Open governance: The Uba Sani example in Kaduna state

BY YUSUF ALIU

Beyond the infrastructure revolution spiralling across practically every part of Kaduna State, particularly in the previously underserved rural communities, citizens and residents readily aver that perhaps the biggest achievement of Senator Uba Sani in his first one year in office as the governor of the state is his unique demystification of governance. In the last one year, open, transparent, accessible and accountable governance have become the rule rather than the exception in Kaduna state under Governor Uba Sani.

Like most other transformational leaders, Senator Uba Sani is well aware that he necessarily must genuinely win the trust and confidence of the people as a prelude to winning their hearts and minds. From the outset, Senator Uba Sani never advertised himself as a superman or a miracle worker. Rather, he came across as a servant-leader who was conversant with the issues, familiar with the terrain, understood the peculiar needs and aspirations of the state and its people; and offered to provide purposeful leadership in a collective bid to surmount the myriads of challenges the state was contending with.

With a pedigree that is steeped in civil rights activism and also with a sterling record as a legislator, the very seasoned Senator Uba Sani recognises the importance of open governance in strengthening democracy, curbing corruption and promoting better development. He is well aware that if citizens do not know how decisions are made, how taxes are spent or who is responsible for critical actions within government, citizens can hardly be assured that the government is working for their benefit.

The Kaduna state governor holds transparency, accountability and citizens’ participation in governance as necessary conditions to ensure that public resources are used efficiently, public policies are designed in the best interest of the population and that government acts with integrity. To this end, since assuming office on May 29, 2023, Governor Uba Sani has instituted the requisite environment and conditions for citizens’ participation in public policies and processes enabling them to hold authorities to account.

A glaring pointer to the effectiveness of Governor Uba Sani’s open governance policy is the successes the administration has recorded so far in curbing and radically degrading the once seemingly intractable problem of insecurity in Kaduna State. Beyond regular townhall meetings with different segments of the citizenry and enlarged state security meetings, Governor Uba Sani has since rejuvenated the Kaduna Elders Forum. This gathering of revered senior citizens of Kaduna state has as members, experienced (retired and serving) technocrats, civil servants, diplomats, military and security officers, traditional and religious leaders, among others. The Kaduna Elders Forum is led by the duo of Gen. Zamani Lekwot (retd) and Alhaji Abubakar Mustapha.

At these townhall interfaces, extended state security meetings as well as meetings with the Kaduna Elders Forum, Governor Uba Sani would usually, albeit meticulously, render account of his stewardship and spell out areas where inputs, suggestions or even help were needed from the citizens. Naturally a good and attentive listener, Governor Uba Sani usually spends quality time taking suggestions and making clarifications at these meetings. Not surprisingly, several programmes and policies formulated by the administration have either evolved from, or have been reworked following the feedback garnered from these regular citizens’ open-participatory meetings.

Expectedly, the red-hot issues of banditry, kidnappings and other shades of insecurity and criminality that hitherto held the state down, severally dominated deliberations at these meetings. And one year after, Governor Uba Sani’s resort to open governance is paying off handsomely. Even when Kaduna may not be the safest place in the world today, it is incontrovertible that in the last one year, the state that was once regarded as one of the epicentres of banditry, kidnapping and ethno-religious crises in Nigeria has become one of the safest places in the northern parts of the country, if not the entire country. And analysts insist that the security measures put in place in Kaduna by the nation’s armed forces and other security agencies are working reasonably well because of the open and citizens’ participatory governance method of Governor Uba Sani.

As the nation celebrated 25 years of uninterrupted democratic rule last week, Governor Uba Sani used the opportunity of the anniversary to, once again, directly interface with a cross section of the citizens of Kaduna state, ostensibly to present, once again, the report of his stewardship and generally give a first-hand brief of the state-of-the-state to the people, in a true sense of participatory governance. On Monday, June 10, the governor met with religious leaders in the state.

“Today, we held a frank and fruitful meeting with our revered and influential religious leaders to assess the progress made in promoting peace and forging unity in our communities, look at emerging issues, and collectively map out strategies to address them. I expressed our gratitude to the religious leaders for the invaluable advice and support they have been giving to our administration since inception. Their support and work in various communities has helped in stabilizing our state and refocusing our attention on developmental issues,” Governor Uba Sani said.

The Kaduna state governor seized the opportunity of the meeting to highlight some of the achievements of his administration especially in the areas of security, infrastructure development, education, agriculture, health, housing, poverty alleviation, youth and women empowerment. He was emphatic that the rural transformation drive of his administration is gathering pace.

The very elated religious leaders expressed satisfaction with the developmental strides of the administration and shared with the governor, their thoughts and suggestions on priority areas going forward. They resolved to work cooperatively with the state government to rebuild trust in communities across the state, enhance inter-religious understanding and effectively implement the government’s rural transformation agenda.

“What the governor has done today is very strategic. Calling religious leaders to give a report of his stewardship and opening the doors or the gates for us to frankly discuss the issues, matters arising in the state and allowing us to give him counsel. Senator Uba Sani is the first Governor of Kaduna state in recent history to do that sincerely without giving us an agenda. I think that this is very strategic, and I think that is why his government is doing well so far,” a leading Christian cleric in Kaduna state, Apostle Emmanuel Kure, who was at the meeting, said.

“On security, let me say this: In spite of whatever is coming up or what anyone says, security situation in Kaduna State has improved a lot. Before, in Kaduna State, when something goes wrong it is religious undertone that comes first; but now that religious undertone is no longer the first thing people consider. The two religions in the state are beginning to be at ease with one another. There is a calming down of the atmosphere, and the credit goes to the approach of the government of Senator Uba Sani,” Apostle Emmanuel Kure added.

Same day, Governor Uba Sani held another strategic meeting with the highly regarded members of the Kaduna Elders Forum, also to review progress made in securing and stabilising communities across the state and to chart the pathway to a more peaceful and prosperous Kaduna State.

“At this very important meeting, I commended our elders led by the co-chairmen, Alhaji Abubakar Mustapha and General Zamani Lekwot (rtd) for their continuing support for our administration and for rallying our citizens to make contributions towards the growth and development of our dear state. I further stated, at the meeting, that the Kaduna Elders Forum is one forum we must sustain because of its strategic role in mobilising and sensitising our people on critical issues of peace, security and development. The forum has been showing our people that indeed we are one people; that all the so-called differences are created by conflict entrepreneurs in furtherance of their evil machinations. With the unity displayed by our elders, our people can now focus on real issues of development,” the governor disclosed.

Senator Uba Sani similarly used the opportunity of the strategic engagement with the respected senior citizens to underscore some of his administration’s achievements in the last one year. “We are strengthening our security forces with operational vehicles, motorcycles and communication gadgets, frontally tackling poverty and addressing our challenges in the areas of infrastructure development, education, agriculture, health, housing, youth and women development. Our rural transformation drive is gathering pace. We are determined to close the infrastructure deficit and thus give our rural dwellers a better lease of life. I also informed them of the signing into law of the private sector driven Kaduna State Security Trust Fund Bill, aimed at securing sustainable funding for combating terrorism, banditry and kidnapping in our state,” he told the forum.

The governor further informed the elders that his administration has made progress in degrading criminal elements, but that challenges remain. He therefore urged the elders to continue to engage the state government and security forces to fashion more effective strategies to degrade these agents of destabilisation. “We must continually assess the current and emerging security issues/threats and collectively fashion strategies to respond to them,” Governor Uba Sani admonished the citizens.

Equally remarkable was the governor’s call on the esteemed elders to continue to checkmate agents of disunity and retrogression in the state. Governor Uba Sani noted that “rather than devote their energies to things that would move our state to higher heights, they prefer to sow seeds of discord in furtherance of their selfish ends. These sowers of discord pander to each of our main religious groups, claiming that the ‘other side’ is being favoured by the government. There is no ‘other side’ in this administration. We approach the business of development under a single banner of brotherhood. Kaduna state binds us all together,” the governor assured.

Not surprisingly, the elders expressed delight at the significant milestones the Uba Sani administration has achieved in one year and assured the governor of their commitment towards the peace and prosperity of Kaduna state.

As Governor Uba Sani is bringing government closer to the people by bridging (or outrightly filling) the gaps that exist between rulers and the ruled, the notorious culture of abuse of power and public trust is being eliminated in the government and public service of Kaduna state. Indeed, drawing from his vast experience as a civil rights activist, Senator Uba Sani, has in the last one year, as governor of Kaduna state, rather mobilised gaps to spread both accountability and power among citizens. He has brought governance to public view, subjecting his administration to probity and accountability and has unfurled a unique setting where the people relate to one another as political equals.

Aliu resides in Kurmin Mashi, Kaduna.