Kaduna State governor, Uba Sani, has said that Nigeria is under the threat of politicians who are bent on scuttling democracy if government’s decisions and policy outcomes are not in their favour.
The governor who sounded the alarm after breaking the Ramadan fast with journalists at Sir Kashim Ibrahim House, alerted them on the activities of these politicians that he referred to ‘’latter day activists.’’
Apparently referring to former Kaduna State governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai as one of the latter-day activists, though governor Sani who did not mention names pointed out that journalists fought for democracy more than any group of professionals in Nigeria, so they should not allow what the sacrificed for to be truncated by anti-democratic forces.
Governor Sani recalled that ‘’when we were in the struggle, we the Civil Rights activists, relied mostly on journalists. Most of them lost their freedoms. Some of them lost their lives when we were fighting for democracy.’’
He said Nigerians can not ‘’talk of democracy today without the contribution of journalists. So, you have to be vigilant about these category of politicians who are conflict merchants.’’
The governor pointed out that these politicians do not focus on issues of development like healthcare, education, human capital and infrastructural development or unemployment and poverty.
‘’Rather, they dwell on ethnicity and religion which divide the country. When campaigns begin, they will focus on these issues instead of focusing on matters that affect all Nigerians irrespective of ethno-religious affiliations,’’ he warned.
Governor Sani recalled that many of these emergency activists were anti-democratic forces who ‘’were not with us in the struggle but today, I’m surprised that they are the latter day activists.’’
He disclosed that ‘’when we were fighting for democracy, they were partnering with military dictators. Today, from nowhere, they are trying to teach us democracy.’’
The governor argued that these politicians do not actually care about the plight of the downtrodden as Nigerians can not easily forget because ‘’we know what they did just yesterday.’’
Posing rhetorical questions, he asked that ‘’what do they know about fundamental human rights? What do they know about freedom? What do they know about the rule of law? What do they know about equality? What do they know about justice?’’
According to governor Sani, these are the questions that journalists should ask these so called activists, adding that they should hold them to their pasts.
‘’Out of 32 secondary hospitals that we have in Kaduna State, only five were equipped and functional when we came in. Today, we are renovating, equipping and remodelling 15 out of the 32.
‘’We had about 580,000 out-of-school-children in Kaduna State according to the National Bureau of Statistics. We have reduced the number to 182,000. Together with Kuwait Development Fund, Islamic Development Bank, UNICEF and other Development Partners, we will build additional 102 schools,’’ he disclosed.
The governor said Kaduna State is the only subnational that has so far benefitted from this funding of $62.8 million to address the issue of out-of-school children ‘’because we are running a transparent government.’’
‘’Our focus is to leave no child outside the classroom in Kaduna State because we believe that education is the greatest leveller that is why we have to give education to the children of the poor,’’ he added.
