FCT AND REWARD FOR HARD WORK
Nothing more demonstrates the phrase
that “hard work pays” than the recent reappointment of Malam Muhammad
Musa Bello as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory for another four
years tenure.
Muhammad Bello’s reappointment is a
confirmation that there is indeed a shift in the trajectory and reward
system of the present administration headed by President Muhammadu
Buhari, from cronyism which used to be the major consideration for who
occupies what political office, to the morally and universally
acceptable concept of competence and performance.
There is a generally agreed concept that
any system that does not reward hard work is setting itself up for
failure. Also, a system that prioritizes “who you know” over and above
competence and capability will simply find itself running round in
unending vicious circles.
It is therefore gladdening to see that
President Buhari in his wisdom is gradually reversing this trend with
the reappointment of Muhammad Bello and nine other Ministers to continue
the good work they had started in their various ministries and this act
deserves commendation by all well-meaning Nigerians.
Bello’s reappointment gives hope to
Nigerians in all walks of life who are toiling and gritting daily to
make ends meet in very challenging environment, as well as those who
have shunned the amorous pull of corruption and self-aggrandizement,
that their acts of dedication and uprightness will not go unnoticed or
unrewarded. It is the very mindset that is required to rescue the
country from the stranglehold of corruption and set it on the path of
prosperity.
In the case of the FCT Minister, the
consensus among most Nigerians residing in the capital city is that he
performed beyond expectations in his first four years in office and
deserves to be reappointed. And one does not really need to look too
hard to understand why they share this sentiment.
Arriving to assume the reins of office
on November 11, 2015, Malam Bello was confronted with abandoned or
ongoing projects, high level of discretionary powers among pubic
officials and flagging service delivery. Coupled with these contending
issues, the city was also battling serious traffic gridlocks and in want
of sanitation. Confronted by these challenges, Malam Muhammad Musa
Bello set out to restore the promise of Abuja, as the quintessential
city it was dreamed about by the founding fathers.
From the start, Malam Bello committed
himself to transforming governance, strengthening institutions, ensuring
compliance with due process and extant laws. He set forth to run an
inclusive government as evident in all his appointments. Right from the
inner chambers of governance, the minister strove to reflect the
colourful ethnic configuration of the country with the appointments of
mandate secretaries, political aides and reconstitution of boards of
agencies and parastatals, which broadened the democratic space and
provided the needed corporate leadership for most of these agencies.
In keeping with his mission to restore
faith in the Abuja project, Malam Bello’s administrations pursued
programmes and projects designed to bequeath to residents a network of
functional first-class road networks and public utilities. Consequently,
he elected to resist the temptation to embrace the attraction of high
sounding new projects which are soon abandoned.
To redeem the huge cost sunk into most
of these vital but abandoned or ongoing infrastructure projects the
minister moved to complete them. Today, the added values from the
completion of these projects have improved the outlook of the city,
energised the Abuja economy and made the city liveable.
Some of the critical road projects are
the two 10-lane express roads: namely Kubwa and the Yar’Adua Airport
Express Roads. These were delivered with dispatch along with the
completion of their pedestrian bridges and interchanges. Similarly, he
awarded and completed the Aso Villa Roundabout Bridge capping the Outer
Northern Express Road (ONEX) also known as the Kubwa – Zuba Express
Road. Similarly, the Bill Clinton Interchange connecting the Airport
driveway was also delivered on record time.
Work on other major road projects like
the Constitution and Independent Roads traversing the heart of Abuja’s
Central Business District as well as the Southern Parkway are coasting
home to completion. Similarly, critical portions of the Goodluck
Jonathan Express Road have been completed and have helped to ease
traffic flow in the city’s main business hub. When delivered these three
major arterials will enable entry and exit from the city on dual mode
therefore bring a huge relief to residents.
Other master strokes which have struck
right notes on the Abuja chord are the construction of various loops,
tangent and flanks roads which hitherto locked up the city at major
intersections. Their completions have freed the city from bottlenecks at
these major road intersections.
Danladi Akilu, Gudu District, Abuja
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