In the spirit of the June 12 Democracy Day celebrations, Bauchi State Governor, Sen Bala Mohammed Abdulkadir has been commended for acting as a true democrat by signing into law bills granting autonomy to both legislative and judicial arms of government.
The commendation was made by the State Deputy Governor, Mohammed Auwal Jatau on Monday while speaking to Journalists on the 2023 June 12 Democracy Day celebrations.
Jatau also extolled the democratic values and culture of the state governor, saying that Bala Mohammed has so far demonstrated the real qualities of democracy that Nigeria needs to grow its democracy.
The deputy governor said that the people of Bauchi State are very lucky to have Senator Bala Mohammed, a true Democrat, as the governor.
According to him, “His Excellency, my principal has demonstrated passion for democracy considering how he was able to conduct local government elections for the first time in a period spanning over a decade in Bauchi.
“This was borne out of his honest resolute to give an opportunity to citizens to participate in governance by allowing them to choose competent leaders closer to them at the grassroots levels.”
He also said that under the leadership of governor Bala Mohammed, the rule of law became absolute among government institutions in the state saying, “Despite leading a PDP–Executive Council, the Governor succeeded in entrenching a harmonious working relationship with an APC-dominated Assembly to allow him to deliver good governance to the citizens of the state. This breakthrough can only be accomplished by a firm believer in democratic values and ideals.
“My principal did not only give the judiciary a free hand to operate as an independent arm but also grant it autonomy as the last hope of the common person. All these are true reflections of the pedigree of Governor Bala Mohammed’s commitment to work and protecting the culture of democracy in Bauchi State.”
According to him, the judiciary being a non-elective arm of government remains the stabilizing factor in a democracy, hence it needs the understanding, cooperation and support of other arms of government.
“His Excellency, Governor Bala Mohammed since his assumption of office on the 29th of May 2019, made a decision to operate an open door policy of an all-inclusive government, anchored on transparency, rule of law, accountability and good governance,” he said.
Jatau added that “To achieve that, the governor had carried along other arms of government by collaborating and cooperating with them while recognizing and respecting their independence as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended.
“Due to his avowed belief in Justice, fair play, the rule of law and independence of the judiciary, the governor has done creditably well within the limited resources available, to provide a conducive atmosphere for the judiciary and the legislature to function effectively and efficiently in accordance with the international best practices.”
He, therefore, applauded the governor for being the first governor in the history of the state to sign into law, the bill to give the legislative and judiciary arms of government financial autonomy, saying that “it has shown that the governor is truly a democrat.”
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