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Tag: Kwankwaso

  • Kwankwaso presents staff of office to emir of Kano

    Kwankwaso presents staff of office to emir of Kano

    Kano State Governor, Alhaji Rabi’u Kwankwaso, on Saturday presented the staff of office to the 14th Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi II.

    Sanusi was appointed the 14th Emir of Kano on June 8, 2014 after the death of Alhaji Ado Bayero, on June 6, 2014.

    NAN report that at the ceremony held at the newly constructed Coronation Hall at the Government House, Kwankwaso described the Emir as a “knowledgeable person who acquired both the Islamic and western education.’’

    He said the appointment of Sanusi was based on his personal track record of service and education, which are the pre-requisites, especially at this time.

    “This occasion is a unique one for me personally as I present this staff of office to Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi as the 14th Emir of Kano.

    “Above all, he is heir apparent of the throne, who has distinguished himself as an outstanding religious scholar that is quite conversant with our time,’’ he said.

    Kwankaso commended all personalities and dignitaries who came from far and near to grace the occasion.

    Responding, Sanusi promised to ensure justice and fairness in the discharge of his responsibilities.

    He also promised to discharge his duties with the fear of God and to treat the people equally in order to ensure peace, unity and economic growth and development of the emirate and the country.

    “With the responsibility vested on me, I promise to ensure justice and fairness to all for the sustenance of peaceful coexistence,’’ he said.

    The emir said he would continue to protect the rights of his subjects and in addition give useful and meaningful advice to leaders in the state and the country.

    “We will continue to protect the rights of our people and give other leaders useful and meaningful advice for the development of our state and the country.

    “Today is not a day for long speeches but a day of joy and thanks to the Almighty God,’’ he said.

    He used the occasion to call on politicians to ensure peaceful elections in the country.

    Sanusi urged district heads and other traditional rulers in the state to accord priority to issues of health, security, economy and education in their domains.

    Among dignitaries who attended the ceremony were the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III and the Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Umar El-kanemi.

    Others are Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, Emir of Zazzau, Alhaji Shehu Idris, Gen. Yakubu Gowon and Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari.

    Also in attendance were the governors of Kaduna, Sokoto, Zamfara, Yobe, Niger, Edo, Kwara and Borno, members of the diplomatic corps and members of the business community.

     

  • Kano N14.2b IPP facilities ready for installation, says Kwankwaso

    Kano N14.2b IPP facilities ready for installation, says Kwankwaso

    Kano State Independent Power Projects (IPP), estimated at N14.2 billion, will soon take off, Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso has said.

    The governor said the state had received two power generation turbines for Tiga and Challawa Gorge dams for installation.

    Kwankwaso spoke yesterday in Kano when he inspected four containers of electrical components for the Tiga IPP.

    The governor noted that eight similar containers of electrical appliances were already on the site.

    He said the four containers were displayed to high-ranking government officials at the Government House so that those who could not go to Tiga and Challawa could sample the multi-billion naira machinery.

    Kwankwaso said: “The two projects were approved at N14.2 billion, besides the N2 billion for conveying the electricity to the city.”

    The governor stressed that but for the determination of his administration, the projects would not have been realised.

    He said the Tiga IPP could generate 10 megawatts (MW), adding that five megawatts would power the Tamburawa and Challawa waterworks.

    According to him, the remaining five megawatts would power streetlights at night and sell to industries during the day, to generate revenue.

    Kwankwaso said 25MW for Challawa Gorge IPP would be dedicated to commercial purposes.

    The governor was excited that his administration had provided the state with power projects that would yield huge revenue to the government.

    Kwankwaso explained that besides the two dams, there were 21 others that could generate electricity in the state.

    The governor said another IPP project, at Minjibir Dam, had been earmarked in this year’s budget.

  • I will not talk until February 14th – Obasanjo

    I will not talk until February 14th – Obasanjo

    Former President Olusegun Obasanjo Wednesday in Kano refused to comment on the agitations surrounding the suspension of the February 14 General Elections, saying “I will comment on the election until 14th of February.”

    Obasanjo who was in Kano on the invitation of the Kano state governor Engineer Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso to commission the multi billion naira flyover located at the Ibrahim Taiwo road, commended Kwankwaso for the giant stride he has achieved in the provision of basic infrastructure in the state.

    He said Kwankwaso has actually made him proud by not disappointing the people of Kano of his leadership quality in steering the affairs of the state peacefully.

    Obasanjo who spoke on what the future could hold for Kwankwaso said; “Kwankwaso, it is very instructive to note that, and I will like to once again appreciate you for what you have done and what you are doing here.

    “As I said, the experience you have acquired as minister of defence, will continue to help you, I hope that such quality will stand for you for future endeavors, because I believe God has not finished with you yet.

    “My prayer and hope as you move along in life is that whatever your hand finds to do, you will do it in the best of your ability because the future is still beckoning.”

    Obasanjo who eulogizes Kwankwaso said; “Before I came to Kano this time, I have been hearing from the people who have been visiting Kano, that you have paid great attention to infrastructural development, I know of course you have also paid great attention to education and I said this to you.

    “From what I see you doing in education, sending Kano citizens who can excel to different universities in Nigeria, opening a second university in the state and also sending them to universities abroad. I say this to you 10 to 15 years from now, when all this measures you have taken have matured and yielding fruits, I will not be surprise to find Kano men and women in all corners of Nigeria,” he added.

     

  • Injustice forced Amaechi, Kwankwaso others out of PDP – Mu’azu

    Injustice forced Amaechi, Kwankwaso others out of PDP – Mu’azu

    The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Adamau Mu’azu, has identified injustice, inequity and unfairness as factors responsible for the defection of five state governors from the party to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Governors Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers), Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano), Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto), Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara) and ex- Governor Murtala Nyako (Adamawa) had in November 2013 defected from the PDP to the APC.

    Similarly, a number of prominent party chieftains, including serving senators and members of the House of Representatives also left the PDP for the APC, owing to factors earlier identified by the PDP chairman.

    Mu’azu, who spoke in Abuja at the inauguration of the PDP’s Presidential Campaign Organisation, urged President Goodluck Jonathan to consider the governors’ defection as a challenge ahead of the general election.

    Decrying what he described as politics of use and dump, which according to him, was pervasive in the ruling party, Mu’azu said the trend, if not stemmed, could spell catastrophic consequences for the democratic process.

    He said: “I appeal to President Jonathan to consider it a challenge to discuss with your governors, senators, all elected officials of the PDP that members of the PDP said they should not be used and dumped.

    “Adhere to equity, fairness and justice, substantial membership of the APC, APGA and others are members of our party.

    “A lot of our party members have left because they have been used and dumped. It should not happen again.”

    Also speaking at the event, Jonathan said the performance of his administration would be his selling point during the electioneering campaign and urged his campaign team to be civil in the use of language.

    Reiterating his promise of free, fair and credible elections, the President said 2015 poll marked a critical point in the nation’s history. Apparently referring to his major challenger, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, he challenged his critics to tell Nigerians how many women served in their administration.

    The President said: “I am not campaigning to you, I have no doubt you are already familiar with the achievements of this administration.

    “We will see those who said they would form a parallel government. Do not join them in violence, every Nigerian is free to campaign in every part of Nigeria.”

     

  • Kwankwaso, Atiku deny returning to PDP

    Kwankwaso, Atiku deny returning to PDP

    Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso will not return to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), his spokesman Baba Dantiye said at the weekend.

    According to him, last week’s statement by PDP National Secretary Prof. Wale Oladipo that the party was wooing Kwankwaso and Atiku to return to the PDP was “a vote of no confidence on the leadership of Kano PDP.”

    Kwankwaso is a senatorial candidate of the APC in Kano.

    Also, Atiku’s spokesman, Mallam Garba Shehu, said his boss had nothing to do with the PDP again.

    He reiterated Atiku’s statement before the presidential primaries that the APC would be his last bus stop.

  • PDP members afraid of promoting Jonathan —Kwankwaso

    PDP members afraid of promoting Jonathan —Kwankwaso

    Governor Rabi’u  Kwankwaso  of Kano State said yesterday that members  of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the  state  are afraid of campaigning for the party’s presidential candidate in next month’s election, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan,  because in their view, he has failed Nigerians.

    Governor Kwankwaso told APC stakeholders from Dawakin Tofa Local Government area of the state at Government House, Kano, that President Jonathan’s candidacy   is not marketable  to  voters unlike his APC counterpart, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari.

    The stakeholders were on a thank-you visit to the governor for endorsing his deputy, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, as the party’s governorship candidate.

    Kwankwaso  attested to  his deputy’s competence  and stressed  that only competent and faithful party members would be rewarded  with patronage.

    He, therefore, stated that the choice of Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje as the state APC governorship candidate was purely based on merit and loyalty to the party and the Kwankwasiyya Movement.

    Gov. Kwankwaso asserted that no one approached him to favour Dr. Ganduje or his running mate, Prof. Hafiz, noting that members are expected to be hardworking and loyal to qualify them for any political post.

    The governor told the visitors that the APC gubernatorial candidate  currently heads  90 per cent of government committees, adding that there is no project done without his input, which means if he eventually becomes the governor, he would continue with the Kwankwasiyya vision.

    Responding, Ganduje  pledged his continued commitment to people oriented policies and programmes.

  • My deputy will not betray me— Kwankwaso

    My deputy will not betray me— Kwankwaso

    Kano state Governor, Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso said he is optimistic that his deputy, Umar Abdullahi Ganduje who emerged as the state APC gubernatorial candidate would not betray him when he becomes elected governor of the state in 2015.

    He gave the assurance yesterday, while answering questions from journalists in a live Radio and television interview at Kano Government House, adding that over 90 percent of present administration’s programmes were initiated with Ganduje.

    Kwankwaso noted that many committees constituted by this administration were headed by him, pointing out there is no way his deputy would turn his back on him, “considering  the fact that even when I was Minister of Defence, Ganduje was my adviser”, he added.“He (Ganduje) knows this administration’s policies more than any other person,” Kwankwaso noted, assuring that his deputy would continue with all the projects initiated as well as to continue with the APC and Kwankwaso’s plan for the state.

    He then advised his deputy to continue with the open door policy of his administration in order to sustain the transparency and purposefulness of the Kwankwasiyya administration.

    Governor Kwankwaso lamented that the immediate past administration had criticized his 1999 – 2003 tenure, pointing out that now he has returned and erased all that negative perception from the public and even wrote his own history with gold, by transforming Kano.

  • Court dismisses PDP bid to sack Amaechi, Kwankwaso, others

    Court dismisses PDP bid to sack Amaechi, Kwankwaso, others

    The Peoples Democratic Party has lost in its bid to unseat governors that decamped to the All Progressives Congress.

    A Federal High Court in Abuja struck out on Friday the suit filed by the PDP, with which it sought to sack the four governors who defected from the party.

    Justice Gabriel Kolawole, in a ruling that lasted about two hours held that the suit’s originating processes were invalid, on the ground that they were wrongly issued and served on the defendants.

    The PDP had last December sued the governors, including a former Adamawa State governor, Murtala Nyako and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), asking the court to declare the defecting governors’ seats vacant, and for INEC to conduct elections for their replacement.

    Nyako’s name was removed from the suit shortly after his impeachment.

    The remaining four are – Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers), Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto), Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano) and Abdulfatai Ahmed (Kwara).

    The party had, upon an order of court, served the originating processes on wrong address, which it claimed was the headquarters of the APC.

    The service was faulted by the defendants, forcing the court to set it aside.

    Justice Kolawole’s ruling was on the applications filed by Amaechi, Kwankwaso and Ahmed.

     

  • Ganduje will not betray me – Kwankwaso

    Ganduje will not betray me – Kwankwaso

    Kano State Governor, Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, said he is optimistic that his deputy, Umar Abdullahi Ganduje, who emerged as the All Progressives Congress gubernatorial candidate in the state, would not betray him if he wins next year’s governorship poll.

    He gave the assurance while answering questions from journalists in a live Radio and television interview at the state’s Government House on Friday.

    He added that over 90 percent of the present administration’s programmes were initiated with Ganduje.

    The governor noted that many committees constituted by this administration were headed by Ganduje, pointing out there is no way his deputy would turn his back on him.
    “Ganduje was my adviser when I was the Minister of Defence.

    “He (Ganduje) knows this administration’s policies more than any other person,” Kwankwaso noted, assuring that his deputy would continue with the projects initiated by the present administration.

     

  • 2015: Kwankwaso, ex-envoy caution youths

    2015: Kwankwaso, ex-envoy caution youths

    Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano State and a Nigerian former envoy to the West Indies, Ambassador Chris Nwandike have urged the youth not to yield themselves as tools to politicians desperate to subvert the wishes of the people in the next general election.

    They claimed that qualitative leadership needed for the realization of the much desired change will not be attained where the youths remain passive, but willingly lend themselves as tools to the same crop of politicians who ran the country aground, and are reluctant to quit the stage.

    Kwankawaso and Nwandike spoke in Abuja   at an event held by a group, Association of Writers on Human and People’s Rights (AFRIRights), in commemoration of this year’s World Human Rights Day.

    The governor, who was represented by the state’s Attorney general and Commissioner for Justice, Maliki Kurya, said his government resolved to accord priority to education for the people because it was convinced that education frees the people from ignorance, poverty, rights abuses and other challenges.

    Kwankwaso, who bagged an award of excellence from AFRIRights for his government’s pro-people education policy, urged the youths to learn to assert their rights and work hard in achieving their set goals.

    He regretted the growing inequality in the society, noting that “there is no job in government for you. They (those in authorities) don’t have jobs for you. They have jobs for their kids. Once you work hard, you will be able to make it. Something people from poor homes often excel because they have been taught to struggle and work hard, if they must make it.