By Edwin Uhara
“Productivity is never an accident, but it’s always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning and focused efforts.” — Paul J Meyer
The above quote by an American public speaker, Paul J. Meyer can best describe the unyielding commitment of the former Mandate Secretary of the Social Development Secretariat of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) and Head of Transportation and Logistics of the Presidential Inauguration Committee, Hajia (Dr.) Hadiza Mohammed Kabir to the concept and principles of the Renewed Hope Agenda of the present administration.
She is firm and focused in her commitment to the policies and programmes of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government as she has been doing everything within her capacity to ensure that Nigerians feel the positive impacts of the Renewed Hope Agenda of the government in their lives
Apart from the excellent job she has been doing as an employee of the government, she has been using her personal resources to support the promotion of the policies and programmes of the present administration in her own little way.
She not only promotes and defend the policy thrusts of the government through all her social media platforms but she also support grassroot outreach programmes that promotes the programmes of the government at the local levels.
She has been encouraging the people to exercise patience with the government policies and reform initiatives despite some baby’s steps of pains that are universally associated with reforms of this magnitude which can be likened to a woman in labour.
“When a woman is in labor she has pain because her time has come. But when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the suffering because of the joy that a person has been born into the world.”
Even before Mr. President expressed concerns that some government officials are not doing enough to promote his government policies to Nigerians, Dr. Hadiza Kabir had maintained a good working relationships with some media personnel who have crossed path with her because of her belief that there can be the media without the government but there cannot be the government without the media.
Though her efforts might look like a drop in the ocean because her present capacity is limited, but the truth remains that she is making a positive impact because change agents work hard in pursuit of their goals until they accomplish them.
As a former Mandate Secretary of the Social Development Secretariat of the Federal Capital Territory Administration, she pursued the vision of the office with single-minded focus and determination.
For instance, during her tenure, the secretariat through the Social Welfare Educational Empowerment Scheme sponsored over 2,000 children of the poor for tutorial and prepared them for NECO/NABTEB, WAEC and IJMB to enable them further their academic pursuits.
The office ensured the training of higher institution students on Industrial Attachment Programme in the Visual and Performing Arts Division of the office as over 200 students were trained.
Also, over 300 youths were trained and empowered in fish farming and aquaculture while another 1000 youths were trained to champion small business establishments in technology-based fields like solar panel production, computer repairs and leadership trainings.
Accordingly, over 13,100 youths were trained in leather works, satellite installation, welding and metal fabrication and the Information Communication Technology, while another 5,500 were empowered and given starter packs to jump start their activities in their new endeavors.
Through social counseling, over 3,000 commercial sex workers embraced skills acquisition and entrepreneurship initiatives and left their old lives for a more dignified means of livelihood.
In similar vein, over 502 mentally unstable persons were treated, rehabilitated and reunited with their loved ones while another 273 victims of drug abuse were rehabilitated through psychosocial therapy at the Bwari rehabilitation centre, Abuja.
Also, over 400 food vendors and roadside market women were empowered with new skills while about 12,500 beggars were evacuated from the streets of Abuja and were provided with feeding, psychosocial counseling and empowerments.
Her social and voluntary works were so pronounced that President Joe Biden of the United States of America in 2022 honoured her with the President’s Lifetime Achievement Awards for her lifelong commitment to building a stronger nation through volunteer service.
Because a change agent is one who is relentless in the pursuit of worthy causes that grows out of personal convictions, I think Dr. Hadiza Kabir needs more encouragements and supports from the present administration for her unyielding commitment to the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Federal Government.
Such encouragement from the government of the day will spur her to focus more energies towards accomplishing the goals of the Renewed Hope Agenda because according to Abraham Lincoln, ‘Commitment is what transforms a promise into reality.
Now is the time to embrace persons who are truly walking the talk of helping Mr. President to transform the economy with growth in investments towards enduring prosperity.
Comrade Edwin Uhara is a Public Policy Analyst
