… Past Administration Did Not Value People’s Views, Unlike The Present, Valuing Their Aspiration
Interview With Ojo Shola
A Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Managing Director of the Kaduna State Media Corporation (KSMC), North West Nigeria, Alhaji Ahmed Maiyaki, has given an insight into why Kaduna State has been relatively peaceful within the 15-month-old administration of Governor Uba Sani than eight years rule of his immediate predecessor, Nasir El-Rufai. He was also of the view that some vested interests were behind the just concluded ten days #EndBadGovernance protests in the country and his grandiose plan for the KSMC.
The 15 months of Governor Uba Sani have witnessed relative peace in terms of communal clashes and reprisals in part of the state. In your view as someone who has witnessed and been involved in previous administrations, what is the magic wand?
What is responsible for political stability in Kaduna State has a lot to do with Governor Uba Sani’s nature of leadership of inclusivity to ensure that no one is left behind as long as you are living or working in Kaduna State. He is a leader who has proven to be very responsive to the needs of the good people of Kaduna State irrespective of whether you have voted for him or not. He understands that the responsibility of being a leader rests on his shoulders. He has been providing leadership that pays critical attention to justice, equity, and fairness to all.
So, in clear terms, what is he doing differently from that of his immediate predecessor laced with so much criticism especially his approach to security issues?
As I’ve said, it is all about inclusivity. Uba Sani respects every citizen, identifies with them, and shares in their happy and sad moments. He understands and respects the needs and aspirations of the people of Kaduna State. In the administration before him, there was a perceived lack of inclusivity on the part of its leadership. Simply put, the leadership of the past administration did not value the views of the people. So the major difference is valuing the aspiration of the people and being there to work it out collectively. You can see that since he assumed office, there has been a deliberate effort to reach out to different groups irrespective of their religion or political differences. For example, before now, the Southern part of the state felt abandoned in the affairs of things in the State in the leadership style of the last administration. Uba Sani has attended key events, including Christmas and a cultural showcase of the people of Southern Kaduna, as a necessary step towards achieving a peaceful Kaduna State. He believes that when there is political stability, it will be easier to demonstrate justice and equity among diverse people of the state. So, he’s committed to bringing lasting peace to the state and he is doing that through inclusive governance.
The opposition political parties like PDP, NNPP, LP, etc, have been silent on the political and economic decisions of Uba Sani. Are they on sabbatical leave?
The reason is that there is time for everything and in this case, there is time for politicking, election, and governance. So, after the campaign and election, the governor has the power and is now operating an open-door policy where the faces behind the opposition are a part of his administration.
Again, what the opposition think they want to do, the governor is doing them and even more. A leader becomes a leader when he opens the door for members of the opposition parties to be a part of his government. We have seen some members of opposition parties being appointed to various positions. That is not to bribe them, but a call to join him to transform the state. So when it is time for politics, you can go out and do the politicking and make all the noise.
One of the key issues is his policy for rural transformation, and that has also helped him to tackle a lot of issues, including urban-rural drift and crime. When you can replicate development at the grassroots, people will naturally want to stay in their ancestral environment to develop it rather than migrate to the urban areas to overstretch the system. This is what he has been doing to bring rural communities that have been abandoned for several years back to life, building roads and health facilities across the board under his SUSTAIN Agenda.
The truth is that the good people of Kaduna, including those in the ruling or opposition political parties, have seen an entirely difference style of leadership, and they are proud to be a part of it.
But the local government chairmen are supposed to be the ones opening up rural infrastructure; why is Uba Sani interfering in local government affairs?
No, he is not interfering. He’s rather leading. Just like an animal rearer who knows the grazing route will lead his herds, Governor Uba Sani has been able to demonstrate that. The local government chairmen have been able to follow suit because they are autonomous even before the recent Supreme Court judgment that ruled along that line. They have been encouraged to carry out important capital projects which is why there is a drastic drop in the level of crimes in the state.
Again, when you look at the level of multidimensional poverty (based on the level of education, health, shelter, and security of the people), he saw the need to carry out those projects to spread development across the board thereby reducing that alarming statistics that Kaduna State has over 80 percent multidimensionally poor residents. These efforts may not show immediately but certainly, we are making progress.
But, there is a pocket of kidnapping here and there. The criminal elements are even going to people’s houses to kidnap them, a development that may hinder the investment drive of the state. Or don’t you think so?
The governor is not happy whenever such occurs. The strategies and tactics in place are not made public because such efforts are not to be made public for some reasons. I do know that the governor has met and still meeting with a lot of stakeholders at the community level including traditional and religious leaders, civil society, cultural organisations, labour unions, community-based organisations, and other prime movers, to ensure we collectively tackle security issues at the community level. So, since security is everybody’s business, no matter how equipped a government is, the role of the people themselves is key. We must play that role by way of assisting the security agencies with timely intelligence. I also believe that the security agencies saddled with this responsibility through the Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs are exploring every opportunity, including a non-kinetic approach, to keep the state safe for all of us.
In 2014, Nigeria saw a merger that eventually sent the then-ruling party on political exiles to the center. Do you see a similar scenario playing out before the 2027 general elections?
That will amount to effort in futility. The scenario in 2014 is different from what we have now in 2024. Then, parties merged to defeat the party in power because of threats to our national security and economy. This time around, I do not see such threats against President Bola Tinubu at the central and Governor Uba Sani here in Kaduna. This is because they are committed to their aspirations, undoing and correcting those things the previous leaders had not done well. Nigerians have a clear picture of what is going on, and the government is not silent about it. Don’t also forget that a lot of Nigerians are not gullible that anybody can toy about.
But, if they are doing the right thing, why the #EndBadGovernance protests?
See, we all know these protests are politically motivated. Since we are in a democracy, people have some rights including the right to assemble and protest. Tinubu and Uba Sani are leaders who understand that people have the right to express their views and opinions on any issue and that is why they have been engaging stakeholders to let them understand what the government is doing to address the issues raised by the genuine protesters. So there is a departure from not carrying people along. The government will continue to ensure inclusivity in governance.
But the prices of daily survival needs are beyond the reach of many Nigerians…
That is a global issue. Due to the adverse impact of climate change, productivity levels have significantly dropped globally, which has also affected food security globally, including Nigeria. Also, the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine is affecting food production globally including Nigeria. If you see the living conditions of other people in other countries, Nigerians will appreciate what we have. Yes, people desire better living conditions, but we who have traveled near and far know what we have seen in other countries. However, I’m aware government is working on deliberate strategies to ensure things get better.
On a final note, you came as the Managing Director of KSMC at a time when the corporation is faced with enormous challenges, including inclusive content and electricity; what are you doing differently to address these key challenges?
Since I assumed office a few months ago, I have realised that broadcasting is all about content. With five radio stations and two television stations, KSMC is a leading broadcast organisation in Northern Nigeria so it is important to have rich content. I have taken steps to address the two key areas you mentioned. The first is the issue of power. When I came in, I met a system where we have just about eight hours of electricity supply per day which means the stations will not be on air for several hours. You know diesel is very costly to run these stations. So, the first thing I did was to engage in trade by barter with the management of Kaduna Electric. Thankfully that step now gives us about 21 hours daily supply of electricity. That means we are transmitting very well. We are also working on the provision of alternative power sources to ensure we are constantly on air.
Apart from that, I have also focused on the issue of content. We have reviewed almost all our programmes to accommodate today’s realities. This is to ensure our content is not just qualitative but is attractive to our large heterogenous audience. The truth is in the current media convergence, people must be involved in the content we produce. Basically, these are the two major areas we are working hard for now. A steady power supply and rich content are hallmarks of broadcasting.
And then, the welfare of my colleagues in the house is of paramount interest. This is important because it is when their welfare is taken care of that they can critically think and develop rich content. So it is not just about the building or the contents for the seven stations, we must be able to have a productive, proactive, and creative staff that is ready and able to produce content that will attract the audience. By extension, rich contents lead to a larger audience, which will, in turn, improve the revenue drive of the Corporation and that of the state. So, KSMC is committed to these ideas, and we will continue to do so to ensure we give the best to our audience.
Source: gobroadsheet.wordexpress
