Hadiza Balarabe: Kaduna’s knight in shining armour

Usually, a leader is measured by the ability to take hard decisions, the capacity to weather adversities and the personality to bolster the people’s confidence to soldier on, in spite of the odds. Some times, these attributes are self-evident but in some cases, they manifest in times of crises. Since February, when coronavirus first reared up its ugly head in Lagos, Nigeria’s Public Health has been in crisis, like the rest countries of the world. In no time, the pandemic transformed from a health to an economic crisis of international dimension. Leaders, health experts and scientists, including the world’s financial institutions have been at their wits’ end to find a way out of the pandemic.

On March 9, ten days after the first index case was recorded in Nigeria, Governor Nasir El Rufai had set up an Economic Crisis Committee, chaired by his deputy, Dr Hadiza Balarabe. In summary, the committee advised on the measures to take in anticipation of a steep revenue earnings. Nine days later, the committee turned in its report and tabled it before the governor and senior government officials. Specifically, the report built likely scenarios and how it will affect the state’s earnings. First, it indicated that Kaduna State’s gross annual revenues could fall by as much as N17bn if crude oil prices remain around $30 a barrel. Secondly, the state’s annual revenues could fall by as much as N24bn in 2020 if crude prices fall to $20 per barrel. Indeed, both scenarios will affect the state negatively.

After a robust debate, the government adopted some reasonable measures to manage the unexpected economic consequences unleashed by coronavirus. For this reason, government has cut overhead costs by 50% and centralised expenses like buying of fuel and stationery. In addition, measures were taken to promote payroll integrity and to ensure that the nominal roll of the public service is accurate. Similarly, the recruitment exercise, which was earlier conducted, has been put on hold and all foreign trips are now suspended.

In lock-step, Governor El Rufai and his deputy took other measures to buffer the local economy but on March 28, ten days after the Economic Crisis Committee report was adopted, the unexpected happened in Kaduna state. The governor, the sensitizer-in-chief against COVID-19, was infected by the virus and he immediately proceeded on isolation. Naturally, , the burden of governing Kaduna state fell on Dr Hadiza Balarabe, the deputy governor. For 25 days, Dr Balarabe chaired the State Standing Committee on COVID-19, deliberated with health experts and development partners at Emergency Operations Committee(EOC) meetings and sometimes went round the state to enforce the lockdown when she held forte for El Rufai.

Significantly, the ease with which Dr Balarabe settled down to the difficult business of running a complex state like Kaduna was remarkable. No doubt, her background as a medical doctor, administrator and someone who has always been a heartbeat away from power in the last one year, helped her in carrying this heavy cross. As deputy Governor-elect, she was made a Senior Adviser-Counsellor and in that capacity, she was advising El Rufai on Human Capital Development. Similarly, she attended State Executive and Security Councils meetings even before she was sworn in. Balarabe, in that regard, had helped to drive policy and governance during the transition period. Thereafter, she chaired the Transition Committee which fashioned out the blueprint of the present administration’s second term.

Similarly, upon assuming office, the medical doctor-turned politician has been deputizing and acting on behalf of El Rufai. In fact, Dr Balarabe chairs the State Executive Council, the highest decision-making body, when El Rufai is outside the state. In addition, she chairs both the Human Capital Development and Procurement Monitoring Councils, two out of the weekly Policy Council meetings of Kaduna state government. Last October, Dr Balarabe had presented the 2020 draft budget at a Town Hall meeting, where stakeholders made inputs. Likewise, on October 12, she submitted the document to the House of Assembly as acting governor of Kaduna state, the first deputy governor to do so in Nigeria.

So, with this rich and vast experience, Dr Balarabe picked up the gauntlet of running Kaduna state in this emergency times, and did a good job of it. As the chair of the State Standing Committee on COVID-19, she met with other members daily via video conferencing as according to her, ‘’we didn’t want to leave a vacuum because of the limitations that Covid 19 has imposed on physical meetings, especially maintaining social and physical distance.’’ In her view, the committee has a task to do and members will not relent as the lives of many depended on their decisions. Indeed, this vigilance, their committee’s proactive decisions and the support of other senior government officials as well as the cooperation of the good people of Kaduna state, have so far kept the COVID-19 infections and fatalities relatively low.

Likewise, Dr Balarabe deliberated with health experts and development partners at Emergency Operations Committee(EOC) daily meetings. At the meeting, personnel with knowledge, competence and vast experience, drawn from the Ministry of Health, relevant agencies of the state, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria and the Teaching Hospital, as well as Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital, including staff from the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control(NCDC), brainstormed on new findings and ideas. In this regard, these medical gurus shared experiences and information from other states and countries about COVID-19, all in an effort to further strengthen the health response in the state.

Significantly, in between these meetings, Dr Balarabe was also meeting with heads of security organisations in Kaduna State, ranging from the General Officer Commanding one Mechanised Division, the Commissioner of Police, the Director of State Security Service and the head of Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps in Kaduna state, to get updates on the lockdown. In some cases, she went out to see things for herself, especially how the restriction of movement was being observed and how passengers were adhering to social distancing in commercial vehicles. After a long and demanding day, the deputy governor usually capped it with either a broadcast to the people of Kaduna state, or a press statement, detailing key decisions that were taken.

Thereafter, the business of running Kaduna state moves to the home front, where she treated memoranda, read several documents and gave directives online, right into the early hours. Nonetheless, the first official engagement never suffered the next day as she chaired her meetings on time and without showing signs of stress. More or less, this schedule was a seven-days -a-week circle as Dr Balarabe works throughout the week, without taking a break and with a perpetual smile.

Significantly, Governor El Rufai paid glowing tributes to Dr Balarabe, after coming out of isolation, following two negative tests of COVID-19. In fact , the governor thanked God for His Grace and Mercy, and expressed gratitude for the massive outpouring of sympathies, prayers and public support extended to him when he announced his COVID-19 positive status. Likewise, he thanked the state’s diligent medical personnel from the Ministry of Health and the Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital, Kaduna, who managed him while he was in isolation. In El Rufai’s testimony, his family not only went through the trauma of potentially losing a member, but also the risk of being infected as well.

Above all, he acknowledge the deputy governor for her reassuring leadership in his absence. In particular, the governor commended the determined efforts of the State Standing Committee on COVID-19, which is chaired by the Deputy Governor, Dr Hadiza Balarabe. “The commitment, competence and capabilities displayed by the Kaduna State Government in my four-week absence is clear evidence that we have a public service we can all be proud of,’’ the governor confessed. This testimonial, coming from someone like El Rufai, whose work ethics, knack for excellence and talking straight from the heart is second to none, is a befitting jewel on the crown of Dr Hadiza Sabuwa Balarabe, the deputy governor of Kaduna state and a steady pair of leadership hands.

Maryam is a senior special assistant on public communication.