As John Maxwell, the leadership coach said, “everything rises and falls on leadership’’. It is obvious today that the best communities and developed societies are those with good leaders. No society is capable of attaining its true potential without great leaders leading the way.
Khamisu Mailantarki, Gombe State Governorship candidate of NNPP
With the increasing level of poverty amongst residents of Gombe State occasioned by poor leadership as well as the current predictions by observers of good governance that the political choice of Gombe State voters in the upcoming elections would determine the beginning of the healing or final destruction of the economy of the state from 2023, the people of Gombe State ought to know that the stakes are indeed high in next year’s elections and cannot afford to make mistake that will seal the fate of the state to poverty.
For many, the desire for a change had never been as high as it is today in view of the need to salvage the state from the maladministration of the present state government with a view to restoring hopes and dreams to a state full of potentials. This desire can only be answered with the right kind of leader in 2023.
Based on the options available from the political “menu” for the 2023 general election and the need for a visionary and focused leadership skills relevant to bring in all-sector gains for Gombe State, Hon Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki, the New Nigerian People’s Party (NNPP) governorship candidate in Gombe State is the right man for the job.
Mailantarki, an ex-federal lawmaker is an ecosystem of ideas and innovations that Gombe electorates need, to drive in development and growth where the resources of the land could be better tapped to put the state on a legacy map of good governance.
Today, Gombe State needs a creatively extraordinary, ethical thinker and achiever who would work to ensure improvement in the governance-structure of the State for the benefit of its citizens and their welfare.
X-raying the credentials of Hon Mailantarki showed that he is most suitable for the job in view of his past and recent contributions to the development of the agriculture, human-capital, tourism, and sports, amongst other sectors.
His involvement in these sectors has resulted to massive job creation for Nigerians, empowering youths and women while contributing to the food security efforts of the Federal Government.
In agriculture, Hon Mailantarki’s fish farm -Aqua Gardens is one of the best fish farms in Abuja contributing to efforts at ensuring food security in the country by helping to bridge the fish demand deficit which currently stands at 2.5 million metric tonnes yearly. Today, Nigeria’s current fish production stands at 1.2 million metric tonnes yearly and Hon Mailantarki is helping to contribute to that quota as an aquaculture value chain player in the sector.
Now with such agriculture-minded individual as governor, in a state with three dams and large water bodies, that potential could be harnessed by Mailantarki to build the largest fish farms and processing zone in the North east and provide thousands of job for the people of Gombe State who are predominantly agrarians.
Today, several partners have visited Mailantarki’s fish farm which produces over one million fingerlings weekly and is currently producing nearly 30, 000kg of catfish weekly to feed Nigerians in Abuja and environs, to understudy the successes and use the farm as a model as well as training for youths. One of those who visited was the Federal Government through the Honourable Minister, Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq who came to partner with Mailantarki’s farm on how to get youths in the country trained on fish farming.
With Mailantarki as Governor in Gombe come 2023, more persons and governments would come to understudy Gombe agricultural transformation; you can take that to the bank if Mailantarki is voted to govern the state, wealth creation through agriculture would be prioritised and millions of persons in the state would be taken out of poverty.
Mailantarki is that leader and by the current political profiling, the only compassionate leader that can close the poverty gaps by bridging the people of the state to wealth with a view to improving their living standard, wellbeing and welfare.
Tourism is one area that Gombe State has potentials but the sector is yet to be harnessed. With the constant reduction in government revenue across the country, a state like Gombe could harnessed its potentials in tourism to improve the revenue of the state and carry out more developmental projects, this can only happen under Mailantarki, the former Federal Lawmaker who currently runs an Amazon Kayak which is the water side used for canoeing and Kayaking for recreation in Abuja and has employed several youths of Gombe State to work and earn money for themselves.
With the religious site in Mbormi, the mysterious rocks of Billiri- Dutsen Mamaki, Dadin-Kowa green scenery, the beautiful Kanawa forest, the Tula nature’s gift and the Kilang mountains amongst other wonderful sites where history, culture, geography and the people had been well touched by divinity, Gombe has a whole lot to benefit and Mailantarki having been into that venture, will waste no time in driving that sector to benefit hosts communities and the good people of the state.
In the area of sports, particularly football, Mailantarki’s recent exploits in harnessing the potentials of youths through the Mailantarki Care Football Club and showcasing them to European clubs; getting many of these young and talented Gombe lads their dream opportunities of becoming the best in the world of football, only proves that Mailantarki is confidently bold, agile and relentless in his pursuit of empowering his people irrespective of ethnicity, religion or background and at a time like this, Gombe State really needs this style of networking leadership to give women and youth with skills the right opportunities to root out poverty and improve on their wellbeing as a people.
For an academy set up barely a year to have transferred over 13 lads to various clubs in Europe while over 25 others are currently undergoing or scheduled to undergo trial with clubs in Denmark and Norway showed that the NNPP Gombe Guber candidate is visionary in how he wants to see Gombe youths in the future. Already some of these players are already earning their wages in Dollars which would in a short while impact on the economy of the state when they start sending money home to cater for their family members in the state.
If there is one striking point in how Mailantarki relates with the youths of Gombe in his academy and his quest to empower youth is his inclusive approach without minding which religion or ethnic origin of the youth; as far as the NNPP guber candidate for Gombe State is concerned, his constituency is Gombe State; this is a litmus test that Mailantarki would ensure equitable distribution of resources as well as build an all inclusive government where everyone would be recognised not by the background of their parents or connection but by the fact that they are citizens of the state. Inclusion, in any society is crucial for development to truly take root across the state especially in a uniquely diverse state like Gombe.
In one of his interviews with newsmen in Gombe, Mailantarki said: “We will educate our children and by education we will combine knowledge acquisition with skills acquisition to make our children completely educated to be independent to contribute to the development of the state.”
As 2023 draws near, one thing is sure, Gombe needs a thoughtful and ideas-driven leader like Mailantarki to address the systemic causes of poverty, focus on economic empowerment, ensure development and make good governance a norm in the state.
It’s often said that our future depends heavily on today’s choice; once again it’s upon Gombe State to choose a leader in 2023 and Mailantarki of the NNPP presents the wisest political choice in that regard.
Adamu Usman Ahmed is the Director, Media Mailantarki Care Football Academy; he can be reached via usmanadamu455@gmail.com
100% true