Shamsuddeen Bala Mohammed, son of Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, has called on his father to speed up the payment of outstanding gratuities owned to retirees and introduce targeted economic empowerment programmes for young people to ease hardship across the state.
Shamsuddeen made the appeal in a Facebook post on Wednesday titled, “Bridging the Gap: A Call for a Human-Capital Focused Policy.”
In the post, he commended the governor’s administration for its infrastructural achievements over the past seven years, describing the construction of roads, schools and hospitals as enduring projects that would define the administration’s legacy.
He, however, argued that despite the visible transformation in infrastructure, many residents, particularly youths, continued to grapple with worsening economic conditions.
According to him, while the development projects reflect the government’s vision, they have not sufficiently addressed the daily financial struggles faced by many households.
He said there appeared to be a widening gap between the administration’s infrastructure drive and the immediate economic realities confronting residents as the state approaches the 2027 election cycle.
Shamsuddeen noted that many young people, who constitute a significant portion of the governor’s support base, were increasingly frustrated because infrastructure alone could not meet their pressing economic needs.
He also expressed concern over the plight of retirees and their families, saying prolonged delays in the payment of gratuities had compounded their hardship.
According to him, many citizens believe that although infrastructure development remains important, greater attention should be given to policies that directly improve livelihoods and provide economic relief.
The governor’s son warned of growing dissatisfaction among youths, stressing that they were seeking meaningful opportunities to participate in the state’s economic growth rather than relying on handouts.
To address the challenge, he proposed what he described as a “Social-Economic Empowerment Pivot” centred on human capital development.
Among his recommendations were the provision of seed funding for youth-led businesses, capital grants for small-scale entrepreneurs and policies compelling contractors handling government projects to prioritise the employment of local youths.
He also urged the administration to adopt globally recognised models of productive inclusion, emphasising the need to complement infrastructure development with greater investment in people.
“We should explore global models of productive inclusion. Let us shift the focus from solely building the state to investing in the citizen,” he stated.