I would not want to believe that my decision to decamp to the APC was sudden. I rather see it as a result of careful calculation and observation of events since the last election that brought in the current administration of Governor Abdullahi Ganduje. I carefully evaluated the progress being made by the administration in relation to the personal disposition of the governor. At the end of my evaluation, I concluded that it would be worthwhile to team up with this progressive governor and contribute to his drive for the development of the state.
Some people are insinuating that he is not living up to expectation?
As a person, I find Governor Ganduje a simple, humble, down to earth and easy going man. As a politician, my assessment is that he possesses a rare blend of political foresightedness, wisdom and unmatchable tolerance.
Governor Ganduje, I can boldly tell you, is an exemplary leader of people who is accommodating and sensitive to all manner of people, including his most ardent opponents and critics.
Secondly, I admire his unbending respect for traditional institutions and open love, sympathy and genuine concern for the common man and the underprivileged.
In what way do all these qualities translate to positive development in the state?
In so many ways: character traits always rub on the quality of leadership offered and also reflect on the community that is being led. We can see how in this short time, Ganduje has been able to bring about several commendable physical developments in addition to his huge success in the area of moral regeneration. We can see the zeal with which he approached and completed the women and children’s hospitals at Zoo Road and Badawa which were neglected by previous administrations. Ganduje has finally completed the project and equipped them with ultra-modern equipment. The two facilities are already billed for commissioning by President Muhammadu Buhari in the coming days. What is important is that Ganduje achieved this feat in spite of the huge loan backlog he inherited from previous administrations.
Beyond physical development, what efforts has the administration made towards human capacity development?
That happens to be another priority area for the governor. It is on record that since inception, his administration has initiated and vigorously pursued policies for youth development and women empowerment. This administration happens to be the only one in Kano with the highest number of women in cabinet positions. To cap it all, the governor insisted on having at least one female councillor in each of the 44 local governments of the state. He has also appointed several women as executive directors of many ministries, departments and government agencies. We are also witnesses to the practical empowerment schemes introduced by the administration. An instance is the recent programme embarked upon for the support of small scale entrepreneurship such as the long-neglected tea sellers where about 5,200 hitherto neglected tea sellers across the entire state were instantly empowered with tools, funds and ingredients for their trade. To modernise the trade, tea sellers are now decked in neat uniforms all over the state. It won’t stop there. Soon, all other essential trades such as kulikuli (bean cake) makers, kosai fryers and so on would be supported.
But how do you view the concern that your administration or the governor is openly fighting his predecessor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso?
This assertion would amount to taking the matter too far. No one in Ganduje’s government is in any conflict with Kwankwaso. If anything, I can boldly tell you that we only advised him to stop wasting his effort and straining his resources on the wild goose chase for the presidency. We advised him to concentrate rather on reclaiming his senate seat to avoid the risk of losing both.
Is that in any way implying that Senator Kwankwaso could lose the presidential bid if he makes another attempt?
That is the implication. You all know that Kano is a decider in any poll any day. I can also assure you that Kano was for Buhari and Ganduje in 2015 and shall remain so come 2019. Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso as a member of our great APC should come back to Kano; join the government in transforming the state rather than embarking on a fruitless adventure. Kano is for all of us and Governor Ganduje doesn’t harbour grudges.
SOURCE DAILY TRUST