I want to express my views on the impact of democracy on the rural communities in my state Katsina, specifically, the zone where I and our current Governor Aminu Bello Masari hail from.
I am the indigene of Malumfashi local government area of Katsina state. My ancestral village is Burdugau G’, ‘G’ means Galadima District while Kafur LGA where my amiable governor hails from was carved out of Malumfashi 25 years ago.
It is established that the main concept of democracy is simply “government of the people, by the people, and for the people”.
This concept implies that democracy is a system of government elected by the majority of the people, as representatives to govern them and provide basic necessities of life described as dividends of democracy. These include but are not limited to security, education, healthcare, youth empowerment, virile economy, among others.
Unfortunately, in my state of Katsina, particularly in my ancestral village (Burdugau G’), the situation is deplorable, because successive administrations including those who ruled the state for 16 good years as well as our current Governor Bello Masari have ignored our area without showcasing a single project that could touch the lives of the people of the area as if we are not part of the state.
I was opportune to have a warm handshake with Governor Masari at the Nigerian Army Day celebration in Dansadau Forest of Maru LGA in Zamfara state in 2016. I had appealed to him to come to our aid by constructing our road which starts from Marabar Kankara to Burdugau and Kakumi-Guga road. I also appealed to him to complete our primary health care centre which was started by the state government and MDGs now SDGs but has been abandoned for over 12 years. But all my appeals are being “kept in view” by the governor since then.
The road if constructed it would improve the living standard for the people of the area particularly in the area of transformations of their both foods and cash crops to the nearby markets as the majority of the people living in the area are farmers, both the state and local government internally generated revenue could be enhanced.
Additionally, since 2006 during President Olusegun Akikiola Aremu Obasanjo’s regime, we were opportune to be connected with National Grid under the Federal Government Rural Transformations Scheme which was facilitated by Alhaji Salisu Yaro Malumfashi, but unfortunately, since 2009 when some of the Poles broken as a result of heavy windstorm, we were disconnected from the National Grid Light as all efforts and several appeals have been made to both state and Malumfashi local government to replace the broken poles but no avail.
I keep on asking myself always that, are we really part of Katsina State, are we not entitled to get basic necessities of living from the Federal, state and local governments but unfortunately nobody could answer my questions in that regards.
However, since we have Area Command of the Nigeria Police Force in my Local Government, Malumfashi, I want to appeal to the Inspector General of Police through the Katsina State Commissioner of Police to establish a Police Outpost Station in our Town in order to improve the security of lives and properties of the entire inhabitants of the area, considering the fact that we have over 20 Villages around the area.
The hospital when completed will accommodate 60 patients at the same time and the problem of child and maternal mortality rates will be reduced to the barest minimum among people of the area. Unfortunately, since 2008 to date, we don’t know why the project has been abandoned talk-less of knowing the contractor handling the project.
I appeal to Governor Aminu Bello Masari to look inward and help our community with basic necessities of life, especially a good road network, healthcare delivery, secondary school for us to also enjoy the dividend of democracy.
I will not end this piece without continuing to appeal to the governor to go back to the drawing board and develop various neglected communities with adequate social amenities in order to reduce the hardship they are facing at the grassroots as 90 percent of our rural areas lack basic amenities in our Katsina state.
Sanusi Muhammad,
Burdugau G’, Malumfashi LGA,
Katsina state.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed here are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Daily News 24.
