It has been 365 days since Malam Dikko Umar Radda, Ph.D, was sworn-in as Katsina State Governor at a grand ceremony held at Muhammadu Dikko Stadium in Katsina which was witnessed by thousands of people from across the state who had earlier come out en masse to vote for him in the 2023 general elections. 

During electioneering campaigns and inaugural speech the governor unveiled his Strategic Develop Roadmap, being a policy document that made recommendations on how best to address challenges in key sectors, particularly security, education, healthcare, economic empowerment, infrastructure, agriculture, water supply, environment and public administration among others.

That period also witnessed many promises and solemn pledges which bothered around the full implementation of that roadmap particularly in the areas of security, improvement in infrastructure and development of small and medium scale enterprises to provide jobs and create wealth for the ever-growing population in the state.

True to his words, the last one year has been very eventful indeed for the people of Katsina State who have witnessed remarkable transformation in all spares of life particularly the provision of security, infrastructure such as roads, water and sanitation, drainages to combat flooding, as well as the renovation and construction of dozens of primary and secondary schools and health centers across the state. 

These and many other feats achieved by the Mallam Dikko Radda administration in its first year in office have distinguished him as the most performing governor as pointed out by several organizations and institutions that have garnished him with awards during the period. 

One of the major challenges inherited by his administration is that of security where at least twenty-three out of the thirty-four Local Government Areas were battling with serious security crisis which entailed armed banditry, kidnap for ransom, armed robbery and cross border crime. The Local Government Areas were categorized into two, first the frontline Local Government Areas which directly faced the challenges, and the vulnerable Local Government Areas which shared borders with the frontline Local Government Areas. 

In a couple of weeks after being sworn in, the governor set the ball rolling by initiating systemic reforms that will ensure more active community participation in the anti-banditry efforts. He created the Ministry of Internal Security and set up a Community Watch Corps which comprised of youth selected from the affected local government areas who were trained in surveillance combat and information gathering and sharing to complement the efforts of security agencies improving security in their communities. 

The corps which commenced with a strength of over 1,500 well-trained and equipped young men were also armed with rifles, 65 Hilux vehicles, 700 surveillance motorcycles and security hardware and logistics to further embolden them to right armed banditry and kidnapping while security agencies were also given Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) by the state government to further embolden them to confront the criminals. 

In this measures have no doubt produced favorable results in many parts of this state particularly in the axis of Jibia, Batsari, Batagarawa, Kurfi, Dutsinma, Malumfashi, Kafur,  Musawa and Matazu Local Government Areas. Most of what remains is the kinetic approach that largely lies with security agencies who are being controlled by the Federal Government as security is on the exclusive list of the constitution. In spite of this, however, the governor has adequately demonstrated his willingness and commitment to continue to assist security agencies with logistics and other forms of assistance needed to combat the menace.

The non-military approach in this regard entails free medical care for victims of banditry, efforts to resettle IDPs and train them in life skills and other measures to productively engage them through agriculture and MSMEs.

Also part of the Strategic Development Roadmap of mallam Dikko Radda which was put together by 200 of “the best and brightest”, is public sector reform. The first six months of the administration witnessed a clear sense of direction and political will by Malam Dikko Radda to lay the foundations for a purposeful, progressive and accountable government that can bring about meaningful development. 

Records show how within the period, several public sector reforms were introduced, fruitful partnerships entered, profitable deals signed, game-changing policies rolled out, multi-million Naira infrastructure projects kicked off, and government procedures modernized to suit global trends in administration and reform in the 21st century.

Quite remarkable are the public service sector reforms which include a new policy of merit-based appointments usually after a competency test conducted by an independent body from the private sector. This process has guided the appointment of Permanent Secretaries and Chief Executives of MDAs. Also noteworthy is the mandate mapping of all MDAs to eliminate duplication and inefficiency in the system. As a result, at least ten departments were collapsed back to their mother ministries while six new MDAs were created. 

These include the Katsina State Development Management Board to track the implementation of Strategic Policies and the Fiscal Responsibility Commission to ensure accountable governance by keeping track of the implementation of budgets and other fiscal documents.

Radda is also obsessed with modernizing the business of running government affairs through his ICT Revolution which was chronicled with the creation of an ICT directorate. Investing in ICT will position the state to spearhead digital transformation across key sectors for efficient service delivery, enhanced digital literacy and competitiveness on the global stage. It should also promote the drive towards a knowledge-based economy while attracting tech-driven investments from global giants in the sector. 

The administration has also introduced the Treasury Single Account (TSA) to streamline the entry and exit points of government finances to further ensure prudent, transparent, and accountable management of funds. Through this effort, it has built a tech-based platform for tax management, central billing, budget and planning, and expenditure tracking.

The Education sector has also received great attention from the Radda administration which has employed over 7,300 teachers besides the ongoing construction and rehabilitation of 361 primary schools, one in each political ward, to the tune of N2.2 billion; the rehabilitation of more than 300 secondary schools through a partnership with AGILE and the upgrading of the Katsina State Institute of Technology and Management to a University of Technology. These are besides the construction of model secondary schools in partnership with AGILE with many others in the pipeline.

The Radda administration has also established the Katsina State Zakka Commission will go a long way in providing revolving capital that could mitigate poverty and unemployment in the state as well as the Hisbah Board which will systemically fight crime and curb immorality in the state.

Also, just recently Malam Dikko Radda distributed 722 motorcycles 2722 agricultural extension workers that were recruited from across the state two from each of the 361 political wards in the state. Meanwhile, the extension workers had undergone intensive training on modern farming and livestock breeding practices line with global trends in the sector, which they will step down to farmers to boost agricultural productivity in the state.

With a pledge by Mallam Dikko Radda to sustain the tempo of bringing about sustainable development in all sectors, his administration is set to be one of the best in the history of Katsina State and the people of the State will certainly be better for 

Culled from Katsina City News Magazine, New edition