INTERVIEW: I want to govern Kogi to reclaim our land, restore our values — Prince Shuaib Abubakar Audu

In this interview, one of the governorship aspirants of the All Progressive Congress (APC), in Kogi State, Prince Shuaib Abubakar Audu, the Scion of the late Prince Abubakar Audu’s political dynasty gave an insight into why he decided to follow the footsteps of his late father, Prince Abubakar Audu. The governorship hopeful also bares his mind on various political and developmental issues in the state and the nation in general, particularly about the forthcoming gubernatorial primary of the APC in the state among other issues. As an executive director with the Stanbic IBTC, a graduate with an MBA from the University of Oxford with an MSC in international securities and investment banking from the ICMA centre of Henley business school, University of Reading, Prince Shuaib Abubakar Audu talked extensively on his seven-point agenda for the state.

You are welcome to this interview and we are glad that you honoured our invitation, thanks for coming.

I am appreciative of your invitation and I am using this opportunity to commend you the press as members of the third estate of the realm for your efforts in sensitizing, educating and protecting democracy. The roles you played in entrenching democracy in our country cannot be overemphasized. Thank you for having me.

 It is very interesting when we heard you have declared your interest in contesting the gubernatorial primaries of your party, the APC, to be the candidate of your party for the general election. Why the interest to be the next governor of the state?

Simply put. I am in the guber race to reclaim our land and restore the values of the Kogi people The truth must be told, the developmental trajectories of the state have been held captive by those who have decided to see the state as personal estates only for themselves and their cronies. When you peer reviews the state with the states that ours was created together with, you will reach only one conclusive outcome and which is, they have left us far behind. I am contesting for the seat of the governor of Kogi state to put the state back on its developmental journey. I am contesting for the seat of the governor of Kogi state as a way of paying homage to those who came before us and on whose labour our generation is building upon; our forebears of ages past who bequeathed to us such history of honour, integrity, and dignity, who bound us together as one indivisible Confederacy, and fought wars to liberate us from external forces to sought to sub-adjudicate us. They taught us that only by fighting together can we truly win. The fight against the external forces has been completely won but here today arose the internal forces that have risen against the people and are today sub-adjudicating the state. This ancestor of ours who we have learnt about in our history books and from the oral traditions of our Griots are similarly assembled in the great beyond as a great cloud of witnesses cheering us on as we embark on this journey set before us together with the people and doing nothing was not an option before us. I am therefore putting my hat into the ring to obey the call of our destiny by leading the way and that is why I am seeking the office of the governor of the state.

The urge to serve or contest the guber election based on your experience seems divine. What’s your take on this?

Exactly. I simply want to be the instrument through which this divine mandate is actualised and do right by our people and honour this divine oath by embarking on this journey to reclaim our land and restore its values.

If you succeed in this journey and become the governor of the state, what would your administration represent?

My administration would mark the beginning of a new phase in the state and in our history and signals the end of an era, or more appropriately, the end of an error, on behalf also going to give me to without a doubt, where our people wallowed in the wilderness seeking for developments in all its ramifications and physicalities. The people of Kogi state have been through a horrible wilderness in the past twenty years, our reputation has been sullied and we have now become a butt of jokes due to the crass ineptitude, loquacious ignorance, and ravenous corruption masquerading itself as governance in the state during the past 25years of the return of democracy is the rule. I am here to stand by our people to do that which is right.

If by his grace you succeed and become the governor of Kogi State, where do you plan to start from?

I seek first if voted to office as the governor of the state to live up to my sacred vows and convictions before vying for that office. I would first of all review, document and disseminate the present state of affairs so that all the citizens of the state can know what has become of their Commonwealth. I would do this through independent, verifiable preliminary findings that would indicate to us through the open government concepts the true positions of things in our state. In my governance agenda, I would ensure that within one hundred days of my coming to office, our people should be able to know the true positions of things in keeping with our ethos of transparency and accountability in the governance of the state.I would ensure that I am not interested in trial by the media, witch hunting or playing to the gallery by only seeking out the truth and laying it before the people.

Some may see this mission no matter how Noble it is as a revenge mission considering the fact that you are a son to the former governor of the state, Prince Abubakar Audu. What is your take on this?

I have said it time and time again that my administration would not be a revenge mission but rather a healing balm on the painful wound we, collectively, have inflicted on our state knowingly or unknowingly. The inquest is never going to target any past administration in the state, however as the events of the last twenty or more states go into the history books, we owe it a duty to ourselves and generations yet unborn to work together to ensure that never again shall we be deceived to making such a grievous mistake that has set us back so steeply on the development curve. We do not all belong to the same political party or share the same ideological beliefs, but the reins of leadership must never again be allowed to fall into the hands of those who do not understand what governance or development is all about.

 So, are you saying your regime would emphasize cleansing the systems of the state to lead to greater impacts of governance?

I emphasize never again in practical terms and it means never again must we give up free and qualitative education for herculean fees and taxes levied on our children, never again must we give up free health care and functional hospital for a total neglect of our health sector. Never again should we give up integrated Infrastructural development for bridges that leads nowhere, never again should we give up our burgeoning tourism sector and its revitalised tourism infrastructures now occupied by reptiles, never again give up the peace and unity of the state for increased crime rates and general insecurity, never should we give up transparent and accountable governance with the requisite checks and balances of independent legislative and judicial arms of government for a draconian one-man show. Never again should we allow our reputation as honourable and knowledgeable people to be now called the apostles of stomach infrastructures. Never again sacrifice prompt payments of salaries for indulgences in pursuance of projects that are of minimal benefit to the people as represented by the tenures of PDP in the state. We must continue to follow the path of the new direction government of Governor Yahaya Bello who has laid the foundation for the development of the state through the APC.

What is your relationship with the governor of the state, Alhaji Yahaya Bello?

Very cordial and perfect. He is one of the political leaders in the country that all must try to emulate and because of what he has done with his laying of a good foundation for the state development he is a true leader and hero to many of us. I want to assure you that he is the best thing yet to happen to our state and when I become governor I would listen to him and immortalize his legacies.

What are your governmental agenda if you eventually become the governor of Kogi State?

My governmental agenda when by the grace of God I become the governor of the state is to restore the values of our people. The state needs a leader that would build on the foundation laid by the present governor of the state, Yahaya Bello, who has done his best to move the state forward. My administration therefore will mark the cusp of charting a new course of sustainable development for the state out of the quagmire we find ourselves as a people. In this task we are faced with a lot of challenges but yet blessed with an immense amount of strengths and opportunities and the strong foundation laid by the present administration in the state, we shall conquer. My vision for the state is that it will be a place where our people will strive and lives in dignity, a place where its workers do not work in vain. A place where its people are not so hungry that they resort to pilfering food to survive. A place where the circle of generational poverty can be broken and in which the elderly can reap the fruits of their labour over their children. A place where the people are safe, healthy and prosperous.

 Can we get to know your agenda for the state’s development?

The governance agenda of my administration if voted into office as governor of the state is compelled to focus on areas through which I will deliver my promise to the people of the state. The seven pillars of my administration will be; Social investments, infrastructure and industrial development, knowledge economy, Agriculture and rural development.

Can you explain to us your agenda on social investments?

Our greatest asset in this state remains our people. As human beings are the measure of all things, only healthy and enlightened people can drive the sustainable development we want to see in the state. I will therefore commit myself to institute social safety nets that will bring succour to the most vulnerable segment of the Kogi society. One example of the such a safety net is the social security scheme for the elderly which will be instituted by the special grace of God within three months of my administration. This is because the ideological position of my politics remains that no individual in society must be left behind but everyone should be supported to live out their dreams to their full potential in their youth and have a dignified retirement in their old age and I think this is the fundamental requirement of any government in this regard. Likewise, delivering qualitative healthcare is a priority of my administration when elected. I will ensure our hospitals are once again equipped and functional to attend to the needs of the people.

 Interesting. What do you have in your agenda for the knowledge economy you talked about?

Kogi state is known for its enlightened and knowledgeable people because our people love, seek and celebrate knowledge. We have many of our citizens who are leading lights in every field of human endeavours as well as those who are frontiers in the academic and scholastic practice all over the world. It is therefore a logical choice to turn to knowledge as the primary product to trade successfully. This is because to survive and thrive in today’s global economy as a people, we should be committed to using our brilliant minds to promote sustainable development. My administration will create the Kogi knowledge zone in this regard and pay attention to fields such as teaching, research, skills development, creative arts, strengthening tertiary institutions and educational entrepreneurship.

So, are you saying that education would be an industry in your administration when you become governor?

Yes, the knowledge industry is an innovation that has transformed many nations in the world today and if it can work for them, then it would work wonderfully in Kogi state. We are preparing for the future and education is the future.

What do you have for the state on infrastructure and industrialization?

The advancements of the state economy are pivotal to wealth and job creation efforts for all the citizens of the state. This is very crucial and relevant to the poverty reduction and revenue generation advancement mission of my administration if elected. In order to further advance an economic and industrial revolution in the state and in furtherance of our commitment to wealth and job creation, we will revisit the commercial and technical viability of all abandoned projects and schemes in the state with a view to reactivating them. These include our vast networks of roads, our many community-based projects and our many flagship tourism assets scattered all over the state. We will also carefully take on new Infrastructural projects that would be strategic in advancing economic growth and industrial development in the state.

Can we as well get to know your agenda on security?

In order to guarantee sustained operations of commerce and industrial enterprises in the state, my administration if elected is required to create an enabling environment. An integrated network of security infrastructure would be put in place to ensure that the state once again is safe and a secure Haven for local and foreign investments. This I agree is a deliberate action to ensure inflows of foreign and local investments for the state.

The agriculture and rural development agenda of your administration is one sector many would want you to speak about. What is your agenda for this sector?

Yes, the state is essentially an agrarian society with soil properties conducive for growing a large variety of crops and in order to achieve sustainable food security, create employment opportunities and Forster agro-based industrial developments for poverty reduction and wealth creation, the approach must change from the present focus on agriculture as a government focused social services to a commercial and private sector driven approach which is called agro business.We are going to adopt a sustainable and and commercial value chain approach which will lead to transformational agribusiness development that will ensure food and personal security,create employment opportunities, empower women and youths, reduce poverty and create wealth through viable agro-allied industrial developments.

You are a member of the APC and your party through your candidate won the recently held Presidential election. What is your comment about the election?

Let me use this opportunity to congratulate our Presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu on his victory in that election which was really a watershed in the political development of the country.The victory was a sign that the APC is the party with the right ideology to make things better and it is in sync with the people.The election was one of the freest, fair and transparent election ever held in the country and forget the wailing of those who wish this country bad.

The timetable for your party guber primaries has been released. How ready are you to win this first huddle?

Thanks for that question. I want to serve the people of the state and because I want to serve I have prepared myself very well through a well-thought-out agenda which I believe is the missing link in our effort to make Kogi state one of the best states in Nigeria to sell to the electorate. I am confident that if the primaries are allowed to be free, fair and transparent, I would emerge victorious in the primaries and become the party candidate by the grace of Allah.

Many say that your governor has an anointed candidate for the primary election, how true is this claim?

I don’t deal with issues that are in the realm of speculation. I am the anointed candidate of the people who in a democracy are the only recruiter of leaders. We must allow the people to determine who leads them at every turn. I have known the governor for a long term and he is a democrat that would allow for the process to take its course democratically and my trust in him allows me to give him a benefit of the doubt.

READ ALSO FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE 

• INEC postpones governorship, state assembly elections

• How weak online banking frustrates cargo clearance at Lagos ports

• 19,000 unclaimed NYSC exemption certificates: LASU gives owners final collection deadline