THISDAYonline

This year's flood disaster in Jigawa State has more than any other singular event, demonstrated the extent of "Federal Neglect" meted on the good people of the state since its creation 10 years ago. Perhaps the people's expectation of any meaningful redress was, and is till predicated on the fact that since the creation of the state in 1991, this year's flooding is the first major calamity we are witnessing under democratic dispensation, and by far, the worst in our chequered history. Indeed, it is probably this feeling of democratic wind blowing all over the country, which raised the people's expectation for an overall improved Federal presence in the state. But unfortunately, Jigawa is still an unwanted baby, so far as Federal Government's programmes are concerned.

At least, this is the message the Obasanjo administration has been repeatedly sending the 3 million people of Jigawa in the last two and a half years of presidential democracy.

Otherwise, how else can one explains it. Here is a state lacking in anything federal. Educationally, the state a disadvantaged by any standard. There are only two Federal Government Colleges at Kazaure (girls) and Kiyawa (boys) in the state. Shameful enough, even the Federal Government College, Kiyawa was only a state owned fully established Senior Secondary School, taken over by the Federal Government, presumably without paying any compensation. No federal Polytechnic, College of Education etc. not even a Federal School of Nursing. Even when a Federal Referral Centre was proposed during the General Abdulsalami Abubakar's regime, the choice of the project site had to be twisted by the Obasanjo administration to Birnin kudu, probably to pay back the people of the area for producing a Minister in the president's Cabinet, and also take over the state's largest and most established General Hospital, again without? compensation. Similarly, the condition of Kwanar Danja- (Kano State), Ringim - Hadejia (Jigawa State) - Nguru (Yobe State) Road is, to say the least, most disturbing to the minds of the affected people. The Federal authorities in the Ministry of works saw no reason to remedy the situation, so much that Governor Saminu Turaki has to contract Dantata and Sawoe to reconstruct the Zakirai - Ringim- Hadejia ends in Jigawa State at about N2.1 billion.

Yes, we have medium security prisons in Gumel and Hadejia and a NEPA substation at HadeJia which only supplies about 25 per cent of the states population; the bulk of its power output goes to neighbouring Yobe and Borno States. Similarly, despite the abundance of a variety of Mineral deposits (at least 10 assorted minerals deposits) are known to exist in Commercial quantity in Jigawa) yet no serious effort is made to exploit this God - given wealth for the good of all. And talking about abandoned projects, some of which for example include, Ringim post office, had reached about 80 per cent completion, but left to rot away for over 20 years now. We also have the now stalled Hadejia valley project embarked upon in 1981, but regrettably is still at stage one of phase one, according to official statements made available to journalists on Notional Media Tour. That means for all of 20 years, we could not have the first 6,109 Hectares of farmlands out of the total 12,500 Hectares for irrigation purposes of our peasant farmers.

Ecologically, the entire environment faces serious threats of desertification up north from Kazaure, Yankwashi Babura and Maigatari axis through Malam Madori, Birniwa etc (our boarders with Niger Republic) and the menace of erosion down south in the entire Seven Local Government Areas of Dutse Emirate and along River Hadejia Valley which runs through the heart of Jigawa State.

Probably, what annoyed the people most is the fact that president Obasanjo knows all these problems of "Federal Neglect" undeservedly meted on the people of Jigawa State, and had in fact promised to immediately redress this imbalance. These were his statements to both the Emir of Dutse, Alhaji Dr. Nubu Muhammadu Sunusi and the people of the State during his presidential campaign tour.

Apart from submissions made to him by our opinion leaders at various times in the last two and a half years, president Obasanjo has also one of us, Hon. Sule Lamido in his cabinet. Or does Mr. President have to be reminded that his hardworking foreign minister has a biological constituency in need of dividends of democracy? True enough, Lamido is doing his very best in preparing democratic Nigeria for the globalisation processes, so much that he hardly finds time ,o socialize with his native home state, what more of bringing in the now illusive dividends of democracy. So considering all the aforesaid, one can vividly see that there is a near total absence of Federal Government's presence in Jigawa State and we now have a flood that is totally unprecedented in our history as a people on this part of the globe.

In any case, let it be stated quite frankly that the quantum effect of the, recent religious uprising in plateau State is not up to one tenth of the menace of flood disaster which engulfed no fewer than 300,000 households in about 280 communities from 25 out of the states 27 Local Government areas, mostly within the immediate reach of River Hadejia Valley, which passed through the heart of the state. The fact of the matter can be more appreciated when one considered that most of these 280 communities have lost virtually everything to the floods other than their poor lives. Houses, farmlands, shops, schools, dispensaries, animals, stored food items, name it. Yet Obasanjo has the presidential mind of quickly approving all of two hundred and fifty million naira (N250 million) to cool the minds of volatile middle-belt religious bigots and at the same time, sending 3 cabinet Ministers, including homeboy Sule Lamido with a paltry sum of fifty million naira (N50m) worth of relief materials in aid of the defenceless and peace-loving farmers of Jigawa State. But even this is on the contingent side of the scale. On a much more statutory side, one is tempted to ask whether there had ever been a resource allocation to Hadejia Jama'are River Basin Development Authority either on the Capital or Recurrent sides of the, Federal Budget, for example in the last 10 to 15 years. Secondly, how is it expended? And are we therefore to assume that the vast agro-potentials in Ringim, Taura, Jahun, Miga and such other wetlands do not merit a kobo worth of expenditure by the relevant Federal Ministry and/or its agencies? How safely can the Federal Government exonerate itself from allegations of conspiratorial collusion with "anti-Talakawa" forces in Kano State to continue manipulating the now popular, but useless and money-draining Kano Dams?

In any case, thank Mr. President for so ably donating such a meagre sum, but we also hereby wish to, in a civilized manner, quickly add that such a presidential assistance is grossly inadequate, and to say the least; not the best way of commiserating a people who rose, with all due political and such other National considerations and unanimously voted Obasanjo into office with a clear majority.

For us in Jigawa State, we are gradually, but systematically being delinked from the rest of the country. The consequences of Federal absence in the state as is eloquently recorded here, has brought about unquantifiable economic loss, including loss of lives backwardness, unemployment, environmental damages to our people. Ask Funke Fadugba, (The Lagos council chairman of the NUJ) or any of the 60 Journalists on National Mass Media tour of the state.

In fact, the extent of the catastrophe in this year's flooding alone is such that would catapult these laud-mouthed MOSSOP and OPC activitists to sue president Obasanjo at the Hague, tendering his N50 million relief assistance, which is no more than the equivalent of a pocket money to a secondary school boy, as an exhibit. But we are not seeking any judicial red-ness from The Hague, nor from the Supreme Court; in fact, not even from a High court here in Dutse.

At this juncture, one has to commend the National Assembly (the Senate in particular) for setting up a six-man committee headed by Senator Dr. Chuba Okadigbo, to investigate the immediate and remote causes of this recurring, but man made disaster, which has been with us for many years. While awaiting the Okadigbo committee, we must call on President Obasanjo to come to terms with the reality of our problems. That is to say there is no Federal presence in Jigawa State, simple. The president must do something for what we were robbed by the Federal Government. Otherwise, 2003 is just around the corner.

Baba Ringim writes from Ringim, Jigawa State,