Jigawa state governor, Sule Lamido recently cleared the air on the many calls on him to take a shot at the nation’s plum job in 2015, saying as much as he feels some sense of flattery, he still believes such a position is not gotten on the basis of one’s popularity. He similarly speaks on the popularity of his party-the PDP among Nigerians as well as his modest achievements in the state. MUHAMMAD ALIYU reports
How is Jigawa the best?
When I said jigawa state is the best , t don’t mean that it is Dubai or Doha or like any famous City in the World. I am talking about what defines human comfort. In whatever we have in Jigawa state in the next 10 -15 years, either in health, agriculture, environment, in human dignity, in human decency, it would measure with anybody anywhere in the world. We are talking in terms our environment, its serenity and health, our water, our electricity would be of good standard that could be compared with anyone in the world. So, the governor that would come after me would be compelled to take the government and build on what we have built, I mean our good legacies.
Pressure to contest 2015 presidency
With regards to the aspiration and people calling on me to contest for the presidency in 2015 , you see it is very very flattering. I feel highly flattered. Among the population of 170million Nigerians, you have not seen a potential presidential material like me. I feel flattered and I am very very grateful to God for blessing me with such status .To me, it is part of blessing and mercies of Allah. In the parlance of Nigerian politics, you do not fix things on fame and popularity. One can be popular and famous in his own environment but he can never be famous and much revered outside his own environment. Look at the late Aminu Kano, he was talking on principles and higher values. It was only within his environment in terms of popularity, even though he was very famous and adorned nationwide. One could happen to become the president of Nigeria not because of one’s fame or popularity, but because of a peculiar character. It is the same thing with Shagari, the same thing with Obasanjo. In Nigeria, popularity does not give one the mantle of the presidency. There are realities on ground. PDP, as a party has made its mark in all its ramifications. Any state you go, any town you go, any village you go, you will find PDP with its wide appeal and acceptability. It is known everywhere.
Because of its collectivity, the ownership of the party in Nigeria is what makes it unique and accepted. If you are not in PDP, you are rejected, abandoned and burled. Lawal Kaita, Sunday Awoniyi, all left PDP and the party remains intact, because it is a Nigerian owned , and this underscores our convictions , realities and clear ideological focus.
In Nigeria , popularity is not criteria for leadership. One is always judged by the sincerity of his conviction and the numerous programmes you have for the nation in such a way that it would have a sustainable impact on the well being of the masses .
Jonathan was not voted into power because of his fame or popularity, but out of the belief that he would have the capability and ability to propel the country to greater height. He was voted out of the conviction and confidence that he would be able to bring the political stability, the political peace to the nation. In other parties, such expectations are lacking because, the PDP is the only party in the country that has the leverage to bring peace and enduring political stability. It is the chemistry of the Nigerian political culture that people got to comprehend fully. Jonathan as you know, was accepted by the Igbos, the Yorubas, irrespective of one’s reality or religion or tribal background . The entire chemistry had been fully comprehended and thoroughly understood by the electorate in all the six geo-political zones in the country. People have been convinced that they could be secure under the PDP not because of one’s popularity.
People should always be concerned about those who would make Nigeria secure , protect and usher in stability. If you look at the political history of the country, we derived our authority and legitimacy from the indelible legacy the nation’s nationalists left on the sand of time. At present, we must all strive to ensure that such preserved monumental legacies are preserved and fully espoused.
On your modest achievements within a short period
You see, when you are going on a political campaign, you know the rules of the Nigerian Constitution, you also know that you have a mandate of four or eight years, even though you could be elected to have two consecutive terms in office . Your primary duty is to run the affairs of your state well, most importantly with the money accruing to the coffers of your state from the Federation account. We have not borrowed a single kobo so far, and we are not going to borrow a single kobo from anybody . What we have rather demonstrated is the commitment to meet some of our basic obligations by executing projects with the desired on the people of Jigawa such as the of the airport, the issue erosion control , and the issue of Hadejia Jam’are.
Now, we have gotten two billion naira in the last two months. So how do we meet our myriad of commitments on Dutse Water Works which is about seven billion? There is also eleven billion which we expect to spend on our airport and the list is endless. This is only achievable through the understanding and commitment of the campaign promises we have made to the people. We took the lion share of our budget in tackling all these problems and despite the meager resources at our disposal, we are not owing anybody any kobo.
