Kano through the eyes of Kwankwaso and Shekarau

[Mallam]

Hi all,
I came across this link and thought i should share it with members of this Forum. It contains links to a series of interviews conducted by Dr Aliyu Tilde on governance in Kano state.
Both the present and immediate past governors aired their views on their perceptions of the current state of Kano state.
I hope we enjoy going through the links and making our personal opinions.
http://fridaydiscourse.blogspot.com/2012/07/kano-interview-series-12-articles.html?m=1

[gogannaka]

Kudos goes to Aliyu Tilde for the interviews.

I find some things really impressive like the Northwestern University and the Vocational training. I only hope he would stop his principal from comparing everything the administration does to that of the previous administration. It makes no sense to always be demeaning the past Administration in order to make your own Administration look saintly.

My best quote from Kwankwaso's interview:

You see, Kwankwasiyya is an ideology and you can see the result. Go and see how our streets are clean and lit in the night. This is not how we inherited them in 2011. Look at the four major roads that lead into Kano. Additional lanes are added to them, with shoulders, drainages and walkways. Even on the old roads, we are putting interlocking blocks for pedestrians. We are working, day and night.

So I believe it is always good to be responsible, reasonable and mean well to people. That is why I am not in a hurry to probe anybody. Give them the benefit of the doubt. But I know if you build around you so many deep wells and you continue to move around them recklessly, one day you are likely to fall into one. People will reap what they sow. That is my position.

 I am sure the position of first lady isn’t in the constitution. So, first things first. First of all, my wife is my wife – the wife to Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso; then, secondly, if you like, she is the wife to the Governor of Kano State.

You see everybody has his own way of doing things. I am not saying that what others are doing is wrong, but I don’t believe that others should think that my own is wrong. My wife doesn’t go to any ministry. I don’t allow commissioners to go to my wife. In any case, if my wife has the governor at her disposal anytime, why would she need a commissioner? "If you want anything in government, tell me," I told her. But she knows - and everybody knows - that I cannot steal anything in government and bring it to her. If there is anything genuine that everybody is entitled to, then she can also go for it.

To me creating an office of the first lady endangers the wife by exposing her to all sorts of risks – the inherent problems associated with politics, with leadership, etc. If you put all your eggs in one basket, you end up in one problem or the other. Also, if you have people who have not gone through the system – like our wives – they may create one problem or the other for themselves. Sometimes, if you cannot fell the tree, you go for the branches because they are very easy to cut and fell. That is why you should not give your enemies that opportunity. We have people who cannot come to terms with marking buildings with kwankwasiyya, what would they do if they catch my wife stealing public money?


Security is the paramount responsibility of any government. And while people are working very hard to ensure that there is security in Kano, at the same time I am calling on everybody to come together and work with us in the interest of the state. This not withstanding, let me say at this juncture that Kano is the centre of knowledge also. We have people who are praying across the state 24 hours a day. In fact, that was why on 29 May instead of celebrating we went to the mosque to pray to Almighty Allah for peace not only in Kano but also throughout the country. The same thing took place in all local governments and wards in the state that day. And you know God is great. We are beginning to see peace coming back in Kano.


Here is my best quote from Shekarau:


Shekarau: My advice for the people of Kano is that they should continue to be patient, law abiding and supportive of any government in place. Once elections are over and a government is in place, support any project put forward by the government. My advice is when any government comes up with a project in the interest of the public; we should put aside political differences and support it. On the other hand, I will advise the government not to over-politicize government activities and projects because that will be the reason that people will have in believing that it is their own project, that it is not about your political party. This is why I am a bit unhappy with the naming of projects after a political party. No matter how bitter you feel about a government, that government will have to live its period. Your abusing the government and quarreling with it doesn’t help matters. You must be patient enough to wait for the elections to come. When they come, use your vote to dislodge who you don’t want to see. This is my advice.

[HUSNAA]

KUdos to Kwankwaso, he dey tryoooooooooo

[bakangizo]

Kokarin? Shiririta, rinton aiki, rashin mutunci, cin zatafin jama'a da kalamai kamar na 'yan tasha? Shi ne kokari?

[HUSNAA]

Well you have to start somewhere ko ba haka ba? Besides Yan iskan Kano sai irin su Kwankwaso, su ne maganin su. Dan tasha wala no, he still dey try... what ever language he uses, he gets the job done and thats what counts!!!!

[Nuruddeen]

Well you have to start somewhere ko ba haka ba? Besides Yan iskan Kano sai irin su Kwankwaso, su ne maganin su. Dan tasha wala no, he still dey try... what ever language he uses, he gets the job done and thats what counts!!!!
[/quote

Gaskiya ne Husnaa. Allah ya taimaka.

[bakangizo]

Well you have to start somewhere ko ba haka ba? Besides Yan iskan Kano sai irin su Kwankwaso, su ne maganin su. Dan tasha wala no, he still dey try... what ever language he uses, he gets the job done and thats what counts!!!!

Abinda arziki bai kawo ba, tsiya ba zai kawo ba. Cin mutuncin jama'a, dagawa da kalamai na ashararanci ba alama ne na mai jogarancin garin musulmi ba. Is it any wonder we found ourselves in this pitiable situation, tunda ba abinda zai fito daga bakin shugaban ka sai kalmomin masifa?

Ga sata a boye, ga rinton aiki. Ga tsoro kamar farar kura.

[gogannaka]

BKGZ, just like Husnaa said, i believe Kwankwaso is the right person to lead Kano. In his few years he has been able to achieve so much infrastructural and human capital development.

I also believe he has a passion for the development of the state deep in his mind.

I wish he would have a second term.

[bakangizo]

I respectfully disagree, sir. Seriously. Human capital development? You are joking right? We look at things differently. But then your opinion, my opinion. So no wahala.

[Muhsin]

I respectfully disagree, sir. Seriously. Human capital development? You are joking right? We look at things differently. But then your opinion, my opinion. So no wahala.

How I wish everybody would subscribe to this thought; there would not have been clashes at a slight "provocation", especially on political issues.

Besides, I say kudos to both Shekarau and Kwankwaso, for I believe they care about Kano and its people. It is just the approach, which any of them has it peculiar to his thought and perception. Personally I benefit more from the latter's (Kwankwaso's) led-government, but that does not (and cannot) blind me from seeing good in the former's administration. May Allah bless Kano more with more patriotic governors and law-abiding citizens. May peace reign in the state and all the Muslim states, amin.

[gogannaka]

Well to me, it all depends on our perception of human capital development.
For Example, providing scholarships can be taken as human capital development. While Shekarau's foreign scholarships were shrouded in secrecy, Kwankwaso's was open.
Shekarau no doubt employed a lot of people through the hisbah board and REMASAB (street cleaners). But likewise, Kwankwaso has employed teachers and workers, in Addition to the people he married off.

So Like Muhsin said, all of them care for Kano. But in my own opinion, Shekarau should have done better given the 8yrs he got. I also always ask if his adaidaita sahu program succeeded not.