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When Kano Chamber United PDP Ministers with ANPP Government
The setting was serene. The venue was Pink Peacock Hotel, a Chinese restaurant located along Dantata road in Bompai area, a business hub in Kano. One of the finest Chinese outlet in town and the event was when Kano Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (KACCIMA) organized a reception dinner in honour of two of the illustrious sons of Kano who are holding strategic ministerial positions in President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s government at the centre.
The honorees were the Minister of Finance, Dr. Shamsudeen Usman and the Minister of State (Commerce and Industry), Alhaji Ahmed Garba Bichi. And they came resplendent in their grace with the expected entourage. While Shamsudeen came first in company of mainly his official aides including Alhaji Sani Zorro, one-time president of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) and now Special Assistant, Media to the Honourable Minister of Finance, Bichi strolled in later in the characteristic manner of what he is-a politician with his retinue of lieutenants; and guess what? Political figures, both high and low as well as hangers-on and praise singers.
That it was another occasion after a long while Kano witnessed a singular gathering of the crème-de-la-crème of Kano society and beyond was an understatement. Besides, it was not just another reception; many agreed it was an opportunity to speak up to tell each other the home-truth. Speaker after speaker laid bare the problems confronting the ancient pyramid state and how its plethora of deficiencies could be solved. Some recurring decimal on the evening which led to healthy debates was whether the duo at the centre should take Kano as their constituency and attract all the goodies to it or they should take the entire country as their own in line with the oath they swore upon appointment.
However, one agreement was reached and it was that there is a serious drift in the once bubbling state hitherto universally acclaimed for its commerce and industry. The immediate problems identified were lack of infrastructure, viz, power supply, portable water, good roads, lack of security and peace amongst others. And of all the speakers, the finance minister was more caustic and in no-holds barred manner.
Having listened attentively to all other speakers before him, he condensed the general theme to be that Kano is a place of industrious people, for which he descended heavily and point-blankly that they should stop the delusion that Kano is a state of commerce expressing that it is actually a hub where indolence thrive judging by current parameters. Even though, he began his speech from a humorous angle saying he was happy the comments were coming after dinner, otherwise he was sure listeners would lose their appetite after hearing him out, he still went on to offload his bile.
“I am sorry to tell you that for those of us who have gone all over the country, all over the world in our jobs, Kano is in serious decline. Kano is a shadow of its old self. Some say Kano people are enterprising. Yes, maybe our fathers and grandfathers were enterprising. But the people living in Kano today are unfortunately not. We cannot continue to delude ourselves. As long as we continue to do that we are not solving the problem”.
According to him, “Kano today is one of the dirtiest states in Nigeria. Kano is one of the most polluted towns in Nigeria. Kano is subjected to health average endemic. The recent one of measles, I saw the team, the federal team that came to compliment the health workers in the state. They have a video. Those of you living in Kano you don’t even know the extent of the wrath, the extent of that endemic. It was catastrophic by any standard. Children were dying of measles, polio are diseases that some countries have forgotten about. They have been completely eliminated in some parts of the world; completely. They don’t even know, they just go to the history books to read about what is measles, what is polio. Yet these are the diseases that are rampant in Kano”.
So, work has to be done. I think first of all, I haven’t come here as Minister and like it has been pointed out we are Ministers of the Federal Republic. So, I haven’t come here-maybe you don’t know, the smallest budget in the whole federation is probably that of the Ministry of Finance”, he explained, adding that though they are the ones who prepare the budget and allocate the money, his ministry however make do of about the minutest piece of funds, thereby emphasizing that he haven’t come to promise anything.
He equally lambasted the people of Kano for the deliberate way they rock the peaceful atmosphere of the state using the radio stations to fan the embers of discord, especially in politics, pointing out that without peaceful co-existence there was no way development could be attracted to the state.
Hear him: If you listen to the radio stations today, it is as if Kano people are at war with themselves. You remember, for those of us that are old enough, during the civil war, if you listen to Radio Biafra and Radio Nigeria that is what they are doing in Kano now. It is as if we are in a war situation, criticizing each other, damning each other, throwing you know, stones at each other. And when we are so divided there is no way we can have peace. Peace is so fundamental to development. If you don’t have peace; if you can’t live in peace; like somebody said that was the origin of Kano development; peaceful co-existence.
I don’t even like to say other people coming from, yes, we have Lebanese, we have Beninoise; we have Arabs. We have the Syrians, we have everybody. Yes, everybody was welcomed. Kano is a place you come; within one generation you become a Kano person. But today we are at war with ourselves. And I am glad; I am very happy that Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar Rimi is here. What is happening I think within the PDP; this peace effort. We have to have peace within ourselves, politically, socially. As I was discussing with Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar Rimi now, we need to bring back, re-enact the old times some of us are JJC as far as politics is concerned. I can tell you, prior to the local government election, I am now a PDP man. One of the people that were trying to seek assistance from me was telling me the history of politics in Kano and he was even saying that you know, we don’t even know how many lives are going to be lost. This is before the election. And I said to myself, Oh, my God! So, this man is asking me to give money to go and kill my own people. I don’t care what the party is gaining; that I will not go and contribute money to go and kill people. No. So, I am happy that PDP is coming together, but we need to even talk to each other across party lines. We need to have peace because that is the only way that will bring an atmosphere for development; because while we are here busy fighting ourselves, other states are making progress. Look at the states around us, I don’t want to be particular; but let’s look at Katsina. A few years ago, Katsina was a village compared to Kano. Now, it is catching up so fast. What do we have? International Airport, they have it and their people are living together in peace with each other. So, peace, we must address the issue of peace.
Somebody talked about infrastructure, power or maybe for me, after we have peace; it is we bring back that spirit of enterprise that our fathers and grandfathers adopted, that unfortunately today we have lost. Alhaji Abubakar Rimi and one or two other people talked about empowerment through finance. This is very, very important, because you can have the best idea, you can have plans, if you don’t have the money, you can’t do it.
Now, look at this issue of micro-finance banks….the capital is only N10 million. Of over 600 micro-finance banks, seventy percent of the banks are in the Eastern part of the country. Anambra state has 70. Kano up till today, up till last week we had only four. Four micro-finance banks, because that is the way in which you can empower people, not by letting them borrow, not by giving them food because you can’t give them food all the time. You can teach them to fish so that they can put food on their table.
Before him, the Minister of Commerce, Alhaji Ahmed Garba Bichi on his part had told the gathering how he told a friend of his in an informal discussion recently that “Kano will continue to have ministers, even after the expiration of our tenure. But, it may not be necessary to have Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Commerce and Industry. So, these are times, this is an opportunity given to us by God and we should make sure that we utilize it. That we have started tackling in the area of the development of commerce and industry in Kano in particular and in Nigeria as a whole is that some of us who have been following the trend of activities at the Federal level are aware of the approval given at the FEC recently of the industrial cluster development. And this brings us to the advice offered by the Dan Adalan that the basic problem that is disturbing the industrial sector is the provision of infrastructure and the industrial cluster concept is out to address this problem.
The problem to be addressed by the industrial cluster concept is the provision of basic infrastructure to the manufacturing sector. And the Federal Government will not do this alone. As I said earlier that there has to be a collaboration with the state government and the representative of the executive governor is here and luckily enough that he is the Commissioner of Commerce. We have been discussing recently and early this week I sent one of my chief executives, that is the CEO of one of the agencies under my supervision, that is the director general of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency (SMEDAN), Mrs. Dupe Adelaja. She has been in Kano for about four days with the commissioner and with the staff of the ministry and some from the chamber of commerce they went to the tanneries. They visited the leather clusters, that is the Leather Enterprise. Then they also visited where we convert waste to wealth. This is an opportunity, when we work together with that agency which is under our ministry’s supervision.
He equally averred that if his ministry and the Kano state government work together to develop this industry it will increase the capacity and revenue generation of Kano and its people. He also charged the people to take advantage of the Kano Free Trade Zone which is still under construction at Panisan, near the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), adding that since his assumption of office he directed the managing director of the Nigerian Export Processing Zone Agency (NEPZA) to find out how far the progress of work there, saying they have been working day and night to complete the project.
“There is also the Kano Business Revival Initiative under the chairmanship of Engineer Mansur Ahmed with Kano Commissioner of Commerce and others as members of the committee. The initiative was the brainchild of Dr. Aliyu Modibbo when he was Minister of Commerce and Industry”. He informed the gathering that UNIDO has provided leather making machines that will make the leather cluster industry at Kofar Wambai shoe products comparable with those of Aba, Italy and Spain, as well as elsewhere in the globe.
Alhaji Ahmed Garba Bichi however made a passionate appeal for prayers for the duo to succeed in the onerous task ahead of them. “We need your prayers. We need your prayers, constant prayers” he demanded. “Secondly, you should not assume that we know everything. As you have given these advises here, I hope it will not stop here. Our doors are always open and we will be consulting with most of you from time to time to seek for your advises”, he concluded.
While speaking earlier, Alhaji Lawan Tundunwada, an ex-permanent secretary with the Kano state government and former director general of the Industrial Trust Fund (ITF) described their appointment as well deserved. He however reminded them that Kano being their home, they should ensure that the unity of the people of the state resonates in their hearts. Besides, he requested that the ministers allow objectivity take charge in their service and that though national interest should be their main thrust, Kano should be uppermost in their endeavours.
The retired civil servant tasked them to collaborate with the Kano state government to assist the farmers in producing their crops since agriculture is the mainstay of the people. He further challenged them to use their exalted positions to ensure that Power Holdings Company of Nigeria (PHCN) work again and equally made a case for the provision of water and security at all times since only the presence of these can help economic growth in any society, Kano inclusive.
Retired Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Mukhtar Mohammed, a former military governor of old Kaduna state and current holder of the traditional title of Wazirin Dutse in Jigawa state who spoke next was very apt too. He said “it will be unfair to expect that the two honorees will go back to Abuja and throw manna on our laps. He reminded them that they are honourable ministers of the Federal Republic”, adding that the whole of Nigeria is their constituency as things presently stands today..
“Of course, they are from Kano and they are quite aware of the peculiarities of the place. The problems we have here are not far to see. We have a very high rate.... we have a very high rate of poverty. We have a fast growing population. We do not have financial institutions as much that will support us. We are largely commercial-buying and selling”. He went on to opine that with the luck of having two of its sons in Abuja, Kano people should sit down and draw up an action plan to move the state forward.
On his part, top businessman and traditional title holder of Hakimin Tofa (District Head of Tofa), Alhaji Isyaku Umar Tofa (he was still Dan Adalan Tofa when the reception held as he was turbaned on Friday February 29, 2008 with his new title), he expressed confidence that the ministers already know what to do with their position for the greater benefit of Kano, emphasizing that what they desired most was prayers and the inspiration to succeed. He pointed out that the people of Kano are not lazy people which is why Kano became what it is; describing the people as industrious.
The district head however challenged the ministers to consider the industrial decay of Kano, surmising that what is required for things to return to the good old days is efficient infrastructure, besides peace which is paramount to development. “I expect you at all levels to pursue the path of peace in Kano and its people. With these few words, I feel highly honoured to be given the opportunity to say a word or two. I wish our distinguished guests the very best of luck in their new assignment.
For ex-civilian governor of old Kano state and PDP chieftain, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar Rimi, the phenomenal rise of the finance minister in the banking and economic sectors of the country is due to his hardwork. He asked the duo to use their offices to attract constant power supply since the absence of it will lead to collapse of industries.
Rimi, also a former Minister of Communication under the regime of late General Sani Abacha then expressed regrets that “South Africa which is only one-third of Nigeria in population has all electricity capacity and supply than what Nigeria has. I don’t just know how this happened, but from what Mr. President said recently, about ten billion dollars have been spent on electricity and we have nothing to show for it. Which means this kind of thing did not happen in South Africa and other countries and it is happening in Nigeria”, he wondered.
To cap up the well spent evening, the sorting words and assurances of the ex-Kano permanent secretary, Alhaji Tundunwada sufficed when he said, “I would want you to remember this assignment is given to you on your own personal recognition. So, I want you to ensure that when you leave office, you should be able to be proud to look back and ensure that you discharge your services to the best of your ability, and be proud to mix with them. I wish you the best of luck”, he admonished the ministers while wishing them God’s guidance in their undertakings. END |