By: Kamal Hammajo
I never imagined I would have a kind word for Sani Abubakar Danladi. In 2014, while working with the Taraba Publishing Company, publishers of the Nigeria Sunrise Newspaper, our agency got caught in the middle of a political tussle between Engr. Ahmed Yusuf and Hon. Aminu Jika.
One of our Government House reports described Ahmed Yusuf, then Chief of Staff appointed by the Acting Governor as a former Commissioner, while Aminu Jika, from the opposing group, was referred to as Chief of Staff. That single report blocked our funding for months.
At the time, Acting Governor Alh. Garba Umar UTC, had approved our memo and even directed Zenith Bank to release our funds. Unfortunately, that same evening turned out to be his last day in office. The very next day, Sani returned as an Acting Governor, and his first order was to halt all financial approvals made by Garba, including ours.
For his six months in office, Sani refused to release our funds, leaving us with a backlog of nearly a year’s salaries. When Darius Dickson Ishaku took office, we hoped for relief. Instead, he strung us along and eventually shut down our operations in 2017, redeploying some staff to other MDAs but abandoning about 12 indigenes, myself included, and all non-indigenes to their fate.
This forced me back into the labour market, costing me respect, relationships, and opportunities I cannot fully share here. For that, I WILL NEVER FORGIVE Sani Abubakar Danladi or Darius Dickson Ishaku.
Yet, I must admit: Sani has made contributions that have positively impacted my community. Taraba is blessed with both natural wealth and wealthy sons and daughters. However, when it comes to home-based investors, we are far behind. Almost 98.8% of our business tycoons has minimal or no investment at home, a situation that discourages foreign investors.
Seeing a political figure like Sani Abubakar Danladi, invest in the State, especially in State Capital, my hometown, Jalingo, sends a strong signal that Taraba is an investment hub, even for its own indigenes. This, in turn, can encourage outside investors to follow suit.
I write this, firstly, to COMMEND Sen. Sani Abubakar Danladi, the former Acting Governor, for his committed investments in Taraba State, and secondly, to call on all well-to-do Tarabans, champions, leaders, and business icons, to come home and invest. Such moves will create jobs, give our teeming youth opportunities to apply their skills, and channel their energies productively.
Today, Sani Danladi has given many people a sense of belonging, sources of livelihood, and income. This has not only reduced youth restiveness but also curbed the begging pandemic, popularly known as KJK, that has long plagued Taraba and Jalingo in particular.
May Allah continue to bless Taraba State and Nigeria at large.
Comments
Post a Comment