Katsina State governor, Alhaji Aminu Bello Masari, had an interaction with selected newspapers at the Government House during which he fielded questions on issues concerning his administration, the incoming governorship and presidential elections, among others. AUGUSTINE OKEZIE was there. Excerpts:
What is your reaction to the level of good will Katsina people have shown to you during your campaign so far. In fact, the women were so passionate about your Excellency’s re-election that they have been trouping out in their thousands to welcome and support you throughout your campaigns?
Well, first of all, since we launched the campaigns in Funtua and later on visited all the local governments; then down to Katsina South, which ordinarily people call Funtua zone, and Katsina Central, which is Katsina zone, I am very happy with the turn out and the confidence that people have shown in us and to the APC as a party. We have served the people of Katsina State for close to four years and I think the support you saw is a reflection of what we have been able to do within the limited resources.
Definitely, the people have seen the differences and let me also remind you that when we were campaigning in 2015, we promised the people Katsina State that we were going to be just and fair and that we were going to be prudent with their resources; our government would be on the table not under the table. So, we have been able to fulfill most of these promises we made.
Those that we have not been able to fulfill, it’s either because of time or due to some other technical issues or reasons that we have not been able to really complete or start, but basically, we can proudly say that in most of the areas that we promised, that we are going to work our talk. We thank Almighty Allah (S.W.A) for making it possible for us to really work the talk.
I don’t think there is any government that has embarked on massive empowerment of women like we did under the APC administration, because we believed that when you empower a woman, you empower a family; even the World Bank and the United Nations recognise the empowerment of women so that they can allow the girl child to go to school. So obviously, the coming out of women in their numbers during our campaign rallies is in appreciation of what we have been able to do and what we intend to do if we come back between 2019 – 2023.
I have always acknowledged the tremendous support we have been receiving from women. In fact, they constitute 50% of my political support base and I cannot toy with that support .We always carry them along in the course of developments through appointments, empowerments, skill acquisition and several other social engagements. The level of attention the women folk have received from this government remains unparalleled; it has greatly lifted their status and brought them at par with their counterparts from other parts of the country. So, I am not surprised at the large turnout of women; this is their government, so they have a political role to play. If re-elected, this government will do more for them because we believe that by developing the women, we are indirectly developing the state as well.
You mentioned some funds released by the Federal Government in respect to the Zobe water scheme and the government’s resettlement plans for the victims of Jibia flood disaster, which occurred last year. Could you please shed more light on this?
Co- incidentally, just days before yesterday, I got a letter from the Minister of Water Resources informing me that they have completed the Zobe Treatment Plant and that they have started pumping water at Yargamji Area.
When I saw the tested one and water coming out from probably the wash outs from the one they opened, there were some pipes through which they were pumping raw water; but later on, I understood it was clean water; even the district head of Dutsinma mentioned that. It’s now left for us to connect from the concrete overhead tank around the steel rolling mill axis to the existing pipelines. You know I have a committee for the Dutsinma Water Supply Project under the chairmanship of the Deputy Governor and now by this weekend, they will visit Dutsinma Treatment Plant and then work out with the consultants what we as government are going to do. And we are going to do it as quickly as possible to make sure water is distributed through the existing pipelines in Katsina metropolis.
We are also looking at the possibility of connecting temporarily to the existing overhead tank in Dutsinma because the Federal Government is reconstructing a tank which will supply Dutsinma, Kankia, Charanchi, and other environs. So this aspect would be much clearer to see by next week. Definitely there is treated water from Zobe dam to Ajiwa and the concrete reservoir here in Katsina. So with the promises we have from the ministry, all works, including the tanks, would be completed by the end of February or early part of March, 2019.
With regards to Jibia, you know there was flooding in Jibia and two agencies from the state and that of the Federal Government are currently on it. I received a letter from the office of the Chief of Staff to the President, addressed to the Permanent Secretary in charge of Ecological Funds, with regards to what they have been able to access, the estimates in case of Katsina and Ogun States. I am sure very soon, they would receive funds for the projects and again, you know we have established NEWMAP projects under the World Bank, whom we brought in; we gave them an estimated cost, which they approved and promised to fast-track. So for us, whichever one comes first is what we are going to use and make sure that before the setting in of rainy season, works would commence so that we don’t hope to get another flooding in that area, even though the people living there have been evacuated.
For those who lost their houses, we are negotiating with the Federal Ministry of Water Resources to give us a land along Gusua Road belonging to Sokoto Rima where we can relocate them on a permanent basis, but for those who we have relocated, we rented houses for them; we gave them food and I am sure they have started continuing their normal life. But for those who lost their houses, we are working to see how we can relocate them and assist them financially to rebuild the area, which we are proposing to relocate them.
You assured President Muhammadu Buhari that in 2019 general elections, Katsina will give him the lion share of votes. How will you achieve this considering that a large number of voters have not collected their PVCs?
Over 3.8 million people have registered in Katsina State; so you know, some have not collected probably because they have relocated somewhere. Secondly, some might even have died; some may not even know. So, we are working with INEC, the local governments, the voluntary organisations to make sure that those cards are delivered to the people or people are brought to local government headquarters to make sure that they have collected their PVCs. The arrangement we are making is for them to collect their PVCs at the ward headquarters, and if we are able to give Mr. President 80% of 3.8 million votes, you can imagine the number of votes that will go to the presidential election. We are very mindful of the fact that in 2015 from the North West, he (Mr. President) got 7.4 million votes and we want to make sure that this time around, we will give him more than that number because we have new members that have registered in the party.
I have gone round some projects during an inspection tour of projects with the Government Team and I have this question burning in my mind. I saw what you did in education and health, among other sectors and I was asking myself which among those sectors is most passionate to you?
Well E! If I have more, I will do more in education more than any other sector because all others are dependent on education. I am sure your must have seen the rehabilitation and upgrading of schools across the 34 local government areas, the construction of new ones and the increasing performance of our children in public schools, all pointing to the fact that this government has indeed performed tremendously in that sector.
In a nutshell, what is your message to the Katsina people, particularly during this election period? What should they expect during your second term?
You see, my appeal to the electorate, especially the people of Katsina State, is that they should make a clear comparison between what we have been able to do within the last three and half years and what we are doing in office presently given the limited resource that accrued to the state and be fair in judging us with regards to what we have been able to do and then give APC another chance to lay a solid foundation in the key fundamental areas – education, health, water, agriculture, infrastructure. The opposition that has been promising them heaven on earth has failed them before and will certainly fail them again. What they could not do when revenue allocation to the state was huge, they cannot do now that they have not learnt how to manage lean resources.
The contest is between white and black; there is no hiding place for them and they are no match to the APC governments at all levels. We have constructed over 400 kilometers of roads. When we came, security in the state was out of proportion and quite a number of people were being killed. The number of animals that were being rustled cannot in any way compare to what is going on now. The present security constraint in the state is a national problem. We in Katsina are tackling it and I am sure within the next one month, issues of kidnapping would be forgotten. It’s part of the phases of eradicating criminality, banditry in Nigeria and especially for those of us that are bordering the notorious forest (Rugu).
On this insecurity issue, what is your reaction to a newspaper report recently that some residents are fleeing from the state because of kidnapping?
Well, I am really surprised and disappointed at that news report because it was not supported by any fact. How can somebody relocate to Niger Republic because of kidnapping? Katsina and Niger Republic here are one zone and the same thing; the difference is the boundary here, which is artificial and I haven’t received any report from the Police, the SSS and even from the local chapters of our traditional rulers, through the emirate and through the district head council; I haven’t read anywhere that people are fleeing Katsina to Niger Republic because of fear of kidnapping.
My belief is that such a story is in the imagination of the reporter and maybe he wanted to be sensational; maybe he has his own agenda, I don’t know; I don’t know why he did what he did but the story should have been balanced. The police are there, he would have found out from them; the government is around, he should have checked with the government agencies but he didn’t. I don’t know how he got his information and what he wanted to achieve with what he did, but the reality speaks for itself.
