Kano State Governor Abdullahi Ganduje spoke with reporters in Abuja on the challenges facing the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), zoning and other partisan issues. TONY AKOWE was there.
What are your achievements as governor of Kano State in the last four years?
During the last four years in Kano State, we witnessed alot of developments. But, I will just mention the very conspicuous ones because there are projects which you can see and programmes which you may not see. But, may hear about. We tried as much as we can to improve the outlook of Kano metropolis. Kano, being a mega city, transportation, issue of road network and security and water supply are very important. In other to improve the transportation system and road network, we had to introduce a number of new designs in form of road inter-change. We introduced flyovers, constructing a flyover of almost two kilometres to Sabon Gari and an under pass at Kofar Ruwa and another one at Madobi road and Zoo road. We also constructed hundreds of kilometres of roads across the various local government. In the area of youth employment, we embarked upon the training of our youths in different skills and give them employment. For instance, we under took a survey and found out that most of the motor mechanics in Kano are road side mechanics and in the present transportation system, vehicles are computerised. So we signed an agreement with Peugeot Automobile Nigeria to train at least 1000 auto mechanics engineers. We took 75 to them, they spent one years and graduated and were given certificates and empowerment. All of them are gainfully employed now. We took another 200made up of 150 boys and 50 girls who have graduated and so, women are now auto mechanics in Kano. We have taken another 250 made up of 200 boys and 50 girls who are expected to round up by November this year after which, we take another set. We also undertook another research to find out the skill that will give our youth automatic employment after training or become self employed. We identified 24 different skills and we employed a consultant to advice us on what to do with that.
What are your plans for the future?
What is important now is how do we take Kano to the next level? We have declared primary and secondary education free and compulsory, including girls education across the state. Infact, we are holding stakeholders summit on education in Kano state on the 3rd of September and the Vice President is coming to declare the summit open. What we intend to do is to ensure that instead of our population becoming a liability, it will be an asset. I am sure that you are aware of the almajiri issue. It is a serious issue in Nigeria today and breeding a lot of security issues. We decided to discuss with those who are operating the almajiri system so that we integrate it with our educational system. They have agreed and will be part of the summit. We made it compulsory because any child of school age in Kano must go to school. But Kano, being a commercial centre, we have influx of almajiris from all over north, from Chad and Niger. So, we are submitting a memo to the Northern States Governors Forum so that we have common legislation on the movement of almajiris from one state to the other. Unless we do that, the problem is difficult to solve in isolation and I believe that the memo will get the blessing of the northern states.
On agriculture, we are clustering our irrigation scheme and construct farm centres and irrigation facilities provided there. On the herdsmen/farmers clashes, we have succeeded in curtailing it in the state and has resolved the issue of cattle rustling and given amnesty to the fulanis who are involved in that. Now, we are going to construct farm settlements so that the herdsmen will no longer travel from one place to the other.
How can the herdsmen farmers’ clashes be querted?
We have been saying that as a way of solving the problem of herdsmen/farmers clash, the federal government should ban the herdsmen trekking from the northern part of Nigeria to the south because along the way, you get so many problems. Unless if they are domiciled in one place, then the issue of having peace and stability remain questionable. Not only that, the herdsmen men in Nigeria need to improve because herdsmanship is no more a socio-cultural issue, it should be a socio-economic issue. But the way they are managing it is socio-cultural because they have not succeeded in fighting poverty and poverty had not succeeded in fighting them. You cannot call a herdsman, a poor man because his moving with cows that worth millions of naira. But if he trek thousands of kilometres you cannot distinguish him from a poor man. That is why I said that he has not succeeded in killing poverty and poverty has not succeeded in killing him. Resettling the fulanis is the solution. Already, I have sponsored 75 of their children to Turkey to learn artificial insemination which they are practising all over now. Also, when they are settled, there is need to introduce new system of rearing cattle.
You created new emirates in Kano State that have created controversy. What would you say are your reasons for doing that?
The new Emirates has attracted a lot of attention and I think it is important for me to talk about it. There are three basic reasons why we created the new Emirates. First, it is because of history and demand by the people in the new Emirates. Secondly, to widen and deepen the participation of the traditional system in governance so that the traditional institution is no more an institution of rigalia, but an institution that is functional, work with the people and assist the government in the implementation of important programmes and projects. Thirdly, we want to create mini cities in the state so that some big towns can develop into cities while Kano mega city will continue to grow, while other towns are improved upon to become cities. By so doing, we believe it will improve the socio economic development of the rural areas. If we are talking of compulsory education, who will help you to ensure that all children goes to school? It is the Emir, the District head and the village and ward heads. It is the village heads that will help you in security system because the security agents alone cannot do it. It is also to improve the cultural activities. From the information we recieved, thousands things were bought during this sallah because of the decentralisation of the sallah celebration to major towns. The emirates have been created to involve them in governance which is very good.
But, there are those who believe that you created the new emirates because of the role the emir played during the election by not supporting your re-election bid…
The Emir of Kano has no problem with the creation of new Emirates in Kano. Of course, he had a problem with anti corruption agency in the state and the committee did its own work and submitted a report to the state government. Many people have been appealing to allow peace and stability in the state. The state government has already said that we do not intend to remove the Emir of Kano. But at the same time, we are sceptical in controlling the anti corruption agency because it is an independent body. But I believe there is peace and stability in the state. The role the Emir played during the election has to do with his own conviction. What is important is that we have won the election and we are not going to look back. So, the creation of Emirates has nothing to do with that misunderstanding. Afterall, Abubakar Rimi of blessed memory created Emirates. But, Rimi was a much younger and radical politician, but he was not as experienced as we are. That was why his own emirates could not survive. But this time, I want to assure you that even though it is in the court, it will survive. This shows experience in politics and governance.
Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has said the party should abandon zoning for competence in 2023. What is your reaction?
The way I looked at it is that it is an issue between idealism and realism. Idealism is a situation whereby things should be done in accordance with ideas. If things are done like that, then everybody should have equal treatment and everybody has equal chance to contest and then, what the people decide should be done. Now, the issue of realism. Nigeria is a multi ethnic, multi religious country with several geopolitical zones. In reality, people are yearning for participation of different political zones and not the politics of North and South. So, the reality of the situation is that people are crying of marginalisation in the leadership of the country. But, the idealism is that people should participate and be elected based on their capacity. So, it is not the governor of Kano state that should decide whether it is idealism or realism. It is the party that will determine which should be applied in Nigeria and you know that it is a political strategy. So, the political party should decide which option to follow.
Some people have said the herdmen killing people across the country are not Nigerians. What is your take on this…
I believe that there are three type of herdsmen in Nigeria. The first is those who are coming with thousands of cattle from West African countries and you dont expect them to carry the food for the cattle. Along the way, they have to cut trees and provide food for the cattle and that create some problem. They are attacked by farmers and along the line, they have learnt to attack farmers as well. They go about with their families on horses and donkeys and also carry arms and have graduated into being bandits. That is one category of herdsmen who are coming from West Africa. That is an ECOWAS problem which Nigeria should negotiate. The second is the herdsmen who are from the northern part of Nigeria. They trek through the north central zone to the south. They normally dont have alot of cattle like the ones coming from West Africa. Those ones too create problems because of trekking from one place to the other. The third one are those herdsmen who are born in places different from places of their socio-cultural and socio-religious origin. I am sure that in the south, you can get some fulani herdsmen who are born there and are not trekking to come to the north, but are permanently there. They also have problems because when their young ones cannot go to school, they can also cause problems. This is my own classification and I am doing it because I am a fulani man. So, I know what it feels to be a herdsman and business should not continue as usual. Herdsmanship should be a socio-economic venture and not a socio-cultural venture as it is right now.
What is your take on the call for revolution by a section of Nigerian youths?
This is unconstitutional and it is the creation of the opposition to some extent and those tribalists, especially when you consider what happened to the former Deputy Senate President in Germany. So, it is in the imagination of all those who wants to destabilise Nigeria. It is also the hand work of those religious extremists like El-Zakzaky people. If you know what happened in Iraq, you will discover that it is all about revolution. But, in Nigeria, we have elected a government. We have a constitution. We have a legislature and if you want to change the government, you go through the constitution. That is the most agreed change of government in all countries of the world. So, the call for revolution should not be taken lightly. They should be taken to court and treated according to the rule of law.
Also, you spoke of the influx of almajiris to Kano state. Are you saying that these almajiris are brought to the state from other places?
As I told you, we undertook a survey and found out that most ofthem are not from Kano. Some are from Niger, Chad, Katsina, Borno among other. The almajiri system is not flushing in the north east because of the effect of Boko haram. So, sometimes, you find a trailer load of almajiris being off loaded in Kano. That is how we had such large population of almajiris in Kano. There are a few of them who are from the rural areas of Kano.
You party, the APC can best be described as a house of commotion. There are insinuations that some of the governors are not happy with the national chairman and they are plotting his removal. Are you aware of this?
I am not aware of governors working against the national leadership of the APC. I have not heard of any such thing. The Progressive Governors will soon meet with the national Chairman because he has invited us for a meeting. So, I have not heard of any gang up against the national leadership and if it exist, I am not aware of it and I am not a party to it.