The Northern Bureau Chief, Muhammad Sabiu, speaks with Bashir Ahmad, Senior Specialist Assistant to the late President Buhari on Digital Communications. He speaks on six months after the late President, APC, Gov Abba of Kano state, and President Bola Tinubu, among others. Excerpts:
What is your impression about education in Northern Nigeria?
Honestly, establishing schools in Northern Nigeria by individuals is a very welcome development, especially if we take into cognisance that there is a large number of out-of-school children in the region. Even though we know the government is trying to tackle the menace, stakeholders in the region have to come up with projects to complement what the government is doing. Orphanage homes or centers are few. We equally need more primary and secondary schools. So, we have to encourage people who come up with such noble ideas. To this end, I want to congratulate my friend, Saifullahi Babangida, who established an orphanage center in Millennium City, Kaduna, in honour of his late mother, Hajiya Rabiatu.
What is your call to wealthy individuals in the society?
All stakeholders, especially the wealthy individuals in the region, should emulate what our friend Saifullahi has done. Even though most of us stay in Abuja, we come from different communities. So, we have to go back to our communities and do something similar to this. Even if you can’t do it, you have a duty to support existing schools. Because the reality today is that state governments can’t do everything. So, education is the bedrock of society. We all know that insecurity has affected education; that’s the more reason we have to do something to assist our communities.
Helping the needy and orphans has rewards. Educating themselves to become responsible citizens is not only important, but you have destroyed idleness in society. That’s why many youths get indoctrinated into many vices. Individuals should continue to support the government in the provision of education for the less privileged. By extension, we will be tackling the spread of insecurity. If you look at these bandits they are mostly youths between the ages of 18 and 20.
Over six months after the death of former President Muhammad Buhari. What can you remember about him?
Late President Muhammad Buhari was our leader and mentor who left us about six months ago; we will continue mourning him (Baba Buhari)forever. He was a leader. He was a father. He gave us a platform for people to know us so that we will also contribute our quota to the development of this country. So, we will continue to mourn him.
What are you missing about him?
The guidance. The former president guided me in anything you can think of. He was so concerned about our personal activities. He would take time to guide us. He would go into details, not minding the time he would take. We really benefited from this. So, we lost a father who was also a leader. He was a great Nigerians who love this country to a fault. Unfortunately, some have a negative views about him. That is human beings for you. Anyway, we will continue to pray for his shortcomings and seek for Allah’s forgiveness. We will also continue to pray for his family. We pray Allah grants him Aljanah Firdausi.
Are you still a member of APC?
Yes, I am still a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Where do you want me to go? I just went to my local government in Kano to renew my membership card. So, I renewed my membership card in my ward in Gaya. I am an active member of APC. There’s no doubt about that. I will continue to support the party. Because the late President Muhammad Buhari has told us that if you will not give 100 percent support, you should gladly leave or change allegiance. Myself and many others chose to remain. We will help the party grow. Don’t forget we are the ruling party.
What are the political intrigues in Kano State after the defection of the Kano State governor to your party?
We received a sitting governor, Abba Yusuf. Before, we were an opposition party, but now we are the ruling party in Kano and in Nigeria also. For us in Kano, we have no cause for alarm. It is a welcome development. And we will give the governor 100 per cent support. We want him to succeed.
But there’s seems to be a crack in APC in Kano because, from the fillers we’re hearing, Ganduje and Barau supporters have started fighting over positions?
This is democracy. You can’t expect everyone to be on the same page. But when you have a sitting governor, a sitting president, and also majority members of the state and national assemblies, you are in a stable condition. There’s no need to panic over trivial issues. The so-called crack you’re talking about, I don’t see it that way. In Kano, our politics is sophisticated. APC is on track. We have leaders that we trust. Leaders that we can vouch for any day. I repeat there’s no cause for alarm. Everything humanly possible will be put in place to return the party in 2027. APC is the party to beat just wait and see.
How can you assess President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a President?
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been doing a lot of good things. If you look at the policies and the reforms, some have a direct impact. Some of the reforms, like the economic reforms, I think it will take time to flourish, maybe even after he leaves office. I will tell you the President has the zeal to change the narrative of how the country has been run by various administrations. So, we need to give him more time. We need to support the government. As I said, these changes will be felt maybe several years after he has left the scene.