A governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Gombe State, Jibrin Barde, has described the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government in the state as a deceptive government and a time bomb waiting to blow up.
Barde told newsmen in Abuja that the Hassan Dankwambo-led PDP government in the state had mismanaged the resources accruing to the state in the seven years, while residents of the state capital spends over N5 billion annually to buy water because the state government failed to maintain the dam constructed in the state.
According to him, “The PDP administration is full of deception. It is a time bomb that is waiting to explode. When you have young energetic youths who are actually jobless, it is a fertile ground for a lot of things.
We need to harness these resources and that is why I have decided to join the race. “Our people have no access to potable drinking water, it doesn’t take the state government anything to maintain the dam that was constructed.
The Gombe metropolis spends N5 billion annually just to buy water. “Our education system has completely collapsed. Some of the children do not have classes, they study under the trees.
The hygiene is below human standard. Our hospitals are just mere mortuaries. This is totally unacceptable given the huge amount of funds the state government has received.
The state has debt in excess of N100 billion. “I was challenged by my 11-year-old daughter when I was taking her to school. She said now that your generation has failed and I look at her and I said ‘what do you mean?’ She said you are going to make my generation fail. It got me thinking,” he said.
He said further that “Leadership is about service, I decided to look at that opportunity. I am seeking the flag of our party (APC) in Gombe State. Why I have decided to this is because we don’t have to sit on the fence any longer.
My state consists of about 11 local governments in the north-eastern part of the country and in the last seven years, the resources that came our way have been mismanaged.
All the development indices you can think of have collapsed.” On the ongoing reconciliation going on in the party across the country, he said “I don’t see any crisis in the party, to be honest with you.
Reconciliation does not mean that there is crisis. The party is intact as far as I know. There is no division in the party. Disagreement is allowed. So it is a natural process and it healthy for a democratic process.”
