“Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth”. – Mohammed Ali
For Senator Uba Sani, Governor of Kaduna state, the Court of Appeal’s dismissal of the petition by Isa Ashiru Kudan, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), and the affirmation of his victory in the March 2023 elections was a validation of the people’s will. More importantly, it was a welcome relief from a needless distraction that had, without doubt, adversely affected governance.
Though the governor clearly won the election fair and square, the election petition was upsetting because there was never a guarantee of how the judicial pendulum will swing. We have seen frivolous cases, minor slips or extraneous matters leading to severe consequences. So, election petitions are psychologically nerve wracking.
Under such uncertainties, there was no way Governor Sani or any other elected official could have the desired peace of mind to focus on the delivery of his campaign promises.
The obviously elated and relieved Uba Sani said: “‘It is now time to peacefully move forward and continue to work hard for the people of Kaduna without distractions, as the task ahead of us is huge”.
The effect of what has become drawn out election, and most times unnecessary legal challenges, should worry Nigerians, due its adverse cost on governance and on the judiciary that is often saddled with the flimsiest of electoral cases, such that pre-and post election cases have become the norm. According to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Olukayode Ariwoola, at the commencement of the 2023/2024 legal year, a total of 1,271 appeals and motions were filed in the 2022/2023 legal year, of which 388 were political appeals. Also, of the 251 judgements delivered in the period under review, 125 were political cases. This should be a wake up call to major stakeholders to address the problem.
Considering the backbreaking workload of judges, it’s high time the law is amended so that most appeals can terminate at the Court of Appeal, such that only certain matters related to interpretation of the law would get to the Supreme Court. But the ideal will be for politicians to accept defeat.
Unfortunately, just as petitions for the 2023 elections are gradually being disposed off, petitions are already flooding in from the off season elections recently held in Kogi, Imo and Bayelsa states; and from events already playing out for next year’s Edo and Ondo states elections, it is logical to expect more election cases because the average Nigerian politician is a bad loser.
Now that the Court of Appeal has rightly thrown out Isa Ashiru Kudan’s petition in a unanimous judgement due to the inexplicable failure of his lawyers to fully comply with the provisions of paragraph 18 of the First Schedule to the Electoral Act, 2022, it’s hoped that Isa Ashiru Kudan will congratulate Governor Uba Sani and join hands with him to move Kaduna state forward. The truth is that, head or tail, it’s a herculean task as things stand, for Isa Ashiru Kudan to convince the Supreme Court to order a rerun election considering the well considered judgement of the Court of Appeal that he doesn’t have a good case. It’s Isa Ashiru Kudan’s choice,to be defeated four times by Uba Sani, who has, so far, defeated him at the general election, the election tribunal and Court of Appeal.
While the petition, undoubtedly, distracted Uba Sani, he has nonetheless shown an unwavering commitment to deliver on his undeniably constructive, and progressive campaign promises encapsulated as Sustain; aimed at Sustaining The Progress, which have been designed to achieve specific objectives geared towards the greater good of Kaduna state people. Like they say, the morning shows the day.
With his steady steps since his swearing in on May 29, 2023, Governor Uba Sani has shown that his spectacular performance as Senate Committee Chairman on Banking, Insurance and other Financial Institutions was not a fluke. He had sponsored more than 12 consequential bills, of which three were signed into law, a remarkable feat for a single-term senator.
During his eventful time at the upper legislative chamber, Uba Sani had shown keen interest in security issues, including advocating the creation of state police, to enhance security of lives and property of Nigerians. It is not surprising, therefore, that as governor, he has paid attention to security issues. He has continued to stress the need to “bring law enforcement closer to the people”, for effective intelligence gathering and sustained security exercises at the grassroots, insisting this will make it difficult for terror gangs and other criminals to roam, or launch attacks on law-abiding residents.
It’s a fact that shortage of manpower is amongst the challenges facing security agencies, which explains why Governor Sani immediately engaged 7,000 more vigilantes to complement the efforts of the federal security services.
”We strengthened the manpower and overall operational capacity of the Kaduna Vigilance Service (KADVS), because of the challenge of inadequate personnel to successfully wage the battle against bandits and other criminal elements. It’s our hope that with their knowledge of the local environment, bandits will now have no hiding place”, said the governor.
Another area that the governor has prioritised is human capital development. An assessment of skills in the public and private sectors of Kaduna state citizens had showed an alarming gap, which has denied them the opportunity of playing in the fast changing fields of the 21st Century, and to contribute effectively to the economic development of the state. The effect of the skills deficit is that jobs that would have ordinarily gone to local residents are handled by foreigners, hence the construction of the Kaduna State Vocational and Technology Skills City.
The establishment of a vocational and technology skills city, a life changing initiative, is to help retool and upskill the capacity of beneficiaries to handle technical and technological tasks, and make them employable in strategic sectors of the economy. The target is to train 400 participants every quarter, a total of 1,600 trainees in one year. Successful graduands would be helped to acquire necessary certifications in Microsoft/CISCO/Huawei systems, oil and gas services, welding and fabrication, automobile gas conversion, etc.
Another area that is dear to Uba Sani is the welfare of the people, and the Solar-For-All project, an initiative of Kaduna Power Supply Company. To implement the project, the government has entered into an agreement with Basscomm Nigeria Limited and Eneriv Power Limited for the provision of solar power to civil servants under the Solar-For-All programme. The initiative is a win-win for the people, considering the epileptic power supply, and for the government which is committed to the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), of which the provision of renewable energy is a critical component.
Governor Sani can always be counted upon to embrace any programme that will make life easier for the people. Plans are in top gear to extend the solar power programme to other residents of the state.
Other programmes that have been implemented in the last few months include the construction of boreholes under the PEWASH programme in Kubau and Makarfi local government areas of the state, in furtherance of the Sustain Agenda, to increase access to water supply in rural areas across the state.
Like the Nasir El-Rufai administration, the new regime has continued a strategic engagement with several development partners. Some Middle-East countries like U.A.E. and Qatar have openly keyed into the partnership, with commitments to projects in agriculture, renewable energy, among others.
Thankfully, Uba Sani understands that he must deliver on his SUSTAIN Agenda, the central thrust of which is rural transformation through massive infrastructural development. His 2024 “Budget of Rural Transformation For Inclusive Development” has confirmed that fidelity to his electoral promises. If the morning truly shows the day, then it promises to be a great day, a time of bountiful harvest, for Kaduna state residents under Governor Uba Sani.
Ado writes from Kaduna.
