Referring to Hajiya Binta Abubakar’s patriotic Letter to the Editor which was published in Daily Trust newspaper of Wednesday, September 27, 2017, entitled ‘Dear Kano, my City, my state,’ Kabiru Tsakuwa in his own view point also published in Daily Trust newspaper of Sunday October 1, 2017, gave the good people of Kano, and indeed, Nigeria, an unsavory Independence Day gift, writing off the modest achievements of All Progressive Congress (APC) governors across the country. In his very sentimental opinion, Kabiru is of the view that, “APC state governors have failed to align their priorities with the cardinal objectives and aspirations of the president.”
He goes further to assert that, “APC has been unable to deliver dividends of democracy to the electorate. What confront the common man nowadays are basket full of betrayal, failed and unfulfilled promises, dashed hopes and theft of common patrimony.” From Kabiru’s mindset, it is easy to deduce that he belongs to the class of cheap crop of politicians who blindfold themselves and call white black so long as they are no longer in power.
When APC administration came in 2015, there is no gainsaying the fact that the country was almost drifting into the hands of looters in government. This can be ascertained by stark revelations of stupendous money laundering, looting and diversion of public funds and assets by those who served in the immediate-past administration.
More so, billions of Naira recovered from the deadly looters has given APC’s promise to fight corruption a huge credence. The suppression and defeat of Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East, kidnapping and armed robbery in the South, has remained a huge success. Experts had confirmed the truth that Nigeria’s economy as at 2015 was in a deep mess; today, Nigeria is out of recession, this is another success story.
Lagos, Kano, Nassarawa, Edo states, among others, are all APC-controlled states and Nigerians are very much aware of the changes that are going on in these states in terms of agricultural revolution, delivery of quality and qualitative education, youths and women empowerment, prudence and transparency in the management of public funds, infrastructural development, economic recovery, restoration of discipline and patriotism among Nigerians, among other issues. I also advice Kabiru who I believe is among the privilege few wealthy Nigerians, to take time out from his luxury, and move into the streets and see for himself, how the common man is celebrating the news that very soon, a bag of rice would be sold at N5000. Yes. The APC government has acknowledged the fact that things are not too rosy, but ‘change’ which is the APC slogan comes gradually and clinically. Today, hundreds of thousands of farmers and the local people have been directly empowered. Patronization of made-in-Nigeria goods is gradually gaining grounds; and the economy is returning into the hands of the common man. We all can attest how the Npower initiative is gradually changing millions of lives, empowering families and the young graduates.
Zeroing it down to Kano, the pessimistic Kabiru questioned Hajiya Binta’s reasoning that Kano state is currently on the part of sustainable development under the administration of Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje. Claiming to be among the Kanawas who reside in Kano, Kabiru feigned total ignorance of economic empowerment and infrastructural development going on in the state. Posing as a self-appointed wailing voice of the common man, Kabiru claimed that the masses are suffering!
I am also writing as a discernable Kanawa who has lived in Kano all my life. I am not joining issues with Kabiru because he is entitled to his opinion, and in democracy, there is that freedom of speech. I write not as a politician but as a patriotic Nigerian and a Kanawa, who has remained very conscious of the changes going on around me and who also believe that good leaders should have listening ears and also learn from their own mistakes and the mistakes of people who were there before them.
Kabiru who in his opinion believes that Kano is currently depraved of human and infrastructural development should be taken aback of what happened in the administration that preceded the current administration in Kano.
It is on record, just as discernable Kanawas have come to realize that a cabal that operated in the immediate-past administration came with a glaring intention to deceive Kano people and amass wealth for the selfish ambition of their leader; of which they succeeded.
For instance, the immediate-past administration initiated a scholarship programme, deceiving Kano people that all the tuition fees and allowances meant for the beneficiaries studying at in-house private universities and foreign universities had been paid for, but it is startling to discover that that administration owed over N7 billion on the scholarship scheme of which a number of the beneficiaries were alleged to be fictitious names!
It is also pertinent to educate Kabiru on the fraud that trailed the bogus infrastructural development initiated by the immediate-past administration. Cost of contracts were allegedly inflated, outrageous percentages were allegedly obtained from contractors even when they were not duly mobilized to the site. There was also alleged lack of due process in award of contracts.
I can also mention a number of uncompleted projects which were hurriedly initiated only to be abandoned for the current administration. We have the issue of the controversial five-kilometre roads said to be constructed across the 44 Local Government Areas, which was allegedly used to divert funds meant for the development of our local communities. That project is today a total failure.
Kabiru should also be reminded of abandoned and uncompleted projects such as Yahaya Gusau road, Wuju-Wuju road, Dakata Bella road, New Road (face one) in Sabon Gari, Murtala Mohammed Way Fly-Over, Kabuga Fly-Over, Prince Abubakar Audu Fly-Over, to mention but a few. There are also a number of abandoned Vocational Training Centres by the immediate-past administration.
I am not in the position to blow the trumpet of Governor Ganduje, because for one, I am not a politician and I am not among his handlers. I react to Kabiru’s viewpoint because I am a Nigerian citizen and a Kanawa who believe in constructive criticism. I also believe that at one point in life, our leaders should be held accountable on their stewardship; and we as the electorate have our weapon to stop nonperforming leaders at the polling stations.
Lastly, I advise my brother, Kabiru, to go back to the drawing board, and remain rational in his judgment. For me in particularly, a leader who, among all odds, decided to complete abandoned projects of past administrations, a leader who in less than two years, rehabilitated the abandoned Gingiyu Hospital and Zoo Road Hospital and refurbished them with state-of-the-art facilities, a leader who has spent so much to bring Murtala Mohammed Specialist hospital back to standard, a leader who was handed over a well-documented debt of over N350 billion and decided to move on, a leader who is injecting new ideas and innovations in the system of governance, a leader who has decided to remain calm, peaceful and focused even in the face of harassment and violent intimidation, will surely have my vote in 2019. We all have a duty to join hands to rebuild Kano and re-enact its status as a mega-city and the second largest economy in Nigeria, after Lagos. I rest my case.
Mustapha Inuwa resides at Dakatar Quarters, Kano, and can be reached throughmustapha.inuwa@gmail.com
