By Wole Mosadomi, MINNA
In a country where people-oriented, quality grassroots leadership has become rare, a village head in a rural community in Niger State has decided to be remarkably different. The man has done something that has thrown his subjects into a state of excitement and is already being celebrated as a hero in his domain even before he clocks one year in office. Rather than wait for public support to move his community forward, the Village Head of Eppa community in Mokwa Local Government Area of Niger State, Malam Abbas Mohammed Ishaq, is doing something that is refreshingly different from what his peers are known for. The revered traditional ruler actively mobilised his subjects to support him in the construction of vital infrastructure for the community so as to transform their quality of life and move the area forward, particularly, in the area of security, which has become a serious challenge to the state and others in the North.
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Using the proceeds from vast farming business that thrives in his domain, Mallam Ishaq has been able to construct no fewer than five key projects in Eppa in Mokwa LGA to the surprise and excitement of the people and their surrounding communities since that singular action is unprecedented.
Unlike most traditional rulers who are used to receiving gifts of various sizes and types, Mallam Ishaq has within the first of his leadership mobilised resources amounting to N100 million from his subjects to build and transform the landscape of the area. The proceeds were derived from produce royalties paid by local farmers doing business in Eppa, which has existed for over 500 years, according to local authorities there.
With the cash, the royal father successfully constructed six new blocks of classrooms with offices, completed an abandoned two-classroom block, built a healthcare clinic, established a vigilante office and constructed a palace for the village head. These projects, completed through direct labour were executed within a remarkably short period.
Before the commissioning of the projects, villagers trooped out from nearby settlements in disbelief, eager to confirm the reality of the projects they had only heard about. On the day of commissioning, even more villagers from within and outside Eppa gathered to witness what many initially believed were government-funded projects.
The commissioning ceremony was a celebration of a sort marked by pomp and pageantry as five major projects were unveiled: classrooms, public toilets, offices, a clinic and the palace. Dignitaries present included Nda Lele Mokwa, Alhaji Shaba Mohammed Aliyu, who commissioned the school structure and the palace; Baba Ndashe of Raba, Umar Mohammed Twsako, an engineer, who commissioned the healthcare clinic and the Secretary of Mokwa Local Government Council, Mallam Dauda Liman, who inaugurated the vigilante office. The projects are rural oriented, meant for residents of the communities and, therefore, their inaugurations were performed by their rural community leaders to the admiration of their subjects.
Speaking at the event, the guests praised the initiative of the village head, describing it as unique, laudable and worthy of emulation.
They called on other communities and individuals to support government efforts, stressing that government alone cannot meet all developmental needs of the people.
Secretary of Mokwa Local Government, Malam Dauda Liman, who represented the council chairman, Alhaji Jibrin Muregi, commended Mallam Abbas for the giant steps taken in embarking on the laudable projects.
Liman said: “Government at all levels are already overwhelmed with laudable projects which cannot go round to all nooks and crannies of the communities. This is why individuals, corporate organisations and communities should complement the efforts of the government by embarking on meaningful projects that would have direct impact on people of their various communities.
“This is why we need to commend the initiative and efforts of the village head in embarking on these meaningful projects which we are commissioning today,” the Secretary remarked.
Impressed by the leadership of the village head, Malam Abbas Ishaq, Liman urged other traditional leaders in the region to emulate his exemplary leadership, emphasizing the broader impact such leadership could have across the state.
Earlier in his keynote address, the village head, Mallam Abbas Mohammed Ishaq reflected on the unity and diversity of Eppa. “Eppa community has been in existence for over 500 years cohabiting with various ethnicities from other neighbouring states like Kebbi, Sokoto, among others and the community has official voter strength of about 900 persons.
“Both indigenes and non-indigenes are predominantly farmers and they normally pay royalty through their farm produce and the money realised was utilized for developmental projects. I really appreciate my people for your unwavering support towards the execution of these projects and this goes a long way to show your trust in me. I can only assure you that I will do more for the development of this area.
“Already, we have expended over N100 million on the projects through self-efforts of our people; and besides these completed and commissioned projects, plans have reached an advanced stage to construct a befitting Guest House and Corpers Lodge in the area,” the village head declared as thunderous ovation by his subjects rented the air.
Problems and Challenges
The recent Mokwa flooding that claimed over 250 lives and destroyed properties worth millions of Naira cannot be easily forgotten. The village head lamented the devastating flooding in Mokwa, recalling that two bridges connecting Eppa to neighbouring communities were completely washed away.
This disaster, according to him, has disrupted the school calendar and has consequently crippled local economic activities in all communities in the area. He, therefore, called on the state government to intervene urgently and reconstruct the damaged bridges in order to bring farming, education and economic activities in the various communities back to life.
Many Villagers could not hide their feelings and appreciation towards the inaugurated projects which they described as very laudable and remarkable and therefore praised the village head’s transparency and performance.
One of them, Alhaji Abubakar Muhammed, said: “If our leaders from federal to the local government areas can be as hardworking and transparent with our funds like this, the rural areas will surely be developed and also have a sense of belonging in governance. Paying taxes will be done voluntarily even in the rural areas as long as the monies are judiciously spent on meaningful projects in various local government areas as we have witnessed few hours ago.”
Another villager, Baba Alhaji, remarked this: “From what we have seen today, we will continue to join hands with the village head in paying our royalty into the coffers of the community willingly and more than ever before in order to witness more developmental projects in our community.”
Indeed, the story of Mallam Abbas Mohammed Ishaq is a rare testament to what honest, grassroots leadership can achieve and also an example that, if emulated, could transform rural communities across Nigeria.
Another villager, Baba Alhaji, remarked, “From what we have seen today, we will continue join hands with the village head in paying our royalty into the coffers of the community willingly and more than ever before in order to witness more developmental projects in our community.”
Indeed, the story of Mallam Abbas Mohammed Ishaq is a rare testament to what honest, grassroots leadership can achieve and also an example that, if emulated could transform rural communities across Nigeria.
The post How Minna royal father is using farm proceeds to transform community appeared first on Vanguard News.
