by Salihu Tanko Yakasai

But the key is for us to be able to separate and treat each one individually according to what he is and what he does, the son cannot be charged with the sins of the father.

First of all, let me categorically state that I’ve been a card carrying member of ANPP since 1999 until the formation of CPC when we decamped and I’m still a member of CPC. I’m also actively involved in the propagation of the newly formed APC and when its duly registered, I’ll be among the very first set of people to register and give my 1,000 percent in preaching the gospel of change through this new party. I have never been a member of the PDP, and I’ve not in anyway supported it or be a part of its destructive activities since 1999.

Having said that, as a right thinking person with sound mind and ability to see good from bad, I must say that we have to be objective in our dealings. We have to be able to separate right from wrong, regardless of who does it, and regardless of our party affiliation. We have seen several times, instances where good people give birth to good people, and we have also seen contrary to that, sometimes evil gives birth to something good, and good things also deliver terrible things, these things all happen, after all, the devil was once an angel and sometimes the apple indeed falls far away from the tree. But the key is for us to be able to separate and treat each one individually according to what he is and what he does, the son cannot be charged with the sins of the father.

Its not my intention to highlight the evil done by PDP since the beginning of this political dispensation. We are all witnesses to these sad facts. But my article today is centered around Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, the Governor of Kano State, who is serving his second tenure, after he took over from Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau who occupied the position for two consecutive tenures. Kwankwaso was first elected in 1999 and then lost his re-election bid in 2003 to Shekarau. Kwankwaso is also a member of the PDP, though in his second tenure, he promotes his ideology of “kwankwasiya” much more than his party, the PDP.

For anyone who haven’t been to Kano from January 2011 to date, just a little over a year. You will be impressed with the level of major infrastructural development happening in the state. Major roads expansion going on, all the major roads coming into Kano are being dualised complete with drainages and streetlights. Roads with economic value to the states are being constructed and repaired all over the states. This is just within the city. He has also awarded the construction of 5 kilometers roads all over the 44 local governments in the state.

In Education, he has created a new university, North West University that has started lectures this week with 1,000 students undergoing different courses. All the tertiary institutions too are being given the necessary support to provide conducive atmosphere and an enable environment for the students.

Kwankwaso has also sponsored 501 indigenes of Kano to study abroad for undergraduate, post graduate and other courses including 100 students to be trained as pilots in Jordan, this has never happened in the history of the state, and certainly anywhere else in Nigeria and the benefits that will be derived from this is immeasurable not only to the state, but the Nation at large.

On poverty alleviation, he has set up 18 institutions that will basically give our youths a chance to earn a living after their programs. These institutions range from poultry, hotel management, fishery, sports academy, film academy and hosts of others that some have already started in full gear, and the beauty of this is that at the end of their courses, they also get cash and equipments assistance to help them set up their own business and make good use of what they’ve learned.

Thousands of youths have benefited from these programs all over the state. He has also included in the 2013 budget, provision of an Independent power plant for the state that will be completed in less than 2yrs, which will go a long way in reviving our dilapidated manufacturing industries. In the health sector, the story is also a happy one, same with agriculture, security and others.

I can go on and on, on the developments so far recorded by Kwankwaso’s administration, and the icing on the cake is that all these things are being executed with just one budget, he still has 3 more budgets to go. One can’t help but ask what Shekarau was doing for 8yrs in Kano, when clearly this first year of Kwankwaso is by far better than Shekarau’s entire 8yrs put together. Facts on ground speak for themselves, we are here in Kano but what Fashola is doing in Lagos is appreciated all over the country, so is what Lamido is doing to Jigawa to some degree.

For us in Kano, what our governor is doing deserves our commendation, and certainly I believe that you cannot love Kano and hate Kwankwaso, for he is transforming Kano in a way we have not seen in over 30yrs. He may have his shortcomings as a human being, but as a governor, we can only say, “Gaba dai, gaba dai Kwankwasiya.”

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Tanko Yakasai is a proud husband and father of two. He is a broadcaster with Freedom Radio, Kano. Yakasai believes in the unity and development of Nigeria, which paved his way into community activities through NGOs in transforming our society for the better. He is a registered member of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).

 

Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.