INSECURITY; How GOVERNOR FINTIRI DEFEATS BANDITS AND TERRORISTS IN ADAMAWA STATE

INSECURITY; How GOVERNOR FINTIRI DEFEATS BANDITS AND TERRORISTS IN ADAMAWA STATE

Before the 2019 general elections, one of the states that have been worst hit by insecurity is Adamawa state. One leader that has proven to tackle the menace of insecurity among the thirty states of Nigeria is His Excellency Rt. Hon. Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, the Executive Governor of Adamawa state.

Apart from being widely known for transparency, humane, and erudite politician of monumental proportion, one of the numerous things that endeared Governor Fintiri to the good people of Adamawa State is his wealth of experience and bravery in tackling security challenges. The Governor has proved this mettle during his memorable years as the Speaker of the state House of Assembly in the bills he initiated before becoming the Acting Governor of the state. The governor has also continued to prove within the last three years in office, that he is capable of tackling insurgents and other security challenges in the state. No wonder that immediately he was sworn in on the 29th May, 2019, the governor went into series of security meetings, to chart a new course towards finding a lasting solution in the fight against insurgency. As the Chief Security Officer of the state, Governor Fintiri has shown that he considers security issues a top priority. His passion, commitment and responsiveness towards security matters have been highly commendable. As a Governor who is very proactive and knows what motivation could do, shortly after his assumption of office, the governor role out his agenda

To defined the basis of his engagement with the electorates of Adamawa State with security as one of his top priority. Even in at the recent inauguration of his campaign team ahead of the 2023 general elections, Governor Fintiri still role out an 11-Point Agenda that includes Security of Lives and Properties, Education and Human Capital Development, Transparency and Accountability, Improved Internally Generated Revenue, Rural Infrastructure/Urban Renewal and Water Supply, Agricultural Development and Food Security, Healthcare and Human Service, Youth and Women Development, Commerce and Industry, Civil Service Reforms and Environment and Climate Change. These giant strides no doubt were carefully chosen to provide an issue-based campaign that is anchored on the development needs of the people Adamawa State and the progressive ideals of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party in the state.

Three years down the line into the administration of Governor Fintiri, the people of Adamawa State have every reason to smile as business and economic activities have been going on without any threat of insecurity. In spite of the gross maladministration of the past regimes and the global economic challenges which has been worsened by the effect of COVID-19 Pandemic, the governor have been able to discharge his responsibilities to the people of the state with amazing satisfaction. It will be recalled that on his assumption of duty in 2019, the state was bedevil with high rate of insecurity and uncertainties as a result of the remnants of the activities of the Boko haram insurgency in the Northern zone with some communities largely inhabitable; Farmer/Herder clashes which had threatened food security in the State and the nation at large. There were also records of incessant kidnappings on the farms, at home and other major high ways in the state. The supreme reign of the urban crime such as the monstrous activities of the Shila Boys cult had crippled night-life especially in the metropolitan centers and perennial clashes among ethnic groups over limited resources. On his assumption of duty, Governor Fintiri overhauled the security architecture of the state and invested heavily in the peace and security of his people. The Governor launched an aggressive campaign for peaceful coexistence and made justice and fair play the watch word of his administration. Governor Fintiri reclaimed the trust and good will in government, which his predecessors wasted. This commendable efforts of the Governor reduced the tension among and between of various ethnic communities and identity groupings in the state. The Governor hosted a security summit and redesigned the Security architecture of the State to accommodate local intelligence and incorporated vigilantes and local hunters in the frontlines. Governor Fintiri created Operation Farauta and procured 60 Toyota Hilux trucks and 50 Motorcycles for the use of the members with some donated to other State actors for regular patrol in the state. His administration acquired 10 Toyota Land Cruiser trucks for Operation Lafiya Dole, 30 operational Trucks from local manufacturer IVM to support Vigilantes and Local hunters in the 21 LGAs of the State. His administration also procured 10 trucks to support the conventional security outfits in the State and started paying a monthly stipends to Vigilantes and Local hunters in the State. This is followed by the organization of a Joint Taskforce raid on mini Sambisa which was the den of the dreaded urban miscreants that was known as Shila boys. In cognizance of the need to sustain the onslaught against the Shila Boys, especially as the 2023 general elections is approaching, Governor Fintiri has created a special squad in the Operation Farauta to deal with the miscreants, supported their logistics operations and procured additional 10 trucks to tackle insecurity in the state. These proactive measures and many others which will remain covert where there will be enough to send the message to the underworld that there is a serious government in place and it is no longer business as usual. The result is the relative peace that the state is enjoying at the moment. It is worthy of note most of the IDPs camps in the state have been closed and the people have returned to their ancestral homes. The perennial farmer-herders conflict has been reduced to the barest minimum. Even though insecurity has become a global challenge herculean, at the moment, the people of the state can testify that Adamawa State is one of the safest States to live and do business in Nigeria. This has placed the state very well in attracting investors. This has been attested by the Nigerian Investment Promotion Council (NIPC), the most authoritative institution for rating investment in the country.

This is one of the potent weapons that is used by the Fintir’s administration to reduce poverty and tackle insecurity in the state. In his effort not to have any loophole in the fight against insurgency, apart from improving the allowances and purchasing hundreds of patrol vehicles to the Joint Tax Force and vigilante hunters, the governor has strengthen their capacity through the enhancement of their activities of various security agencies including the military, police and other paramilitary agencies. These wonderful initiatives and many more, have been the efforts that Governor Fintiri is using to tackle security challenges within the last three years in the state. All these ideas and tactical steps are part of the reasons banditry, kidnapping and other related cases that have been put on hold in Adamawa State within the last three years. Governor Fintiri has within the last three years in office, given Bornoans several reasons to rejoice and relax, as security challenges in the state are gradually being contained. There’s no doubt that Governor Fintiri’s exceptional style of leadership as the chief security officer of the state with the support of the the good people of Adamawa state , there will be light at the end of the tunnel in no distance time.

With the recent role out of the 11-Point Agenda and appreciative of the gains that Governor Fintiri has made so far, the administration of the governor is recalibrating the governance policy direction to unlock more possibilities for the State. The Governor is making deliberate efforts in key strategic areas ahead of the 2023 general elections to include; Security of lives and properties: in vesting in human resources, building peace, trust and harmony among the various identity groups in the State. The strategy is to build on the containment foundation by keeping the youths and women productively busy. The recent inauguration of the Presidential and Governorship Campaign Council for Adamawa State and the formal takeoff of the 2023 election campaigns should be a replication of the journey that the administration started in 2019. There is no doubt that the voyage will be modest with a better driver to ply this road smoothly with a promise of more actions and performance. The inauguration of the 871-man Campaign Council that will be chaired by my humble self to give it the drive and leadership it disserves, considering that the party is having a Presidential candidate, one of the illustrious sons of the state Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, GCON.

The people of Adamawa state are expected to vote for the consolidation of their gains. Vote for more and more fresh Air. Vote for sure and positive development in Adamawa State and Vote for a free and united Nigeria under PDP with Atiku Abubakar as the President.