As Nigeria marks its 61st independence anniversary, some residents of Bauchi have commended President Muhammadu Buhari over the infrastructure development projects targeted at accelerating sustainable social and economic transformation in the country.
A cross-section of the residents who spoke with the Newsmen in separate interviews on Wednesday in Bauchi said that the infrastructure programmes initiated by the present administration would solidify the progress made in the 60 years of independence to make Nigeria great.
Dr. Abdulmajid Jamal, a Lecturer, Abubakar Tatari Ali Polytechnic, Bauchi, described the 61 years of Nigeria as prosperous.
Jamal said that Nigeria had recorded tremendous progress in all facets of life compared to the pre-independence era especially in the area of infrastructure and economic development.
He said that significant improvement has been made in the banking sector, adding that there were hundreds of commercial banks and financial institutions with a sound capital base as against the 1960s when there were few banks operating in the country.
Jamal, who is also an economist, said that road infrastructure have also witnessed dramatic improvement as Nigeria can now boast of over 195,000 kilometres of roads being managed by the federal and state governments.
In his contribution, Malam, Aminu Isah, a legal practitioner and Permanent Commissioner, Bauchi State Sharia Commission, commended the efforts of successive administrations especially in the establishment of hundreds of courts across the country.
Isah noted that Nigeria accorded premium to the development of legal education which saw the establishment of Faculties of Law, colleges, and campuses of the Nigerian Law School in Abuja, Kano, Adamawa, Enugu, apart from the pre-independence Lagos campus.
He said that the independence of the judiciary, constitutionalism, and respect of the rule of law achieved great feat considering the high profile cases being prosecuted in both state and federal courts.
Mr John Joseph, a rail engineer, lauded the ongoing rehabilitation and upgrade of railings and railway stations as well as the provision of modern trains in the country.
According to Joseph, construction of over 3,505 kilometers of rail including standard and narrow gauge deserve appreciation by Nigerians.
“It is good to reflect on the progress made. presently we have 3,505 km of standard gauge as against 669 km in 1960.
“We give kudos to President Muhammadu Buhari led-administration for reincarnating the rail transport sector through its aggressive rail line construction nationwide,” he said.
On his part, Alhaji Samaila Mohammed, a retired teacher, said the education sector has witnessed great improvement which provided immense opportunity for Nigerians to acquire education.
Mohammed recalled that the only University in Nigeria even after independence was the University College, Ibadan, an affiliate of the University of London, but currently there are over 170 public and private universities across the country.
This, he said, was in addition to polytechnics, colleges of education, agriculture, and other special learning centers.
“At independence, the number of secondary schools was quite minimal but as of 2018, there are 13,029 public secondary schools with 5.2 million students population.
“Also, there are about 80,000 private secondary schools operating in the country as against the less than 100 schools in the pre-independence era,” he said.
Mrs. Helen David, a 73-year-old market woman, said that businesses also witnessed significant progress in the past 60 years.
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David said that the trade boom recorded in the past years had assisted women to be self-reliant and cater to their needs.
Also commenting, Maryam Ibrahim, commended the FG’s Social Investment Programmes including the N-power, Trada Moni, Market Moni, Anchor Borrower, and the Survival Fund schemes.
Ibrahim said that the introduction of the programmes tremendously impacted positively on the lives of the poor, provide job opportunities for the youths, reduce poverty and enhance wealth creation in society.
She, therefore, urged Nigerians to support the leaders and pray for peace, unity, and prosperity in the country.
“Nigeria needs prayer and goodwill from its citizens for it to be able to surmount security, social and economic challenges in the country,” she said.
