to the New Year.

 

Another issue generating heat is the nonpayment of 100 per cent of salaries to workers since the beginning of the year. In October, the state government paid only 80 per cent of salaries to workers.

 

This decision made both government and the leadership of the organised labour to enter into negotiation, but it ended up paying 70 per cent to workers while 30 per cent went into the coffers of the state government.

 

Another problem being faced by Imo citizens is the difficulties faced on roads as a result of non-completion of the two tunnels. The situation brought hardship to Imo people as they are subjected to running round the whole of the state capital looking for alternative roads to move to their various destinations.

 

But during a press conference, Governor Okorocha announced the setting aside of N16, 1billion for the payment of both salaries of workers and pension. He said while N9b would go for the payment of pensioners, the rest would go for the payment of workers. He added that when concluded, this would address issues of pension in Imo.

 

Samuel Ortom

 

Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State will no doubt step into 2017 with several challenges, which have bedeviled his administration all through this year.

 

One of such big challenges is the inability of the administration to pay workers’ salaries up-to-date despite the relief granted it recently by the Paris and London clubs, to the tune of N12. 7 billion.

 

Ortom will also grapple with pending murder allegations against some of his commissioners and aides, especially with the inability of the state joint security agents to arrest a notorious militia kingpin, Terwase Akwaza, popularly known as Gana, on whose head the governor placed a N5 million reward for anyone who could offer information that would lead to his arrest.

 

While kidnapping, armed robbery, other forms of insecurity and cultism remain a source of worry to Ortom’s government, parents whose children are yet to be recovered besiege the Government House in Makurdi, urging government intervention.

 

Besides abduction for ransom, the menace of cultism and perceived politically motivated assassinations and other forms of unnecessary killings in different parts of the state, remain a nightmare for the present administration as it steps into the New Year.

 

The governor would also have to contend with the recurring herders/farmers perennial crisis in the New Year, especially at the commencement of the dry season.

 

Although Ortom’s administration has already put in place, a committee working round the clock to ensure that there’s no reoccurrence of clashes between farmers and herdsmen, there are fears that, like previous mediations, the efforts of this committee may yield little or no results.

 

Culled from DailyTrust