Although the constitutional responsibility of lawmakers in all democracies across the globe includes lawmaking for good governance, oversight functions aimed at tracking government expenditure to ensure they are within appropriation , investigate corruption cases against public office holders and recommend sanctions; the infrastructural deficits and inability of successive governments to bridge the gap , since independence and advent of democracy have, understandably placed the burden of providing these basic needs on the shoulders of Nigerian lawmakers.
It was in realization and indeed, appreciation of these huge infrastructural deficits that former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo initiated the famous constituency projects allowances for members of the National Assembly to enable senators and members of the House of Representatives complement efforts of the executive arm of the government by providing some of the basic needs of their constituencies .
For the people of Musawa and Dandume in Katsina South senatorial district of Katsina state, March 27th would remain memorable and indelible on their minds, it was a day their senator and chairman, senate committee on Police Affairs, Senator Abu Ibrahim, again, gave them a sense of belonging through various empowerment schemes and medical eye treatment and, equipments as part of his constituency outreach, rehabilitation and renovation of secondary schools across the senatorial zone , which gulped nothing less than N73 million.
In Musawa and Dandume, the federal lawmaker donated medical eye treatment equipment which includes medicated glasses, drugs and other items to the poor and less privileged, while rehabilitation of community Schools, women and youth empowerment.
Suffice to say that N28million was spent women and youth empowerment, N20 million for drugs and eye treatment, N10million for purchase of eye glasses and N15million for rehabilitation of community school classrooms.
It is important to note , that a total of 100 patients were selected from each local government were to benefit from the eye treatment out of which 20 people from each of the local governments would be provided with medicated eye glasses after comprehensive tests would be conducted on the patients.
A resident of Musawa , Abdullahi Umar who spoke to LEADERSHIP Newspapers stated that, “this is one of the reasons why the people of this zone would always swim and sink with Senator Abu Ibrahim, because if you remember, this is about the fourth time he has being elected into the senate, not because he is the most educated, but because he relates with the people and most importantly appreciates their yearnings.
“Some politicians would only come home when they are looking for votes after which they will vanish until the next election, but he is not like that, less than a year after the last elections, he is here to appreciate and deliver dividends of democracy and quite frankly this is commendable , but let me also state here, that other politicians must borrow a cue from people like senator Abu, he is down to earth and understanding which is all the people want, just show some concern and our people will love you forever, not that you only come when you want votes”, he declared.
It was equally heart-warming and gratifying that the federal lawmaker also embarked on renovation and rehabilitation of secondary schools built by him in his senatorial district just to ensure that they serve the purpose for which they were meant to achieve, which is to provide a relatively conducive atmosphere for learning.
According to the federal lawmaker, “I want to thank God and all of you who have found time to come for this event today. There are three programmes involved in this Constituency empowerment event namely, Medical Eye Treatment for the poor indigenes of the zone, rehabilitation of Community Secondary Schools as well as women and Youths Empowerment.
“On the eye treatment programme, 1,100 people on the basis of 100 people each Local Government Areas will b e treated. In addition 20 people from each local government will be provided with eye glasses. I have also embarked on the rehabilitation of 11 secondary schools classrooms built by me.
“Women and Youths Empowerment: A total of 1755 People made up of 1170 women and 585 youths are being empowered today. The launching of this Women and Youth empowerment Programme today is a fulfilment of my Campaign Promises before the 2015 elections”, said senator Ibrahim.
The chairman Senate panel on Police Affairs Senator Abu Ibrahim took out time to pour special encomium on women, whom he described as more trusted and dependent when it comes to implementation of projects assigned to them stressing that, “I wish to state here that beneficiaries of this programme were carefully selected, especially women, because they have proved to be more trusted in project implementation assigned to them, it is my hope, therefore that all the beneficiaries will live up to our expectation and not betray the confidence we response in them”, he declared.
But as required in a typical representative democracy, where elected office holders are expected to be accountable to the electorates , Senator Abu Ibrahim did exactly the needful when he briefed his constituents on what to expect in the 2016 budget as their share of federal allocations.
His words, “at this juncture I wish to brief you of the 2016 Budget provision as it concerns this Constituency. Tube Wells/Watering machine, further zonal intervention later in the year, rehabilitation of roads for 2016 programmes, building of primary classrooms in the eleven Local Government Areas not yet provided for.
“Rehabilitation of Police Barracks and deployment of rapid response unit in the zone, Ecological/ Environment projects to forestall floods in some key Local Government Headquarters, by the grace of God, these projects will take off as soon as 2016 budget is approved”, he said.
In his remarks, the governor of Katsina state, Honourable Aminu Bello Masari commended Senator Abu Ibrahim for bringing what he described as dividend of democracy to the people of the zone.
Governor Masari urged the people of the zone, Katsina state and the entire country to exercise patience with the Muhammadu Buhari led government and its efforts in ensuring that campaign promises made before and during the elections of 2015 are fulfilled. He also assured that the President has no intention of disappointing Nigerians, adding that “for Senator Abu Ibrahim I want to say that he has made us proud by this gesture. He is our leader and we must continue to support and be loyal to him in order to strengthen the party in the state”, declared Governor Masari.
For Jubril Adam, a politician in Dandume, the promise to beef up security in the state through rehabilitation of Police barracks and ensure prompt response unit in the state at large would be the best way to secure the state and weed it of crime and criminality.
He told LEADERSHIP Newspapers that ,”I must say that the senator has done very well by remembering his people, but I must also say that I am even more excited by his promise to ensure that a rapid response unit of the Police Force is brought to this zone and also made to function properly. If, this is done, it would help in tracking criminals and other forms of social vices once they occur.
“Where crimes or emergencies are not responded to by the Police immediately, gives room for the perpetrators to escape , so if we must get serious about fighting crime, the Police response must also be prompt. So I must commend the senator and only wish him more grease to his elbow and good health”.
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