In spite of the initial misgivings for failing to commiserate with themafter suffering fire outbreaks in five markets and the failure of President Muhammadu Buhari to personally come and condole the people over the demise of elders statesman Alhaji Yusuf Maitama Sule and retired AVM Mohammed Muktar, a mammoth crowd received him when he went for a two-day official visit to Kano state. In addition, Kano state All Progressives Congress(APC) stakeholders did not only endorse him as its sole candidate, but promised to procure the nomination form for Buhari, for the 2019 presidential contest. In this report, IBRAHEEM MUSA and ALIYU ASKIRA highlight the build up to the visit and what transpired afterwards.
For President Muhammadu Buhari, Kano state is not just one of the 36 states in the country but a pivot of his political trajectory. Specifically, presidential spokesman Garba Shehu, about five days ago, had referred to the state as Buhari’s vote bank and his most secure political base.
For 12 years, the people have kept faith with the retired general, from All Nigerian Peoples Party(ANPP), to the Congress for Progressive Change(CPC) and the present All Progressives Congress(APC).
In 2003, when Buhari first contested the presidency, Kano state gave him 1, 627, 877 votes while Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, a sitting president and Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) candidate, got a paltry 494, 751 votes.
Similarly, Buhari had defeated Alhaji Umaru Yar’adua, the PDP flag bearer, in the 2007 election in Kano state.
In 2011, the people still cast their lot with Buhari as they gave him 1,624, 543 votes as against President Goodluck Jonathan, the PDP candidate who scored 440,666. Last election, Buhari got 1,903,999 votes in Kano state.
Cold indifference
However, in spite of this massive support, some Kano people were unhappy with his cold indifference towards their plight. About a year ago, successive fire incidents had occurred in five major markets in Kano and they include the Farm Centre (GSM) market, Kurmi market, Yan Katako market, Singer Market, and Muhammad Abubakar Rimi Market, which is also known as Sabon Gari market.
Subsequently, an Appeal Fund Raising Committee, headed by Alhaji Aliko Dangote, was set up to provide some lifeline to the victims. However, President Buhari neither visited Kano to commiserate with the victims, nor did the federal government donate to the fund.
Significantly, Dangote had donated N500 million and Senate President Bukola Saraki as well as House Speaker Yakubu Dogara gave N10 million and N5 million respectively. According to reports, this lukewarm attitude has angered Kano people, irrespective of party affiliations.
Similarly, on July 3, Alhaji Yusuf Maitama Sule, the Danmasanin Kano and elder statesman, died at 88 years but Buhari neither attended the funeral nor paid a condolence visit to the people. In particular, the late octogenarian was a pillar of support, in spite of being non partisan, for Buhari’s political odyssey since 2003.
Significantly, the president was on medical vacation in United Kingdom, when Maitama died and Professor Yemi Osinbajo was acting president at that time. Consequently, Chief of Staff Abba Kyari led the federal government delegation to the funeral.
However, critics argued that President Buhari, upon his return to Nigeria, should have commiserated with Kano people, given that condolence visits are not time bound.
In addition, the president didn’t set foot in Kano, especially to condole the people and family of the late retired Air Vice Marshall Muktar Mohammed, one of his staunch supporters, whose death was reported on October 3. Instead, the president had sent his condolence through a press statement issued by his Spokesman.
In addition, some critics argued that Kano state, in spite of its consistent support, has not benefitted anything from the Buhari administration.
According to an aide to former Governor of the state, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, ‘’this administration has not sited any single project in Kano state in the last two years. Most of our people defied the sun and the elements to vote for him but we have nothing to show for it.’’
Govt replies critics
Last Sunday, Malam Garba Shehu replied critics of the administration by itemising what Buhari has done for his strongest support base. In this regard, he went down memory lane and recreated the Jonathan era, when Boko Haram stalked Kano state and indeed the whole country.
According to him, ‘’no where was safe in Kano. A place that was safe today, can be site of a deadly attack tomorrow. The police, the other security agencies and the general civilian bore the brunt of a large-scale insurgent offensive. The security situation was intensely volatile. Men and women leave home to fetch food for the children and later in the day, their dead bodies are brought back.’’
In the run up to the campaign, according to Shehu, what the people wanted was security, a buoyant economy and jobs. In retrospect, more than two years down the road, peace has returned and the people, the presidential spokesman said, now are enjoying freedom all over again.
In fact, ‘’this freedom and democracy is what people are expressing when they go on radio and social media to say nothing has changed in their lives; that nothing has been achieved,’’ Spokesman Shehu had argued.
In addition, the presidential spokesman wrote that, owing to numerous power generation and transmission projects, the economy of Kano state has improved tremendously. Before now, most Kano neighbourhoods spent weeks without electricity; factories sent workers home and shut down because they had no money to sustain production by using diesel generators.
However, things have now changed for the better because, according to him, ‘’records indicate that Kano today enjoys a daily cumulative power supply of about 18 hours.’’
Also, he promised that Buhari plans to bring a permanent solution to the problem of power. In particular, his administration plans to lay gas pipelines from Ajaokuta through Abuja and Kaduna to Kano.
According to him, the proposed gas pipelines should meet the needs of manufacturing industries in Kano state, ‘’ as it has been for the coastal areas including Lagos and Ogun states industrial zones.’’
Apart from security and power, Kano state has also benefitted from the social intervention programmes of the federal government. Kano, as to be expected, is one of the major beneficiaries of the administration’s social investment programs. In particular, more than 80,000 applications for the current wave of N-Power recruits are being processed, Garba Shehu pointed out. Similarly, beneficiaries of the conditional cash transfer will soon start benefiting from the safety net as cash transfer facilitators have been given orientation and training. In addition, cash transfer offices have already been set up in Kano state and enrollments had commenced from the 23rd of November.
…Remains president’s stronghold, vote bank
Preparing for the August visitor
Significantly, Kano town had been in a festive mood, notwithstanding the misgivings, in anticipation of Buhari’s arrival since the state visit was announced last week. Specifically, radio jingles had been dominating the air waves, welcoming the august visitor and asking the people to be of good conduct.
In particular, the state government had warned parents and guardians to monitor their wards throughout the visit. Similarly, Alhaji Danbilki Commander, a strong supporter of the president, had allegedly warned against any act that will embarrass the president.
In addition, some supporters went beyond jingles as they slaughtered rams and chickens, according to reports, to celebrate the arrival of President Buhari. Similarly, others had organised special prayer sessions for a hitch-free event. In this regard, the state government closed down primary and secondary schools, according to reports, to ease traffic congestion during the state visit. However, only schools in area councils around Kano town, including Dala, Municipal and Fage as well as Nasarawa Local Governments were affected by the closure.
Kano stands still for Buhari
On Wednesday, the Kano State Governor, Alhaji Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, members of the state executive council, the emir of Kano , Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi II, and other traditional rulers as well as National Assembly members from Kano state, including prominent politicians, were on hand to receive President Buhari at the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport.
Thereafter, the entourage moved to town and a mammoth crowd lined the streets to cheer Buhari. Waving, singing and praising the president, the people of Kano were elated at the arrival of the August visitor. Orderly and well behaved, the crowd was in a campaign mood as various people wore T-shirts and sundry memorabilia, bearing Buhari’s portraits. Posters, with ‘’Buhari 2019 inscribed on them, were freely circulated and just about everyone held one variety or the other.
In addition, some motorists pulled dangerous stunts on major roads, shouting ‘’Sai Baba,’’ indicating their electoral choice. Similarly, local musicians sang new songs to eulogise the president and people of all age grades gyrated in merriment. Markets, shop owners and petty traders momentarily shut down their businesses to catch a glimpse of the smiling president.
Buhari overwhelmed
Significantly, the president’s first port of call was the emir’s palace and Buhari, without mincing words, said that he was overwhelmed by the sea of people that received him. By this crowd, ‘’if elections are contested, I will no doubt win it,’’ Buhari had confessed. Thereafter, the president revealed an abridged score-card, arguing that ‘’Kano people are aware of the tremendous job we did on security and agriculture.’’
According to him, the stability of the north and the entire country is paramount and his administration, Buhari promised, is determined to make Nigeria a peaceful nation. In addition, the president doused speculations of bad blood between him and the Emir Sanusi as according to him, ‘’I always consult the Kano Emirate Council.’’
Similarly, the president took pot-shots at the PDP administration, lamenting that from 1999 to 2014, Nigeria got so much wealth but it was misused. ‘’They squandered the money and we still don’t have good hospitals and roads,’’ the president said.
Kudos to Ganduje
Thereafter, Buhari went to Kurmawa Central Prison, where he pardoned 500 inmates and gave them an undisclosed amount of money. The president advised the freed prisoners to be of good behaviour and shun anything that could bring them back to gaol. In addition, the president asked them to engage in lawful ventures, especially to become useful members of the society.
Afterwards, the president commissioned the Giginyu Ultramodern 500-bed hospital, where he praised Ganduje to high heavens. According to him, ‘’the APC change is real and is for all Nigerians, irrespective of their beliefs, tribes, ethnic and or party differences. The APC change agenda is working in Kano . I’m highly impressed with what Ganduje is doing in Kano. ‘’ In addition, the president asked other governors to emulate him, especially by executing similar projects in their states.
Dinner for the president
Later, a dinner was held for the visiting president and in clear term, Buhari said that he is grateful to God and the people of Kano for having trust in him. The massive crowd, according to the president, is a clear message to the opposition that his popularity remains unshaken in the state.
In a statement issued by the president’s Senior Special Assistant, the president said that results of 2003, 2007 and 2011 presidential elections all showed that Kano state remains his stronghold. Going by this antecedent, he further said, it is ‘’very clear that nobody could even dare to rig my scores from the elections in Kano.’’ According to him, the voting pattern has been very consistent ‘’ and I don’t think I have the vocabulary to express my thanks to the people of Kano.’’
In addition, the president reiterated that his priority is to provide a meaningful future for the teeming youths in the country, through education, and the faithful management of the economy and resources. ‘‘Nigeria is my target and I will continue to maintain focus,’’ he further said.
Town Hall meeting
On Thursday, President Buhari interacted with stakeholders, where he reiterated his commitment to fight corruption and his constraints as a civilian leader. The fight, according to him, is more difficult than fighting insurgency because the corrupt elements wield enormous powers. He recalled that as head of state, he arrested some corrupt politicians and confiscated their properties in 1984. However, when his administration was toppled, all their houses were returned to them, Buhari had lamented.
The president also fielded questions his administration’s fight against insurgency and the economy. However, the highpoint of the meeting was Buhari and Ganduje’s adoption as their sole candidates for the presidential and gubernatorial elections respectively.
In fact, they promised to buy nomination form for Buhari and the stakeholders promised to sue him, according to Garba Shehu, if he refuses to contest in 2019. In a statement, the spokesman said that the president neither accepted the nor declined the offer.
Significantly, the president neither commissioned any federal government project nor reel out Kano-specific programmes that the state has benefitted from this administration as recompense for its fidelity.
Similarly, he didn’t give reasons why he hadn’t commiserate with the victims of the fire disasters much earleir. Neither did the president apologise for not condoling families of the late Maitama Sule and retired AVM Muktar, nor pay a belated condolence to them and people of Kano state. However, in spite of these ‘’oversights’’, Kano remains Buhari’s vote bank as the people still adore him.
