Shekarau: 55 Years Of 55 Solid Achievements In Kano -
Nigerian Politics
08 November 2010
By Saka Raji Audu
Friday, the 5th of
this month will be exactly 55 years that the Executive
Governor of the most populous, dynamic and politically
sophisticated state of
Kano was delivered from his
mother's womb. It was on 5th November 1955
at Kurmawa quarters of Kano city, in
Kano State . He hails from
Giginyu in Nassarawa local government of Kano State.
Shekarau attended Gidan Makama
Primary School , Kano from 1961 to 1967 after which he
proceeded to
Aminu Kano Commercial College for
his Secondary Education. After obtaining his West
African School Certificate and Royal Society of Arts (
London ) certificate in 1972, he proceeded to
Ahmadu Bello University
, Zaria from September 1973 to July 1977 to read
Mathematics Education. He started his civil career as
a Mathematics Teacher at the Government Technical
College Wudil, in Kano from 1978 to 1979, after
completing his
National Youth Service Corps (NYSC)
at Imo State .
Between September 1979 and
December 1992,
Malam Ibrahim Shekarau served as
Principal, Government Day
Junior Secondary School, Wudil;
Government Secondary School,
Hadejia;
Government College, Birnin-Kudu;
Government Secondary School, Gwammaja and Rumfa
College, all in Kano State. Shekarau became a
Deputy-Director of Education in-charge of Bichi Zonal
Education Area, Kano State from 1992 to 1993, from
where he moved to the
Ministry of Education Headquarters
in Kano State as the Director Planning, Research and
Statistics.
He was made Director-General in
the Ministry of Education and Youth development, Kano
State from 1994 to 1995. He also served as
Director-General in the
Ministry of Water Resources,
Rural and
Community Development from 1995
to January 1997 and was later re-deployed to the
Education Ministry as its Director-General from
January to May 1997. From May 1997 to May 2000, Malam
Ibrahim Shekarau was made
Permanent Secretary,
Administration and General Services Directorate,
cabinet office and also served as Permanent Secretary,
Civil Service commission,
Kano State . He retired voluntarily from the service
of
Kano State Civil service on 2nd
of October 2001, after a brief stop over as a Chief
Lecturer (Mathematics) Department of Physical
Sciences, Kano State College of Arts, Science and
Remedial Studies, Kano from May 2000 to 1st
October 2001 .
At the All Nigeria Conference of
Principals of Secondary School (ANCOPSS), a
professional association of all Secondary Schools
Principal in
Nigeria , Malam
Ibrahim Shekarau
rose from being a member in January 1980, to Kano
State Acting Secretary in 1981, to Kano State
secretary-General in 1982, Kano State President in
1985 to National President from April 1988 to April
1992. Shekarau belongs to various associations amongst
which are Members,
Mathematical Association of
Nigeria (MAN), 1975 to date; Governing Council of
Federal College of Education (Special), Oyo, 1990 to
1993; National Task Force on Text Books Production for
Primary and
Secondary Schools in Nigeria,
1989 t0 1990; International Council on Education for
Teaching (ICET), 1991 to date; Board of Trustees,
Islamic development Network of Nigeria, 2000 to date;
Chairman Parents-Instructors' association (PIA),
Nigerian Military School, Zaria, 1996 to 1998 among
many others. He has many academic presentations and
won many awards for his various contributions to the
progress and development of Kano in particular and
Nigeria in general
In 2003, Malam Shekarau joined
politics and registered with the All Nigeria's
People's Party (ANPP) to represent and salvage the
interest of the masses. His past record of service is
quite clean and unblemished. In the State governorship
election conducted on 19th April 2003 ,
Shekarau defeated the incumbent governor, Alhaji (Dr)
Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso to emerge the winner. He was
sworn in and assumed office as the Executive Governor
of Kano State on 29th May 2003 . After his
successful completion of his first term in office in
2007, Shekarau contested again in the governorship
election held on 14th April 2007 . Against
all odds, Shekarau succeeded in demystifying the myth
of second term by getting re-elected in 2007; a feat
never attained by any past civilian governor in the
state since its creation in 1967.
On assumption of office in 2003,
Malam Ibrahim Shekarau set out some agendas to achieve
in the areas of security, education, housing, water
supply, sustainable food-production, human
development, health care delivery, economic
empowerment, boosting of trade and industry, urban and
rural developments, roads and environmental
protection. The Shekarau administration did not leave
any one in doubt in regards to the realization of
these agendas as will be highlighted in this piece. In
order to put the record straight, it will not be out
of place if we use Governor Shekarau's birthday to
enumerate his fifty five (55) solid achievements for
those that are still in darkness or tend to claim that
the workaholic governor has not done any thing. These
achievements, which will continue to stand the test of
time and cannot be easily swept aside, are as follow:
Establishment of societal
reorientation
Initiation of independent
Power Plant (IPP) project
Rehabilitation of rusted
water pipes
Rehabilitation of rural
and urban roads, leading to urban renewal
Establishment of Hajj
Commission
Promotion of the Islamic
legal system, Shari'ah
Introduction of dress
code in schools
Establishment of
anti-corruption agency in the state
Checking out social
corruption through the State Censor's board
Creation of employment
opportunity in the civil service
Upgrading the status of
Malams and Ulamas
Rehabilitation of roads
in
Sabon Gari areas
Enhancement of human
development drive
Provision of adequate
fertilizer/subsidy to farmers
Rehabilitation of ten
rounds about within the metropolis
Successful conduct of the
local government election in November, 2007
None interference of
media contents, leading to freedom of expression
Rehabilitation of mosques
across the state
Enhanced the status of
traditional rulers and teachers in the state
Sponsoring of indigent
students abroad for further studies
Provision of working
tools to security outfits in the state for
maintenance of law and order in the state
Establishment of Hisbah
guards/commission
Free feeding for the less
privileged
Trade conflict
resolutions in the state
Abolition of hospital
cards
Establishment of urology
centre
Sitting of new singer
Market
Distribution of laptops
to secondary teachers and members of the State
Government House Press
Renovation of General
Hospitals in the state
Promotion of Corporate
Social Responsibility, CSR
Hosting the first Kano
Business submit
Settlement of
entitlements of PDP councilors, which the previous
administration of PDP refused to pay
Sanity to urban planning
and management
Financially prudent
through publication of monthly revenues and
expenditures
Settlement of heavy
outstanding pension to pensioners in the state
Inclusion of
non-indigenes in his government by appointing three
non-indigenes as Special Advisers
Employment of medical
doctors, nurses and paramedical staff
Establishment of women
affairs and social welfare ministry
Decongestion of prison
through review of cases
Prompt and regular
payments of salaries, pensions and gratuities
Renovation of many health
centres
Initiation of
mass-housing scheme with outside experts to
undertake
Supply of rural
electricity to villages
Sponsoring patients
abroad for medical treatment where the need arises
Renovation of Government
House to its befitting status
Renovation of Director of
Press Office after 40 years of negligence
Donation of Permanent
Orientation Camp to NYSC in the state
Accreditation of all the
thirteen (13) Academic Programmes of
Kano State University
of Technology, KSUT
provision of basic health
equipment, drugs and renovation of many health
centres in the state
Increase in Students
Scholarship
Settlement of about N1billion
debt inherited from KASCO
Establishment of
Rural Electrification
Management and State
Environmental Board
Establishment of Project
Monitoring and Evaluation Directorate to enhance
probity and accountability
Distribution of electric
transformers to villages
Creation of enabling
environment for growth of business in the state.
There are other salient but
laudable achievements of Shekarau administration,
which are too many to mention. However, in order to
debunk the usual but unsubstantiated claims of his
diabolical critics and pathological foes, we shall
stop at the 55 achievements for now.
I wish Governor Shekarau happy
birthday and many more happy returns with huge success
for the people of Kano State and Nigeria. As he
prepares for the 2011 presidential election, we pray
for his success so that he can fix Nigeria as quickly
as possible. Bravo Shekarau!
Saka Raji Audu writes from
Kano
and can be reached on his email:
sakaraj@yahoo.com
Add Comments