Capt Idris Ichalla Wada, Kogi State Governor, will on 26th August 2014 mark his 64th Birthday anniversary.
The life of the professional Pilot turned politician was built in certain pedigrees; namely sound academic background leading to the acquisition of a Master Degree in Business Administration at the University of Abuja in 2006, after rounding up the B. Sc Degree in Business Administration from the same University, reason Abu Micheal writes on the positive impact he has brought to the governance of the state.
An accomplished Pilot who started his career with the then National Carrier, Nigeria Airways as a line Pilot where he attained the summit of his career and ascended the height of “Captain in Command” at the tender age of 29.
Young Pilot Idris Wada
In 1983, Capt. Wada joined the United Air Service (UAS) where he rose to the position of Chief Pilot and General Manager, within a very short period.
Captain Wada’s brief stay at the United Air Service (UAS) crystallized into his becoming one of the pioneer indigenous airline operators in Nigeria when he founded the Executive Aviation Service (EAS) in 1985 with some prominent Kogi indigenes, some of whom he trained in NCAT, Zaria. He was the founding Managing Director of the Airline.
Wada attended several high level aviation management and proficiency training programmes in Nigeria, Brazil, Germany, UK and USA within the past 25 years. He also attended several simulator conversion/recurrent flight training programmes regularly at Varing Airlines, Brazil, Lufthansa Airlines, Frankfurt, Sabena Airlines, Brussels, Pan-Am flight academy, Miami, USA and many other high quality training facilities.
Capt Wada was on January 24th 2012, sworn in as the third executive Governor of Kogi State where he has thus far combined his professional acumen with the Democratic tenet to change the way politics is being played in Kogi State. There is over stating the fact that Capt Wada is making the people take ownership of the politics and the governance process in the state.
Capt Wada has given impetus to the execution of numerous projects in developing a new Kogi State with the over two years of his tenure.
At 64, Wada has manifested a glowing star as a performing Governor who has etched his name in the Hall of fame as his development agenda knows no bound in the State.
His credible leadership signs are strategic for everyone to see across the State. Wada administration has been impactful in the delivery of infrastructures, thus making him a performer and a leader loved by the people.
Capt Wada on assumption of office marshaled out his administration’s policy thrust in 2012. The policy thrust was anchored on a blueprint put together by a think tank committee made up of distinguished Nigerians of Kogi State extraction.
The blueprint report was a developmental planning tools and documents to guide the progress towards the transformation agenda.
The completion of inherited projects from successive administrations and the initiation of new projects that are critical to the development of the State, and the putting in place of a robust feedback mechanism towards improving the quality of lives of the people as well as the strengthening of investment in human capital for sustainable development is part of governor’s policy.
Other policy thrust of Capt Wada include; the reduction of poverty and eradication of employment using the Youth Advancement Programme of the administration. Others are wealth creation programmes. His continued focus on education to enhanced access to quality education as well as skills development, enhanced access to quality healthcare, housing and harnessing the huge Agricultural potentials of the State for food security and employment generation forms part of the administration’s policy. Also the governor’s continued provision of infrastructure, such as roads, electricity and water that constitute the bedrock for attracting investors as well as reducing rural – urban migration, promoting gender quality, as well as women and empowerment of the vulnerable groups in the State, as well as strengthening the public private partnership and the role of the small and medium scale enterprise is what the Wada administration stands for.
In the last two and a half year, the provision of the enabling business environment for attracting development partners, domestic and foreign investors as well as maintenance of peace and security have equally remained uppermost in the policy thrust of the charismatic Governor.
Capt Wada’s administration has been instrumental to changing the life and face of ordinary people particularly through welfarist and visionary programs within the last two years.
Specifically, in the education sector, as a catalyst for the transformation of the State, Capt Wada embarked on major reforms which have led to the improvement of learning and teaching. Under his administration there has been massive employment of teachers at all levels of education. While the sector has equally witnessed massive upgrade in infrastructures across board.
Without doubt, Wada has promoted Agricultural production to enhance food sufficiency to meet domestic, industrial needs and in future, export demand, using the State’s vast arable land and comparative advantage.
Aside making farming attractive, so much has been achieved by the State in its dry season farming with partnership with the Federal Government. This can be evident in the Alape processing zone as another landmark in the Agriculture sector.
With a goal to provide high quality and affordable healthcare to the people, decayed health infrastructures are receiving attention. New hospitals have been built with a massive renovation of all General Hospitals across the State.
Efforts is also currently on going to improve facilities at the Schools of Health Technology, Nursing and Midwifery in the areas of infrastructure and accreditation of courses. With a free rural medical programme that is a flagship of the Wada administration in the Health sector, several preventable and high prevalence of diseases in rural areas are reduced and treated free. Since 2009, the State has remained polio free.
Capt Wada recognizes the strategic importance of good roads and adequate infrastructure. About 36 inherited roads from the immediate past administration is already completed with new ones on – going across the State. Similarly, a robust housing scheme for Civil Servant is on-going in Ganaja and Crusher areas of the State. This is aside the 270 Post Flood Housing Estate his administration has built.
Under Capt Wada, a landmark was achieved by his administration; Kogi House is on-going in Abuja. It will be a master piece when completed. Similarly, a transport scheme for inter-city routes at subsidized price is another plus for the present administration.
At 64, Capt Wada, as Governor has no doubt taken the part that will forever ensure that his name is written in Gold as he is using the instrumentality of Government to refocus the critical sectors of the economy that affects the lives of the people.
As we celebrate a colossus, a patriot, a selfless and visionary leader, whose concern has been to torch lives in positive ways , Kogi State is no doubt the better for it.
Abu Micheal
