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Tag: Katsina

  • 23 killed as vehicles crash into collapsed bridge in Katsina

    Twenty-three people have been killed when their vehicles plunged into a collapsed bridge at Yar’randa village in Charanchi Local Government Area of Katsina State.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) learnt that the first bus conveying 24 passengers reportedly plunged into the bridge a few minutes after it collapsed on Monday night.

    According to an eyewitness, the bridge collapsed about 9.30pm following a downpour. Moments after, the bus, with registration number XA 328 KZR, conveying passengers from Kano to Katsina, fell into the bridge.

    The villagers said efforts to alert the bus driver were unsuccessful as he was on high speed.

    The bus and the passengers were swept away by the heavy current. Some of the bodies were recovered miles away in Ajiwa, the villagers and officials told NAN.

    NAN also learnt that only two of the passengers in the bus, including a student of the Federal College of Education, Bichi, Kano State, Jamilu Aminu-Elder, survived.

    Aminu-Elder, who was seen on the scene, could not speak as he was in shock.

    The police said 10 bodies had been recovered and deposited at the mortuary of the General Hospital, Kankia. The search for 12 others was ongoing.

    Another person was reported dead when the vehicle he was travelling in, a Mitsubishi truck, fell into the water about 5a.m yesterday.

    Two other persons in the vehicle, however, survived. A motorcyclist with his passenger, who also plunged into the collapsed bridge, were rescued.

    Deputy Police Commissioner Bala Senchi, who visited the scene, confirmed the incident.

    He said the police were not certain on the casualty figure.

    The police chief said the search for the missing passengers was on.

    Senchi said policemen had been deployed in the area to control traffic and prevent further accidents.

    Malam Rabi’u Ibrahim, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry for Works and Housing and an official of the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) visited the scene to assess the damage.

    Ibrahim said a report would be sent to the Katsina State Government for prompt intervention.

    He condoled with the families of the victims and prayed for the repose of their souls.

     

  • Flood ravages five Katsina local govts

    Flood has displaced scores of people and destroyed property worth millions of naira in five local government areas in Katsina State.

    Alhaji Hassan Rawayau, the Executive Director of the state’s Rehabilitation and Emergency Relief Agency (RERA), told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Katsina yesterday that the incident followed last week’s downpour in the affected areas.

    The flood, he said, affected Kankia, Charanchi, Mashi, Daura and Zango local government areas, where homes, household items and farms were damaged.

    But no life was lost, the Agency chief added.

    According to him, officials of RERA and NEMA Northwest zone have visited the affected areas to sympathise with the victims and assess the extent of the damage.

    Rawayau said the assessment of the situation was to provide assistance to the victims.

    He urged the victims to consider the flood as an act of God and prayed against future recurrence.

    NAN reports that in Kankia Local Government Area, the flood also caused the collapse of Kankia Dam and washed away several farmlands.

     

     

  • Katsina trains 4, 820 youths

    A total of 4, 820 youths have been trained in various skills at the Katsina Youth Crafts Village since it was established in 2009 by the state government, an official has said.

    The Special Adviser on Science and Technology to Governor Ibrahim Shema,Alhaji Sule Kuki, said this in an interview with the newsmen in Katsina.

    He said the centre was established to train unemployed youths on various skills in order to make them self employed.

    “The beneficiaries were trained on trades like welding and fabrication, tie and dye, auto mechanics and electrical, handset and computer repairs, carpentry and others,” he said.

    The special adviser said those trained were assisted by the government with working tools and start up capital with which to set up their own businesses.

    According to him, the beneficiaries included youths from the state and its neighbours as well as the neighbouring Niger Republic.

    Kuki said the state government had recently approved the construction of two additional skills training centres in Daura and Funtua following the successes recorded by the youth crafts village.

    “Many officials from other states have visited the crafts village to study the operations and facilities for its replication in their respective states,” he said.

  • World Population Day: Preventing Teenage Maternal Mortality

    World Population Day: Preventing Teenage Maternal Mortality

    Abiodun Alade writes that as the world commemorates the World Population Day, awareness on the issue of adolescent pregnancy and creating a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe, and every young person’s potential is fulfilled, has been put in front burner.

    “When we devote attention and resources to the education, health and wellbeing of adolescent girls, they will become an even greater force for positive change in society that will have an impact for generations to come. On this World Population Day, let us pledge to support adolescent girls to realize their potential and contribute to our shared future,” the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki Moon said in his goodwill message on this year’s world population day.

    The United Nations’ (UN) World Population Day is annually observed on July 11 to reaffirm the human right to plan for a family. It encourages activities, events and information to help make this right a reality throughout the world.

    As Nigeria joins the rest of the world to celebrate the day, the chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC), Chief Festus Odimegwu said the current teenage maternal mortality rate is put at 0.822 per 1,000 women. Odimegwu said this at a briefing to mark the 2013 World Population Day in Abuja.

    According to him, the figure remains high particularly in the northern parts of Nigeria, adding that, “Kastina state has the highest number of teenage pregnancy according to the 2008 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS).  Katsina, with 65 per cent of cases of teenage pregnancy tops the table; Edo State has the lowest rate of teenage pregnancy, which the report puts at 2.9 per cent.”

    Indeed, between last year and now there has been rising cases of teenage maternal mortality worldwide. In Nigeria, adolescent fertility rate stands at 121 live births per 1, 000, according to Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS).

    The figure is high when compared to statistics from other African countries such as Algeria with seven live births per 1,000; South Africa with 58 per 1,000 and Ghana with 63 per 1,000.

    But what are the major causes of this high mortality rate particularly in Nigeria? Odimegwu believes that the maternal mortality rate is aided by unsafe abortions, pregnancy complications, poor ante natal care and weak pelvic bones, while major consequences for the teenage mother include curtailment of educational attainment and likely unstable marital life.

    Other causes he outlined are poverty, sexual abuse, ignorance, cultural and religious beliefs. He appealed for concerted efforts among all stakeholders to curb the rising trend and pledged the commitment of the NPC to effectively implement the national population policy.

    The various interventions of the federal government in the health and education sectors, he added, would not only help reduce the scourge but also mitigate the negative impact on the girl child.

    On his part, the Deputy Country Representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Dr. Osaretin Adorin, in a goodwill message, said issues of teenage pregnancy should not only be considered a health issue, but that of human rights.

    “Their bodies are not even matured enough, so both the mother and child suffer. It is sometimes a case of a baby becoming a mother,” he added just as he called for the enactment and implementation of policies that protect the girl child.

    Corroborating this view, the president of Esther Child Right Foundation, Mrs. Esther Ogwu said that poverty, lack of parental care and single parenting are parts of the causes of teenage pregnancy.

    “Poverty is an issue, especially when the parents cannot and are not providing for the children. However money is not just the reason but parental care and communication; some parents find it difficult to discuss with their wards. Their children can hardly ask them questions, so they end up not knowing what those teenagers are passing through. Most schools are not also training them well; some schools don’t teach sex education, leaving the pupils and students to wrong information. The issue of single parenting also brings about negligence in some families.”

    Ogwu pointed out that most victims of teenage pregnancy end up dropping out from schools and sometimes find it difficult to fulfill their potentials in life. “Some of them drop out from schools; they also find it difficult to forgive themselves especially when they see their peers doing well in the society. They also end up as unprepared mothers,” she added.

    The President of Compassionate Women Initiative, Mrs. Mary Olasupo, noted that the consequences of teenage pregnancy includes; public embarrassment, education setback, untimely death, early marriage, emotional trauma. She also called on the various stakeholders in the society to provide an enabling environment for the upbringing of the girl child.

    World Population Day aims to increase people’s awareness on various population issues such as the importance of family planning, including gender equality, poverty, maternal health and human rights.

    The day is celebrated worldwide by business groups, community organizations and individuals in many ways. Activities include seminar discussions, educational information sessions and essay competitions. In 1968 world leaders proclaimed that individuals had a basic human right to determine freely and responsibly the number and timing of their children.

    About 40 years later modern contraception remains out of reach for millions of women, men and young people. World Population Day was instituted in 1989 as an outgrowth of the Day of Five Billion, marked on July 11, 1987. The UN authorized the event as a vehicle to build an awareness of population issues and the impact they have on development and the environment.

    In 1989, in its decision 89/46, the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme recommended that, in order to focus attention on the urgency and importance of population issues in the context of overall development plans and programmes and the need to find solutions for these issues, 11 July should be observed by the international community as World Population Day.

    Since then, with the United Nations Population Fund’s (UNFPA) encouragement, governments, non – governmental organizations, institutions and individuals organize various educational activities to celebrate the annual event.

    As the world population edged to 7 billion people in 2011 (up from 2.5 billion in 1950), it has had profound implications for development. A world of 7 billion is both a challenge and an opportunity with implications on sustainability, urbanization, access to health services and youth empowerment.

    About 16 million girls under age 18 give birth each year. Another 3.2million undergo unsafe abortions. The vast majority – 90 per cent — of the pregnant adolescents in the developing world are married. But for far too many of these girls, pregnancy has little to do with informed choice. Often it is a consequence of discrimination, rights violations (including child marriage), inadequate education or sexual coercion.

  • Centre trains 450 youths

    The Funtua Skills Acquisition Centre, established by the Funtua Local Government Council in Katsina State, has trained 450 youths on various skills.

    The Transition Committee Chairman of the Local Government, Alhaji Abdu Isa, said this in Funtua while disbursing the fourth phase of the N2 million interest-free micro-credit loans to 200 youths in the area.

    He said the training and the micro-credit loans were aimed at promoting self-reliance among youths, advising the beneficiaries to invest the funds wisely.

    He urged wealthy individuals and non-governmental organisations to support the centre to ensure maximum success of the scheme.

    Males and females,he said, were trained on knitting, sewing, gas and electrical welding as well as refrigerator and air conditioner repairs.

    He also listed computer appreciation studies, mobile handset repairs, electrical installation and painting as some of the skills imparted.

    He said the scheme would reduce poverty and promote employment opportunities as each participant would work and teach others.

    Isa said the scheme was designed to change the lives of beneficiaries as well as focus on viable productive means that would contribute to the development of the area and the nation.

    The Co-ordinator of the centre, Alhaji Muhammad Rabi’u, commended the chairman for the effort, saying that it had impacted positively on the people of the area.

     

  • Group empowers 225 youths

    The President of National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarding (NAGAFF),Mr Eugene Nweke, said the association had empowered 225 youths on freight forwarding in Katsina State.

    Nweke disclosed this in an interview with journalists in Lagos.

    He said that the youths were undergoing training in freight forwarding to enhance their capacity in the profession.

    Nweke also said that some youths had also been re-enrolled in the state owned-institutions for further professional exposure.

    He said that the association would open more branches in states in the North to empower youths in freight forwarding.

    “NAGAFF is already in Kano and Abuja and the association will continue to expand on this,” he said.

    Nweke said that some youths in Jibia in Kastina were also furthering their education on freight forwarding.

    He said that the association would partner with other government agencies to empower the youths.

     

  • Five die, others injured in Katsina accidents

    The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has confirmed the death of five passengers in two road accidents in Kurfi, Katsina State, on Monday.

    FRSC Sector Commander in the state, Alhaji Habu Dauda, said yesterday the first accident involved a Golf car, with registration number AE 838 DTM and a Honda Accord car, marked (Abuja) FE 62 ABJ.

    He said the two vehicles collided at Batsari junction, a few kilometres to Kurfi. They resulted in the death of three persons while three others were injured.

    According to him, the second accident involved a Peugeot 406 car, marked (Abuja) EK 871 ABJ and a Toyota Corolla car, with registration number AA 787 SFN.

    The FRSC chief explained that the two vehicles also had a head-on collision at Dabawa village, a few kilometres from the scene of the first accident.

    Dauda said two persons died immediately, while six injured passengers were rushed to the hospital.

    The sector commander attributed the two accidents to reckless driving.

    He advised motorists to avoid dangerous driving, wrong overtaking and speeding, which he said are the major causes of road accidents in the country.

    The Chairman of Kurfi Local Government Area, Alhaji Nura Amadi, visited the injured at a hospital in Kurfi.

    He promised to settle their medical bills.

    Amadi prayed God for the repose of the souls of the deceased.

    The council chair urged motorists to always abide by traffic rules and regulations.

     

  • 2015: Katsina PDP panics over APC

    2015: Katsina PDP panics over APC

    Ahead of the 2015 general election in Katsina State, the ruling People Democratic Party (PDP) is having sleepless nights over the emergence of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Assistant Editor, Dare Odufowokan reports

     

    Fear of losing the April 2015 governorship election in the state is said to have sparked panic within the Katsina State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    Checks by The Nation revealed that leaders of the ruling party in the northwest state are worried that the party’s candidate in the forthcoming election may suffer defeat in the hands of the emerging All Progressive Congress (APC).

    A member of the National Working Committee of the PDP who is from the state said the PDP leadership in Katsina State is disturbed by the threat posed by the merger of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and the All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP).

    He, however, said the party under the leadership of Governor Ibrahim Shema is not folding its arms while the new party run riot on the political space of the state.

    The source, who pleaded anonymity, said, “This is not an easy one for us in Katsina. The merger of Buhari’s CPC and the ANPP is a serious threat to the PDP in the state.

    “On their own, the two parties have followership in Katsina. General Buhari and Aminu Bello Masari are respected sons of the state. When such parties now go into a merger, it is certain to bring headache to the ruling party and we are really worried by the development.

    “Politics is a game of numbers and it is the party with the largest followership that wins. So we are bothered that the combination of the two parties must be checked if we are to retain our hold on the politics of the state.”

    Also, recent statements by leaders of the PDP in the state indicate that the party is having sleepless nights over the emergence of the APC ahead of the 2015 general election in the state.

    For example, the speaker of State House of Assembly, Alhaji Ya’u Umar Gwajo-gwajo, recently warned members of the party in the state against the dangers of its losing an election in 2015.

    “We will all be in trouble in an event we lost an election,” the speaker warned.

    According to sources, Gwajo-Gwajo, who gave the warning at the PDP Daura Zonal meeting few weeks back in Kankia, averred that ‘in case we lost an election even a messenger from our side will see hell; we will not have it easy with the opposition.’

    The speaker’s fear is built on the daily progress being made in the state by the opposition, especially the APC, while members of the ruling party look on helplessly.

    “The speaker lamented that despite the goodies enjoyed by the PDP members and the good job done by the party in the state, members could not come out to defend their leaders whenever they are being verbally attacked by the opposition.

    “He wondered why PDP members could not talk when opposition are attacking their leaders. He argued that Governor Shema has done a lot in the state but the opposition is now very critical of him while PDP members watched helplessly,” a source who was at the meeting reported.

    The speaker was later to admonishs members of the party to put more efforts in propagating the ideals of the party at all levels if the PDP is to defeat the APC in 2015.

    “He even added that the party must revive regular meetings to discuss the way forward and woo new members because the new APC is spreading its tentacles all over the state. He said because the new party is having regular discussion with the people, they are daily winning more and more PDP members over,” our source said.

    The speaker is not the only one sounding notes of warning over the fate of the ruling party in 2015. Another PDP chieftain in the state and former governor of defunct Kaduna State, Alhaji Muhammad Lawal Kaita, is also worried that the party is ‘too far away from the people.’

    Speaking recently with party members and leaders, Kaita said the PDP needs to put its house in order so as to be able to confront the emerging opposition party. He cautioned the party against underrating the new party.

    The politician also urged members of the party to imbibe the culture of regular meeting as according to him ‘it is through such meetings that issues of the party will be addressed.’

    Although Governor Shema will not be eligible to seek re-election in 2015, the PDP is desirous of retaining its hold on the state. In line with this, the party is working round the clock to produce a gubernatorial candidate that will be acceptable to the people.

    But analysts say the current fear amongst party leaders may not be unconnected with certain factors in the politics of the state that daily make the possibility of the ruling party defeating the emerging APC a tall dream.

    “During the last general election in the state, many people saw the victory of PDP at the governorship poll as fraudulent. This feeling was based on the fact that the party performed below par at the national assembly elections a week earlier.

    “The CPC won all three senatorial seats in the state and twelve out of the fifteen House of Representatives seats available leaving PDP with just three. How Governor Shema was able to emerge the winner of the governorship poll is still a subject of serious debate today.

    “Consequently, there is no doubt in the minds of PDP leaders that then CPC is a very popular party in the state. Way back in 2003 and 2007, the ANPP ranked neck and neck with the PDP in the politics of the state. The party was the toast of the southern parts of the state and is still very loved by the locals in those areas even today.

    “The merger of these two parties in Katsina will surely create panic within the troubled PDP whose sitting governor would not be seeking another term. The current tussle for the governorship ticket of the party is also likely to further weaken the party before the governorship contest,” Abu Kankia, Vice Chairman of the Coalition of Registered Political Parties (CRPP) in the state, said.

    Within the PDP, those said to be nursing governorship ambition include the Deputy Governor, Abdullahi Faskari; Senator Ibrahim Ida; Musa Sada, who is the current Minister of Mines and Steel, and the Comptroller- General of Customs, Dikko Inde. Others are the current Commissioner for Agriculture, Musa Adamu; Nura Khalil; and former Executive Secretary of the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), Muttaqa Darma.

    Already the rivalry among these heavyweights is said to have polarised the party into groups with each loyal to one of the aspirants. Several attempts by the leadership of the party to heal the cracks failed as incidents of clashes between the various groups continue unabated in the state.

    Also suspected to have led to the panic within the PDP in the state is the news of PDP members daily dumping the party to join the emerging APC across the state.

    Recently, three hundred members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Gurzar Kuka village of Danmusa Local Government Area of the state reportedly defected to the Congress of Progressive Change, CPC.

    Sources said a member of the House of Representatives, (Safana/Danmusa/Batsari federal constituency), Gambo Musa, received the defectors who are from Danmusa B ward of the Local Government Area.

    “It is our joy that the people of the constituency have started to know what is good for them. We welcome you and pray that more people will defect to APC in the area. This is your party and we receive you as full members of our great party. We assure you of equal treatment with all members of the party,” the lawmaker said.

    Sources said the spokesperson of the defectors, Awwalu Gurza, said they are joining the APC because of their conviction that the party is the best for the people of the state.

    Stories of such defection by PDP members into the APC are now very common within the state and sources within the ruling party revealed that the leadership of the party finds this very disturbing.

    “On several occasions the leaders of the party have met the governor and other stakeholders to discuss the disturbing trend. Efforts are now on to revive all organs of the party from the wards to the state level. The fear is that if something drastic is not done, the APC may swing a surprise at the next general election,” a source said.

    But Alhaji Babajo Ibrahim-Funtua, a chieftain of the ruling party, is of the opinion that in spite of the current frenzy over the emergence of the APC, the PDP in Katsina is capable of retaining the state in its kitty come 2015.

    While he enjoined party loyalists to embrace efforts aimed at resolving differences among members, Funtua said a united PDP will defeat the merging political parties in Katsina State in 2015.

    Ibrahim-Funtua, who is also member of the National Board of Trustees from Katsina State, however, cautioned members against heating up the internal party politics and fuelling sentiments based on selfish interest, which, he said, were detrimental to the party’s success.

    He emphasised the need for combined efforts by members at all levels to resolve internal differences and woo more supporters ahead of forthcoming election in the state.

     

  • Windstorm destroys buildings at Yar’Adua University

    Windstorm destroys buildings at Yar’Adua University

    Nineteen structures were destroyed on Thursday by a 30-minute windstorm at the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua University, Katsina.

    The institution’s Deputy Vice- Chancellor (Academics), Prof. Sani Mashi, said this in Katsina on Friday.

    Conducting newsmen round the affected structures, Mashi said they include the senate building, laboratories, clinic, hostels, ICT centre, auditorium and offices.

    “As you can see, my office is also affected, sabbatical quarters of the university are destroyed in addition, many facilities and equipment were destroyed,’’ he said.

    According to him, no life is, however, lost and no injuries are recorded.

    Mashi said that the state government had sent a team to assess the extent of damage to the structures, and urged the government to quickly assist in the reconstruction of the structures.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the windstorm also pulled down many trees, electric poles, billboards, roofs of houses, filling stations and bus stops in the Katsina metropolis, particularly around Dutsin-ma and Kano roads.

    It would be recalled that the state Ministry of Environment had advised people in Katsina and Daura towns to prepare for heavy rains and possible floods in May.

    The advice was based on the alert received from the Nigerian Metrological Agency (NIMET) which forecasted heavy rains and floods in the two local government areas.

  • ‘Katsina Assembly can’t be rubber stamp’

    ‘Katsina Assembly can’t be rubber stamp’

    Katsina State House of Assembly Speaker Yau Gwajo-Gwajo spoke with reporters in Lagos on the Shema Administration and the pattern of executive/legislature relationship in the state. MUSA ODOSHIMOKHE reports the excerpts:

     

    How has it been in the last six years you have been the Speaker of theKatsina State House of Assembly?

    It has been challenging but God has made it easy for me. This is my second term as the speaker. For me, the credit goes to the Almighty Allah and my wonderful colleagues. I must say that I have enjoyed a wonderful working relationship with my colleagues. They made my job easy.

    I have been in politics since 1991 during the two-party system of the Ibrahim Babangida military regime when I was elected as councillor. Then, I was a teacher. So, I can say, with all humility, that I have gotten some experience, too.

    What is the relationship between the executive and the legislature in the state?

    It has been very cordial. It has been excellent. The reason for this peaceful relationship is simple. Our governor has only one vision, and that is how he can contribute his own quota to the development of the state. Of course, he has been doing this even before he became the governor. And since we are also here for the development of the state, it makes our job easier. You see, there is need to have a focused and prudent leadership. Whether at or at the federal level. Once the leadership is focused, it makes transformation of the state an easy job.

    How would you rate administration?

    It is focussed. And so, the state is not doing badly. We have a leader who knows what governance is all about; that it is not a tea-party. He knows that it is about the destiny of the people; about the common wealth of the people. If you are not prudent and focused, you cannot have the kind of development we are witnessing in the state presently.

    Do you know that education from primary to tertiary education is free in the state? Do you know that health care, too, is free, particularly, for infants and people above 60? Do you know that accident victims are treated free, even to the point of surgery? There are over 200 new schools built and more are still being built. Do you know that more than 400 students are outside the shores of this country on scholarship reading all kinds of courses? It is only in this state that we don’t differentiate which tribe you belong to. As far as we are concerned, we are all Nigerians. Also, we are one of the few states whose legislative arm enjoys full financial autonomy just like the judiciary. And when you have financial autonomy, it makes you more independent. And that is why we don’t need to inform the executive when we are going on any over sight functions.

    Critics say your oversight functions are mere rubber-stamp functions. How would you react to this?

    Let me say this. Our own oversight functions are real. We make resolutions, which are sent to the executive. I want to thank the governor at this point because there is really no resolutions that we have sent to him that he hasn’t acted on. When it comes to the budget, most of our resolutions are designed within the budget, and 75 per cent of the budget goes to capital projects and this is within the resolutions of the House. So, when he is preparing the next budget, we are always represented. Also, we go for our oversight functions every quarter, item by item, subhead by subhead, according to their releases so that we can cross check what is in the paper with what is on the ground. Beyond that, each and every one of us in the house also return to the house to give account of what the executive has executed in our constituencies, these are various ways by which we carry out our oversight functions.

    There are two major parties in the House. How have you been able to lead your colleagues, such that there has been no tension in the House and with the executive?

    I said earlier, if your mission is about the good of the people, then, it won’t be that difficult to lead your colleagues. The moment we all enter the chambers, we forget partisanship because we are all representing our people. Our goal is to serve our people, not parties. We don’t play politics in the House. Of course, outside the chambers, you can have majority leader or minority leader discussing with their members, but once we are inside, there is no difference.

    So, you insist the House is not rubber stamp of the executive?

    Having explained all that I have said so far, will it be fair, even to you, to now challenge the executive for no just cause? This is not a popularity contest, mind you. What would be the essence of confrontation with the executive? I just told you that most of our resolutions in the House are carried out by the executive. The budget is also a manifestation of our resolutions. Now tell me, on what ground are we going to confront them? I know that some states legislature are not in good terms with their executive but that does not mean every other state legislature should be in disagreement with the executive, not when the executive is performing. We have our full financial autonomy. As we speak now, some of my members are not in the country and the executive is not aware of it. The governor is not aware of this now. Is that not part of the independence we are talking about? So, how can we now be a rubber stamp? Is it only when we are confrontational and heat up the polity that we are not rubber stamp? I beg to disagree.

    Do you support the creation of more states?

    For me, it has more of advantages than its negative. Unfortunately, we don’t have leaders who are accommodating. If we do, there won’t be need looking for or agitating for more states. Everybody needs to be represented, however, small the group may be. Some of our leaders, who are privileged to lead us, when they get the opportunity to do so, they only concentrate development within a particular tribe or section. Of course, such a thing can only divide the people, and that is why this state is different. Be rest assured that if the governor gets three cars for example, it is given that it is the three senatorial districts that would get it. One for Funtua, one for Daura and one for Katsina. There is no preferential treatment here. I think states creation agitation is essentially because of injustice of unequal development or no development at all. If the leaders are justifying the resources available to them, I am sure there wont be this kind of agitation for states creation. Even if there would be, it won’t be this high.