In a politics full of promises, this is a senator whose work you can walk to and see.
I’ll be honest, I’m tired of political promises. Every election season brings speeches, banners and big talk. What I want to know is simple. What did the person do with the seat? For Senator Ibrahim Mohammed Bomai, the answer is easy to find across Potiskum, Fika, Fune and Nangere.
Start with the ground beneath our feet. More than twenty roads have been built or repaired, from Arikime New Road to streets in Damagum and Fika town. Then there is water, which people in our communities know is never a small matter. There are solar-powered boreholes in Fune, Fika and Nangere, the Fika-Gadaka Water Supply Project, and piped water in Potiskum. Solar street lights now shine in more than twenty locations, and transformers have been supplied or restored in places like Nahuta and Mutawassuda.
What I appreciate most is how he has treated young people. Five government schools now have 40-computer digital centres with internet access, and CAMTECH Potiskum has 60 computers. A child in Dazigau or Jajere can now learn on a computer, and that matters. He also built classrooms at GGSS Ngelzarma and health centres at Kukar-Gadu and Dawasa, and supplied delivery items to six general hospitals.
Then there is help that reached people directly. 601 youths got N-Power slots, 384 artisans and transporters got Survival Fund grants, and 900 women were supported under the Micro Enhancement Scheme. In his latest programme in Potiskum, 50 people received ₦1 million each, chosen across age, gender, ethnicity and every local government area in Zone B. Fairness like that is rare, and people noticed.
He also shows up when disaster strikes. Flood victims in Ngalda, Ngelzarma and Barebari got relief. Victims of the Potiskum market fire got help. Children fighting diphtheria got support, and so did persons living with disabilities. His Ramadan rice distribution has grown every year. He has built about twenty Jumu’ah mosques and an orphanage with an ICT centre.
His party has noticed too. Bomai became the APC consensus candidate for Yobe South after withdrawing from the governorship race, and observers said this could reduce internal disputes. A win in 2027 would make him the first senator from the district to serve three consecutive terms.
Is every need met? Of course not. No senator can do that. But a leader should be judged by what he has done, and you can test every claim here for yourself. Visit the boreholes, ride the roads and ask the beneficiaries. So when people ask, “If not Bomai, then who?”, I think it’s a fair question. Voters should answer it with the facts in front of them.
Muhammad Kukuri is a writer from Yobe State, with keen interest in Nigerian politics and journalism. He can be reached at 07062733187
