The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso

  • Kwankwaso: A true progressive

    Kwankwaso: A true progressive

    SIR: Governor of Kano State, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso is one of the few progressive Nigeria leaders whose leadership transparency is a sign that hope still lurks around for the future of the country.

    Little wonder that he could not continue to wallow in the shameful pool of moral crisis that is rocking the People Democratic Party (PDP), thereby making him to cross to the All Progressives Congress (APC) with proven leadership process.

    One of the many qualities that surprise about Kwankwaso is his openness in administration. It is on record that he is probably the only governor in Nigeria who publishes the minutes of the state’s executive council meeting for Nigerians to see.

    Having earlier served as a governor from 1999-2003, his wealth of experience and untiring desire to serve his people inspired his comeback in 2011 after he lost his re-election bid in 2003.

    The people of Kano state might have compared his innovative leadership style with that of his successor and now predecessor before deciding that he should be given a second mandate to rule the state – A rare privilege he has not abused.

    It is also noteworthy that his achievements in office have endeared him to the people of the state. His effort at reducing material mortality and improving child care has yielded significant result.

    What about infrastructure? His strides in this aspect have improved the commercial status of the state making it a replica of Lagos in the South-west.

    Kwankwaso’s leadership style is aptly in consonance with those of the progressive governors. Thus, it is safe to assert that he has just reconnected to his rightful base. It is exigent for Nigerians to identify and encourage leaders and political parties that are committed to promoting and sustaining democratic values, good governance and sustainable development in the country.

    Nigerians should use the 2015 general elections to effect the necessary changes for betterment of all.

    • Okechukwu Stine Amadike

    University of Lagos

     

  • Party faults arrest of Kano lawmakers

    Party faults arrest of Kano lawmakers

    •’It’s political vendetta’

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday described the arrest of the Speaker, Clerk and nine members of the Kano State House of Assembly by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as “political vendetta by a hurting presidency, whose target is the governor”.

    In a statement by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, APC said: “Since the arrest of the lawmakers for approving a budget cannot be justified by any law, it is clear to all discerning Nigerians that the only motive is to harass and intimidate the lawmakers of a state that recently escaped from the hell-hole called the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to join the APC.

    “The politically-motivated arrest marks the beginning of the long-expected series of persecution by a desperate Federal Government of APC states, especially those that recently ducked the cascading PDP plague.

    “We call for the immediate release of the legislators by the malleable EFCC, which has suddenly found enough resources from its dried-up coffers to go after innocent men, when the same commission looked the other away while monumental corruption stalked the land, whether it is the Oduahgate, the fuel subsidy scam or the SURE-P heist, to list a few.

    “Nowhere in the world are lawmakers arrested for carrying out their constitutional- role of approving a budget. The world must be having a good laugh at the lack of ingenuity by a government that is so eager to extract a pound of flesh from supposed political enemies that it would orchestrate arrests for offences unknown to law.

    “The allegation that Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso’s supplementary budget was meant to cover-up a dubious transaction, due to a budget review request to the Assembly to the value of N28 billion from the initial budget of N24 billion, is as spurious and laughable, just as the EFCC’s claim that the arrest followed a petition by a stakeholder in the state is questionable.

    ‘”The tragedy of the unfolding scenario, which will surely extend to other APC states in the days ahead, is that a democratically-elected government is toeing the well-worn vindictive path of a military dictatorship by harassing and intimidating supposed opponents and stifling the opposition.

    “The Gestapo-style siege on the Kano Assembly is a throwback to what Nigerians thought was a bygone era of military dictatorship. We hate to say it, but we have been proven right in our warning in October that the President was using Rivers State to test-run fascism. Now, he seems ready to roll.”

    It vowed to use all constitutional means to resist any attempt to use state institutions against the opposition; to use trumped-up charges to victimise perceived political opponents and to curtail the citizens’ right of free association

    APC said: “From the moment our party’s National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, was dragged before the Code of Conduct Tribunal over a case that lacked merit to the arrest of Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido’s sons and the grounding of Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi’s plane, the Jonathan administration has not relented in its search for any crude measure to badger the opposition and perceived opponents to submission.

    “But if history is any guide, no force is good enough to stop an idea whose time has come. For us in the APC, the cheap shots from a diminished presidency and the evil machinations of a crumbling behemoth called the PDP can only strengthen our resolve to rescue Nigeria from the clutches of entities, which are steeped in medieval tactics of coercion, even as governance has suffered a crushing neglect.”

  • Kwankwaso wins NUJ award

    Kwankwaso wins NUJ award

    Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso has won the Fiscal Responsibility and Transparency in Governance award of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).

    NUJ’s National President Muhammed Garba presented the award to Kwankwaso at a ceremony in Abuja.

    Garba noted that the governor had excelled in prudent fiscal administration and realistic budget implementation.

    He said Kwankwaso was singled out for the award because he stopped leakages of funds in government, strengthened public institutions and improved the lives of Kano residents, especially those in the rural areas.

    The NUJ President said the award was aimed at encouraging leaders and individuals to provide services to their people and remain accountable and transparent at all times.

  • Kano partners shelter firm on N20b estate

    Kano partners shelter firm on N20b estate

    Kano State Governor Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso has laid the foundation for the construction of an estate named Evergreen Residences, comprising 108 housing units at Lokogoma, Durumi district in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.

    The estate is to  cost N20 billion.

    The project, a collaborative effort between the state government and a private estate developer, Urban Shelter Ltd, is sited on 6.411 hectares of land which will consist of three- bedroom apartments, 4 bedroom terrace, and 4, 5 and 6 bedroom maisonettes.

    Governor Kwankwaso who spoke on the project,  explained that it  is part of his administration’s thrust to promote partnership with the private sector for efficient service delivery and improving the economic base of the state.

    The governor said the state government almost lost the plot to unscrupulous persons because the past administration in the state failed to develop it, pointing out that the intervention of the serving

    FCT Minister facilitated restoration of the land to the state.

    He said the state government was able to retrieve the land on which The Promenade estate will be built through the singular effort of the FCT Minister, Sen. Bala Mohammed.

    He said the housing units to be built at the Lokogoma site will complement the already existing ones being constructed by the same Urban Shelter consisting of 100 units at the cost of N9 billion.

    He said Kano State government is constructing almost 1,400 housing units in three different sites within the state consisting of Amana City, Kwankwasiyya City and Bandarawo City all of which have reached 80 percent completion.

    He charged the contractors handling the estate project to ensure completion within the agreed time frame.

    In his speech, the Chairman, Urban Shelter Ltd, Alhaji Ibrahim Aliyu, assured that the project will be completed in 18 months, stressing that his company is unwavering in meeting the housing challenge of Nigerians.

    On his part, the chairman of the occasion and former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida praised the Kwankwaso administration for the prudent utilisation of public funds and property, hoping that the estate project will help reduce the housing insufficiency in Nigeria.

    The occasion was graced by public figures including Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger State, the Etsu Nupe, the Emirs of Minna and Lapai as well as the representative of the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero.