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My relationship with President Muhammadu Buhari – Salihu Tanko Yakasai
In light of recent events that transpired over my recent comments about the government of President Buhari, I think it is absolutely necessary to shed more light on my decades of relationship with the President, and how I am not doing anybody’s bidding with my remarks but simply reacting to issues that are happening in my country.
What is more, my comments were not aimed at casting aspersion against the person or government of Mr. President.
Far from that!
I joined partisan politics in December 2000 at the age of 24, when I officially became a member of the defunct APP at my ward, Kawaji in Nasarawa Local Government Area of Kano State.
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At that time, Kano State was PDP-controlled under the then governor, Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso.
So, I entered politics as an opposition member in my state. As at that time, I was contesting for the position of a councilor at my ward, which ended with my losing the primary election in 2004.
Pioneer Buharist
In 2002, I was in All Progressives Party (APP) when President Buhari picked the membership card of the party and officially joined politics to run for the presidency in the 2003 elections. At that time, I and millions of people particularly from the north welcomed this decision by the President with enthusiasm and zeal and we supported him 100%.
We were basically the 1st set of the so-called ‘cult-like followership ‘ of the President, simply because we believed in him to deliver and lead this country to prosperity.
He came into politics as someone people trusted and whom they see as an upright person that they can vouch for, earning him the nickname ‘Mai Gaskiya’.
We campaigned for him through thick and thin, street to street, the young and the old, and when it was election time, I was assigned by my party leaders at my ward to be the returning officer of our party, APP, for the presidential election which Buhari was contesting for.
We fought PDP hard at my ward to ensure that we delivered the ward to him in the election.
I did not sleep for almost 48 hours then, because I had to accompany the results to the local government collation centre to ensure that the results were not altered.
President Buhari did not win the 2003 general elections, but our party, the defunct APP won the governorship election in Kano State, which ushered in Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau as the new governor of the state.
But soon after that, there was friction between his camp and that of President Buhari, which later on after the 2007 elections led to the creation of a new political party formed by Buhari, that is Congress for Progressive Change, (CPC).
First meeting with Buhari
I, and my political leader at that time, Hon. Balarabe Wakili, a former member representing Nasarawa Local Government in the House of Reps (2003 to 2007) decided to pitch our camp with the President and not with Mallam Shekarau, and it was through Hon. Wakili that I first visited the President on a solidarity visit back in the early stages.
It is still in CPC that I contested for the State Assembly, which we suffered a lot because of the factionalization of the party that led to a lot of bickerings.
Ultimately, I neither got the ticket nor did our party win the election.
May I use this medium to thank the current Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Hajia Sadiya for the role she played in my election back then when she was the National Treasurer of CPC.
My surrogate father-in-law
The President, also served as my wife’s guardian during our wedding in 2006 on behalf of her late uncle, AVM Mukhtar Mohammed who was a very close associate of the President.
May I use this opportunity to tell my wife’s guardian that 14 years after he gave her hand in marriage to me, we are still living peacefully and blessed with 3 children.
We thank him for his fatherly role during the nuptial rites.
Back to politics, at the presidential level, I served as a member of the Welfare Committee of the Presidential Election of Muhammadu Buhari, with the current Minister of Water Resources, Hon. Sulaiman Adamu Kazaure as the chairman of the committee, during the 2011 presidential election.
After the formation of APC, I also served as a member of the Youth Committee during the 2015 elections, crisscrossing this country to campaign for the President which we eventually won and Buhari was ushered into government with popular national support.
Now having given the background of the long-term relationship between me and the President spanning 18 years to be precise, I have never known a political leader throughout my political career other than Buhari, even though I can count the number of times I’ve met him.
NEPU blood
I did not only wish for his success but I equally worked hard with everything that I’ve got for almost two decades to see his dream become a reality, and I will continue to stand by him.
When I see things that are going not the way they are supposed to, I naturally have that urge to try and express my concern about them, because I want things to work right.
I can understand, if by virtue of my position as an aide to a governor in the same party as the President’s that I have limitations and somehow the spotlight is always on me.
But occasionally, despite suppressing my opinions,
I find the NEPU blood in me triggering me to react.
This is in no way, meant to undermine the President or my dear party, APC.
Apologies to Ganduje
To my boss, His Excellency, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, OFR, I want to use this opportunity to apologise for putting Your Excellency in an uncomfortable position due to my personal opinions.
It is indeed something that I never intended to happen, and I am not happy about it a bit. I do not have a boss-and-aide relationship with Your Excellency; I rather have a father-and-son relationship with Your Excellency.
Indeed, I appreciate the support Your Excellency has been according me in the last five years, and I will continue to remain loyal to you and serve my state and my country through your government and in whatever other capacity.
At the end of the day, our prayer is for Nigeria to be great.
In the words of Barack Obama “Do we participate in a politics of cynicism, or in a politics of hope?”
I am an optimist, and it’s our ardent HOPE that we will have the Nigeria of our dreams in which development and prosperity will be the norm rather than the exception; a country we can build a secured future for our children and generations yet unborn.
May we continue to do our best in ensuring this is the Nigeria that our forefathers sacrificed their lives for to lay a solid foundation.
Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Salihu Tanko Yakasai, Governor Ganduje’s suspended media aide writes from Kano.
Headlines
Education Renaissance: Governor Yusuf to Boost Learning and Safety in Kano’s Public Schools
Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf has reaffirmed his administration’s unwavering commitment to enhancing the quality of education in Kano’s public schools, with a particular focus on upgrading infrastructure and creating a conducive learning environment.
This was contained in a statement issued by governor’s spokesperson, Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, on Friday.
Speaking during a visit to Governor’s College on Thursday, Governor Yusuf inspected newly delivered furniture and instructional materials provided by the Ministry of Education.
He noted that these efforts are part of a broader initiative to revitalize public primary, junior, and secondary schools across the state, reversing the deteriorating state of the education sector.
The Governor was warmly received by enthusiastic students, teachers, and staff at the college, where he promised swift reforms aimed at strengthening the academic experience and preparing students for a bright future.
He also expressed pride in the improvements made at the school and announced plans to further enhance the capacity of the teaching staff.
Governor Yusuf revealed that his administration is set to construct a pedestrian bridge near the College, along Ibrahim Taiwo Road, to ensure student safety and prevent accidents.
Governor Yusuf reiterated his administration’s determination to tackle the challenges facing the education sector, promising that the declared state of emergency in education would result in significant progress and the restoration of Kano’s educational prestige.
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
Kano State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency (KSCHMA) has recorded 37% increase in number of its enrolees in the last 15 months.
KANO FOCUS reports that the Executive Secretary of the Agency Dr. Rahila Aliyu Mukhtar revealed this during a consultative engagement with organised labour on how to improve the healthcare service in the scheme.
She explained that, the primary services accessed by the enrolees under the scheme from 2022 to second quarter of 2024 stands at 1,852,485, while secondary healthcare services accessed stands at 28, 932 across the engaged healthcare providers.
In his remark, the Commissioner State Ministry of Health Dr. Abubakar Labaran Yusuf assured government support and commitment toward the successful implementation of the scheme and general improvement of healthcare services.
On his part, the State Head of Service Alhaji Abdullahi Musa said Kano state government government attached priority attention to the welfare of workers, adding that, the Contributory Healthcare scheme was not meant for workers alone but all residents of Kano.
He also solicited the support and cooperation of labour unions in order to move KSCHMA to greater height.
Also speaking the chairman Nigeria labour Congress (NLC) Kano state council Comrade Kabiru Inuwa, said that, the union being the major contributor of the scheme would not fold it arms while their members suffered in accessing the needed care.
He reiterated their commitment to ensure that their members received what they deserved by the healthcare providers.
Highlight of the event include paper presentation and group work on implementation of the scheme; challenges and recommendation.
A statement sent to KANO FOCUS by the public relations officer of the agency Nura Muhammad Yusuf said the workshop was conducted with support from FCDO Lafiya.
Aminu Abdullahi
The United Nations Children’s Fund has trained over 40 educational stakeholders under the Educational and Youth Empowerment Project (EYE).
KANO FOCUS reports that the participants undergone two day training on school safety, security, and climate literacy to ensure effective teaching and learning as well as safety of schools in the North West.
The state education facilitator of EU EYE, Aisha Abdullahi, said that the programme is funded by the European Union and supported by UNICEF, while the education partners such as the federal and state ministry of education, SUBEB, and other education stakeholders implemented the program.
She explained that the two-day programme is to train EYE teachers from various local governments and schools who will step down the training to their colleagues on school safety.
On his part, Cacsar Akuduke Executive Director of Talents in Children Promotion, said a lot of schools are not safe, and the program tends to address the shortcomings, building more knowledge and awareness among the stakeholders in education in the provision of the necessary guidelines as contained in the minimal standard for safe schools.
He added that although there are no cases of violence or serious attacks in schools in Kano State, the training will assist the participants with precautionary measures.
In his message, the Kano State Commissioner of Education, Alhaji Umar Haruna Doguwa, who was represented by the Director of Education Support Services, Hajiya Halima Sadiyya Tukur, said that their efforts have significantly and vividly improved access to quality education for many children, particularly those in underserved communities by addressing challenges such as inadequate infrastructure, teacher training, and gender disparities in education, adding that UNICEF has helped in creating a brighter future for these young learners.
The commissioner said the positive changes resulting from government initiatives will undoubtedly have a long-term effect on the lives of children and the overall development of the state.
He corroborated that their commitment to ensuring that every child has the opportunity to learn and thrive is commendable.
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