President Goodluck Jonathan’s Transformation Agenda which seeks to launch Nigeria into economic prosperity is widely acclaimed as one of the most comprehensive policy direction embarked on by the federal government. President Jonathan, fully aware of the task ahead, has carefully chosen men and women who share his laudable vision to steer the government’s affairs in various levels.
Interestingly, the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja has the duo of Senator Bala Mohammed and Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide as Minister and Minister of State respectively. As a team player in articulating the vision at the grassroots with full support of the FCT Administration’s leadership, chairman, Abuja Municipal Area Council, AMAC, Honourable Micah Jiba is leaving no stone unturned in his concerted efforts to ensure that the gains of the Transformation Agenda get to all and sundry.
Hon. Jiba rode to power on the slogan ‘Bashaka’ which in Hausa means no qualms. His choice for the slogan was not accidental; it was borne out of the chairman’s conviction that an enabling environment to actualise his lofty objectives towards the development of AMAC coincides with the appointment of the two ministers who are committed apostles of transformation.
Since inception of Jiba’s administration, successes have been recorded in critical sectors such as infrastructure, education, health amongst others. Out of the six area councils in the FCT, AMAC is the largest as well host to the nation’s capital city. Owing to its population, AMAC could be equated with some states in the country.
However, it is clear that the Micah Jiba-led administration is not leaving anything to chance in its quest to support federal government’s dream to transform Abuja into one of the most beautiful cities in the world. In pursuant of this noble objective he has embarked on foreign trips to cities in Malaysia, Kenya and South Africa to have first hand information about the running of mega cities.
The chairman has made it clear on several occasions that “I have assured the people that I will never be a political spectator”. Therefore, he came up with a two point agenda of education and empowerment, which keen observers have adjudged as a brilliant policy with inherent potentials of fast tracking the dream of Abuja.
It is pertinent to note that the successes being recorded in the council is a manifestation of the quintessential leadership by the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA. In line with the Jonathan administration’s commitment to make Nigeria investors’ heaven the FCTA is embarking on ground breaking projects in the area of infrastructure, in this vein AMAC is playing a complementary role to provide both local and foreign investors ample opportunities to explore abundant deposits of mineral resources in the area by investing in the sector.
However, Micah Jiba’s success story as the council chairman is partly fuelled by his amiable disposition as a leader who listens to voices of reasoning. Thus: giving electorates the opportunity to make contributions in the running of the council. Unfortunately, there are pockets of detractors who may misconstrue his simplicity for weakness. But the truth of the matter is that Hon. Micah as a leader fully understands human nature and would not be distracted.
One of such distraction recently manifested inform of a concocted newspaper report targeted to malign the sterling qualities of the chairman, interestingly, the truth eventually prevailed. So, for the peoples chairman Bashaka!
Emeka Orji, Special Assistant (Protocol) to the chairman wrote from Abuja