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We are not threatened by defections – Kwankwasiyya
The Kwankwasiyya political movement says it is not threatened by the exodus of major stakeholders from its fold.
Spokesperson of the movement Sanusi Surajo Kwankwaso told KANO TODAY in an exclusive interview that the defectors are “celebrity political prostitutes” without grassroot support.
It could be recalled that on Thursday former Kano state deputy governor, Hafizu Abubakar, former Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority Aminu Dabo, former APC national treasurer Bala Gwagwarwa, Former Kwankwaso Commissioner Idris Dambazau, as well as former Special Assistant to president Goodluck Jonathan, Muazu Magaji have rejoined the APC after forsaking Kwankwasiyya.
Sanusi Kwankwaso who is the acting Kano state organizing secretary of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) said the party is sure to win the 2019 elections in the state due its wide support among ordinary voters.
He said when three people defect to the ruling All Peoples’ Congress (APC), thousands more are trooping to join the PDP.
He added that even though former governor Ibrahim Shekarau has left the PDP to APC his grassroots mobilisers such as Salisu Gwangwazo ‘Alhajin Baba’, Ali Datti Yako, Dankaka bebeji, Surajo Dala, Tukur Fagge, and Garba Umar Fammar are still in the party.
“The difference is that Ganduje is using money and positions to woo politicians while ordinary voters are joining Kwankwasiyya due to the legacies of the Rabiu Kwankwaso government in Kano,” he said.
“Ganduje has cancelled free education and school feeding initiated by the Kwankwaso administration and diverted the money to fund his 2019 campaign election,” he alleged.
Sanusi Kwankwaso said that the so-called political bigwigs were in the fold of Kwankwasiyya when the movement lost elections in 2003 and 2007, adding that the secret to winning elections is acceptance among voters rather than the allegiance of top shots.
He cited the cases of Danbatta and Nassarawa constitutencies were Kwankwasiyya lost elections even though Aminu Dabo and Bala Gwagwarwa were there.
Kwankwaso was fair
He also debunked the claim made by the defectors that they left Kwankwasiyya due to unfair practices in the process of selecting a selecting the Kano state gubernatorial candidate of the PDP.
“Kwankwaso called all major Kwankwasiyya stakeholders and asked them to nominate a candidate but they refused and told him that they were willing to abide by his decision,” he said.
He added that had former deputy governor Hafizu Abubakar agreed to contest for Kano central senatorial zone, Abba Kabir Yusuf wouldn’t have emerged as the gubernatorial candidate since they are from the same local government area.
Sanusi Surajo Kwankwaso said Kano citizens are the final arbiters and will show their support by casting their ballots for PDP candidates in the 2019 elections.
Nasiru Yusuf
Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje and renowned business mogul, Aminu Alhassan Dantata, Kano Emirate and the Kano State Council of Imams have reconciled the two illustrious sons of Kano, Aliko Dangote and Abdussamad Isyaka Rabi’u.
Kano Focus reports that both parties, chairman of Dangote Group of companies and chairman BUA Group of companies, agreed to work together and supply enough sugar to satisfy the demand of the country.
A statement issued by Ganduje’s spokesperson Abba Anwar said the reconciliation meeting took place at Kano Governor’s Lodge, Asokoro, Abuja, Wednesday, which put a stop to all rumours making round that the duo were in dispute over sugar control in the country.
“They all dismissed allegation that Dangote was planning to see to the increase of sugar price, through pressuring BUA to succumb to the increment. They described that allegation as baseless and lacking any iota of truth.
“The meeting was seen as the zenith of other similar efforts to reconcile the two giants by the governor. Alhaji Aminu Alhassan Dantata played the role of a father during the meeting,” the statement added.
Present at the meeting were the Minister for Commerce, Trade and Investment, Mr Niyi Adebayo, representative of the Kano Emirate, Alhaji Aminu Babba Dan Agundi, Chairman of the Council of Kano Imams, Sheikh Muhammad Nasir Adam, the Chief Imam of Sheikh Ahmadu Tijjani Friday Mosque, Kofar Mata, Kano and the Chairman of NEPZA, Adamu Panda.
All the two business moguls agreed to work together as brothers for the growth and development of the nation at large. Assuring that, henceforth, there would be no differences, that could cause any disharmony between them.
Nasiru Yusuf
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), in line with its tradition of exploring avenues to engage with telecom consumers, has taken advantage of the opportunity of this year’s edition of the Enugu International Trade Fair to enlighten telecom consumers on their rights and privileges within the telecommunications sector.
Addressing a large audience of telecom consumers during the NCC Special Day held at recently-concluded 32nd Enugu International Trade Fair organised by the Enugu Chamber of Commerce, Industry Mines and Agriculture (ECCIMA), the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of the Commission, Umar Garba Danbatta, said events of this nature provide the opportunity for NCC, as a telecom regulator, to interact with consumers and attend to their service-related concerns.
In attendance at the NCC Special Day were the Director, Public Affairs, NCC, Ikechukwu Adinde; Director, Consumer Affairs, Efosa Idehen; Zonal Controller, NCC Enugu Zonal Office, Ogbonnaya Ugama, and executive members of ECCIMA.
Represented by the Director, Public Affairs, NCC, Ikechukwu Adinde, Mr Danbatta, who spoke around the theme of the Fair: “Promoting New Technologies, Business Ideas and Strategies for Rapid Economic Growth and Development in Nigeria,” highlighted some of the regulatory initiatives emplaced by the Commission for protecting, informing and educating the consumers.
These initiatives include the NCC Emergency Toll-free Number 112; the NCC Consumer Complaint Toll-Free Number 622; the Do-Not-Disturb (DND) Short Code 2442, the Regulation on Forceful Subscription and measures put in place to check cases of pre-registered Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards.
Mr Danbatta emphasised the importance of the ongoing National Identity Number (NIN)-SIM data linkage exercise, in order to ensure credible citizen database for improved national security. He stressed the need for consumers to be cybersecurity-conscious while online and to always ensure efficient management of e-waste for a safer environment, noting that this year’s World Consumer Rights Day (WCRD), which was observed on March 15, 2021 focused on ‘Tackling Plastic Pollution’ in line with the e-Waste Regulation being pursued by the Commission.
Mr Danbatta praised the efforts of Chamber at sustaining the Fair over the years, pointing out that it remains the largest and most important business event South-East of the country. “The Fair is pivotal to bolstering the economic and industrial transformation of the region in view of its enormous business potential,” Danbatta said.
In attendance during the NCC Day at the Fair were Executive members of the ECCIMA. Earlier in his welcome address, the President of the Chamber, Emeka Nwandu, who was represented by the Chamber’s Deputy President, Jasper Nduagwuike, extolled the role of the Chamber in the facilitation and promotion of robust exchange of business engagements in the South-East region of the country over the years through various initiatives, such as the Trade Fair.
During an interactive executive session with the ECCIMA executives at the Commission’s pavilion, Adinde and Idehen fielded questions ranging from consumer complaints management, the recent Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) policy, NIN-SIM linkage exercise and other industry-related issues.
The event attracted many multinational, international and national exhibitors, who took advantage of the Fair to reach out to their customers in the South-East and South-South zones of the country.
The NCC has, over the years, been a regular participant at international trade fairs across the country and has been consistent in its participation at the Enugu International Trade Fair.
Headlines
COEASU FCE (T) Bichi commences one week warning strike over poor leadership in the college
Nasiru Yusuf
The Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) Federal College of Education (Tech) Bichi has commenced a one week warning strike.
Kano Focus reports that the chairman of the union Muhammad Salisu Yunusa announced this on Tuesday while briefing journalists at Press Centre.
The COEASU chairman has accused the management of the college under Muhammad Bashir Fagge with non remittance of twenty five million Naira deduction made on behalf of the staff multi purpose cooperative society.
According to him as at August 2017, the college management had incurred a debt stock amounting to about eighty million Naira, being the cumulative sum of deductions from staff salaries that were not remitted to the college’s staff cooperative society.
Mr Yunusa alleged that teaching and learning is being conducted under unbearable condition due to dilapidated infrastructure.
He also alleged that the management of the college has failed to pay legitimate staff allowances including 10 months peculiar academic allowance, Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) supervision allowance; teaching practice allowance and series of outstanding payment of the centre for continuing education.
” Academic infrastructures are dilapidating due to lack of maintenance; laboratories, workshops and studios are not functioning optimally due to lack of equipments and consumables.
“Insecurity and lawlessness is alarming due to complacency of the current management of the college; while staff morale is at low level, due to non payment of staff allowances and other statutory entitlements among other pressing issues,” Mr Yunusa alleged.
According to him the college is yet to issue college graduands their Teachers’ Registration Council (TRCN) certificate and National Certificate in Education (NCE) certificates for 2014/2015 and 2015/2016 sessions.
“The failure to issue TRCN certificates to our former students may be viewed by the general public as a corporate fraud, considering the fact that they had paid for the processing of the certificates in advance as part of their NCE III school fees while in college.
“The non-payment of security personnel for about seven months has further threatened the security of lives and properties of the institutions. This situation has culminated in serious theft in the students hostels,” the chairman alleged.
Mr Yunusa called on the appropriate authorities to to prevail on the management of the college to immediately remit this money back to college’s cooperative as soon as possible as failure to to do this will further worsen the welfare condition of some staff, some of whom have invested a larger chunk of their life saving in cooperative society.
“We will never soccumb to the intimidation of ‘No work, no pay’ by the college management until our demands are met,” he said.
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