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BORNO CENTRAL: APPRAISING THE PRINCE SENATOR'S PERFORMANCE


When Sen. Baba Kaka Garbai was elected as Senator to represent Borno Central Senatorial zone on the 31st of October 2015, little did most sceptics realise that he will become a success story in the red chambers . As one of the sceptics then, I must say that I am very elated and proud of what Sen. Kaka has done since he was sworn into the Senate. As I write this piece, I must stress that I am not swayed by political considerations rather by an objective appraisal of the impact of the Borno Prince turned politician.

Sen. Kaka who happens to be the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Rules and Business has not been a bench warmer in the Senate like some others rather he has shown an enigmatic and proactive character in the Senate which has earned him the respect of his colleagues  and Nigerians as a whole. The attitude displayed by Sen. Kaka who came to the Senate after the death of Sen. Mohammed Zanna has given the likes of my humble self the belief that there are good politicians who can make a difference out there.

My concern however is that despite the good efforts of Sen. Kaka, there are persons out there who do not see what he is doing or who rather have developed the attitude of selective amnesia. They only want to see the perceived negative things their blurted view makes them see while looking at the other way as to the very wonderful things Sen. Kaka is doing in the red chambers.

I had the opportunity of replying one of the sworn critics of Sen. Kaka and after my response to his clearly jaundiced opinion, he did his research and later called to tell me he has all this while been having a wrong view of the activities of Sen. Kaka. It is based on what he told me and what others like him has said that has drawn me to the conclusion that the efforts of the Borno prince may be highly under reported especially in the media.

I remain confused as to the reason why people will say they are not aware that Sen. Kaka Garbai who is a first termer and a late one at that has attracted a 200 million naira Gambory ward skill acquisition centre. There is a similar one currently on going in Banki town of the state to provide our army of unemployed youths in the state with skill acquisition skills that will enablenm b them to fend for themselves. I also wonder why people fail to see the five schools that were built in MMC and Jere as well as the 8 motorised solar powered borehole that were provided in the 8 LGAs that make up his senatorial zone. The solar powered boreholes are also expected to ease the water needs of the IDPs in the Senatorial district as well as other persons living there.
People of Borno state especially those from the Gamboru / Ngala area are aware of how deplorable the Gamboru / Ngala road was and how it became a conduit pipe of various administrations. The neglect that this road received led to hardship and loss of lives. The good thing is that the Senatorial district has a man of purpose in Sen. Kaka who worked hard to ensure that there is a serious commitment on the part of the Nigerian Government and the National assembly to complete the Dikwa/ Gamboru axis of the road. This commitment was made by none other person than Sen. Udoma Udo Udoma.

It is also to the credit of Sen. Kaka that the Presidential Initiative on The North East (PINE) which hitherto had concentrated most of its projects and interventions on states like Adamawa, Gombe and Yobe states despite Borno state being the worst affected by the insurgency that enveloped the North East has been asked by the National assembly to allocate 50% 0f its intervention to Borno state. What better representation could we have asked for? Sen. Kaka has also not forgotten the youths of the Senatorial zone who stood under the sun to elect him as their senator. He has used his office to ensure that many youths get employment in various government offices. Being a man that is concerned about the welfare of people at the IDPs and his support for the anti corruption stance of the All Progressives Congress and President Muhammadu Buhari, Sen. Kaka was the one that brought up the issue of corruption levelled against former Secretary to the Federal Government Mr. Babachir David. It was the motion that he brought on the floor of the Senate that led to investigations against the former SGF and his subsequent removal from office.

Talking about bills and motions, Sen. Kaka in his two years in office has passed a lot of motions and submitted bills to the Senate. Unlike other people that can be said to be bench warmers, Sen. Kaka has not displayed such. In fact it was his proactive representation and mobilisation of various like minded persons that ensured that the headquarters of the North East Development Commission is sited in Borno state. So far, he has sponsored 3 bills in the senate since he came in. This is even when some members who have been in the Red Chambers for quite some time before him are even yet to sponsor a single bill.

Like I earlier posited, I don't want to be the one that will be standing in for Sen. Kaka Garbai but as an insider who works at the National assembly and who is aware of the inner workings in both the red and green chambers, I must stress that the likes of Sen. Kaka are few in both chambers of the National assembly. It is also important that people learn to appreciate him for what he is doing. By such, he will be doing more for the people and Borno Central which has not had the best of representations will be better off for it.


Comrade Abba Bukar Masta Contributed this piece from Abuja


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