Emmanuel Bello
Even if you are not a fan of the man, you must admire the systematic, almost professional way Governor Darius Ishaku tackles the issues of development in Taraba state. But then, what do you expect of a first class architect who is given to forms, structures and completion. It is as if he's daily rebuking the minority who still doubt his abilities to deliver. His masterstroke efforts with roads is one of the most telling of such spell binding efforts. DDI, as he's fondly called, is confronting roads that have been practically abandoned over the decades. Roads many think can only be fixed in dreamland. The Kurmi road from Mararaba has, across the ages, remained the eye sore of many an administrations in the state. Long, tortuous and punishing, this is the proverbial road to hell itself. Those, whose lot it is in life to use this road, end up telling tales of frustrations and sadness. And Biassa -the capital of the local government - at the end of the road, suffers greatly from this. Cut off, forlorn and lonely, residents just bear the historical burden with a certain Stoicism befitting the gods.
But not anymore. Governor Ishaku just rolled back years of anguish and deep hellish pains by promising to fix the road before the end of his administration.
When finished, the road would not only link lost communities with the rest of civilization. It would also usher in prosperity. Kurmi, with all its potentials would now jerk to life in a radical way. A people who feel abandoned have now seen the light. DDI understands the saying that the road to economic development and growth is just that: roads.
I recently asked the governor what his motivation is and he said to leave behind an excellent legacy and transform the lives of Taraba people. . Any man who fixes almost forgotten roads like that of Kona, Lau, Yorro/Pantisawa, Tsukundi and now Kurmi is more than looking to leave behind a good legacy. He is seeking to be the defining figure of a people's evolution like Gandhi to Indians or Mandela to Africa.
Bello is the Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs to Governor Ishaku.
