Former Kano state Governor, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau has applauded the President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti graft war, saying that “it is what most Nigerians have been yearning for.”
According to him “Anyone who acquired wealth through illegal or fraudulent means should be investigated and brought to justice.”
He noted that it takes a true and honest individual to right track a nation like Nigeria against corruption, pointing out that” we will join hands provided it is done with fairness.”
Shekarau who spoke to reporters in Sokoto on Sunday on the sidelines at the 22nd Annual National Ummah Convention(NUC) held in Sokoto, declared open by the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III said the anti graft war was a right step in the right direction.
According to the former Presidential candidate in 2011 on the platform of the All Nigeria Peoples Party(ANPP) and one time governor of the state described as the northern ‘commercial hub’ second to Lagos, “Nigeria and Nigerians need absolute system reformation where justice, fair hearing and strict adherence to the rule of law are premium.
“Let me share with you that Kano state during my government was the first and only state to key in and evolve an anti corruption machinery when then President Obasanjo came up with EFCC”, he added.
The one time Minister of Education and first to set a record of two terms of 4 years as governor in Kano state said the present APC led government under President Buhari should not jettison the baseline of due process and avoid selective justice in its anti corruption fight.
“Our system needs to be sanitised for prosperity. But meting injustice to an unjust person amounts to no justice.”
On the crisis rocking the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to which he owes allegiance, the former governor said it was a normal political hurdle that would come to pass, adding that “we are re-strategising and we will sail out of the perceived woods.
“We are only going through political reformation to come up with acceptable leadership with people oriented agenda”, Shekarau explained.
On the Sharia system entrenched during his government, the former governor said “there is nothing wrong in being godly which entails the fear of your creator by been just, truthful, honest, sympathy, patience and morally up right. Both Islam and Christianity are adherents of these teachings and tenets.
“They are not new and strict adherence would have shaped our society as a nation. Only that some quarters have a different perception and misconception about what it entails.
“It may interest you to know that the National and state bodies of c gave me a commendation letter on Sharia”, he disclosed.
On the convention, Shekarau noted that it was a good platform to objectively dissolve national problems associated with the revival of agriculture not only in the north but Nigeria as a whole.
According to him “we have to encourage responsive leadership and favourable policies that would transform the country’s agricultural sector to glory.”
He said Nigeria’s greatest challenge was the lack of coordination and absence of a genuine and responsive platform that would galvanise existing potentials and capacity to produce in large commercial quantity.
“We have the land and human capital but without coordinating other components, we cannot make the desired impact”, he pointed out.
He further attributed the country’s crash in agriculture to the politics of state creation, adding that “the creation of additional states has further set us back.
Before, states were doing well and a lot in agricultural activities because there was control chain in the system especially when northern marketing board was in operation which we need to reverse to augment strategic agricultural policy framework to be braced by a more holistic mechanism for the production, marketing and sales of grains between the farmer and final consumer destination”, he explained.
