Senator Abdullahi Ganduje, the former Governor of Kano State, has urged his successor, Abba Yusuf, to focus on implementing effective measures to alleviate the hardships faced by the people, rather than criticizing President Bola Tinubu’s post-subsidy removal palliative plan.
Ganduje’s reaction was prompted by Yusuf’s initial rejection of the palliative plan, which faced a public backlash and was subsequently withdrawn.
Faulting the Federal Government’s decision, the governor questioned the effectiveness of the N500 billion palliatives distribution plan for small-scale industries.
He pointed out that the distribution mode favored Lagos the most, with a 47 per cent allocation, followed by the South-South Zone at 17 per cent, while the remaining regions would receive notably lower percentages.
Voiced by his deputy Aminu Abdussalam, the governor raised objections to the distribution, citing a noticeable preference for Lagos state and the South-South zone, which negatively impacted other states and zones.
Voiced by his deputy Aminu Abdussalam, the governor raised objections to the distribution, citing a noticeable preference for Lagos state and the South-South zone, which negatively impacted other states and zones.
The statement offering the advice was issued on Sunday by Malam Muhammad Garba, Ganduje’s former Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs.
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‘Instead of studying what the palliative plan is all about, Kano State openly criticised the plan only for them to withdraw the statement. While some states have gone ahead to set up committees that would provide an interim solution to the situation and others like Imo State have increased the minimum wage to N40,000 as an immediate interim measure, the NNPP government in Kano has not made any concerted efforts.’
‘In 2017, while negotiations were on between the Federal Government and the Labour Union on the N30,000 minimum wage, the administration of Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje went ahead and negotiated N36,000 minimum wage and thereby became one of the first state governments to approve minimum wage above that of the federal government,’ the statement read.
Proceeding with the messages Ganduje criticized the recent ‘inconsistencies and unguarded statements from senior Kano officials’ on the NNPP government’s lack of knowledge of what governance entails.
The experienced politician drew parallels between the two situations, citing the example of the Secretary to the Kano State Government, Dr. Baffa Bichi, who stated that the Kano roundabout’s demolition was justified because it featured a significant Christian cross, viewed as conflicting with Islamic values.
‘Unfortunately after an outrage, the SSG appeared on national television to embarrassingly deny making the statement, which also further eroded his personal credibility and that of the state government.’
‘Instead of making a careful study of what is on the ground, the government engaged in vengeance and also adopted an anti-people policy that has worsened the economic condition of the state. After stopping the salaries of suspended civil servants employed by the immediate past administration as well as the demotion of hundreds of teachers, the NNPP government despite its promise has failed to set up the committee that will look into their case,’ the statement added.
Consequently, Ganduje implored the NNPP government to steer clear of statements that could pose a threat to the state’s peace and development.