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23th October, 2013
SKIPFo/PRLS/02/13
PRESS RELEASE
SOUTHERN KADUNA INDIGENES PROGRESSIVE FORUM (SKIPFo) REPLIES ZAZZAU EMIRATE DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION’S (ZEMDA) FALSE, UNWARRANTED AND MALICIOUS ADVERTORIAL PUBLISHED ON PAGE 42 OF DAILY TRUST OF FRIDAY 23RD SEPTEMBER, 2013
The entire membership of Southern Kaduna Indigenes Progressive Forum (SKIPFo) on behalf of the peace loving people of Southern Kaduna are miffed by the false, malicious and fabricated lies that have now become the main agenda of Zazzau Emirates Development Association (ZEMDA) against the Vice-Chancellor of Kaduna State University (KASU) Professor William Barnabas Qurix since he ascended that academic stool early last year. In the aforementioned publication captioned “QURIX AND MISMANAGEMENT OF KASU”. It is quite juvenile, and an act of trouble for an association which claims to represent Zazzau Emirate to make allegations against a University Administrator and an outstanding academician who has within the period of less than 2 years of his stewardship, transformed the Kaduna State University (KASU) to an enviable height that his three predecessors who happened to come from Zazzau Emirate could not boast of. Moreover, in the said petition ZEMDA did not establish any case of fraud or mismanagement of KASU’s funds nor prove that Prof WB Qurix is unqualified for the office of Vice-Chancellor either academically, physically or medically.
It would therefore be quite mischievous of ZEMDA to feign ignorance of the facts:-
(1) That KASU was conceived, established and operates as a University that belongs to the entire people of Kaduna State and NOT ONLY FOR Zazzau Emirate.
(2) That other citizens of Kaduna State outside Zazzau Emirates have equal stakes in KASU and not vassal citizens of Zazzau Emirates.
(3) That any citizen of Kaduna State can occupy any office, gain employment or admission into KASU so long as such a citizen is qualified and fairness, justice and equity is applied without recourse to ethnic, religious or geographical background.
(4) That every literate in Nigeria who has attained a tertiary education qualification knows that there is a National University Commission (NUC) sharing formula which applies to all Federal and States Universities. In KASU, this formula is strictly adhered to by the Prof WB Qurix led administration. Thus the University maintains 40% merit based on each candidate’s performance, the whole state is considered as catchment area and 50% is allotted to this while 10% is for non-indigenes. This formula was applied in the last admission and it produced a good admission profile.
(5) That by this adherence to NUC guidelines, candidates admission in KASU was created across board with:-
(a) Zone 1 – Had 760 candidates and 80% gained admission.
(b) Zone 2 – Only 40% of 1005 candidates that applied to KASU gained admission.
(c) Zone 3 – With 1800 candidates, only 43% gained admission.
From the foregoing, it would be seen that what ZEMDA did was to produce false data to mislead His Excellency Governor Alhaji (Dr) Muhktar Ramalan Yero and the public. What manner of an association if it means well for the State will fan the embers of disunity in a fragile state (in terms of peace) like Kaduna? Except of course ZEMDA.
EMPLOYMENT
Our careful investigation has revealed to us that the Vice-Chancellor Prof WB Qurix has maintained balance in the employment of non-academic staff from all the three zones that make up the State. In fact, we discovered that Zone 1 has an advantage over the two other zones. One should not forget that with the arbitrary annexation of then Kaduna Capital Territory to Zazzau Emirate by the then Col AS Mukhtar (now Maj Gen AS Mukhtar (rtd)) led administration in 1989, Zazzau Emirate has almost half of the employees if you take Zone 1 and a good part of Zone 2 into consideration. So, who should be complaining? Why should ZEMDA be crying more than the bereaved?
Academic staff employment is not based on ZONES but STRICTLY ON MERIT. On the establishment and take-off of the Kafanchan Campus, employment mostly to zones was given to all qualified candidates from the three zones. Unfortunately, due to the activities of fifth columnists like ZEMDA Zone 1 and 2 find it difficult to take up employment in Kafanchan. Meanwhile, virtually all Federal and State tertiary institutions are based in mostly Zone 1 and 2 with only the College of Education, G/Waya and the College of Nursing Kafanchan (all State’s institutions) sited in Zone 3. Even the College of Agriculture Samaru Kataf which is affiliated to Nuhu Bamali Polytechnic Zaria is in a decrepit condition. The College of Agriculture should rightly be an affiliate of the Faculty of Agriculture KASU, Kafanchan Campus. By implication, our people have been working in all these Federal and State institutions from Kaduna to Zaria to Makarfi without complaining despite the religious and ethnic crises that have claimed the lives of many and destroyed their hard earned investments. Neither SKIPFo, SOKAPU nor Gurara Forum or any Southern Kaduna group has discouraged our people from working anywhere in the State. Why is ZEMDA playing the role of the devil’s advocate?
OTHER MATTERS
1. It is a known fact that the first, second and third Vice-Chancellors of KASU all came from Zazzau. Since inception, the office of Pro-Chancellor/Chairman of Governing Council has always been occupied by people from Zazzua. There was a time both the Pro-Chancellor/Chairman of the Governing Council and Vice-Chancellor all came from the same Ward in Zazzau and ZEMDA saw nothing wrong with that. ZEMDA will also recall that is, if they have the fear of God, that Southern Kaduna never raised any alarm nor beat the drums of war over such unfair appointments in a multi-ethnic and multi-religious state which has had a fair share of crises. To crown it all, the Visitor of the University at that point in time was also from Zazzau.
2. Even though, every God fearing person knows that if there was justice in Kaduna State, KASU should have been sited in Southern Kaduna. KASU was all the same, conceived as a two Campuses University with one in Kaduna and the other in Kafanchan which was to have five (5) Faculties including the Faculty of Education. The last KASU Governing Council arbitrarily relocated the faculty of Education from Kafanchan to Kaduna campus against the original concept. This must be addressed in conformity with the original plan for justice to be seen to be done. For 8 years nothing was done to actualize the take-off of the Kafanchan Campus until the advent of Prof WB Qurix as Vice-Chancellor and late Governor Sir Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa as Governor of Kaduna State and Visitor to KASU also. It would appear ZEMDA has never wished for the take-off of the Kafanchan Campus and would do anything unfair and unjust to kill it.
3. ZEMDA had done everything possible to ensure that the only State’s institutions in Southern Kaduna namely College of Education G/Waya and College of Nursing in Kafanchan are poorly funded so as to deny our people acquiring education. Few of Southern Kaduna Indigenes are given admission to read professional courses in ABU, BUK or even Federal College of Education (FCOE) Zaria and these are our catchment institutions. No one from Southern Kaduna no matter how qualified and acceptable he/she is has also headed these institutions.
4. The case of Prof. Andrew Jonathan Nok a southern Kaduna indigene, a world acclaimed academician who was adjudged the best candidate to be Vice Chancellor of ABU is still fresh. He was denied the office and instead a non- indigene Prof. Jaleth Umoh from Akwa Ibom State was allowed to act for almost 8 months. His offence was that he is from Southern Kaduna. Yet ZEMDA finds such unhuman and unjust arrangement satisfactory and godly. (Authority: Reference: REPORT OF JOINT COUNCIL / COMMITTEE / SENATE SELECTION BAORD MEETING FOR THE APPOINTMENT OF VICE – CHANCELLOR AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA – PAPER TO COUNCIL 131/1. The Governing Council at its 129th (Regular) meeting have on 19th March 2009 chaired by Mallam Adamu Ciroma Pro- Chancellor and Chairman. The order of merit was as follows:-
A. Prof Andrew J Nok – 81. 0% 2. Prof Yakubu .B. Nasidi 66. 35% .C. Prof Zakari Mohammed 61. 85%. This was signed by Idris Ahmed Registrar/Secretary. The second to the last paragraph recommended the first candidate (Prof Andrew J. Nok) for appointment as Vice Chancellor of ABU. We challenge ZEMDA or anybody else to prove this assertion wrong.
5. Due to activities of an association like ZEMDA, only a Zazzau person can head institutions like Nuhu Bamali Polytechnic Zaria and even where a qualified Southern Kaduna son who is a Professor of Pharmacology came first in the interview that was sometimes held to fill the vacant post of Provost of Shehu Idris College of Health Technology in Makarfi, he was found unsuitable for that rather, an Igbirra Muslim from Kogi State was given the appointment. This is worst than apartheid and it should be discouraged if this State is to progress at all.
6. ZEMDA should not forget that the late Governor Sir Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa as Governor of Kaduna State gave the sum of N5m to Zazzau Education Development Association (ZEDA) without giving any kobo to any association in Southern Kaduna for educational pursuit. We in Southern Kaduna never raised any dust as we thought it wise to allow peace to reign. We are expecting Governor Murktar Ramalan Yero to emulate the late Yakowa and give Southern Kaduna its own share.
7. Prof WB Qurix VC KASU who has remained the main focus of attack by ZEMDA appeared before the Peace and Reconciliation Committee constituted by the late Gov Sir Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa to find lasting peace and reconciled aggrieved parties in Kaduna State. He gave the P & RC statistics and the Committee was satisfied. However, ZEMDA which motto seems to be, “fan the embers of disunity using Prof Qurix as a scapegoat” is not satisfied and must drag His Excellency Governor (Dr) Mukhtar Ramalan Yero into the fray. God will not allow it.
8. To date there is no single Education Trust Fund (ETF) Project that the Kafanchan Campus has benefitted from whereas, the Kaduna Campus is choked up with structures to the extent that it is crying for space. Our silence on this is purposeful because we do not want to bring up issues that will distract the young administration of our State Governor His Excellency Alhaji (Dr) Muhktar Ramalan Yero for now but will definitely do so at the ripeness of time.
APPEALS TO GOVERNOR MUHKTAR RAMALAN YERO
We called on His Excellency Governor Alhaji (Dr) Muhktar Ramalan Yero to continue preaching peace to a restive state rather than listen to forces of disunity like ZEMDA who harbour no good intentions for the peaceful co-existence of this State. A lot of injustice is inherent in the present Kaduna State that it requires an astute administrator who is God fearing to team up with people of goodwill (and they abound in Kaduna State today) to restore Kaduna to its lost peaceful glory and progressive inclination. All those security staff six (6) in number who are Muslims that absconded from work from Kafanchan Campus as a result of ZEMDA’s petition should be asked to return to work as they are safe in Kafanchan or face disciplinary action should they fail to report back to work. More Muslims students and employees should be transferred to Kafanchan Campus to go and work there. We must learn how to live together as God in His infinite wisdom knows of our collective co-existence. Prof WB Qurix should be commended for his tireless efforts to uplift KASU to be among the best in Nigeria and beyond and not castigated. Among the three Vice-Chancellors that have headed KASU before him, it is on record that Prof Qurix is the first KASU VC to have held the only Convocation the University has had and all who were present can attest to its success including the Visitor, His Excellency Governor Alhaji (Dr) Muhktar Ramalan Yero as well as ensure the take-off of Kafanchan Campus as per the original plan (this is where we suspect ZEMDA is unhappy with him). How are we sure that ZEMDA will not one day wake up and encourage the Hausa/Fulani of Jema’a Emirate to be evacuated from Kafanchan since they want to paint Southern Kaduna people as barbaric? Or in the alternative, ask for Southern Kaduna indigenes to be obtiterated from the face of the earth so that only Zazzau people and Hausa/ Fulani will inhabit the area?
We also call on His Excellency Governor Alhaji (Dr) Muhktar Ramalan Yero to not only ignore this petition from ZEMDA but go a step further and fish out the leaders of ZEMDA who are fanning the embers of disunity and hate and hand them over to the security agencies for proper investigation and possible prosecution if found culpable. We do know that majority of ZEMDA members (some of them who have been our childhood friends and brothers) are peace loving and cannot therefore be involved in this unfortunate act. Finally, we appeal to His Excellency Governor Alhaji (Dr) Muhktar Ramalan Yero to see to the full implementation of the Kafanchan Campus as conceived without alteration. There are three mosques in the Kaduna Campus without a single church, a functional mosque in Kafanchan Campus with an uncompleted church. We appeal for this imbalance in provision of religious worship places to be addressed. Prof WB Qurix should not be distracted by ZEMDA or any retrogressive body (bodies) but remain focus as God is with him and we are solidly behind him.
CONCLUSION
The agenda of ZEMDA in KASU is to institutionalize the marginalization of Southern Kaduna Indigenes (SKI) in KASU in areas of Executive appointments, Staff employment, Students admissions as it is the case in Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria and all parastatals and colleges under the university.
ABU as of now will prefer to appoint non indigenes into executive positions in the university, Parastatals, Colleges of Agriculture and Education. when there is no qualified Hausa / Fulani Muslim it can manage for such an appointment, than appointing a very qualified SKI Christian to such a position and defend such action that its a Federal university and being fair to all, which is far from the truth. Recruitment of staff and regularization of appointment of junior staff with most of them that have worked for over 10 years as casuals was stopped by the administration of ABU in an institute in which the Chief Executive was a Muslim.
ZEMDA shamelessly in one of their publications in the dailies insinuated that Prof Qurix was not the most qualified candidate from SKI for the position and yet the late Governor Sir Patrick Yakowa SKM of blessed memory appointed him. The irony is that ZEMDA has always look the other way when such appointments are done in ABU or elsewhere when a Muslim brother is the beneficiary. What is ZEMDA saying on the recent appointments in ABU of some Chief Executives in some of her parastatal who have no PhD and not even qualified to be appointed Heads of Department in universities not administered based on ethnic and religious sentiments. It’s like a camel passing through the eye of needle for students from Southern Kaduna to get admission for professional courses in ABU regardless of their sores in JAMB and post UME, is this what ZEMDA want in KASU? Then they should be ready for a good fight. The State and KASU belong to all of us regardless of our tribes, religion or political parties and we will fight to see that no indigene of the state is marginalized because of his tribe, religion or political party affiliation. The Southern Kaduna Indigenes are peace loving and accommodating but we have been pushed to the wall and since we are not dummies we must react.
We call on ZEMDA to stop interfering in academic matters of a university, where they have very little competence. A university is not a political party or a social club. A university should be seen as sanctified environment for advanced learning where young minds and shaped for scholarly activities not the trivial religions and tribal passions of a group bent on everlasting cornering of the little resource of the place and strangulating its skilled manpower to its advantage.
Long Live Southern Kaduna!
Long Live Kaduna State!!
Long Live The Federal Republic of Nigeria!!!
MAJ GEORGE NCHOK ASAKE (rtd)
Chairman, Southern Kaduna Progressive Forum (SKIPFo)
CC
The Vice-President Federal Republic of Nigeria,
His Excellency Arc Mohammed Namadi Sambo GON
The Executive Governor of Kaduna State, His Excellency Governor Alhaji (Dr) Muhktar Ramalan Yero
The Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission, Abuja
The Commissioner of Police Kaduna State
The Director SSS, Kaduna State
His Highness, the Emir of Zazzau Emirate Alhaji (Dr) Shehu Idris CFR
All First Class Indigenous Traditional Rulers in Southern Kaduna State
Chairman Southern Kaduna Elders Forum Gen Zamani Lekwot mni.
