Sola Popoola
Former member of the House of Representatives, Congressman Bimbo Daramola, has made a passionate case for the re-election of Niger State Governor, Farmer Governor Umaru Mohammed Bago, saying his performance in less than four years is visible, tangible and worthy of a second term.
In his message to Nigerlites titled _”We Are Ready To Walk Him Back To Office”_, Daramola traced his almost two-decade brotherhood with Governor Bago, from their days in the National Assembly to the present.
“In 2019, when your dear son, my brother, in appreciation of the gracious support you gave him to serve Chanchanga Federal Constituency for the third term in the House of Representatives, stepped forward to run for Speaker of the House, as brothers we believed in his God-given CHARACTER, COMPETENCE, CAPACITY, CAPITAL, CAPABILITIES, CONSISTENCY and above all COMPASSION FOR ALL, WE BACKED HIM ALL THE WAY AGAINST ALL ODDS… we gave it our best shot out of conviction. But Almighty Allah had bigger and better plans,” Daramola recalled.
He said in 2023, when Bago stepped out, grounded and well prepared by Almighty Allah, to run for Governor, he joined Nigerlites to campaign vigorously with the thematic thrust, _BAGO HAS BIGGER DREAMS FOR NIGERLITES_.
“Today in almost four years, you can SEE, FEEL and TOUCH TANGIBLY how he has impacted your State,” Daramola said.
According to him, starting from agriculture, Bago is not just mouthing Farmer Governor as a title, he has earned it. He ranks today in the top three governors in Nigeria who have repositioned agriculture for food security, not only for Nigerlites but also driving towards big-time export of shea butter which will soon become highly sought after in the global cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries.
“You have seen the road infrastructure across your State, from Kontagora to Bida [I was there when he flagged this off two years ago],” he said.
Daramola also highlighted the conversion of the erstwhile moribund Shiroro Hotel, which for over two decades was a habitation for rodents, snakes and robbers, built with the people’s commonwealth and left to waste, now transformed into the IBB Multi-Disciplinary Specialist Hospital.
“This is not an isolated accomplishment in the tertiary health sector, but complemented by brand new 1,500 new primary health facilities built and equipped by the Farmer Governor in less than 4 years!”
On education, he asked, “Are we going to overlook the investment in education, from primary to tertiary, and the foreign scholarships that the administration has extended to Nigerlites? The many young persons of Niger State that he has impacted without any trace of proclivity for narrow parochialism, BAGO SIMPLY CARES FOR AND ABOUT ALL.”
He described the investment in the power sector with the Solar Farm as unarguably the most daring and biggest by any State in Nigeria, and praised Bago’s cosmopolitan nature, noting that as a devout Muslim, he allows peaceful coexistence of other faiths as a recipe for enduring peace.
“I was at the swearing-in ceremony a little above three years ago, I listened to his inaugural speech, and going by what I know today and what is on ground, the Farmer Governor has kept faith with the spirit and letter of the inauguration speech. That’s a mark of honour,” Daramola stressed.
He said to those who know Bago, he has remained unfazed by the fleeting allure of power and true to his relationships.
“Up till last night, at dinner in between his meal, he was still calling everyone including security guards at the gate to come in person and dish food from the Governor’s table! This has been vintage Bago since almost two decades that we have become brothers starting out as friends.”
“This is one Governor that relates with all his aides and everyone around him without airs or chips on his shoulders, he has ears for everyone, and the humanity that lives in his heart has not been altered by the pervasive sense of being a Governor.”
Daramola therefore urged Nigerlites to re-elect Bago from 2027 to 2031.
“My dear Nigerlites, it therefore gives me yet again personal pride and honour to ask most respectfully that you return this man of sterling attributes and character to his job from 2027 to 2031, because he has earned his place of honour in his service to you. When you do, I dare say with all sense of comfort and confidence that the BEST OF BAGO IS just here.”
“I have no doubts that what I know about him from years when he was not Governor and what I have seen him do till now remains the collateral to bank on for another four years.”
“Without let, hindrance or hesitation, it gives me great pleasure and with a compelling sense of duty to say we are ready to work harder with you, my dear adopted family, Nigerlites, as we jointly walk him back to the office of Governor to serve you for another four years. He cannot let you down because a man whose character remains consistent in the face of power gives eternal comfort.”
“With great pleasure and profound regard, I commend Farmer Governor Umaru Mohammed Bago to your conscience and conviction to serve you more and better again,” he concluded.