Why should Katsina residents vote for the APC guber candidate in the forthcoming election?
The our party’s candidate, Dikko Radda and his running mate, Faruk Lawal Jobe are highly educated, experienced and exposed in managing people and resources. Do not forget, Radda has worked as chairman of Charanchi Local government, served as chief of staff to Governor Masari before being appointed as Director General of SMEDAN. His records in all these places are stellar. That is why it was easy for APC delegates to elect him as the party’s flagbearer. He has personal qualities of being intuitive in ideas being a scholar, his patience and has good human interaction. Before and after his stand as candidate of the APC, he has created an organization to interact and support katsina state indigenes. He has high moral right and respect for people views. These qualities endear him to both the elites and grassroots people who have high confidence in his leadership style and believe that he is going to bring progress. Indeed, he is the best for the state.
What is your honest assessment of the Dikko Radda’s manifesto and do you think it captures the development needs of Katsina State?
His manifesto which is in line with the progressive ideals of our party, the APC, is all encompassing and provides a clear point for the continuity of the laudable policies and programmes of Governor Masari. He promised to build on the current administration’s achievements by doing more healthcare, education, works, agriculture and water resources sectors. The developments needs of Katsina state are all captured in the manifesto of Dikko Radda. Interestingly it has identified areas of serious concern for intervention. The issue of Almajiri will be streamlined and control to be more productive; issues of youth and women empowerment, there are plans for programmes of vocational training, skill acquisition and talent hunt. One major area that the manifesto capture is the development of small and medium enterprises. In this vein, it intends to open an office to the SMEs. Also, as the name implies “building your future” it all encapsulate and encompassing the development needs of katsina state which will take katsina state to the level of continuity and progress of the state.
Katsina is facing serious security challenge. Do you think your candidate has what it takes to address this challenge which has remained intractable?
Well, I will start by saying security challenges are all over the country and the security of the citizens is one of the major responsibilities of government. Dr. Dikko Radda in his manifesto intend to review the security architecture of Katsina state to use the traditional institutions and institutionalization of volunteers groups to be well trained and armed and work along with security agencie the police, the army among others. The traditional institution will work as it is inline arrangement meaning that the security will work in such a way that any strange activity or person in the community will be reported to maiunguwa who will report to Hakimi and the Emirs whom will be given larger responsibility. He ensure that in this new arrangement their communication services will be improved to be efficient, also their pay will be improved to achieve targets, with that the administration believe it will improve the security of the state.
What is your take on the concerns that an average voter in the state is fed up with the ruling APC and hence may not vote the party in the forthcoming polls?
I am one of the campaign council members who move in and around the state, and can tell you with all sense of humility that the people of Katsina are at home with APC. The APC administration in the state has done a lot of developmental activities in education, health, agriculture, used development and infrastructure among others. Of particular not is the poverty alleviation programmes which include empowerment of women and the less privileged through direct financial intervention. This has improved the living standards of ordinary citizens of the state. To say a bit of what was done in the major sectors; in education, the administration ensures that the state university gets all it needs to commence medicine and health sciences. Again, it has open up a lot of vocational centers and skill acquisition institutions across the state. On the issue of health, the administration has cater for the less privileged and in the secondary health care the administration has invested in rehabilitation centers all around the state. On agricultural sector the state has assisted farmers with fertilizer to improve their agricultural productivity. There is also presence of areas for animal functioning in the state. This is a good development that would need appreciation. For the benefit of all these, one could not overlook all these programmes and be apathetic to the party. APC is the dominant party in the state and will win all the key elective offices come 2023.
What specific plans does your candidate and indeed your party have to address challenges of health care delivery, education and agriculture in the state?
Health care delivery is very important and the Dikko-Jobe team has promised to prioritise it by rehabilitating health centres, recruit more staff them and ensure there is adequate supply equipment and drugs to address basic health care needs of the citizens. The intention is make primary health care centres well positioned to deal with common ailments without overburdening the secondary health care. On eduction, we will established special schools for exceptional children, and employ quality teachers in primary and secondary schools and enforce monitoring.
On agriculture, being the main stay of Katsina economy, our candidate will consolidate on what the present administration is doing. Our candidate will revive agriculture from normal production to value addition of the products to further processing to make gains for the farmers so that they will be encouraged to produce more. Government intervention has to be there for the provision of those equipment needed for the processing. On livestocks, we have said earlier that jobs are going to be made available across the state and will help healthy livestock and it’s products and also further processing of their output beside the fact that it will put a stop to farmers/herds clashes.
Recent report by UNICEF showed that the number of children suffering from acute malnutrition in the state is intolerably high. What practical steps will your candidate take to address this menace if elected governor?
To start with malnutrition is really a problem in northern Nigeria. The if elected, Dikko will massively invest in primary healthcare and assign staff to villagers for the purpose of advising them on nutrition while the government will be supplying provision to support the centers.
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