LETTER TO GANDUJE

OPEN LETTER TO KANO STATE GOVERNOR ELECT,

HIS EXCELLENCY,

Dr. ABDULLAHI U. GANDUJE (OFR)

ON RURAL DEVELOPMENT

BY:

MUDASSIR ALIYU YUNUSA

NTA ZARIA

mudassiray@gmail.com

First of all let me express my sincere and ineffable congratulations to you Sir for your landslide victory in April 11 poll that saw you to become the next Executive Governor of Kano state.

Before making any comment let me make it categorically open that I am not a politician and niether align to any political party, but an ordinary indegene of Kano State who is always happy and proud of any development associated with my state, I am also a good citizen who is always ready to offer some useful advices and suggestions that might eventually guarantee socio economic and political fair play and progress of my one and only state.

Your Excellency, from your biography and history, we are fully aware that you acquires much of teaching, bureaucratic and administrative experiences right from your career as secondary school teacher, raised to lecturer in both College of Education and University respectively, and up to the time you became a vibrant civil servant at federal level.  As the most successful deputy governor in the history of Kano state coupled with your wealth of political knowledge, it is assumed that the task of governing the state could be simple if your cumulative experiences will be applied in engineering the state when you assume duty as a Governor of the most populated state of the federation. Your Excellency Sir, you are aware that people of kano decided to give you this mandate to rule them not only because of your incumbency factor, neither of your political anointment and god fatherism, and or no because of your party strength and popularity, but rather because of your capability and tactical political and leadership qualities and commitments particularly your perseverance and endurance towards attainment of a targeted goal which manifested already in your bureaucratic and political career. You worked as a career civil servant and reached level of director planning at federal capital development authority (FCDA), you also served in Kano state carbinet  under military regime as a commissioner, you joined politics and became the longest serving deputy governor (8 years) in the history of kano state, And above all by may 29 courtesy of people votes you are going to clinch the most apex seat in the state (ceteris paribus).

Your excellency, during electioneering processes of campaigns and rallies eventhough the office you are holding is for the whole state but with regard to your governorship ambition then, you were under the flat form of APC only, but with your victory now your are niether the governor to only card carrying members of APC, nor to the supporters of APC in the state only, rather you are now a governor of the entire people of the state irrespective of their social differences and political affiliations.

I personally want to call the attention of your in-coming administration to maintain good relationship with rural people considering the number of votes they casted to you that helps  you and your party to emerged victorious. Out of 44 local government we have in Kano state only 8 are damarcated to be part of metropolitan, while 36 others are far away from metropolis and they constitutes about  2/3 of the state total population.

Therefore, by virtue of your personality, strong conviction and dedication in serving the masses as manifested in your biography, and considering the number of offices and organisations you heldsway, we know you can steer the state effectively and deliver the dividends of democracy to all people of the state.

It is pertinent to note that about 80% of kwankwaso's developmental projects are concentrated in the city centre leaving our fellow country side people (rural dwellers) with little social amenities, the most important physical project situated in rural areas by current administration are the five- five  kilometer roads which in many local government the works are still in progress. I must commend the efforts of the current/outgoing administration in which you occupy the office of the Deputy Governor and also Commissioner for Local Government, but I still want to advice your new government to engage in the process of balance development of the state because I strongly and personally believed that no meaningful development can be achieved when rural population are marginalized.

Though in your pre-election interview, I was so impressed with your well planned agricultural transformation programme across the rural areas. I hope and pray for the smooth implementation of this giant stride. However, there is need for your administration to provide available rural infrastructures such as good road, establishment of more schools and other vocational centres, rural electrification, portable drinking water  excessive health care delivery system,  establishment of wide spread rural banking aimed at supplementing and modernizing agricultural system through provision of soft loan to farmers at low collateral. Supporting and financing any developmental project initiated by members of local government councils through proper monitoring and supervision to ensure prudent and judicious spending at local government level. And then political participation and decision making should be opened to the entire people of the state including those in rural areas.

Your Excellency, as one time sole administrator and chairman of development area councils respectively as well as a serving Commissioner for Local Goverment, I am sure you know all the needs and yearnings of rural areas. So your experience will guide you towards attainment of meaningful and sustainable development in those areas.

 Your Excellency,   I want to remind you that out of 1,546,241 votes you secure in governorship election more than 1 million votes came from rural areas and this clearly shows their intense need of your wealth of experience and service to humanity particularly in impacting their lives positively.

    Finally, Your excellency good people of Kano state already built their confidence in you especially the way kwankwaso's administration delivered the dividends of democracy to the state, they know you are very equal to the tasks. So get ready to face all the challenges  and also try your best to shoulders and deliver all the responsibilities attached to you as a new Executive Governor of the state.

Allah ya tayaka riko yai maka jagora Amin.

MUDASSIR write from NTA Zaria.