A SPEECH DELIVERED AT THE OFFICIAL FLAG-OFF OF THE CONSTRUCTION OF 2.5 KILOMETER NJABBORE ROAD IN GIREI LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA ON FRIDAY, 18TH MARCH 2022.
By
His Excellency Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri
Executive Governor Adamawa State.
PROTOCOL
I am delighted to be here. Once again, our train for the urban renewal campaign has reached Njabbore. This is one project we promised to deliver on during our numerous engagements with the people during the 2019 political campaign.
I recall the collective trauma which residents of the area on this flank of the River Benue had to go through in plying this road because I have plied the road severally myself.
In one of those moments, I have had the cause to reflect and promised myself even before my commitment to the people that when elected I will fix this road.
Today, I bring a breath of fresh air not only to the people of these environs but to myself who is eternally grateful for this relief.
I am at all times restless on every promise I made during the campaign. This one is indeed one relief too many.
As a deliberate policy, we have placed Urban Renewal and Rural Infrastructure at the centre of our 11-Point Agenda.
Our administration has taken up the task of providing roads with unquantifiable vigour and committed huge resources to complete the ones abandoned by my predecessor and opened up rural areas through infrastructure, conscious of the fact that these are foundational prerequisites for the growth and development of our People and our State.
We cannot aspire to build a greater Adamawa State without building the necessary infrastructure for such growth.
While the debate for what constitutes a priority for our people is being hyped at this critical time, we must not allow it to be hijacked by those who don’t know us well enough to define our needs.
Let me remind us all that the 11-Point Agenda which is the development compass of this administration, is a carefully selected index that went through a thorough thought process emanating from the needs of the people and taking cognizance of the development gaps of the State. It is not an afterthought.
It is indeed a product that we have carried around during the campaign and agreed upon with the good people that voted for us.
It is in this light that we are prosecuting the urban renewal campaign. Within the confines of our limited resources, we have carefully distributed these projects across the State taking cognizance of the strategic needs and the benefits they can confer on the State.
Jimeta-Yola, which hosts the administrative headquarters of the State and represents the pride of every citizen of Adamawa has the highest chunk of these projects for obvious reasons.
We have constructed urban roads across many Local Governments in the State. The campaign is ongoing until every Local Government gets its fair share. The train is moving with the required vigour, speed and quality.
From here, we are headed to Guyuk, Demsa, Lamurde and Bekaji community in Jimeta. For us as an administration, this is our way of discharging our side of the contract with the good people of Adamawa State.
If our antagonists know of any other way apart from the one we know which is easing the burden of life on our people and making them happy at all times, they are at liberty to wait for their time, if such time will ever come.
No doubt, that the provision of infrastructure will open our State to investment which will lead to the economic prosperity of our people.
It will open our rural areas for access, make transportation easy and enable our farmers to move their produce to the markets with ease.
While building the roads, we shall continue to build the people. We are certainly aware that we need healthy people to ply the roads.
We are launching an aggressive campaign on the peoples’ welfare or what is generally known in Nigerian parlance as “Stomach Infrastructure.”
We must provide the right incentives for economic cushioning and empower our people for shared prosperity. People must be well-fed to appreciate the beauty of the material infrastructure. I assure you, this is more than a promise, it is a commitment.
We are sensitive to the plight of our people and remain resolute in our pragmatic and effective approach to developmental issues which is in sync with the desire of the people we vowed to serve.
For us, nothing matters more than Adamawa State, our people’s interest, our treasures, our enormous resources, our assets, accomplishments and greatness.
We welcome everyone aboard to join in creating an environment that promotes balanced economic growth, through investments and good jobs.
We desire to build a State of shared prosperity, a place of boundless opportunities for all residents and a State we can truly call our home, our pride, and our heritage while looking into the future with optimism.
As we look forward to the months ahead, all I can say is that we are inspired by your continuous support and prayers and believe that the best days are ahead and working together we will surely do more by our resolve that “No One is left behind and nothing will is left untouched.”
Finally, it’s my pleasure to Flag-off the construction of the 2.5km Njobbore Road off the Yola-Mubi Highway passing through Vinikilang to the Glory of God and the benefit of our people.
Thank You.
