By
Anas Sani Anka
Every poor citizen of Zamfara must be happy with the recent commitment demonstrated by Governor Dauda Lawal to revive the state mass transit programme for the betterment of the state citizens.
For me, mass transit is one of the few government initiatives whose impact has direct bearing to the life of the Zamfara common man and also an akin investment which both the poor and rich enjoyed.
I could remember Sen. Ahmad Sani Yarima the former Governor of Zamfara started the programme and his predecessor Mahmud Shinkafi sustained it by providing about (50) additional eighteen seater liteace buses which make the programme highly attractive.
During Mahmuda Shinkafi I could remember, Zamfara Mass transit travel widely and transit passengers to both North Central, East, and even part of the southern region of the country.
I could remember conducting a documentary programme on the activities of Zamfara mass transit during the days of Mahmuda Shinkafi when late Prof. Abdullahi Muhammad Walin Shinkfai was the Managing Director.
I had the privileged of touring Abuja, Kano/Kabuga, Kaduna and Sokoto terminals and the programme during the days of late Shinkafi was verily impressive.
Even though no evidence of savings to the coffers of the state can be identical to the late Professor Shinkafi’s regime at least someone like me can attest to the simple fact that arrangement made under the state mass transit through late Shinkafi was structurally adverse to a genuine investment
When I interacted with some drivers during his days they confirmed that every driver has been paid from the proceed of his earning monthly and that what they were earning are per better than what senior conventional civil servants are earning as monthly salary.
What is happening to larger savings made since the programme started? Whether they are being remitted to dedicated government account is what many of us outside the government could not account for.
When Abdulaziz Yari came on board as a Governor he has made an added effort to enhance the operation of the agency by adding additional 50 eighteen seater buses.
But too open than one can argue, the leadership of Zamfara Mass transit under Sen. Yari was full of misdirection as the planning and development of the agency was too abusive to the extent that maintenance of the vehicles as well attempt to secure the state government savings was almost virtually impossible.
This has ruined the future of Zamfara investment toward mass transit programme as former Governor Matawalle was too reluctant to revisit the ugly development that is akin to the programme.
The image of the Zamfara mass transit programme became so bad that one will feel shy in seeing Zamfara mass transit buses flying Nigerian roads.
Passengers that feel too patriotic to maintain their ties with mass transit were left stranded on the highway as majority of the buses hardly travel to nearby Kaduna without breaking on the road.
Various calls and appeals have been made for government of Zamfara to revisit the case of mass transit both such calls went to hard ears.
Now that Governor Dauda has heed to these calls and prepare to provide brand-new mass transit vehicles some number of strategies needs to be applied to make the programmes sustainable.
Number one is to reshuffle the leadership of the agency and make it autonomous if possible an autonomous agency under office of the Governor so that he can be able to monitor the earnings of the agency.
Secondly is for the state Governor to allow for setting up of a revolving account where the savings made the by the agency can be monitored so that more vehicles can be bought with the savings.
Again the Governor should set up a criteria on how to select the best out of those to apply for the post of drivers under the agency.
This will go a long way in ensuring that only the best hands are selected to ensure that the vehicles are saved from unnecessary man-made disasters such unwarranted car crashes and road abuses.
Before now, it was open fact that politicians have hijacked the selection criteria and ensure that their “political erring boys” were allocated the agency’s vehicles even if they are not competent and qualified.
Again there should be special maintenance strategies so that regularly the vehicles can be checkmated and always put to efficiency at all time.
It is also important that the government shall set up Quarterly evaluation mechanism so that what the agency has earned can be properly put to use if possible in buying another sets of vehicle which can be procured on Quarterly basis.
It is also important for the Governor to make Zamfara State mass transit more of a private sector-driven enterprise by removing conventional civil servants out of the show.
I think it is also important for the Governor to approve for the leadership time to tour Katsina state and learn how KSTA is succeeding because Katsina has the best model when it comes to Mass Transit programme in Northern Nigeria.
It is good if the Governor of Zamfara can find time to interact with his colleague Dr. Dikko for him to get the best way to handle the new programme for Zamfara.
We cannot afford to wasting our investment made in Mass transit to selfish politicians and civil servants that are after their personal gain not that of the state.
I believed the Governor must have some strategic decisions about how to go about reviving the state mass transit, but I feel obliged to contribute my reasoning and understanding in making the programme work for the betterment of the state.
I feel obliged to raise this article because of the experience I have in my private transport business which is earning me a lot because there are multiple strategies adopted.
