The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Kwankwaso

  • Kwankwaso’s China mission

    No one is contesting the fact that Kano under the leadership of Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso is poised to make a date with history. Taking into account the unprecedented developmental projects in education, infrastructure, healthcare, water supply and the economic transformation recorded under his stewardship, any attempt to compare him with his peers will be trite.

    On coming on board as governor of Kano State for the second time on May 29, 2011, the governor came up with myriad of programmes aimed at improving the lot of the people of the state, who in his view were made to groan under the biting fangs of abject neglect by the immediate past administration.

    The fire-brand governor was saddened by the fact that despite billions of naira which had been pumped into the coffers of the state government in the past, Kano was made to fiddle on the lower rung of the ladder in areas of trade and investment in addition to making no effort in the area of fostering economic diplomacy.

    He also noted with dismay, how some reputable industries were allowed to fold up without conceiving some palliatives to cushion the effect of the mass closure, a bad omen that made Kano lose its reputation as one of the leading commercial hubs in the West African sub-region.

    It is a fact one cannot dismiss by a whimper that the governor’s predecessor had been making overtures in seeking foreign investors’ support to agree to oblige to his request to come to the state and invest. Junket upon junket, no investment was forthcoming. It seemed the investors had noticed the suitor had feet of clay.

    The lukewarm attitude exhibited by such investors might not be unconnected with the fact that, the terrain was not favourable to their business interest since every intention he had expressed in that regard only stopped at the level of rectory.

    The people of the state naturally lost confidence in the immediate past administration given that administration’s failure to deliver on the promise to establish a high profile independent power station to inject succour into the industries that had been folding up. With the Kwankwaso administration talking every step to fulfil its promises and even surpassing expectations, Kano people now savour the sweetness of the nectar of democracy.

    His recent mission to China epitomises his readiness and resolve to foster economic and investment diplomacy with reputable multi-national corporations owned by some business tycoons in the communist state. This is in recognition that China has assumed the status of a global economic super power.

    Kwankwaso’s critics would readily attest to his frugality. In Kano, members of the ruling party are seen as the paupers because of the governor’s husbandry of public resources. His mission to China (and previous foreign travels) was in the best interest of the people, part of his persistent quest to propel Kano to the pinnacle of excellence — a measure of his high ambition for Kano.

    Instructively, his ability to attend the 17th China international conference on investment and Trade in Xiamen, an international gathering mostly attended by those who possessed the clout to enhance global trade and investment ties, was to make trade and investment in the state take a global shape.

    The governor was praised for his ability to convince investment gurus that despite the prevailing security challenges in the country, Kano remains a safe haven for robust trade and investment. While parleying with international investors, who equally marvelled at Kano’s rich potentials, the governor stressed that the opportunities when fully harnessed and exploited, would yield considerable dividends and put the state on the pedestal of economic growth.

    With the vast presence of China’s business moguls in Kano markets most especially those dealing in textiles, the atmosphere of unimpeded business transaction with China’s leading multi-national corporations is created with other investors from notable industrial democracies willing to take a cue.

    With the burgeoning population of Kano, the governor’s intention to build additional 1,000 housing units to be constructed by China and the establishment of a befitting modern market and textile industry, there is no gainsaying Kano is in dire need of accommodation.

    What will be of immense benefit to the people of Kano State as far as Kwankwaso’s mission to China is concerned, is the fact that under the Chinese law, every major construction firms or multi-national corporations handling projects in foreign land must be subjected to rigorous scrutiny by the Chinese government to ensure that something is not done to smear the good reputation of their country.

    It was the contention of the Chinese that it is a heinous crime for a Chinese firm to renege on a certain contractual agreement, hence the benefit Kano is set to derive as a result of the contractual agreement it entered into with leading Chinese firms who are currently executing projects in the state.

    • Safiyanu wrote from Sani Mainage Qtrs, Kano

     

  • Kwankwaso challenges politicians on development

    Kwankwaso challenges politicians on development

    Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwakwaso has urged political office holders to be committed to projects that will develop the country and help ameliorate the suffering of the rural poor.

    Kwankwaso, who was represented by the Commissioner for Housing, Mohammadu Yahaya, spoke at the second induction into Nigeria’s Construction Industry Hall of Fame ogranised by Construction and Engineering Digest Magazine at Sheraton Hotel, Lagos.

    The programme which was tagged: Sustainability Strategies for Energy Efficiency in Nigeria,  had over 200 accomplished engineers, surveyors and town planners drawn from different parts of the country. Among the guests were the founding president, Mr Otis Anyaeji, the chairman, Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA), Mr Ezekiel Adeniji, former governor of Ogun State, Gbenga Daniel, National Chairman, Nigerian Society of Engineers, Prof David Esezobor.

    Kwankwaso said democracy can only thrive when there are meaningful improvements in the quality of life of the people, especially the rural poor.

    Citing the recent National Bureau of Statistics on poverty level in Nigeria which states that 112 million people are poor, he said it is obvious that Nigeria is in dire need of politicians who will bring hope to the people through well thought-out plans and infrastructural development.

    He noted that the administration of Kwankwaso has given birth not only to Kwankwasiyya city but also close to 50,000 service plots and drainage in all the 44 local government area in the state, as well as several roads and infrastructure that have upgraded the ancient commercial city.

    The governor noted that development programmes in education, health care, environment, and infrastructure have been the core of his administration in the last two years.

    Kwankwaso said that politicians should work hard to make Nigeria great again and avoid playing politics with taxpayers’ money “as we will all give account of our stewardship someday. We have built 5 km roads with concrete drain and streetlights across the 44 local government area in the state.”

    Also, the Chairman of FERMA, Adeniji who lauded the effort of this administration on infrastructural development, said “the collaboration of the people in the maintenance of our roads is very germane.”

    He also spoke about the commitment of the agency.

    “We don’t just want to build the players of the system but the system itself that will be able to manage our roads effectively across the country for the benefit if all Nigerians.”

    In his opening address, the Publisher of CED Magazine, Mr. Kenneth Odusol-Stevenson said that the initiative was borne out of the desire to indentify and uphold those professionals and corporate organisations who have stood the test of time in Nigeria, believing in Project Nigeria and withstanding all the challenges to remain focused on delivering value services to the construction industry and allied sectors.

    “We are focused not just on recognising individual achievements but in rewarding long-standing consistency and lifetime commitments to the goals of enhanced professional service delivery”, he said.

     

  • Our focus is education, says Kwankwaso

    Kano State Governor Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso has said the state government’s sponsorship of students to study courses within and outside the country is an investment in the future of the state.

    The governor spoke when he received a group of 36 students on the state government’s scholarship, pursing specialised courses.

    Twenty-five of the students were sponsored to study Marine Engineering in India, six are at the Nigerian Maritime Academy, Oron and five are attending the Nigeria Civil Aviation College, Zaria.

    Kwankwaso described education as a legacy that is central to human development, adding that it is in realisation of this that his administration is giving priority to the education sector.

    He reassured that the government would support young indigenes to make the best use of their potential for the benefit of the state and the nation.

    The governor advised them not to abuse the opportunity provided.

    Governor Kwankwaso promised the visiting students that they would enjoy government’s support so that they could complete their studies successfully.

    He urged them to pay attention to moral and academic excellence to forge ahead in life.

    On behalf of the students, Hamza Mustafa Buhari told the governor that they are studying hard to justify government’s investment in their education, adding that they would continue to be good ambassadors of the state.

     

  • Kwankwaso tasks Niger republic on illegal drug routes

    KANO State governor, Rabi’u Kwankwaso, has enjoined Nigerien authorities to take proactive measures aimed at sealing illegal drug routes from the country to Nigeria and vice versa.

    The governor made the call when he received a delegation of Parliamentarians from Zinder, Niger Republic led by the Speaker, Damagaran Assembly, Mallam Moukhtar Ousmane.

    He described cross-border drug trafficking as a serious problem that must be tackled from all fronts.

    Kwankwaso also advised the Nigerien legislators to enact a law to halt cross-border trafficking of children under the guise of sending them to local Qur’anic schools.

    Such children, he pointed out, end up as misfits compounding societal problems.

    Kano State, he stated, is taking steps to tackle the menace of drug abuse and trafficking.

    He added that necessary legislative apparatus is being put in place to arrest street begging by children and its attendant social consequences.

    The governor, who focused on the long-standing relationship between Niger Republic and Kano, recalled his administration in collaboration with the Federal Government of Niger Republic constructed the Kano-Niger Multilingual College to facilitate stronger bilateral relations.

    He assured that the state government will look into the possibility of constructing Kwankwasiyya brand of classrooms at Damagaran, Niger Republic to cement the rapport.

    Ousmane said he led the Nigerien legislators to Kano to appraise the developmental strides of the Kwankwaso’s administration in the areas of housing, education and infrastructural development.

    He appealed to Kano State to reserve admission slots in its 21 new institutes for Nigeriens in view of his country’s cultural, social and economic affinity to the state.

     

  • Kwankwaso condoles with Madu-West’s family

    Kano State Governor Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso yesterday described the death of Kano Bureau Chief of National Mirror, Mr. Augustine Madu-West, as a great loss.

    The governor spoke at the Kawaji, Kano home of the Madu-Wests during his condolence visit to the family.

    Kwankwaso described the late journalist as a gentleman and an astute legal practitioner.

    In a message he delivered through his Director of Press and Public Relations, Ibrahim Halilu Dantiye, who led the government delegation to the Madu-West’s family, the governor noted that the late Bureau Chief was a seasoned and humble journalist.

    He said: “The death of Madu-West was not only a loss to his family and his employers but also to the journalism in Nigeria. Madu-West, who practised journalism for over 30 years, lived and died serving the common man.”

    The governor also urged the family to take solace in the fact that the deceased lived and died honourably.

    Receiving the government delegation on behalf of the family, Mr. Kolade Adeyemi, the Kano Correspondent of The Nation, thanked Kwankwaso for his compassion.

    He promised that journalists in Kano would continue to support the government to fulfil its mandate.

    The late Madu-West died last Thursday morning following a long battle with diabetes.

    He is survived by a wife, four children and two grand-children.

     

  • Presidency’s plot to checkmate Kwankwaso, Aliyu

    Presidency’s plot to checkmate Kwankwaso, Aliyu

    Though final reconciliatory talks with aggrieved PDP governors are scheduled for today, the Presidency, while not foreclosing a truce with the party’s new faction’s arrowheads,  is considering other options, reports Assistant Editor, Remi Adelowo

    It was one move that caught almost every member of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) napping.

    For the ministers who were relieved of their jobs by President Goodluck Jonathan, the announcement of their sack by the president himself shortly after the weekly deliberations ended was as shocking as it was unexpected-at least on that fateful day.

    The Nation gathered that the decision to fire the affected ministers was decided at a strategy meeting held on Tuesday night (a day before the FEC meeting).

    Present at the meeting were the president, his trusted aide, Oronto Douglas the Chief of Staff to Jonathan, Mike Ogiadhome and two other persons whose identity could not be confirmed.

    At the end of the almost three hour meeting, nine ministers, including Professor Ruqqayatu Rufai (Education) Olugbenga Ashiru (Ogun) Shamsudeen Usman (National Planning); Amma Pepple (Rivers) Hadiza Mailafa (Environment); Ita Ewa (Science and Technology) Olusola Obada (Defence) Zainab Kuchi (Power) and Tijani Bukar (Borno), were relived of their plum jobs.

    A source privy to the meeting told The Nation that beyond the reason of alleged non-performance by the former ministers, their sack may also not be unconnected to the president’s firm resolve to adopt a counter-offensive against the arrowheads of ‘rebel’ governors who have set up another faction of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), led by Abubakar Kawu Baraje.

    The source added that after a careful appraisal of the current crisis bedevilling the party, the meeting allegedly reached a consensus that the nine ministers cannot fit into the plot to serve as foot soldiers of the president in some states considered as ‘strategic’ by the president’s kitchen cabinet. These states include Kano, Jigawa, Niger and Kwara.

    Na’Abba may checkmate Kwankwaso

    The sack of Dr. Shamsideen Usman, who hails from Kano as the Minister of National Planning was a big surprise to his former colleagues in the FEC.

    Just some days ago, the former minister, a former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), received commendation from the president over how he successfully formulated a strategic masterplan for the nation’s economy. Usman has also been credited with the initiative of the formulation of the performance benchmark set for each minister about one year ago.

    And so, it was assumed that his job was safe. But sources say Usman had to go to realise the short term political objectives of the president, who is alleged to be interested in securing a second term in office come 2015.

    With Usman out of the way, there are unconfirmed speculations that the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Na’Abba, is highly favoured to fill the Kano State slot.

    “Usman did quite well, no doubt, but what the president needs now are politically grounded individuals who can project his interests at these challenging times,”said a source.

    Some days ago, Na’Abba in company of some stakeholders in the Kano State chapter of the PDP had visited the party’s national headquarters in Abuja to lodge a protest against the incumbent state executive council, which tenure they reportedly argued, had since lapsed.

    They further urged the national leadership of the party to constitute a new council to oversee the affairs of the party in the North West state.

    Sources say by this action, Na’Abba was allegedly acting a script of some powerful forces, which are said to be uncomfortable with the strangle-like hold of Governor Kwankwaso on Kano PDP.

    In the calculations of these forces, the former speaker fits the bill of a tough politician who can give Kwankwaso a run for his money in the unfolding battle for the soul of Kano PDP.

    Another factor that is working in Na’Abba’s favour is his no-love-lost relationship with ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo while he served as the nation’s number four citizen. The former president is considered as Kwankwaso’s political mentor.

    Besides considering appointing Na’Abba as minister, plans are also afoot to dissolve the Kano State council of PDP, which members are loyalists of Kwankwaso and set up an interim council that will work for the president’s interests.

    Jigawa’s peculiar case

    But unlike in Kano where the Presidency has found willing members of the party to challenge the governor’s authority, the situation is a bit complicated in Jigawa State.

    As at the time of filing this report, the Presidency is reportedly still searching for a popular politician who can carry out its bidding in the state. But the situtation, it was gathered, is not helped by the fact that practically the entire members of the PDP in the state, including elected state and federal officials are solidly in support of the state governor, Sule Lamido.

    Apart from Rufai, who was removed as minister a few days ago, the other minister from the state is Senator Kabiru Taminu Turaki in charge of Special Duties portfolio. He is also the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of Conflicts.

    Aside being preoccupied with his latter assignment, Taminu, who is also a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, in the thinking of the president’s strategists, lacks the stature to ruffle Lamido’s political feathers. But the Presidency, according to sources, is reportedly hopeful that it will soon come up with a strategy to neutralise Lamido’s alleged larger-than-life image in Jigawa.

    Why Abdullahi was retained and Abdulrahman Oba’s option

    One minister whose retention was not surprising is Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi. That the Minister of Sports and the Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC) has performed well above average is not in dispute.

    Abdullahi was nominated as minister by the former governor of Kwara State and now a senator, Dr. Bukola Saraki, whose relationship with the Presidency has been far from cordial.

    The Presidency’s grouse against Saraki is his role in the new PDP and his alleged backing for the Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, despite several entreaties to him to dump the governor.

    Also, Saraki’s protégé, Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, is among the G7 governors opposed to the president.

    And because of Saraki’s disposition to the Presidency, not a few people had assumed that Abdullahi may be given the boot by the, president. The Nation however gathered that Abdullahi’s deft handling of his relationship with Saraki and not his performance as minister may have saved him his job.

    Sources claimed that the search on who will take on Saraki’s dominance of Kwara politics may have been narrowed down to Professor Abdulrahman Oba, the former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, who currently chairs the Federal Character Commission (FCC), whose relationship with Saraki has been frosty in recent times.

    Can Gana deliver Niger for Jonathan?

    In recent times, former Minister of Information, Professor Jerry Gana, has been a regular visitor of the president.

    Gana, who was the chairman of the PDP mini convention, which held few weeks ago, has been a staunch ally of Jonathan in spite of his state governor, Babangida Aliyu’s ‘rebellious’ stance against the president.

    There are unconfirmed speculations that Gana may be handed the brief to deliver the state’s support for the president as the 2015 elections approaches and to counter the gameplan of the governor’s camp.

    But can Gana deliver Niger State, which boasts two former Nigerian leaders, General Ibrahim Babangia and General Abdulsalami Abubakar, whose body languages lately suggest that they may not be huge fans of the president currently.

    But on a final analysis, it remans to be seen how the Presidency will hijack the party structures from these governors whose support are key for the president to realise his speculated second term agenda.

  • Kwankwaso sacks five civil servants over fraud

    Kwankwaso sacks five civil servants over fraud

    Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of Kano State has ordered the sack of five top civil servants over their alleged involvement in fraud.

    Kano State commissioner for Land and Physical Planning, Mohammed Nadu Yahaya, disclosed this to reporters on Wednesday in his office.

    He, however, did not mention the names of the affected senior civil servants but disclosed that among them were two directors and three surveyors who were allegedly implicated in the inflation of compensation to land owners.

    The affected directors, according to the commissioner are from the state Urban Renewal Agency while the sacked surveyors are from the ministry of physical planning.

    Yahaya said the offences of the disengaged directors are accumulative, pointing out that they were committed some years back but were discovered recently by the ongoing investigation on flood devastation in the state capital.

    The commissioner explained further that the three surveyors were attached to land verifications and other plots compensation exercise in Gurjiya area of the state.

     

     

  • Presidency blasts Kwankwaso, Wamakko, Lamido, other govs

    Presidency blasts Kwankwaso, Wamakko, Lamido, other govs

     • Okupe alleges plot to unseat Jonathan

    • Labels Amaechi tyrant

    Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, yesterday accused Governors Sule Lamido (Jigawa State), Babangida Aliyu (Niger), Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa) and Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano) of plotting to block President Goodluck Jonathan’s re-election bid in 2015.

    He said the governors’ visits to some past leaders ostensibly to defuse the tension created by the crisis in Rivers State were nothing more than a smokescreen to shield their true intention.

    Okupe spoke on the Kaduna-based Liberty Radio.

    Dismissing the governors’ peace initiative as a joke, he wondered why they failed to show the same zeal over the Boko Haram insurgency happening at their door steps.

    He said while President Jonathan has not told anyone of his intention to seek re-election in 2015, the governors are already gripped by fear that he would contest.

    According to him, “Jonathan has not told me and has not told anybody that he wants to run again. But all this heat that is in the country is because of the fear that he would run. But normally nobody should stop anybody from exercising the right that is guaranteed under the constitution.

    “If Jonathan wants to contest and you are not happy about it, go to the poll and defeat him….Nigerians must wake up. What is four years in the life of a country? Is it worth burning a country? Is it worth destroying our democracy?”

    Okupe, who was apparently reacting to the statement made on the same radio a week ago by former FCT Minister, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, on the same programme, said: “you heard about five governors who said they were motivated to go round the whole country because of Rivers crisis. Is that not a national joke? It is like watching Africa Magic.

    “What is the crisis in Rivers? Who is Amaechi and what is the issue that the whole country is being disturbed because of something that happened at the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF).

    “What is Nigeria Governors’ Forum to the destiny of this country? What has it got to do with us? The Rivers crisis is something that people just latch unto to fan the embers of this anti- Jonathan emotion and to continue to promote hatred against Goodluck Jonathan.

    “And of course, Amaechi is a willing tool, very rich and is very useful to the opposition. What you are seeing is an over- dramatisation of the preparations for 2015. Period.

    “These governors that were so motivated, so passionately concerned about the ultimate destiny of Nigeria, were not motivated when the Boko Haram crises were raging in the north to go round the north and plead on how to solve the problem.

    “They were not concerned enough for the thousands of people that were being bombed, killed in their mosques and churches in their domains, under their nose. I feel like crying, people are opening their doors to hypocrites.

    “Let them leave the Rivers State police commissioner alone. I don’t know how people got my number. I have text messages from ordinary people who are not politicians, people whose families have suffered grave injustice in the hands of Amaechi in Rivers. I am telling you this, God Almighty is my witness, I will show you these text messages so that you can confirm it.

    “Amaechi used the police and power to harass, intimidate and punish people unjustly. Mbu has refused to be a tool in the hands of Amaechi and has refused to bend to his unjustified high handedness. However, because he is supported by the opposition, he now presents Mbu as a villain. It is not true. He is a professional; he is a man of dignity who has remained steadfast……

    “People must find the truth. The Holy book says you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free. Nigerians are becoming too gullible, they swallow anything hook, line and sinker. I am glad that Chief Obasanjo as an elder statesman is trying to mediate; he has mediated in many international conflicts and has recorded successes, but in his own country people cannot listen because the stakes are higher than Obasanjo’s intervention. People are looking for power in 2015.

    “So am not surprised that there is no result. How will these five governors be at a meeting and they will not rally round Obasanjo and solve the problem. The elite in this country are only after their own interest.”

    While admitting that there are lots of challenges facing the country, Okupe said “yes there are a lot of challenges in the country: there is high unemployment; there are insecurity issues. There is no doubt about that. But to say that nothing is being done about them is absolute nonsense. It is not true, it is not correct.

    “It is just fiction. These are the people who, two years ago, told the whole country and the world that Goodluck Jonathan was clueless. If you say Jonathan is clueless, he is fixing the economy. Today our indices are the best in Africa. Today Nigeria is number one for foreign direct investment.

    “The Nigerian railway system that has been abandoned for decades is coming up. Before, we were generating 2800 megawatts of electricity, today, we have more than doubled that. Yet they said the man is clueless.

    “There was insurgency that engulfed about 11 states of the federation, today it has been reduced to three states and yet the man is clueless. There was a time when bombing was a daily occurrence, people were dying in numbers. It was impossible to do anything in the northern part of the country. All that is gone. For the first time in four years, a durbar was organised to celebrate Eidel Fitri in Borno State”.

    Okupe denied that President Jonathan awarded ex-militant Tompolo a contract to police the pipelines, saying “I don’t know of any deal or contract between Tompolo as a person. I am not aware. Whether Tompolo is involved in a company that is operating security issues on the Nigerian waters is a different matter and I will not comment on something that is fallacious.

    “I have heard so many things that Asari Dokubo, Tompolo and people who have contracts on oil pipelines, it is a fallacy. It was the late President Yar’Adua, as part of his good will for the Amnesty programme, who felt that it was better to use people who are local, people who know the terrain rather than outsiders to police those terrains. So he gave those guys those contracts.

    “The contracts expired during the time of President Jonathan and up till today, those contracts were never renewed.”

     

     

  • Kwankwaso’s example in discipline

    Much unlike the wedding ceremonies of the high and mighty, the wedding Fatiha of the son of Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, Mustapha RM Kwankwaso, went almost unnoticed. There was no display of ostentation or flamboyance. To most residents of Kano and scores of government officials, the wedding could have been a rumour due to total absence of media hype and the low-key manner of event.

    This event is a lesson to our party-loving leaders who do not only squander public funds on jamborees at home but go an inch further to junket abroad and organise wedding bash. The new dismaying craze is junketing to Dubai, UK or America to tilt the till in the name of marriage ceremony. Ideally, ceremonies are private matters that should be handled privately, but in Nigeria it is elevated well above state matters. While other governors use the opportunity of ceremonies to flaunt both their affluence and influence by inviting innumerable notable personalities to add glamour to the event, Gov. Kwankwaso thinks otherwise as only a handful of political associates and close relatives and allies attended the low-key event.

    However, it is not only on the occasion of his son’s wedding that Kwankwaso displayed sense of simplicity and frugal management of public funds; he is one person whose sense of discipline always manifests in every facet of his life. Kano’s financial discipline under Kwankwaso is second to none. He would rather give you a million from his pocket than to unjustifiably give you N20,000 from the treasury.

    The governor’s moral discipline is also very strict. You cannot see his son or other members of his family jumping from one office to another in order to secure contract, interfere with the official duties of government officials or curry favour. Kwankwaso is one person who does not brook indiscipline at home or in office. Towards safeguarding the image of his family and abiding by the dictate of the constitution, the general public may note that there is no ‘Office of the First Lady’ in Kano. Also, there is no any special allocation or vote in whatever guise that is channeled to his wife as obtained elsewhere.

    What interests me most in the penultimate Saturday’s wedding Fatiha of the governor’s son was that Kano roads were not blocked, the airwaves were not inundated with jingles, the television stations never got a simulcast of the event from government, the pages of newspapers were not adorned with bride and groom’s photos, no billboard was erected to show the beaming faces of the celebrants, no procession of motorcade of dignitaries. This is Kwankwaso’s Kano, a state where public funds bear their name — public funds. What is meant for the people will certainly go to the people as justified by the executed and on-going projects taking place in Kano today.

    As a member of the organizing committee of the wedding, we initially planned big, thinking that the governor would accede to our demand for a grand event. But the term of reference given to us left us rolling our eyes out: That government will not use a kobo from the treasury to finance the event, that invitation should only be sent to those residing in Kano, that the wedding Fatiha should only hold at the weekend in order not to bring inconveniences to the public, that no single announcement of the wedding should be placed on radio, TV or in newspaper, that vehicular movements must not be hampered around the city, that no contractor or public office holder should be consulted for ‘contribution’, that musicians (however low-profile) must not be invited… The list of the ‘dos and don’ts’ reeled out by the governor is just endless.

    Even the wordings in invitation card were also made to appear so simple and devoid of pride as the governor struck out titles of the family patriarch, a respected traditional title holder in Kano. It is the most artless wedding event I have ever seen!

    As American motivational speaker and author, Jim Rohn, says “We must all suffer one of two things: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret or disappointment.” The first American president George Washington capped it all as he observed that “Discipline is the soul of an army. It makes small numbers formidable; procures success to the weak, and esteem to all.”

    No doubt Kwankwaso’s discipline in the discharge of his official duties, coupled with his selfless service to the people, is what makes that small number of his team “formidable” and as George Washington would say, “procures success to the weak, and esteem to all.”

    Because of the governor’s financial discipline, he saved about N3.2 billion on the cost of the Jakara river channelization project, which was hitherto estimated to cost N8.7 billion. When the project specification and estimates were submitted to the government, the governor ordered for a painstaking re-assessment of the project proposal, as a result of which the cost was reduced and the design was modified for good. According to the governor, the amount saved was channelled to payment of scholarships for students from the state studying in various local and international institutions.

    It is also the fruits of discipline that make Kano save N500 million monthly. This was due to the pruning down of the over-bloated overhead costs and other recurrent expenditures of the ministries and MDAs. The governor once explained that he could build a flyover (similar to the one currently under construction) every year with just the money he saved from overhead costs, which were hitherto embezzled by the previous administration.

    With 2013 budget allocating 75 percent for capital projects and 25 percent for recurrent expenditure, it is trite that Kano’s helmsman is deeply concerned about welfare of his people. Kano is the only state where there is no infamous security vote. Whatever is spent, however little, is appropriated and justified.

    • Sani wrote from Nassarawa GRA Kano.

  • Who succeeds Kwankwaso?

    Who succeeds Kwankwaso?

    Who succeeds Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankawso in 2015? Correspondent KOLADE ADEYEMI examines the issues that will shape the governorship election.

    Kano State is regarded as one of the major factors in Nigeria’s political calculations. This thinking is not unconnected with its huge voter population. Although the next governorship election is still about 18 months away, politicians in the state have already begun permutations over who succeeds Governor Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso. Insider sources confided in The Nation that even the governor has expressed his worry to his Kitchen Cabinet over who would be the trusted “son” to carry on with his Kwankwasiyya philosophy.

    Based on the governor’s interest, many of the Kwankwasiyya students have started making some surreptitious moves on how to win the heart of Governor Kwankwaso, who still remains mute over who will receive his blessings among his numerous “political sons” jostling to succeed him.

    Some of the likely successors of Governor Kwankwaso, are from his political family.

    Prominent among them is Prof. Hafiz Abubakar, a former Commissioner of Finance during Kwankwaso’s first term. Prof. Hafiz, who is now the Chairman, Implementation Committee of the North-West University, rejected an offer given to him by Kwankwaso as a Special Adviser. He had hoped to be given the position of the Secretary to the State Government, considering how close he was to the governor.

    The Secretary to the State Government, Suleiman Rab’u Bichi, an engineer, is no doubt a loyal servant to Governor Kwankwaso. It is on record that even after Kwankwaso was defeated by Malam Ibrahim Shekrau in 2003, Bichi invested his time and resources campaigning for the second-coming of Kwankwaso; and to pay him for a job well-done, he was appointed the SSG, wielding enormous power in the Government and business of governance. Bichi who served as Commissioner for Land and Physical Planning, during Kwankwaso’s first term, later became the Managing-Director of Urban Development Bank, an appointment given to him through the influence of Kwankwaso.

    Mr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, the deputy governor, can aptly be described as the most loyal and obedient servant of Kwankwaso. In 1999, Ganduje sacrificed his governorship ambition for his boss. He opted to serve as the deputy governor. Little wonder that in Kwankwaso’s second political voyage, Ganduje was also picked as his running mate. Apart from that, Kwankwaso still left the portfolio of Commissioner for Local Government for the loyal deputy, who has continued to stand firmly behind the Kwankwasiyya ideology.

    Alhaji Ahmed Garba Bichi, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in 2007 and a former Minister of State for Commerce and Industry is close to the governor although he has not been very visible in recent times. When he lost out to former Governor Ibrahim Shekarau in 2007, his political mentor, Kwankwaso nominated him as the PDP flag-bearer after he (Kwankwaso) was disqualified from contesting for undisclosed reasons. He was later appointed as a minister through Kwankwaso’s influence. Garba Bichi is itching to become Kano’s number one citizen in 2015.

    Alhaji Abba Kabiru Yusuf, the Commissioner for Works, is an in-law to Kwankwaso. Apart from that, Kabiru, who was Kwankwaso’s Personal Assistant for many years, also wields enormous power in the government as he remains the only commissioner vested with the power to award contract above N50 million in Kwankwaso’s government. The privileges he enjoy in the government continue to attract the envy of his colleagues. He is also interested in the 2015 governorship race.

    However, indications have emerged that there are cracks in the political family. There are two factions—the Kwankwasiyya and Jam’iyya political blocs. The Nigeria Ambassador to China, Alhaji Aminu Wali, is the leader of the Jam’yya political bloc and Governor Kwankwaso leads the Kwankwasiyya political movement. Almost all the federal appointees from Kano State are from the Jam’yya bloc. Analysts say this is a pointer to the rift between the Kwankwaso and the Presidency.

    The rift in the PDP family in the state, if not well handled, could make Kwankwaso dump the the party for another platform. Already, several overtures have been made to Kwankwaso from notable leaders of the yet to be registered All Progressives Congress (APC), who believe in the Kwankwasiyya political ideology. On this note, many have continued to wonder what would be the fate of Malam Ibrahim Shekerau (Sardaunan Kano), if Kwankwaso defects to the APC.

    Again, The Nation gathered that Alhaji Ibrahim El-Amin (a.k.a. Little) have been endorsed by some people in the yet to be registered APC, to bear the party’s governorship flag in 2015. Owing to Little’s growing popularity in Kano politics, some elders are making a case for him to be compensated over his ugly experience in 2003 when his gubernatorial ticket under All Peoples Party (APP) was confiscated from him and handed over to Malam Shekarau. Little’s recent influence in the APC however, puts other hopefuls , including Senator Ibrahim Kabiru Gaya and Hon. Abdulraman Kawu Sumaila, all serving members of the National Assembly, at risk. Apart from that, the former deputy governor under Shekarau and ACN gubernatorial candidate in 2007, Mr. Abdullahi Tijani Gwarzo is also scheming to govern the state.

    The eldest son of the late Military Head of State, Alhaji Mohammed Abacha, is also interested in ruling Kano, although he is a new entrant into the Kano politics. He joined the PDP in 2010, only to defect from the party to the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in 2011, citing alleged lack of internal democracy in the PDP. Mohammed is seen by many political observers as a dogged political gladiator, who moved to the CPC in order to actualise his ambition. But he failed.

    Alhaji Salihu Sagir Takai is Shekarau’s political son. A former Commissioner for Water Resources and Local Government Affairs under Shekarau’s government, Takai was also a three-time Chairman of Takai Local Government Council. He contested the governorship election in 2011 under the platform of the All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP). Kwankwaso defeated him and he is plotting to come back in 2015.

    The stage is set for the contest. Many aspirants are expected to emerge, but for now, apart from ensuring that democratic dividends reach the door steps of the Kano residents, Governor Kwankwaso’s headache remains who wears his strong shoes when he leaves the stage in 2015.