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Jigawa Is Grinding To A Halt By Lawan A. Kazaure
In the last eight years, Jigawa state has been in a state of controversy and confusion. It has been managed under this terrible situation without any savior until now when it finally comes to a grinding halt.
Precisely in the fourth week of January, 2007, the Government of Jigawa State has openly denied a report carried out by some of the national dailies which reported that the residing Banks in Dutse, the Jigawa state capital, could only transact with the State Government have if fully convinced of the value for the conduct of the business.
The Government in its reaction denied in totality, the authenticity of the report and they said the report was baseless and deliberately concocted to dent its image and also said its relationship with banks is still cordial, but the denial of media report did not include Soludo’s report. Professor Charles Soludo is the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria and in one of his lectures on the occasion of the PDP retreat sometimes last January, 2007 rated Jigawa as one of the poorest state in the Federation.
Even before the rating made by Prof Soludo, an average and right thinking citizen of Jigawa is already conversant with the situation the state find it self in the last eight years of Turaki’s Administration.
The issue at stake is who is now ready among the gubernatorial aspirants to salvage the state from the kind of dilemma it finds itself. This situation was allowed to erupt in spite of its human and material resources that Allah in his infinite mercy bestows the state with.
It is now some weeks left for the state to decide who between a smuggler, who between a jobless, who between an immature and highly ambitious to be in power to implement an agenda, who between an agent of vandal and finally who between a genetic of PRP could the pendulum swing on.
Even though, Jigawa was educationally rated low in terms of western education in the federation, but in terms of political awareness it is one of the leading state in the federation. Jigawa produced Mallam Illah Ringim and Alh. Muhammadu Danjani Hadejia among others during first republic (NPC/NEPU days) and that is why even in the 2nd republic PRP made a remarkable performance in the area in the former Kano state, and in reciprocating the gesture, the government of PRP in those days, gave more emphasis to the rural areas that now falls within Jigawa in terms of rural development.
The concept that PRP has at that time was injected into the blood of all its members, that is why a PRP man is a man with human feeling, is a man who’s interest is to see to the development of a common man, is a man who accommodates all, listen to all and carried everybody along to achieve a common objectives.
That is why, we must avoid repeating the mistakes of past and keep sentiment aside during Election Day, we have witnessed in our own naked eye what transpired between 1999-2007 and for now, there is no way any one could convince us to believe that smuggling a second hand vehicles into our own dear nation having fully know that smuggling is an international crime is enough experience to take our will. In fact it will be ashamed for us to entrust the lives of millions of people and animal of the state in the hand of such people with no regard for human feeling, highly in experienced and a party to the bankruptcy of the state while Allah bestowed the state with a highly experienced citizens to man its affairs. We must avoid enslaving ourselves in the hand of those who believe reactionary is all what entails to excel. How on earth one could believe a lie for a run-off jingle in Radio which consistently aired, that one of the contestant has established industries in our state. Given the high level of political consciousness of the average citizen of the Jigawa State, that era when people would be spoon-fed with hollow campaign promises of milk and honey is gone. How could any serious contender who really has the interest on the development of the common man could begin his electioneering campaign through a dubious process. As a right and bonafide citizen of Jigawa, I feel I have a stake and a responsibility to make people understand the situation our state falls in now, even before the last day of their decision; they want to deceive the voters. People who have never visit Jigawa were sponsored to write and promote candidates whom when voted into office will act more or worst than what we have witnessed in 1999 – 2007. One issue that we could only remember Turaki’s administration with is its tireless effort in maintaining peace; even its enemy could not accuse the administration with instigating chaos. It is disastrous at this critical moment when people a finding it difficult in making two ends together and then allow our votes to roll into the boxes of those believe to be an agent of destabilization or similarly an agent of those interested to bring an agenda that could finally turn the state upside down.
Now the decision was squarely rest with the stake holders, but the crux of the matter is that Jigawa has no better option than to vote for a person of strong personality, matured and a believer in the ideals of enthroning social justice and equity. The people of Jigawa State should henceforth say NO and never again to any potential absentee Governor or a person who would be obsessed with power for only power’s sake!
We need education; health facilities, rural infrastructures and above all, peace, unity and progress and only a candidate with a vast of experience and a high degree of maturity could at this critical period capable of salvaging the state from grinding to a halt.
PDP has now presented a candidate who matched with credentials stated above, and his outing to five emirates in Jigawa where he paid a courtesy visit to the emirs of the respective emirates has proved beyond reasonable doubt that there is acceptability of his candidature among the talakawas (the masses).
Therefore, the task before the PDP candidate now, is to bring all the stakeholders on board. The failure of Jigawa at the moment is not Saminu’s alone! Each and every one of us has contributed in one way or the other to the present predicament of the state and therefore all hand must to be on deck to salvage it. After all, each and every citizen of Jigawa respect PDP’s candidate and of course, he can’t be loved by all but is no doubt a material worth presenting. LAWAN A. KAZAURE, KANTUDU KAZAURE JIGAWA STATE.
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