Kano Remembers Rimi, Outlines Achievements
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Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano State has described the state’s first civilian governor Alh. Muhammadu Abubakar Rimi as a democrat and a leader with foresight and sincere to a purpose for the emancipation of the populace(Talakawa).
Ganduje represented by the state secretary general (SSG) Alh Usman Alhaji made this remarksย on Wednesdayย during the 8th Memorial Lecture organized by the Kano State government in collaboration with the committee of friends and supporters of the first civilian governor of old kano state, held at the coronation hall, Kano State government House.
” this event is one way of preserving his legacies and acknowledging the historical role he played as an ideological yet practical politician, astute administrator, a prudent manager of resources and a visionary leader”
Rimi who served between 1979 -1983 was a pioneering legend who made tremendous achievements in areas such as made literacy programme through the agency for mass education, the science and technical school board, the primary education board, Kano State environmental protection board, rural electrification board, the city television, kasco among many others.
Rimi, also is been remembered for his ability to chart a course towards driving Kano to becoming a self reliant state so that it would stop relying on handouts from the Federal Government through an aggressive agricultural development policy and commercial activities transformation through the creation of Kano State Agricultural Supply Company (KASCO) and Kano Agricultural Development Authority (KNARDA). These agencies, worked towards developing agricultural production through the provision of high yielding seeds, fertilizer, chemicals and pesticides and above all, a comprehensive and community based extension services to farmers.
The giant strides made by Rimi came to a lime light when he contested and won the governorship election in the platform of the people’s Redemption Party (PRP) which can be seen as a replica of the present All Progressives Congress (APC) with a key platform for its coinage and ideology laid by Rimi and the likes of Lateef Jakande, late Bola Ige and others in the 1980s towards forming the defunct Progressive Governors’ forum that today has been resurrected by the APC.
In his remarks, the former Governor of Jigawa state, Alhaji Suleย Lamido said that today anybody in Nigeria, either civil servant fromย ordinary messenger to the permanent secretary, from the president downย to the governors and council chairmen had all got their freedom forย democracy from the legacies of Peoplesโ Redemption Party (PRP) andย Northern Element Progressive Union (NEPU) which late Rimi lived toย promote.
Lamido said if our politicians are failure, theyย know and if they are performing they also know, adding that he was happy that NEPUย and PRP had cleared all forms of nepotism and made people to be human
being with honour and pride.