Please, tell us about yourself.
I was born in Kano state on August 2, 1968 to a humble lineage of Islamic scholars and merchants. My parents are Hajiya Rabi’at and Muhammad Basiru Alkalin Jahun, the son of Alkalin Sumaila Isyaku, the son of Hajiya Hannatu, the daughter of Waziri Gidado, the son of Hajiya Asma’u (Dodo), the daughter of the famous Islamic scholar, Liman Zahraddeen (Liman Zara).
I am an engineer. After my primary education, I attended Bagauda Technical College. After that, I went to the City and Guilds of London Institute where I studied Mechanical Engineering. I later obtained a Masters Degree in Gas Engineering and Management from The University of Salford, Greater Manchester, UK.
I obtained a postgraduate Diploma in Financial Management from Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University. I worked for several years in the Oil and Gas Industry.
I’m a trained Exxon-Mobil lubricants engineer at the Exxon Chemicals Training Centre Abingdon, United Kingdom. I was at various times the production manager of the largest and most modern lubricant blending plant in Africa, producing various grades of synthetic and conventional industrial and automotive lubricants for domestic consumption and exports.
I’m also a certified aviation fuels manager trained by Flightline UK in the production, distribution and storage of aviation fuel. I’m into plane refueling of contaminant-free Jet A1. I managed the best technical team solely fueling local and international airlines for five years. These include Nigeria Airways, Chanchangi, Bellview, British Airways, Lufthansa and the Airforce One during the visit of US President J.W. Bush to Nigeria in 2002.
I was the team leader in the design, construction and laying of the first ever indigenous Natural Gas Pipeline; second only to the famous Engr O. O in the then Gaslink; a subsidiary of Unipetrol Nigeria Plc.
I was the construction development manager of Oando PLC in charge of importation, shipping as well as commercial and logistic activities of various grades of bitumen to construction companies all over Nigeria.
I was also part of the conceptual design of the NIPP power plants of Omotosho and Papalanto and the single prime mover of the Kaduna 84mw Dual Fuel Power plant currently at financial closure, among others.
I am a member of various professional bodies including the Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE), the International Institution of Gas Engineers and Managers, (IGem), UK and the Energy Institute UK, The International Institute of Risk Management.
In 2019, I was a leading PDP gubernatorial aspirant. This year, I was a leading aspirant in the APC but was forced out by political forces in the state.
My campaign for the governorship seat in the APC was focused on improving power/energy supply, healthcare, agriculture and job creation.
Although I joined the campaign late, the general concensus was that I’m “the right candidate but in the wrong party”.
Religious Activities:
I’m educated in in both Islamic and Christian religious scriptures. I read the Quran from Fatiha to Suratul Nass and the Bible from Genesis to Revelations. I am the convener of Kano Covenant, an inter-religious platform for peaceful coexistence between Muslims and Christians in Kano and Northern Nigeria.
I visit churches and deliver lectures on Sundays preaching religious harmony. Our activities have been covered by CNN, BBC and Aljazeera Networks.
We maintain a solid relationship with both Jamatu Nasir Islam and the leadership of Christian Association of Nigeria.
I’m married to Hussaina and Hadiza and we’re blessed with six children; four boys and two girls.
How would you assess the current security situation in the country?
In fact, for one to talk on the current insecurity situation in the country is an understatement. The situation is just like moving from frying pan to fire.
Let me give you an example. When President Muhammadu Buhari came in 2015, the whole issue of insecurity was only contained in the North East. And even within the North East, it was in the suburb, not in the cities. One could go to Maiduguri. There could be an attack in Ngileri or any other place but within the city, there was relative peace.
Although outside the cities, there were few local governments where insurgents held sway.
The only two states where one can say there is relative peace are Kano and Jigawa.
It means that insecurity is growing in exponential stages. From the North East, it has conquered the whole of North West and even other states in the South and South South regions. There are serious issues of insecurity such as kidnapping, banditry and all kinds of terrorist activities.
Initially, the challenge was based on the activities of Boko Haram but now it has become transactional, including kidnapping for ransom. Wherever one is, whether at home or work place, they’re prone to attacks. Nobody is safe. I think it is from bad to worse.
What is your take on the attack on the Kuje Correctional Centre?
It was a national embarrassment. If it could happen at a national correctional centre situated in the heart of the Federal Capital Territory where the president is, likewise the Chief Justice of the Federation, Senate President, IGP, Director SS, Speaker, NIA Director, among others, then where is safe?
We learned that the DSS reports indicated that there was a likelihood of it happening. There was prior knowledge of what was going to happen. Similar prior information was obtained before the attack on the Kaduna-Abuja train on transit. Yet, in all these, no proactive measure was taken.
The major condition, apart from the monetary aspect, was that they’re demanding for the release of their colleagues apprehended and kept under custody in correctional centres nationwide. They are demanding the release of their commanders.
That should have made the security architecture to know that the target of these people was to attack correctional centres all over Nigeria especially Kaduna-Abuja where you have the preponderance of these people who are detained there.
In fact, they are enemy combatant. The question is, why should you apprehend terrorists all these years and keep them in such a porous area because Kuje prison is like an island. You can approach it virtually from 360 degree.
When the US caught all the Al’qaida people, they took them to Guantanamo bay. If one is coming ten miles away, they can spot you and pick you up. Why should you keep these hardened criminals where you are housing these petty criminals? One, you are allowing petty criminals to have access to bigger criminals who have the tendency of recruiting them.
Number two is the vulnarability of the place because it’s insecured. I think the whole security architecture of this country is collapsing due to incapable and bad leadership.
A leader is supposed to keep his head up when other people are losing theirs. He should be able to think for the nation and be proactive.
How do you see the threat by the senate to impeach the president?
Abuja has been surrounded by terrorists and bandits and there are more than ten different reports by the DSS suggesting that Abuja was surrounded by terrorists. As for me, this is too late coming from the senate. They are not making the moves to save Nigeria and Nigerians but for their selfish interest.
I think Abuja used to be a safe heaven for them because all of them have abandoned their constituencies and converged on Abuja with all their siblings schooling there. Interestingly, Abuja is no longer safe.
Let me refer you to a popular American film titled, “No where to run” and now they are pretending that they would want to impeach the president. But for how long have issues like these cropped up?
Are you satisfied with the state of the nation’s economy?
As I am talking to you, I just sent someone to go and change two hundred dollars for me and he said the dollar is about seven hundred Naira to a dollar at the black market.
You see, I had the opportunity of travelling widely and I have lived in some of the countries from 1994 -1995. If you travel to Saudi Arabia, USA, China, some parts of Europe and UAE, the value of the dollar has been relatively stable there.
For instance, if you go to the UAE, the dollar to the Dirham is 360 and for the past fifteen to twenty years, it has been like that. Why is it not so in Nigeria?
You can’t give what you don’t have. This is the only government that glorifies incompetence. You have ministers and the only two ministers that were sacked are those who had disagreement with the so-called cabal; not because they did something wrong. If you are to put them on a scale of preference, they are far better than the serving ministers.
I have never seen any government, whether in Nigeria or other climes, where a president regards his appointees as career civil servants. Appointees are people who have short time frame to serve but if you are employed as a civil servant, you must work for 35 years before retiring unless if there is something that makes you to lose that job. That is why it is guaranteed as permanent and pensionable.
Therefore, all the political appointees of PMB are, as far as I am concerned, permanent and pensionable because no one lost his job since the inception of the administration to date. He doesn’t find it fit to reshuffle his cabinet.
This impliedly means that everyone is performing above average but you and I know that that if you travel today from Kano to Abuja or to Lagos by Air, it’s a nightmare. A flight of 7am is delayed perpetually to 12pm and there is no excuse and the only excuse is mainly attributed to operational reasons which shouldn’t be so. Nothing seems to be working perfectly today in Nigeria.
The economy is down. The CBN governor that Buhari inherited from Jonathan whom they accused of being inept, corrupt and clueless is the same person they have transferred to their government and he has been there and the dollar has been sliding on a daily basis and he has been rewarded with still being there.
So, you cannot be trying the same thing over and over again and you expect a different result.
The minister of finance is the one he appointed abinitio; the minister of education, aviation, labour, are all the same persons. Secondly, ASUU has been on strike all over this time and the minister has been on vacation and president did not even deem it fit to hold his appointees accountable and responsible.
Therefore, the job of a chief executive officer is to hire and fire; that is his first job. So, if cannot recruit a good person and you place someone in a position but he fails to perform, the next thing for you to do is to address it by firing him so that others can sit up.
The question here is, how many years did it take President Buhari to change his service chiefs? Personally, I wrote and published in the newspapers but the man doesn’t seem to listen. It’s like the country is speaking in English and he is speaking in French.
