Bauchi is Nigeria’s poorest state – NNPP Guber
By Mariam Adamu
The Bauchi State governorship candidate of New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) Ambassador Shuaibu Ahmed, has said that Bauchi is the most poverty ravaged state in Nigeria that needs people with financial discipline to reduce the index.
Shuaibu made the assertion while inaugurating his campaign council in Bauchi at the weekend.
According to him, from the 2017 Oxford University Multidimensional Poverty Index, Bauchi State is one of the most poverty ravaged states in the country with a rate of 87 per cent ahead of only Jigawa and Zamfara states.
“Recent statistics from the NBS shows that unemployment is at an alarming rate of 41.4 per cent while the literacy rate of the state is 27 per cent or the illiteracy rate of 73 per cent, second lowest in the federation.
“A new Bauchi State is indeed possible! A Bauchi State that is characterized by an unrelenting quest for the good of the greatest number of our people putting people first in all decisions and actions of government. This is what citizens of Bauchi State want, and this is what our party, the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), and myself, as governor, are offering and promising.”
Shuaibu, a charted accountant, said that the state was endowed with a land mass of 4, 925, 900 hectares of land out of which about 3, 940, 000 hectares is suitable for farming promising that if elected into power in 2019, his administration would harness the state’s agricultural potentials.
The governorship candidate lamented that despite the land mass of the state, only 23 per cent or 920, 000 hectares was currently being farmed for rain-fed agriculture and only 16, 000 hectares was being utilized for irrigation farming.
“Bauchi State has the capacity to turn all these thousands of hectares of land GREEN all year round; utilizing them for growing various food and cash crops. Thus, creating tremendous job opportunities for our people,” he said.
According to him, aside fertile land, the state has an estimated livestock population of 1.2 million heads of cattle, 2.1 million sheep, 2.8 million goats and nearly four million poultry and 43 grazing reserves, which he asserted, could turn Bauchi into the meat capital of Nigeria if properly harnessed.
“The combination of the existing wildlife, Eco, Conferencing and Sports hosting facilities of Bauchi State will no doubt make the state the most preferred and premier destination for corporate retreats, sports events, conferences and meetings, family recreation and Youth camps in West Africa,” he pointed out.
He also decried that “despite these amazing potentials and the huge financial resources received by the current administration from the Federation Account, Bauchi State is allegedly confronted with excruciating poverty, high unemployment, overwhelming illiteracy, internal tensions and strife.”
Also at the rally, the state Chairman of the party, Mr. Mohammed Barde, noted that Bauchi State cannot afford to put their destiny in the hands of incompetent people and party”, saying, Shuaibu has what it take to rule a progressive state like Bauchi.
His words: “We need somebody with passion for development, we need somebody that has brain, we need people with character, we need people who are committed to the growth and development of Bauchi. Therefore Our Governorship candidate Shuaibu can do it.”
Barde assured that NNPP would emerge victorious in the forthcoming election, adding that it will record outstanding performance in their administration.
He also assured the people of the state of good governance and exemplary leadership if NNPP will succeed the incumbent.
