John Shiklam in Kaduna
A group under the auspices of Southern Kaduna Renew Hope Movement (SOKAREMO) has called on President Bola Tinubu to appoint Dr. Abdulmalik Durunguwa, a federal commissioner of the National Population Commission (NPC) as minister.
In a statement yesterday, the group said the appointment of Durunguwa as a replacement for former governor Nasir El-Rufai, who was not confirmed by the senate, will ensure inclusiveness and sense of belonging for the Southern Kaduna people.
The statement jointly signed by Yusuf Kanhu and Abubakar Jamilu, Coordinator and Secretary of the group respectively, noted that no person from the Southern Kaduna Senatorial zone had been appointed minister since the inception of the APC administration in 2015.
The group said Durunguwa remains one of the greatest contributors and mobilisers that brought the APC-led government to power in Kaduna state, stressing that such individual deserved to be rewarded with a bigger responsibility.
“Since the return of democracy in 1999, there had been a gentlemanly agreement, that when the office of the governor goes to Kaduna North Senatorial zone, naturally, the deputy governorship position and minister should go to Kaduna Central and Kaduna South Senatorial zones to ensure balance, equity and inclusiveness at the state and the federal levels.
“This gentleman’s agreement was discarded by the eight years administration of former governor Nasir el-Rufai.
“Despite the countless contributions made by the APC-led administration, the region has been overlooked and neglected in the allocation of ministerial positions under the ruling party”, the statement said.
The group said Southern Kaduna has rich cultural, vibrant communities with untapped potential, stressing that it deserves representation at the federal level.
The statement described Durunguwa as an astute academician, and a seasoned administrator with the requisite experience competence to pilot the affairs of any office in Nigeria having served as the first Executive Secretary of the Kaduna State Emergency Management (SEMA) under the administration of ex-governor Ahmed Makarfi.
The group appealed to Tinubu “to hasten the nomination of Durunguwa from Kaduna-South”, who was a governorship aspirant for 2023 election.
