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  • New Ekiti Deputy Governor

    New Ekiti Deputy Governor

    It was swift and well calculated to deliver a big, maximum political punch on Ekiti politics. Perhaps, that is the only mild manner the sudden appointment last weekend of Modupe Adelabu as the deputy governor of Ekiti State could best be described. A Professor of Education, Adelabu replaces the immediate past deputy governor, late Eunice Oluwafunmilayo Adunni Olayinka, who passed on, on April 6, following a protracted battle with cancer.

    The late Olayinka was an amazon gifted with guts, gumption and iron in her backbone while her sojourn on planet earth lasted. Unfortunately, her poise, finesse, elegance and mental acuity had been consumed by a notorious cancer that cut her down.

    The outpouring of emotions, grief, tributes, and the well-choreographed rites of passage with which she was‘escorted’ from her death bed to her final resting place at Ado-Ekiti, the fast growing capital of Ekiti State, attested to the high esteem which the Ekitis usually accorded their heroes and heroines, living or dead. No wonder many people, especially her kindred in Ekiti, knighted her “Moremi Ekiti”. This is a great honour and perhaps, the first time in the history of Yoruba land, that someone is considered worthy to literarily step into Moremi’s shoes.

    Moremi, in Yoruba mythology, was a damsel who was abducted (or kidnapped) by some bandits from a particularly nagging tribe that perennially invaded Ile-Ife, the cradle of Yoruba land many, many years ago. On one of such raids, Moremi was taken along among the supposed captives, easily one of the spoils of wars then.

    Legend has it that Moremi allowed herself to be captured by her own volition. Before then, the Yoruba were always voting with their feet whenever the masquerade-looking invaders who they ignorantly referred to as ‘ara-orun’ (spirits) invaded Ile-Ife. Moremi stopped all that. During her period in captivity, she spied on the so-called invaders who had tormented her people for a long time. One day, she escaped and meandered her way back to Ile-Ife. There she revealed to her people that the recalcitrant invaders were actually human beings disguised in regalia made of raffia palm and dressed like masquerades to frighten and terrorise the people.

    Now loaded with the gift of insider knowledge, the Yoruba started plotting how to confront the terrorists. By the time they came on their next expedition, they were not only confronted by the now emboldened Yoruba, they were massively slaughtered and routed. The trick was simple. Long bamboo sticks were mounted with‘oguso’(dried palm fruits waste), which was highly combustible. It is still used in some African rural settings to make bonfire till date. So many of them, stored in various ‘armouries’ all over the ancient town, were released. Bonfires were then made of them and the ‘masquerades’ were set on fire one by one. Before they realised what was happening, the invaders had been routed. Those who managed to escape, if any, never dared the Yoruba again.

    It is to the everlasting memory of the heroism of Moremi that the Yoruba worship and equate her with a deity, which she really was. It is in commemoration of the titanic battle that the Ife people celebrate her annually with what is known as ‘Edi’ festival, which holds towards the end of the year. It is an event which attracts people from all walks of life, including the Diaspora, to Ile-Ife.

    During the festival, which runs for about seven days, the fourth day called ‘ina-osan’, ‘noon fire’ is celebrated by inducing a mock ‘war’. Here, able-bodied men carrying thick and long fire-bearing sticks, usually emerge from the innermost recess of the palace of the Ooni of Ife. With the ferocious fire burning all through the streets, crisscrossing Itakogun and Arubidi quarters of the town, a distance of about six or more kilometers to the palace. The procession terminates at a sacred grove located deep inside a thick forest (Igbo Oro), in the Iyekere area of the ancient and historical city, close to present-day Ondo Road. This procession is held amidst drumming, singing, dancing and acrobatic displays by various traditional, gender, age and cultural groups in the town.

    After the fire-bearing men has exited the palace, another group of tall and huge men dressed in the costume of the ‘masquerade’ invaders of old, will emerge from ‘hiding’ and dance round Enuwa quarters located just by the gate of the palace. They also dance inside the palace with youths and young children trooping behind them. The final day of the Edi festival is marked by the appearance of ‘Tele’.

    That seven-day revelry that accompanied the annual Edi festival was the equivalent of what the Ekitis did for Olayinka all through her death to her final interment. That was more than what a princess, which she was, deserved because Olayinka proved that it was possible for a lady to combine beauty with brain and sparkling achievements. By doing that, she joined the lengthy list of eminent women who are today occupying sensitive places in the hall of fame not only in Nigeria or Africa but the world at large.

    This is a big challenge for the new deputy governor who is stepping into such giant-size shoes. Do I call it Queen-size? I am quite sure that she is up to the task. This is because Adelabu’s academic standing speaks volumes about her talents. Kayode Fayemi, the workaholic, incumbent governor of Ekiti State, had initially wanted her as a deputy, but the case of her ailing husband at the time was more compelling for her total attention. Hence she politely turned down the offer. At that time, she was the Head of the Department of Educational Administration and Planning of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, the ancestral home of Moremi. She was later appointed chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board, SUBEB.

    Adelabu has held many important positions both in the academia in Nigeria and abroad. She was part of the 15-member Education Reform Panel that worked assiduously on Ekiti State government’s reforms in the education sector. At various times, the new deputy governor has also served as a resource person for United Nations Development Programme, UNDP; United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF; and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, UNESCO, on numerous issues bordering on education. She has also been involved in consultancy work for the Universal Basic Education Commission in Nigeria.

    As someone who had served as external examiner in some reputable national and state-owned universities, I am sure the education sector in Ekiti State, which is the major industry in the state, is set to witness great transformation, I mean real transformation and certainly not a cosmetic one that has become music in the airwaves all over the place. I think the education portfolio and, in some cases, local government affairs are usually tucked under the purview of deputy governors, especially in educationally advanced states of the South-West of the country.

    Aside from the education sector, between 2000 and 2003, Adelabu was also a foundation member of Board of Ekiti State World Bank Assisted Poverty Reduction Agency. And fighting poverty is a major plank of the Fayemi administration in Ekiti State and by extension, a major political weapon being wielded by the Action Congress of Nigeria now re-christened All Progressive Congress, APC, a new political identity that is already sending shivers down the spines of other real and fake politicians in the country.

    She has consulted for the World Bank, the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID) and other international agencies. This is another asset for the Fayemi administration and Ekiti State in general, especially the womenfolk who are now required to rally round one of their own just like they did for the departed Olayinka.

    I can bet it with any serious politician in Ekiti State today that the choice of Adelabu as deputy governor has given Fayemi another victory, a resounding victory at the yet-to-be-contested and conducted 2014 polls. This is indeed a win-win strategy designed to inflict maximum punishment on the rancorous opposition in the state!

     

  • I am not a spare tyre—Katsina State deputy governor

    I am not a spare tyre—Katsina State deputy governor

    Alhaji Abdulahi Faskari,the Deputy Governor of Katsina State, in this interview with Adetutu Audu, says deputy governors are not spare tyres. He also spoke on other issues. Excerpts

     

    You headed the education ministry for two years, how different was it from the justice ministry which you also headed before becoming deputy governor?

    Part of the challenges we had when I was appointed there was on the issue of recruitment of teachers and of course the governor gave approval for more than 3000 teachers for the secondary schools. It was during my time that the governor, in collaboration with the local government areas, built additional secondary schools, about 100 of such, in order to reduce congestion in our secondary schools. The foreign scholarship programme, which is now popular in and out of the country, had just started at that time. A number of people thought it was not going to be sustained, perhaps because of the enormity of the resources involved. We started with only one programme when we started. About 111 students of Katsina State origin were recruited and gotten admission into universities in Sudan. Sudan has some kind of peculiarities with Katsina State, particularly with reference to the girl- child education. A number of parents here will not allow their daughters to go for the western education.

    How was your tenure at the justice ministry?

    In justice ministry, it is basically service delivery, you don’t normally see tangibly what is being done; most of what is being done is rooted in service.

    How would you describe your relationship with the governor?

    I think if there is a word better than cordial, I will use it because that is what it is. I don’t have any problem with my principal probably because of a number of reasons. The governor himself is a straight forward person. And once you understand his own approach to issues or things, it will be easier to go along with him. The governor is a professional colleague. He is a lawyer of international repute. Don’t forget that I was Attorney – General in the second administration of the late Musa Yar’Ádua. The governor was privileged to be the first Attorney- General to the late president; he served from 1999 to 2003 and I took over from him. And I was reappointed by the governor in 2007 still as Attorney- General. And he later redeployed me to education because of my background in education. So, all these steps have given one enough time to understudy him on what he likes and doesn’t and how one can key into his vision for the state.

    How true is the assertion that deputy governors are mere spare tyres?

    I don’t think that phrase is applicable to me because I know of my own peculiar circumstance and system. If others have problems with their principals, it should not extend to me because this can be attested by everybody in the state that the number of work I have here is enormous.

    Beyond the fact that one is the deputy governor, I also supervise the local government affairs.

    As an agrarian state, to what extent is the government assisting farmers in agriculture?

    There are a number of programmes directly affecting agriculture and production in the state. The governor distributed 340 tractors to farmers at subsidised rate, not only at subsidised rate but the payment method is five years. So, in a way, you can say the tractors are free. The issues of fertilizer which of course is very crucial to agricultural production, the governor took it upon himself to provide fertilizer equally at subsidised rate, both for dry and raining season farming. There is also loan to the farmers, free of interest. There is also a scheme going in the state now in partnership with the Shanghai, also initiated by the governor.

    What brought about the idea of building a new government house, what happens to the present one?

    If you look at Katsina, I don’t know how conversant you are with the state. The Katsina of 10, 5 years ago is different from the Katsina of today. Things have dramatically changed in terms of infrastructure. You find people who, for sometime had not been to the state, asking people before they can locate their way. Things have really changed. If you see the ring road, you see that things are changing because it is connecting major townships in the state. The essence of the new government house is not because the present one is not good but not in consonance with the new trend of what is happening in the state.

    Having been in government for more than 10 years, are you fulfilled?

    Why not? You know I have been in government for more than 10 years now. And you know that there are a lot of people who are equally and even more qualified than I am but they didn’t have the opportunity to serve. I can even say I have taken more than my share in the state in relation to the number of citizens of the state. If you are to distribute this among those eligible, you will understand that I have taken more than my share and that is why I am grateful to God.

  • Ikimi, House of Reps, Southsouth ACN, NANS mourn Ekiti Deputy Governor

    Former Minister of Foreign Affairs Chief Tom Ikimi; Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) National Vice-Chairman, Southsouth, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu and the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) have visited Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi to condole with him on the death of his deputy, Mrs. Funmilayo Olayinka.

    Ikimi said her death is not only a loss to the ACN and the state, but also to the women folk “she represented with dignity and selfless service”.

    He said many people did not know the late Mrs. Olayinka was ill because she always carried herself with elegance.

    The former minister, who also visited the deceased’s parents, described the late Mrs. Olayinka as “a shining star, an articulate, determined and like-able person, who endeared herself to people everywhere she went”.

    He said: “We are saddened by the death of the deputy governor. She was a shining star and, as you know, our party is gender conscious. We are looking for women like her, who will take prominent positions in our states and nation. She was a very articulate, determined popular and like-able person. I know how much she supported the governor and how much work she did for women in our party across the country. So it is indeed a big loss for us.”

    NANS President Yinka Dada said the late Mrs. Olayinka was not just a leader, but “an agent of positive change”.

    Dada said she was a key player in the transformation of Ekiti State and should be immortalised to encourage people to be selfless.

    Fayemi said his late deputy played a major role in the draft of the ACN’s manifesto for the active participation of women in politics.

    He said her memory would be kept alive.

    The Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Ganiyu Owolabi, said the late Mrs. Olayinka was an exemplary leader and urged the people to emulate her.

    The House of Representatives also commiserated with the Government and people of Ekiti.

    At plenary yesterday, the lawmakers observed a minute silence in prayer for the repose of the soul of the late deputy governor.

  • Oyo Governor gives out 70 wheel-chairs to Special Athletes

    Oyo Governor gives out 70 wheel-chairs to Special Athletes

    •Special Sports Tourney ends in Ibadan

    OYO STATE took a giant leap towards the developments of Special Sports in the State with the sucsessful hosting of the the 2nd Oyo State Special Sports Competition which was held at the Lekan Salami Stadium organised by the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

    The Governor who was represented at the 3-day tourney that ended on Friday inside the main-bowl of Lekan Salami Sports Complex, Adamasigba Ibadan by his Commissioner for Youths and Sports, Dapo Lam-Adesina said people with special needs will not be left out in the fast-paced Sports development train in the State.

    Close to 200 special athletes from eight zones of the State participated in events which include deaf soccer, wheel chair table tennis, para soccer, power lifting, athletics and others. Apart from medals and trophies that were handed out to various individual winners and team sports champions in various categories of events, more than seventy wheel chairs were handed out to some of the athletes in a bid to alleviate the pains and ease movement of physically challenged sports men and women in the State.

    The Commissioner in his remark after the event said the state is the proud owner of the first Gold medalist for Nigeria in the last London Olympics, in person of Yakubu Adesokan and the State cannot but to consolidate on such great achievement by ensuring that more potential world champions are discovered and nurtured to stardom while promising that the next edition of the competition will be even bigger and better.

    Special athletes that benefitted from the government’s good gesture were full of thanks to the Commissioner for not forgetting physically challenged athletes and initiating an annual tournament which entered its second edition this year for them.

  • Muslims pray for Ekiti deputy governor

    Muslims in Ekiti State yesterday gathered at the Government House’s Mosque in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, to pray for the quick recovery of ailing Deputy Governor Mrs. Funmilayo Olayinka.

    Prayers were also offered for the state government.

    Mrs. Olayinka has been ill for a few weeks.

    The prayer session, led by the Chief Imam of the mosque, Alhaji Abdulfatai Olorunkemi, lasted about two hours.

    Secretary to the State Government Alhaji Ganiyu Owolabi and the Deputy Chief of Staff, Alhaji Mojeed Jamiu were present.

    Also in attendance were the Special Adviser to the Governor on Political Matters, Mr. Ayodele Jinadu; Chairman of the Civil Service Commission, Alhaji Afolabi Ogunlayi and the Chairman of the Muslims Pilgrims Welfare Board, Alhaji Ganiyu Olowoyo.

    Imam Olorunkemi said being ill is human, adding that many great men and women in the Qur’an also took ill.

    He said: “To be ill is human, as there is no one who cannot be ill. What we are doing is important because there is no one to turn to in periods of adversity but God.

    “We are gathered here because the achievements of the state government in the past two-and-a half-years are great and the deputy governor contributed to it. She weathered the storms of the struggle.

    “Allah calls himself assamad, which means He is the last hope. Whatever you do; only God can assist you. We pray that what we do not plan for does not become our portion in the holy name of Allah.”

    Owolabi said: “Prayer is an essential component of the life of a believer. To call on God on behalf of the deputy governor is a good move, because she is a pillar in the present administration.

    “She is a great woman, who has given all she has to Ekiti State. We pray the Almighty restores her to full health soon, so that she can resume her duties.”

  • Ex-senator for Anambra governor

    A former member of the National Assembly, Sen. Emmanuel Anosike, has signified his intention to contest the 2014 governorship election in Anambra.

    Anosike announced his aspiration at a stakeholders meeting in Umuleri, Anambra East Local Government Area on Monday.

    The ex-lawmaker, who is aspiring on the platform of the PDP, lauded the position of the Governor, Peter Obi, that the governorship slot be given to Anambra North Senatorial zone.

    Anosike said many stakeholders of the party were in support of his ambition and urged others support.

    He recalled that in the past he had contributed to the development of the state.

    The politician pledged to contribute more to the speedy development of the state in all sectors if given the opportunity to be at the helm of affairs.

     

  • Governor as trouble-shooter

    Since I left my comfort-zone, the newsroom in June 2011 to start operating as a member of the Ogun State Government, I have never been scared or saddened by any development than by the events of March 5. Despite the fact that the news had been in the air at the weekend that the state House of Assembly might erupt in crisis, I believed that the 24 gentlemen and the two ladies would always manage their differences and be tamed by the facts of our recent history.

    When the legislators again gathered as a committee of the whole on March 4 to screen our new Attorney- General and Commissioner for Justice, Mrs. Abimbola Akeredolu and I watched the news of how the session went unimpeded with the woman getting a handshake from all the legislators, I became more than sure that all was under control. However, when the news came that Tuesday morning, that the House had been divided to two warring camps ready to do battle, I became worried.

    At that point, there was little anybody could do but to pray. Though, I am not a politician, I can say that through regular contact with all our legislators at official and unofficial fora convened by my boss, Governor Ibikunle Amosun, I have a good relationship with all or most of them. However, by that Tuesday morning, no relationship would suppress the high-stake power-game that was about to play out. As a member of the executive which, from all indications, was not involved in the bickering in the legislative arm, why was I scared by the events of March 5 in which Ogun State again tested the veracity and functionality of Baron de Montesquieu’s theory of Separation of Powers and the corollary checks and balances?

    I knew that with the House of Assembly in crisis, with members damaging their symbol of authority, the mace, and different allegations aimed at drawing attention and currying favour in the public opinion divide, we would be sending danger signals that the state was about to return to the jungle era of 2009 to 2010. Ogun State that has in the last 20 months been making a gradual return to its usual progressive, development-driven state would now be seen to be relapsing into the ugly period when we got unsolicited front-page news mention for the wrong reasons.

    When the House of Assembly is not in session because the membership is divided against itself, its leadership is in dispute and its chamber is surrounded by security men who were battle ready to prevent breakdown of law and order, what can the executive achieve? Only an executive arm that wants to play the ostrich or delude itself would revel in being an oasis of peace surrounded by a troubled legislature.

    More importantly, the fight in the legislature makes my own job as a spokesman for the government more difficult. Instead of talking about development projects and life-changing policies and programmes aimed at truly rebuilding our dear state, the information manager becomes a reactionary or propaganda agent who either has to defend an allegation or raise a counter-allegation in defence of the government. In any case, the government will always be drawn into debates about who is playing what role in the House of Assembly.

    By extension, the fight in the House has the potentials to cause an unpleasant distraction and divert public attention from the various on-going development efforts. The hundreds of kilometres of roads being expanded to create room for six-lane ‘Ogun Standard’ roads, the model schools under construction which will redefine infrastructural provision in public secondary schools, the model hospitals which will soon dot the landscapes of each of our nine federal constituencies, various policies aimed at making our state the preferred investors’ destination and the revolutionary projects and programmes aimed at restoring the state’s comparative advantage in agriculture, among other life changing policies, were about to be stalled and dwarfed by the events of last Tuesday.

    Again, it should be noted that many believe any fight in the House of Assembly is a proxy war between key characters in the executive, the ruling party or the political space as a whole. Those who have experienced a similar situation in our state under the previous administration vowed that if the group opposed to the House establishment did not have some money bags already sponsoring their action before the fight broke, they would have several offers within 24 hours.

    It is as a result of these considerations that my heart jumped into my mouth as the facts of the fight in the Ogun State House of Assembly unfolded. However, I was very relieved that evening when Governor Amosun chose not to attend the meeting of leaders of the new party, Action Progressive Congress (APC) holding in Abuja. He then assured everybody that the crisis will definitely not last.

    It was a good test of his popularity and reputation when he invited the legislators to a meeting in his office the following morning and all of them were present. I remember one of the legislators telling me before the meeting commenced that he cried most of the night because he realized the implication of such a bitter fight on peace and progress in the state. Another one said he was sure that with the governor’s intervention, normalcy will be restored because all of them have utmost respect for the governor, whose programmes, policies, bills and nominees have always got the approval of the legislature after all necessary debates.

    It is in the light of all these considerations that one should see the timely intervention of Senator Amosun in nipping in the bud an ugly development which could have consumed the state. The governor’s timely intervention ensured that mischief makers did not capitalize on the situation. The speedy trouble-shooting prevented a situation where combatants embark on ego-trip and get entrenched in their different positions.

    By playing the role of a peacemaker in a fight in which one of the groups was already erroneously being touted as having his support while the members of the other were making insinuations against the position of the Governor, Senator Amosun chose to be a statesman rather than a politician. He played the role of the father-figure to the feuding legislators. By putting the interest of our dear state and its good people above political expediency and personal ego, the governor has shown that he is the father of all.

    More importantly, it was the governor who suggested the popular line on which the reconciliation in the House of Assembly is now based. He was the one who said the legislators should go and apologise to the good people of the state who elected all of them into office. While leading the way in tendering apology to the people, he also found the right symbolism in the 106th birthday of the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, which coincidentally was that very day the legislators were re-united. I believe Governor Amosun came out of the situation as the typical cultured, progressive and patriotic ‘omo Ogun’.

    While I pray that Ogun State should never return to that era when we were a shame to other truly democratic societies, I know that the governor needs to continue to enjoy the goodwill of all stakeholders so that he can be able to rally all, at all times, for good causes.

    • Olaniyonu is Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Ogun State

  • Union greets Bayelsa governor

    Students of Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State under the banner of the National Union of Ogbia Students (NUOS) have congratulated Governor Seriake Dickson on his administration’s one year anniversary.

    The president of the union, Israel Osain, in a statement, noted that the Dickson-led administration has made significant impact in security, infrastructure, education, energy, transport and agriculture in the past one year, despite flood that occurred in the state last year.

    The 300-Level student of University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) outlined the re-establishment of the state’s College of Arts and Science (BYCAS), relocation of the College of Education from Okpoama to Sagbama for purposes of accessibility, establishment of Maritime Academy in Okpoama as well as the disbursement of N1 billion for postgraduate scholarship scheme as part of the administration’s efforts aimed at encouraging education in the state.

    He urged the government to maintain the tempo of the work and consolidate on its achievement, which he said would take the state to the next level. He stressed the need for the government to always make funds available to pay the bursary of the Bayelsa State students in many tertiary institutions.

    He wished Governor Dickson and his team more years of purposeful leadership.

     

  • Imo Assembly probes deputy governor

    •Govt: the matter has been resolved 

    The Imo State House of Assembly has refuted reports that it has begun impeachment proceedings against Deputy Governor Jude Agbaso.

    It said it is only probing Agbaso for an alleged contract scam.

    In a statement by the Senior Special Assistant (Media) to Speaker Benjamin Uwajumogu, the House said there was no plot to impeach the Deputy Governor.

    The statement reads: “The attention of the Imo State House of Assembly has been drawn to several reports that Deputy Governor Jude Agbaso would be impeached by the Assembly.

    “There is no plot to impeach the deputy governor. The media report is false.

    “The Assembly is only investigating a case of corruption, abandonment of contract site and over-payment involving Agbaso and a construction company, Jepros Nig Ltd.

    “An ad hoc committee has been set up to look into the allegation and the deputy governor has appeared before the committee three times.

    “The committee is yet to submit its report. And the Assembly will not allow external forces to influence its investigation.”

    Agbaso was alleged to have committed some misdeeds, a situation that led to a protest by some contractors.

    Sources said this was responsible for his removal as Commissioner for Works by Governor Rochas Okorocha.

    Some contractors, it was gathered, accused Agbaso of alleged sharp practices, an allegation that prompted the House to begin investigation.

    Efforts by the House to summon the Chairman of the Contractors Association, Kenneth Oguenyi, who led a protest in Onuimo Local Government Area, proved abortive.

    All entreaties for him to appear before the Committee investigating the allegation were unheeded.

    A source said the probe would have began earlier, if Oguenyi had come forth to prove the allegation.

    “We have officially summoned him on radio without response.

    “He even demanded for air ticket which we obliged, yet he has refused to show up.

    “We are going ahead with our job. Already, we have enough evidence to act on and at the end of the day, there will be no sacred cows.

    “Anyone indicted and found guilty will be punished.”

    The House last week ordered the Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Katsina, to issue a warrant to arrest Oguenyi.

    But the Special Assistant to the Governor on Media, Ebere Uzoukwa, said the face-off between Agbaso and the House has been resolved, following Okorocha’s intervention.

    “The governor, who was to travel abroad for an official engagement, aborted the trip.

    He met with the committee, the deputy governor and some All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) leaders, which ended the face-off.”

    Uzoukwa said Agbaso denied the allegation, promising to face the law if found guilty.

    “The deputy governor has said the allegation was to tarnish his image and cause disaffection between him, the governor and other stakeholders.”

     

  • ‘Why I want to be Kano governor’

    ‘Why I want to be Kano governor’

    All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) chieftain and Deputy Minority Leader of the House of Representatives Alhaji Kawu Sumaila spoke with EMMANUEL OLADESU on his ambition to succeed Kano State Governor Musa Kwakwanso in 2015.

    Why are you contesting for Kano State governorship?

    By the grace of God, I have been endorsed by the leaders of the party at all levels for the governorship. They took the decision to effect changes and move the state forward. They believe I am fit for the position. I am contesting because I want Kano State to move forward.

    What are those things you will like to achieve or deliver to the people, if you are elected as governor?

    The most important thing is for us to restore trust and confidence and re-connect the people with government in Kano State. The governor of Kano State is not expected to behave as a dictator or push things down the throats of the people. Our religion has taught us the virtue of consultation. Therefore, we will adopt a new method of governance by bringing all those whom God have blessed with every kind of knowledge and wisdom closer to enable us formulate government policies and programmes on the principle of consultation and respect for one another.

    What are your manifestos?

    The people are not feeling the impact of governance in Kano State. There is gap between the government and people that should be closed. We will try to find ways of changing the thinking and perception of the people about governance. We will give more priority to this than anything else by changing the way things are done and how people see government. This is greater than providing water, electricity, roads health care and so on. How do we agree that the situation we are in must be corrected? The failure of leadership can create more problems.

    Recently, I read in the news that, in Chicago, United States, they had 49 incidences of shooting in just one month. This is a place where there are light, water, good roads, health care and all social amenities, and a social system that is working. But they lack values; good values that will teach them that taking another person’s life is bad, dangerous, inhuman and ungodly. So, if this can happen in America; a country that is always providing jobs for its people, we must be wiser here by chanhing the peoples’ thoughts, attitudes and perception.

    People are saying that you are too young to be governor. What is your reaction?

    I don’t think this is an issue at all. For example, the late Alhaji Abubakar Rimi was 38 years old when he became the governor of Kano State. Now, we are in the digital age, where knowledge is at your finger tips with computers, internet and the social media. Also, Alhaji Kabiru Gaya was a governor at 38 years. In fact, Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso became the governor when he was a little over 40 in 1999. Saminu Turaki was 38 and now, I am 45 and from now to the time that the elections will be held, I will be 47 years old, God willing. How old was President Barack Obama when he was first elected in 2008?

    What we are talking about now is bigger than age. The important issue is whether the person is competent to fill the vacuum bring about effective government in Kano.

    You declared under ANPP at a time the party is merging with other parties to form the APC. Is that not a contradiction?

    There is no problem at all. I am in the merger committee that is discussing the issue. By God’s grace, there won’t be any problem. We will merge, and from that time, there will be no ANPP. Now, I am still serving as an elected federal legislator on the platform of the ANPP. We don’t have internal crisis. I don’t have the right to leave the party, based on the provisions of the constitution, until such a time that the new party is registered by the INEC.

    People are saying that it is too early for you to declare interest in the race. Don’t you think they are right?

    People want change. They are in a hurry to effect that change. Do we wait until the eve of elections? No. We can’t have the change in a day or on the eve of the elections. We need to know people and people need to know us. We must be very familiar with ourselves and understand them and the kind of difficulties they are facing as a people so that we we come in, we will be fully equipped with the knowledge of what our people are facing. We will not embark on an emergency arrangement. We are already discussing with people, associations, labour unions, women groups,youths. This will afford them the opportunity to ask us questions and we will learn from them because we are students who are seeking for knowledge at all times.

    What has been the response of the people to your aspiration?

    The people want change, progress and transformation. They know that we must come out as a people to free ourselves from this bondage. Things have gone from bad to worse; our economy is in shambles, our values as a people have deteriorated. Kano is known for not just commerce, but also Islamic scholarship. From Kurmi Market, people travel to Tripoli in Libya and Gao in Mali for business and scholarship. The people of Kano are “islamically educated” for more than 700 years. We have writings of great people of Kano who wrote about their interactions with Libyans, Egyptians and so on. So, we want to bring back that lost value. We want to bring back what made people to respect us. We should reflect on our position for now. According to the UNICEF, literacy is the ability to read and write and over 700 years ago, our people knew how to read and write, using Ajami in Arabic. So, we must go back to those values and merge it with the western education. But now, we are like an upstairs; we have left that which we inherited and have gone to pick another one which we do not really know. Now it is time to make a bridge between the two so that our people will be satisfied.