Memo to Kaduna State Governor-elect

Let me first and foremost congratulate the Kaduna State governor-elect, Malam Uba Sani over his victory in the March 18th, gubernatorial and states assembly elections. On 29th May, like other governors-elect across the country, you will take an oath of office as Kaduna State governor. Malam Uba Sani will find a big shoe to fill. His predecessor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, who spent eight years in power, has been in either bad or good news within the period under review. Some of his policies such as retrenchment or rightsizing have generated mixed feelings in the state.

It could be recalled that his first tenure witnessed the laying off of over 50,000 persons drawn from different Ministries, Department and Parastatals. Worst hit are the education sector and local governments where the bulk of the casualties came from. While El-Rufai’s administration has been able to construct many township roads in Kaduna, Zaria and Kafanchan under the urban renewal projects, it is believed rural communities under his watch have suffered great neglect.

  During a debate organised by British Broadcasting Commission (BBC), Hausa Service in preparation of gubernatorial polls, three major contenders who were eyeing Sir Kashim Ibrahim House from APC, PDP and NNPP bared their minds on what they would do if given the mandate by the electorate. For instance, Uba Sani, who wanted to succeed El-Rufai did not see anything wrong in retrenchment of primary School teachers who were considered incompetent and unfit for the jobs.

He commended El-Rufai’s investment in education which resulted in excellent performances of the state in WAEC and NECO in the last five years. Uba Sani backed his arguments with relevant statistics to convince his opponents and the general public. However, both Isa Ashiru of PDP and Suleiman Hunkuyi held different opinions. The duo chided APC government on killing the education sector and promised to reverse the retrenchment policies. They vowed to review the policy and reinstate genuine teachers if elected.

  Despite the facts, Malam Uba Sani, supported governor El-Rufai’s policies and programs throughout the period in which the debate lasted. He admitted that El-Rufai was also a human and could make mistakes. Sani, assured the good people of the state that if elected, he would look into some of the governor’s policies with a view to discarding the wrong ones and sustaining the good ones. With his victory in the election, the governor-elect should strive to keep his promises after inauguration.

The reforms carried out in primary education should be hurriedly reviewed. Many schools are still battling with inadequate teachers. The teachers who were recruited to replace the sacked ones seemed grossly inadequate. This has seriously affected the development of education in the state. The governor-elect should scale up massive recruitment of teachers to augment or bridge the shortage of teachers in the state.

  There is no gainsaying the facts, our major cities have worn good looks through the urban renewal projects implemented by governor El-Rufai’s administration. The governor-elect should now prioritize rural areas. The presence of government in rural areas is not much felt. The new government should ensure a paradigm shift from urban to rural renewal projects. This gesture will open up our rural communities and alleviate poverty among the rural dwellers.

Ibrahim Mustapha, Pambegua, Kaduna State