Commendation

From Figures to Fairness: How Bauchi’s Finances Found Order

Published

11 months ago

October 12, 2025

By Usman Abdullahi Koli

Across Nigeria, commissioners of finance are rarely remembered with fondness. They are often cast as men who ration the public purse with cold arithmetic, calculators without compassion, figures without feelings. Yet Bauchi presents a different example. Under the visionary leadership of His Excellency, Sen. Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, Kauran Daular Usmaniya, Governor of Bauchi State, and with the stewardship of Dr. Yakubu Adamu, finance has been given a human face. Numbers have been made to breathe and figures have learned to serve lives.

His Excellency set the tone; Dr. Adamu followed the compass. Together, they have quietly redrawn the financial map of Bauchi. They have shown that finance is not only about balancing books but also about shaping destinies. When the foundation is firm, the structure above will endure. In Bauchi, Sen. Bala Mohammed chose to repair the foundation, and the Commissioner for Finance carried that mission with discipline and precision.

For more than two decades, civil servants endured a fractured salary structure that mocked both fairness and logic. Two officers of equal grade could collect different payslips, one heavy and one light. It was a bureaucratic wound that outlived successive administrations. Where others ignored or postponed it, His Excellency gave the order to confront it. Dr. Adamu, armed not with slogans but with spreadsheets, harmonised the system under that guidance. Today, Bauchi workers stand on a single transparent footing. Arithmetic at last became justice, courtesy of leadership that listens and a team that delivers.

But salaries were only the beginning. The financial house His Excellency inherited was leaking from every corner. Ghost workers haunted payrolls, phantom claims appeared on vouchers, and channels for siphoning public wealth ran deep. Where others might have patched the roof, Sen. Bala Mohammed directed a rebuild. Under that directive, Dr. Adamu blocked leakages, sealed loopholes, and dragged corruption into the light. Suddenly, those who once believed themselves untouchable were forced to answer questions.

Then came pensions, the cruelest wound of all. Retirees who had given their prime years to service were left to beg at ministry gates, their gratuities buried in dusty files. In Nigeria, retirement too often feels like punishment. It took His Excellency’s firm resolve to end that neglect. Dr. Adamu executed the directive with precision—dusting off files, reconciling debts, and signing cheques. For many, it was not only money but the restoration of dignity. Old men wept openly, women whispered prayers, and families felt relief return to their homes. Governments are remembered not for promises but for debts they choose to honour. On this score, Sen. Bala Mohammed reset the record.

Reform also meant opening windows, not just closing doors. Transparent processes and disciplined portfolios created the scent of order. Investors who once dismissed Bauchi as opaque began to look again with interest. His Excellency’s credibility and commitment to transparency gave confidence to the markets. Under his auspices, credibility was built steadily, without noise, and the state began to appear quietly on investment radars.

Inside the civil service itself, a cultural shift is unfolding. Performance management is no longer an empty phrase. Officers know that productivity must match pay. The culture of simply being present is giving way to the culture of results. Corruption, once treated as routine, has become a dangerous gamble. There is firmness, but there is also fairness. Staff have come to see that there is both an eye that watches and a hand that guides—and that hand is His Excellency’s, implemented faithfully by his finance team.

What distinguishes this reform era is not only the achievements but the manner in which they are carried out. His Excellency does not summon cameras to record every step. He does not rent billboards to plaster his name across city walls. His revolution is quiet but deep, silent but visible. The worker with a unified payslip feels it. The pensioner clutching a long-delayed cheque feels it. The investor negotiating with new confidence feels it. It is better to show than to tell, and His Excellency has chosen to let results speak for him.

Nigeria is too familiar with betrayal and squandered resources. Yet every so often another kind of account emerges, one of a leader who treats finance as a sacred trust rather than political loot. Bauchi today carries the mark of such an account, built under the leadership of Sen. Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, Kauran Daular Usmaniya, and executed by loyal hands.

These reforms may not be announced with drums, but they carry dignity. Long after the noise of politics has shifted elsewhere, the echo of His Excellency’s work will remain in the payslips of workers, in the relief of pensioners, and in the confidence of a state that has found discipline as the foundation of its renewal.

In the arithmetic of governance, His Excellency has added fairness, subtracted leakages, multiplied credibility, and divided corruption. Few legacies speak louder. Few reforms cut deeper. And in years to come, when Bauchi looks back on its economic history, this era will be remembered not only as a time of reform but as the moment when the arithmetic of justice finally balanced.

Usman Abdullahi Koli,
mernoukoli@gmail.com.

Commendation

Zazzau Emirate Commends Dujiman Gombe, for Humanitarian Support to Zaria Correctional Centre

Published

1 month ago

July 31, 2026

DailyFact Desk

By Our Correspondent

The Zazzau Emirate Council has publicly commended the Dujiman Gombe, Modibbo Sadeeq Ahmad Nafada, for his humanitarian gesture in support of inmates at the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Zaria, describing the donation as a demonstration of compassion, generosity and commitment to the welfare of vulnerable members of society.

The commendation was conveyed in an official letter dated July 29, 2026, and signed by the Head of the Zazzau Emirate Secretariat, Alhaji Aliyu Nuhu Bamalli (Baraden Zazzau).

According to the Emirate Council, Modibbo Sadeeq Ahmad Nafada had earlier pledged to donate six bags of rice to the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Zaria, during the recent visit of the Emir of Gombe to the Zazzau Emirate.

The council disclosed that on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, the pledged donation was officially delivered to the Emirate by Malam Adamu Haruna, fulfilling the promise made by the Dujiman Gombe.

In the statement, the Zazzau Emirate confirmed receipt of the food items and assured that the donation would be handed over to the management of the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Zaria, for the benefit of inmates.

The Emirate expressed profound appreciation to Modibbo Sadeeq Ahmad Nafada for his generosity, noting that acts of kindness towards correctional facilities reflect a deep sense of social responsibility and contribute to the rehabilitation and welfare of inmates.

The council also offered prayers for Allah to reward the Dujiman Gombe abundantly for his charitable contribution and grant him continued blessings, good health and success in his service to humanity.

The gesture has been widely described as an example of selfless leadership and philanthropy, reinforcing the importance of supporting correctional institutions and extending hope to those undergoing rehabilitation within Nigeria’s custodial system.

Commendation

UBRBDA Honours Dadin Kowa Area Manager for Outstanding Leadership, Service Delivery

Published

3 months ago

June 26, 2026

DailyFact Desk

By Our Correspondent

The Management of the Upper Benue River Basin Development Authority (UBRBDA) has formally commended the Area Manager of the Dadin Kowa Area Office, Dr. Abubakar Mohammed Sani Bello, Sarkin Shanun Yamaltu and Sarkin Dajin Akko, for his exceptional leadership and commitment to improving service delivery within the Authority.

The commendation was conveyed in an official letter dated June 22, 2026, and signed by the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of UBRBDA, in recognition of the significant achievements recorded by the Dadin Kowa Area Office under Dr. Bello’s leadership.

According to the Authority, the Area Office has recently intensified efforts aimed at strengthening institutional collaboration, enhancing the capacity of farmers and staff, improving operational efficiency, and promoting effective stakeholder engagement across the irrigation scheme and beyond.

Reacting to the recognition, Dr. Bello expressed profound appreciation to the Managing Director, the management of UBRBDA, and the Authority for the honour bestowed upon him and the entire Dadin Kowa Area Office.

He described the commendation as a strong source of motivation, saying that recognizing outstanding performance inspires greater commitment to public service and excellence.

“Recognizing an employee for outstanding performance is a powerful motivation to do even more in service delivery. This commendation will further inspire me to redouble my efforts towards achieving greater results for the Authority and the communities we serve,” he said.

The Area Manager dedicated the recognition to members of staff of the Dadin Kowa Area Office, acknowledging their professionalism, dedication, and tireless efforts in ensuring the smooth operation of the office.

He commended staff for their unwavering support and encouraged them to remain committed to excellence, adding that the Area Office plans to introduce an internal staff recognition system to reward exceptional performance and outstanding service delivery.

“I dedicate this commendation to all members of staff of the Area Office, particularly those who work tirelessly day and night to ensure the smooth operation of our activities. I encourage us all to remain dedicated and committed to excellence. In due course, the Area Office will also establish a system for identifying and recognizing outstanding staff for exceptional performance and service delivery,” he added.

The recognition is seen as a testament to the Authority’s commitment to promoting excellence, innovation, teamwork, and dedication among its workforce, while encouraging improved performance in delivering quality services to farmers and communities within the irrigation scheme.

The statement was issued by the Public Relations Unit of UBRBDA, Dadin Kowa Area Office, Gombe State.

Commendation

APC Chieftain Commends Tinubu, Inuwa Over Forest Guard Initiative in Gombe

Published

7 months ago

February 26, 2026

DailyFact Desk

By Our Security Reporter

The leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Gombe State Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya has been commended over the introduction of the Forest Guard initiative aimed at tackling insecurity.

Honourable Abbas Umar Nabingi, an APC chieftain from Yamaltu-Deba Local Government Area, gave the commendation while speaking to journalists in Gombe.

He described the Forest Guard programme as a timely intervention that will strengthen security, particularly in border communities and forest areas prone to criminal activities.

The initiative, which covers five states — Osun, Adamawa, Kwara, Kogi, and Gombe — is designed to recruit and train local hunters and vigilante members to complement conventional security agencies.

Honourable Nabingi also expressed appreciation to the National Security Adviser, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, and retired Deputy Commissioner of Police, Muhammad Ahmad Jarman Deba, for their commitment to improving security across the state and the nation.

Screening of applicants is currently ongoing at the Police Mobile Force base along Kwami Road in Gombe. The exercise, which began on Monday, February 23, 2026, is expected to end on Friday, February 27, 2026.

According to Nabingi, about 650 applicants will be selected strictly on merit from across the 11 Local Government Areas of Gombe State. Successful candidates will undergo a two-month intensive training in Osun State before being deployed back to Gombe to commence duties.

He explained that the Forest Guards will work in collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Army, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps to safeguard towns and villages across the 114 political wards of the state.

Some of the beneficiaries, including Mamuda Sulaiman Kuri and Aishatu Meli from Yamaltu-Deba, Josephine Galadima Audi from Kaltungo, as well as Yakon Yunusa and Rejoice Joshua from Billiri Local Government Area, expressed appreciation to President Tinubu, Governor Inuwa Yahaya, the National Security Adviser, and DCP Muhammad Ahmad Jarman Deba.

They described the programme as an opportunity to serve their communities while contributing to efforts aimed at restoring peace and stability.

The Forest Guard initiative is expected to boost grassroots security and enhance coordination among local and formal security structures in Gombe State.