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Tag: Kwankwaso

  • Kwankwaso presents N235.3b budget

    Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso yesterday presented N235,304,929,000 as the 2013 Appropriation Bill to the House of Assembly.

    The budget, tagged: Budget of Economic Consolidation and Fiscal Discipline, comprises a capital expenditure of N175,510,102,000, representing 75 per cent, and a recurrent expenditure of N59,794,827,000, representing 25 per cent.

    The governor explained that the recurrent expenditure proposal consists of N2.2billion for consolidated revenue fund charges; CRC, N35.839billion for personnel costs.

    According to him, N21.706billion would be funded from an expected surplus over recurrent receipt of N89.071billion and an expected capital receipt of N67.139billion.

    Kwankwaso said the budget is higher than the outing year’s amended estimates, representing N13,685,597,405, or six per cent increase.

    He said his administration was moving into 2013 with a healthy opening balance of about N20billion.

    The breakdown of the budget indicates that infrastructure got the lion’s share of N62.4 billion, while Works and Housing was allocated N41.8 billion.

    Projects to be executed under these sectors include massive urban road construction and dualisation, construction of two flyovers, take-off of Independent Power Plants (IPP) project at Tiga and Challawa dams as well as the competition of inherited projects.

    Education got N24.17billion, from which N16billion was set aside for Basic and Secondary Education and N8.1billion for Higher Education.

    Agriculture got N9.68billion. The governor said his administration would make mass food production the cornerstone of its intervention in the real sector.

    The Health sector got N8.04billion.

    Kwankwaso said N7.445billion is for projects under the Water Resources; N3.355billion for Housing; N1.5billion for Information and Communication Strategy; N1.2billion for Environment; and N1.005billion for Commerce and Industry.

    Other proposed allocations are: Rural and Community Development, N605million; Science and Technology, N615million; Security and Justice, N1.189billion and Women Affairs, N345.8million.

    House Speaker Gambo Salau said the budget would be subjected to House rules, traditions and best practices to ensure its smooth deliberations and passage into law.

    Salau warned that any ministry, department or agency that collects public funds but fails to expend them judiciously would be punished.

     

  • ‘Kwankwaso committed to improving living standard’

    The Kano State Government has said it is committed to improving the living standard of the residents and the development of the state.

    The Commissioner of Information, Internal Affairs, Youth, Sports and Culture, Dr. Umar Faruk Jibril, spoke in Abuja when he led top ministry officials on a visit to Media Trust, publishers of Daily Trust.

    Dr. Jibril said the Musa Kwankwaso administration would develop all sectors of the state.

    He said the administration has made remarkable progress in less than two years of being in power.

    The commissioner said the visit was to strengthen the cordial relationship between the newspaper and the government.

    Dr Jibril said the visit was in continuation of the ministry’s tour of media organisations across the country.

    He urged the management of the newspaper to explore possible areas of cooperation to would assist the development of commerce and the state.

    The commissioner advised media organisations to desist from negative reports on the security situation in Nigeria because of the importance of Kano State to the country.

    Dr Jibril said anything that affects the state has a reverberating impact on other northern states.

    He noted that negative reports are inimical to the development of the state and affect the efforts of the government to ensure the security of life and property.

    The commissioner advised media organisations to consider the strategic importance of Kano State in their reports so that the insecurity could be reduced.

     

  • Kwankwaso to train more youths overseas

    Kano State Governor Musa Kwankwaso has said his administration would open up opportunities for the youths to realise their potential for the development of the state and Nigeria.

    The governor spoke yesterday in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE), when he visited Skyline University College, a private university.

    He hinted of the possibility of his administration sponsoring Kano youths to study at the university.

    Kwankwaso said his administration would collaborate with the institution to set up a campus in Kano or get the government’s support to attain its goals in education.

    The governor noted that investment in education is the key to making Kano a force to reckon with in Nigeria and beyond.

    The university’s Director Nitin Ahmad said he was impressed by the governor’s passion for education, adding that the sector is pivotal to the development of UAE and the world.

    Kwankwaso, who met with some Nigerian students in Dubai, also visited the management of Emirates Aviation College in Dubai to discuss how Kano youths could be trained there as pilots.

    The representative of the director of the college, Maha Hameid, explained that the institution runs various courses and welcomes youths especially those with background in Sciences, particularly Maths and Physics.

    Kwankwaso also visited Gulf Medical University, Ajman to discuss with its authorities ways of possible collaboration for the establishment of a campus of the university in Kano.

    The governor showed his hosts visual images of three hospitals in Kano namely, Giginyu General Hospital, Zoo road Pediatric Hospital and Pfizer Diagnostic Center, Kwanar Dawaki, which could be converted for the proposed university project.

    Receiving the governor, the Founder/President of Gulf Medical University, Mr. Thumbay Moideen said the visit showed Kwankwaso’s seriousness to work with the institution for the progress of his people.

    He promised that a team from the university will visit Kano in December for further talks.

    Kwankwaso was accompanied by Nigeria’s Ambassador to UAE, Alhaji Ibrahim Auwalu; former Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Alhaji Idi Faruk and Commissioners for Commerce and Women Affairs.

     

  • Why I sacked KUST VC, by Kwankwaso

    Kano state governor, Rabi’u Kwankwaso, has defended the decision to sack the Vice Chancellor of Kano University of Science and Technology, Wudil.

    He said the exercise was carried out in good faith and in the best interest of the university as an institution.

    Kwankwaso said although the government enjoyed cordial relationship with the erstwhile VC, it had to implement the report of a visitation panel to the university, which includes replacement of the VC, to save the institution from collapse.

    The governor spoke while exchanging views with student union leaders of the university at the government House, Kano yesterday.

    He, however, explained that the new VC is an experienced scholar who served on the implementation committee of the university.

    According to him: “Having established the university during our first tenure, it is unrealistic for one to assume that we are taking certain actions to cripple what we built.”

    He said his priority is to leave a lasting legacy in education, stressing that his administration has never denied the university any amount of money it demanded since inception.

    The governor therefore appealed to students of the university to exhibit decorum and sense of responsibility in pressing for their demands, assuring that the government will not relent in striving to mould them into responsible citizens.

    Speaking on behalf of the students, Muhammad Yusuf Abubakar and Sabi’u Sani Abubakar said they expressed reservations when the former VC was removed because they misunderstood the rationale behind the government’s action.

    They appealed to the government to address the problems bedevilling the institution so as to compete favourably with similar institutions across the country.

  • Kwankwaso seeks help on HIV/AIDS

    Kwankwaso seeks help on HIV/AIDS

    Kano State governor Rabiu Kwankwaso has called on the World Bank to assist the state to effectively control the spread of HIV and AIDS.

    This is contained in a statement issued by Malam Halilu Dantiye, the Director of Press and Public Relations, Kano Government House.

    According to the statement, the governor made the appeal while receiving the World Bank Country Director, Marie-Francoise Marie-Nelly, at the governor’s lodge in Abuja.

    It said that Kwankwaso intimated the director on what his administration was doing to control the spread of the scourge in the state.

    Replying, the director informed the governor that Kano was among the seven states that would benefit from the bank’s malarial control project.

    The statement said she advised that a committee be constituted by the government to facilitate the implementation of the project in the state.

    The statement further said that the governor had ordered the state Ministry of Health to facilitate exiting from the 27million dollars loan obtained by the past administration.

     

  • Kwankwaso, 10 other governors get NEPAD awards

    Kwankwaso, 10 other governors get NEPAD awards

    •‘We’ve succeeded in many areas’

     

    Kano State Governor Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso and 10 other governors have won the maiden NEPAD Business Group Nigeria (NBGN) Award on Excellence and Good Governance.

    NBGN Chairman Goddie Ibru said the awardees were chosen by six experts, who gathered and analysed information about the activities of the governors in their states.

    Kwankwaso received the award at a ceremony at the Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos.

    Represented by his Special Adviser on Economic Affairs, Alhaji Aminu Mukhtar Danamu, the governor noted that the honour was a testimony to the commitment and transparency of his administration.

    He said his administration has achieved much in fiscal discipline, education, women empowerment and youth development, among others.

    Kwankwaso said: “In the area of education, 21 new institutes, including a university, are being established by the government in less than two years. More roads and a flyover are being constructed in Kano city and across the 44 local government areas.”

    These, the governor said, have helped to restore the people’s confidence in governance and translated into higher national as well as international recognition for the state government.

    Thanking NBGN for the award, Kwankwaso hoped it would encourage his administration to take the state to greater heights.

    NBGN Award of Excellence and Good Governance was instituted to appreciate and motivate governors to deliver dividends of democracy and accomplish the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in their states.

     

  • State creation: Kwankwaso is confused –Ekweremadu

    State creation: Kwankwaso is confused –Ekweremadu

    •Constitution review panel gets 240 memos

    Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu yesterday said Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano State is confused for accusing the Constitution Review Committee of a hidden agenda to create a state for the South East.

    He asked the governor to withdraw the statement.

    Ekweremadu who doubles as Chairman of the Committee said the governor ought to know that no individual can amend the constitution.

    He spoke to newsmen in Abuja. He said, “My friend, Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, has accused me twice in that direction. My first attitude was simply to ignore him and focus on what I am doing because I believe he was mistaken in the accusation. Secondly, I believe two wrongs do not make a right. We are public servants; we cannot be joining words on the pages of newspapers. And as I said, he is my friend. As the late Chief Awolowo said, if we are related, we would always meet. I am going to meet with him some time and we will be able to talk it over one to one.

    “But on a serious note, we have to understand how things work. This is a civilian regime, this is a democracy. Creation of state is one that requires every hand to be on the deck; it requires the votes of Senators, House of Representatives members and we also have to take it to the states.

    “So, any person who believes that he would sit in one place and decide on any issue, including state creation, does not seem to understand how these things work in the first place.

    “I think my friend Kwankwaso seems not to understand clearly how states are being created. For him to send signal that any person could sit in one place and ensure that states are created. That is the way military created their own states. I am surprised that Kwankwaso does not know that things have changed. This is a civilian regime where nobody will stay in one place and then decide the states to be created.

    “Everybody, every state will be involved in the creation of states no matter where the states will be created, including Kano State. Kano State will also be involved.

    “So, it is unfair to accuse any person, including myself, of having a position on the matter already because mine is to guide the process. The determination of what will happen ultimately is left to the parliamentarians at the national and state levels, not a single person will take that decision.

    “I believe he was completely mistaken in that direction. There is no mindset on any issue. And I have made it clear severally that we do not have any position on anything, our position will be dependent on what Nigerians think about any issue.

    “I have nothing to lose or gain from any of these things, except in my position as a public servant who has been given an assignment and I have to do that assignment as diligently as possible. So, that is just my commitment on that. Beyond that, I do not think that I have any personal interest to pursue a particular agenda.”

    “I consider it as an unfair comment, I should expect him he should have withdrawn that comment by now. But I am sure some day; we will meet and talk things over.”

    He said the National Assembly Constitution Review Committee has received 240 memoranda outside 56 dealing with specific demands on state creation.

    He also said that the committee has no any hidden agenda.

    He expressed confidence that the proposed amendments to the constitution will be ready by July 2013.

    He however added that Bakassi Peninsula matter has not been concluded as issues surrounding the ceding of the place night still be addressed by the Constitution Review Committee.

    Ekweremadu said: “At the last count, I think we have received about 240 memoranda outside the ones dealing with specific state demands which is about 56. We have as much as possible acknowledged these submissions.

     

     

    In July, you will recall that we had retreat in Delta where we looked at all these memoranda and tried to summarize these because most of them are dealing with similar issues. We tried to identify issues which these memos are concentrating on and those were the things we considered as the thematic areas.

    “So, we brought them out during the national public hearing which ended on Friday so that Nigerians will begin as much as possible to make contributions towards so that not just those who sent memos that are entitled to pick on these things, every Nigerian will have the opportunity to say his or her own mind in respect of these thematic areas or the areas from the memos so far submitted.

    “So, we have thrown it to the public and I am happy that for the two days, we had very useful discussions from Nigerians. We intend to take it to the zones so that people who are unable to attend the national public hearing will have the opportunity to say their minds.

    “Beyond that, we intend to engage our constituents at the level of constituency. We intend to take our colleagues to their various districts so that they will hold their meetings with their constituents. Every Senator will be involved in this.”

    On the deadline to complete the review, he said by July 2013 the assignment would have been completed.”

    He hinted that the fate of Nigerians affected by the ceding of Bakassi Peninsula might still be part of the ongoing constitution review.

    He said: “The Bakassi thing, like what you say in journalism, is a developing story. I don’t think it is concluded. We have had one aspect of it which is the ICJ judgment which we were unable to review because of time frame and of course the Attorney-General of the Federation said we did not have issue to canvass.

    “But there are still options available to Nigeria including but not limited to the issue of plebiscite, if you like, for those people to determine where they would want to stay. And of course, you are also aware of the human rights violation that they are tackling in the Peninsula right now which Nigeria is entitled to petition and get Cameroon to answer for those human rights. So, these are some of the things that are still outstanding. It is also likely that one day that peninsula will still become part of Nigeria.

    “I am aware that the money due to that local government every month is sent to Joint Account.”

    Ekweremadu said neither him nor the committee has hidden agenda on constitution amendments, especially state creation.

    He said the committee is vigorously pursuing the demand for state creation.

    He added: “The other aspect which is the issue of state creation. From the memoranda we have got so far and from the contributions of Nigerians at the public hearing so far, I think there is the desire of Nigerians to have state created. And we are representing the people and we are to give meaning to the expression of Nigerians. To that extent, we are going to vigorously pursue the issue of state creation. If it succeeds fine, if it does not succeed, we would have done our job.”

    On INEC, Ekweremadu said its independence as guaranteed by the present constitution is sufficient.

    He said: “I think the most important thing for us is to ensure the independence of the Election Management Body; we have been able to secure that. You know that the President appoints but you also know that the President cannot remove them himself; it would require the resolution of the Senate.

    “So, that is a sufficient check. Besides, the constitution earlier provided that the rules and programmes of the Electoral Commission should be approved by the President but we have removed that from the constitution.

    “So, they don’t need to and they will not revert to the President on the day-to-day running of their affairs. That is what the constitution says presently.

    “Now, they are also sufficiently independent in terms of their funds, they are on the First Line charge. I think that we have secured sufficient independence for the electoral body and this has been amplified in the manner the 2011 election was conducted.

    “I do not think that there is much to look at in terms of further reforms in the electoral process except for us, maybe, to look at the Electoral Act and see if there are some areas we need to strengthen.

    “You will recall, we provided for the period in which electoral matters should be dispensed with but somehow we did not consider that sometimes a matter can be sent back to the tribunal for retrial.”

     

  • Kwankwaso sacks ‘corrupt’ polio officers

    kano State Governor Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso yesterday said he has ordered the replacement of managerial officers involved in the polio immunisation because of alleged corruption.

    The governor said the alleged corruption among the officers was retarding the progress of the exercise.

    He said he directed that officials hitherto involved in the immunisation from the State Director down to immunisation officials in the 44 local government areas be replaced.

    Kwankwaso said they seemed to have turned the exercise into a money-making venture.

    Speaking at the launch of the fifth round of polio immunisation at the Government House, Kwankwaso explained that the activities of some immunisation officials had become a source of concern to his administration.

    According to him, efforts to eradicate polio fr4om the state are not yielding the desired success.

    The governor stressed that the government would not tolerate corruption in immunisation or any of its activities, adding that more proactive measures were being adopted to ensure that Kano becomes polio-free soon.

    He also said his administration was not happy with pockets of immunisation rejection in Kano.

    The governor warned that his administration might enforce the exercise to secure the future of the children.

    Kwankwaso stressed the need for collaborative between civic, political and religious leaders to eradicate the disease.

    The governor thanked the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as well as Alhaji Aliko Dangote for their contributions to the anti-polio war.

    According to him, it has been scientifically established that polio is linked to poor sanitation habits and Nigeria is still among the three polio endemic countries in the world.

    The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Abubakar Labaran Yusuf, said 19 cases of polio were the government would concentrate on how to reverse the trend.

  • Kwankwaso: we’ll block wastages

    Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso yesterday said his administration would continue to block wastage in the next financial year to maintain the pace of development of Kano, the state capital.

    The governor spoke at the opening of a two-day zonal advocacy workshop on: Economic Diversification and Enhanced Revenue Generation for North-west, at the African House of the Government House in Kano.

    He said his government’s target is to improve on its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) to enable it pay the salaries and allowances of civil servants without resorting to Federal Allocation.

    Kwankwaso said measures have been taken to improve on the IGR, adding that the Revenue Board generated N1.7 billion monthly through the initiative.

    According to him, his administration would block all wastages to boost the IGR.

    The governor urged the Revenue Mobilisation Board to ensure fairness, equity and justice in its revenue formula to eliminate controversies.

    He said the government would not borrow to complete ongoing projects across the state.

    Kwankwaso assured that the federal allocation his administration would receive henceforth would be used to develop the state.

    The Chairman of the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission Mr. Ellias Mbah said the workshop would sensitise state governments in the Northwest on the need to diversify the sources of revenue to meet the increasing expenditure requirements of governance and development.

     

     

     

     

    He said: “It is expected also that the workshops would provide the opportunity for governments and stakeholders in each zone to share experiences and explore strategies of exploiting and developing the various peculiar resources endowments available in their respective states to enhance their revenue profiles.”

    Kaduna State Governor Ibrahim Yakowa said his administration was conscious of the need for an enhanced revenue generation.

    He added: “Our 2012 budget of N159.3 billion was predicated on an ambitious IGR. That’s why a high-powered committee was set up to specifically address increased revenue generation while the Board of Internal Revenue was restructured to meet that aspiration.”

     

     

     

     

  • We’re on top of security challenge in Kano, says Kwankwaso

    We’re on top of security challenge in Kano, says Kwankwaso

    FOR Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, his administration and security agencies are on top of the security challenges in the state.

    Kwankwaso, who spoke with reporters in Abuja, said the state has recovered from the security problems it experienced in January with its Internally Generated Revenue increasing from about N450 million to N1.7 billion.

    He said: “So, it(the crisis) is not something that is peculiar to Nigeria or to Kano. What is important is that the authorities -the state government and security agencies are on top of the situation.

    “We are working with security agencies, the general public is working with everybody to ensure that Kano is peaceful. Kano is a centre for commerce and anybody who is there will always want to support commerce. And we cannot run commerce and industries without peace.

    “Of course, we had an unfortunate attack on the 20th of January but if you checked the graph, you will see that it has gone down to almost zero. During the attack, we decided to impose a 24-hour curfew, it was reduced to 18, 12 hours and now it is zero. You could come out 24 hours to do your businesses.”

    Kwankwaso urged Nigerians not to see the Kano incident as an isolated case which cannot be overcome.

    The governor said: “You see, there was never a time in the history of any country or any state that there was no crisis. Some people in Nigeria are very, very forgetful. That is why I have a lot of respect for former President Olusegun Obasanjo. When we came in 1999, there were all sorts of religious crises, ethnic crises, killings of Northerners in the Southwest and in the Southeast, even in the Southsouth and vice versa.

    “We were just sleeping with one eye from 1999 and 2003 because the governors of Niger, Kano and others on the road would say corpses are coming to Kano, watch it.

    “We had few cases they were bringing corpses and immediately people saw them in Kano, they will start rioting. And along the line, they will attack people from those areas who were living in Kano. These are things that people have forgotten.

    “We also had the issue of Sharia which started in Zamfara and came through many other states including Kano. And that was really an issue of interest at that particular time. “So, there were many things. I don’t think there was anytime in the history of this country that leaders were not faced with challenges.

    “And what we have today is our own version of the security challenge that we are facing in Nigeria. That is why we are all up and doing. We are working round the clock to ensure that our states, especially Kano and other states, are safe so that Nigeria can continue to be peaceful and so that people can continue to be running their normal businesses.”

    Responding to a question, the governor said: “People are not deserting Kano, it is not true.”

    On security votes, Kwankwaso said the state has cancelled such a recurrent expenditure because it amounts to a waste of public funds.

    He said most political office holders used to divert security votes into personal use.

    He added: “To crown it all, we looked at areas of wastages; especially various governments are used to this security votes and in the opinion of the state government in Kano, that is an area that governments take money for their personal use in the name of security. So, we decided to cancel security votes.”

    To prove that the security challenge in Kano has abated, Kwankwaso said the state’s IGR has increased from N400million to about N1.7 billion per month.

    He said: “People are always asking where you get the money? It is simple. One, we decided to block all the loopholes, wastages within the government circle and even beyond.

    “Two, we have decided to improve on our IGR. And I am happy to say that when we came in, we were getting N400 million and N450 million from the records of the last administration but now we are well above N1.7 billion per month. Of course, even under the present security challenge.”