Since the election of Governor Uba Sani on March 18, 2023, the state has been feeling the impact of a new leadership. His style is a Sharp contract to that of his predecessor and mentor, Nasiru El-Rufai. Our Northern Bureau Chief, MUHAMMAD SABIU writes on this and other emerging scenario in the acknowledged political headquarters of the North.
SINCE he came on board some 12 months ago, the new helmsman of Kaduna State, Governor Uba Sani’s leadership style has attracted different reactions. At the inception of his administration, a lot of people had thought he was going to sustain the leadership style of his predecessor, Governor Nasiru El-Rufai. But taking a cursory look at Sani’s style, it is a complete departure from El-Rufai’s.
According to an analyst in an interview, the incumbent governor is reaching out to different segments of the society. Not only that, he is changing the narratives as he settles to steer the state for the next couple of years. The analyst observed that the governor has to reassert himself differently if he wants to succeed as a governor. He added that, considering some unfriendly policies of the last government that almost cost the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) the governorship ticket during the 2023 governorship poll.
Thus, investigation revealed that some of the ‘unfriendly’ policies of the last administration, included demolition of structures, lopsided appointments in favour of one section of the state, sacking of workers, lingering insecurity, Muslim/Muslim ticket, exorbitant tuition fees, fighting with religious leaders as well as elders especially from the southern Kaduna among others.
A politician, Abubakar Yau argued that “from 2015 to 2023, El-Rufai has done well in terms of urban renewal, civil service reforms, revenue generation and handling of security issues. But the truth must be told, his regimental approach to governance, his unguided utterances as well as lack of respect to the judiciary, traditional rulers, as well as religious leaders rubbish all what he did within the period under review.
For instance, findings revealed that on the issue of lopsided appointments, the former governor never took into consideration the plural nature of the state.
Yau argued, “Appointments into key positions were usually shared based on the three senatorial zones but it was not so during El-Rufai’s tenure.
It was gathered that apart from the former deputy governor, Bala Bantex who deputized for El-Rufai between 2015 to 2019, positions like the Secretary to the State Government(SSG), Head of service, Speaker, even deputy speaker were occupied by the same senatorial zone, tribe and religion.
“Despite persistent cries from the public, El-Rufai maintained his stand, till he left government almost twelve months ago.
Pundits also revealed that to compound the problem he promoted the Muslim/Muslim ticket which did not go down well with the people of the state especially the southern Kaduna people.
Yau noted that, “this is the first time in Kaduna we were confronted with this kind of arrangement.
Also, it was learnt people who worked for the APC victory between 2015 and 2019 majority were side lined. It was gathered that only friends and families of the government were considered. No wonder at one time before they leave office the El-Rufai’s administration was called “Government of families and friends.
According to him, “ El-Rufai appointed the likes of Jimi Lawal and many outsiders who were not from the state to key positions in his government.
“We told him to reconsider that and appoint those who campaigned for him but he ignored forgetting that leadership is transient. Where’s he today?”
Venting his anger too,an aggrieved youth, Ahmed Suleiman recall how he and other youths campaigned for the former governor but according to him till he left government, he and others were side-lined.
In the same vein, the former governor fought with some politicians among the most prominent ones are the likes of Senator Shehu Sani, Suleiman Hunkuyi, Hakeem Baba Ahmed, and a host of others.
Thus, unlike El-Rufai the present governor, Uba Sani is now reaching out to politicians and mending fences. People like Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi, Hakeem Baba Ahmed, Ramalan Yero are back into the APC’s fold or are holding key positions at the national level. Many other opposition members are gradually finding their ways into the party.
Salisu Abdu,a former student of Kaduna state university, narrated his bitter experience. According to him, he almost abandoned school but for the intervention of the present governor who reduced school fees, saying, “many of us who had abandoned school have now returned.”
Today, it was gathered that the old and new students are happy with what the governor did as many students have returned to the school.
Similarly, El-Rufai’s negative stand on workers attracted many outsiders from other parts of the country to identify with the workers. For instance, the former National leader of the NLC, Comrade Ayubawabara and his excos had on two occasions led a protest and paralysed economic activities in solidarity with the state workers.
“Throughout, his tenure, workers of the state were at loggerheads with him (El-Rufai), said the state chairperson of NLC, Ayuba Magaji.
Magaji contended further that the last time they saw this kind of mass sack was during Hammed Ali. However, he was quick to remarked that today, it is a different ball game as the state governor has cemented the negative relationship between the government and labour to a positive one.
“The present governor, Senator Uba Sani is not only friendly but he went ahead to appoint one of us as his special adviser on labour matters, he had said.
“We are working hand in hand with the governor, his relationship with other unions has equally improved,he added.
The demolition exercise carried out by El-Rufai, was another soar antidote of the former administration. Findings revealed that hundreds of shops owners,business premises,markets, residential houses as well as street hawkers suffered unjust and hard policies of his administration, prompting many victims to sue the government.
Giving an insight into this, the state commissioner for Justice, Suleiman Shuaibu noted in an interview with a government tabloid that the state governor had agreed to mend fences.
To this end, he had mandated the ministry to invite perceived victims to a round table dialogue in order to see the possibility of settling out of courts.
Gov Sani is also being hail by some stakeholders in southern part of the state for his approach to reach out to perceived victims of persecution over the years. One of the prominent voice of the Southern Kaduna people, General Zamani Lekwot had severally gave a pass mark on the governor on this.
The most recent one was during the just concluded southern Kaduna cultural festival. where the retired general pour encomiums of the leadership style of the governor. He said it “gladdened the hearts of many of our people.
Gen Lekwot noted that “in our prayers, we will continue to ask God to bless you with more wisdom, courage and foresight in your commendable match to unite Kaduna state so that we can move forward.”
Findings by the Nigerian Tribune revealed that one of the first thing he did when he assumed office is to reach out to the Southern Kaduna people and interface with their leaders and the people insisting that his government is for all.
According to David Bulus, an elder in the area,”in less than a year the governor had visited us five timesto interface with the elders and people of southern Kaduna unlike during the time of El-Rufai era. El-Rufai treated us as if are not part of the state.
Also, within the period under review unlike in the past when the government of El-Rufai has sidelined Christian leaders from the southern Kaduna, today the scenario has changed.
One of the first steps he took when he assumed the mantle of leadership, Gov Uba Sani took the courage to reach out to them and to assure them of his readiness to work with them in the interest of the state.
He also told them he realized that as religious leaders people listen to them. So, he tasked them to talk to their people so that peace we enjoy in the state for many years will be restored. He also extended the same gesture to the Muslim leaders.
Later, he held a joint meeting of all religious leaders to tell them his mission in government and why he need in his efforts to promote peace in the state.
In a recent town hall meeting,he shocked the audience when he said his administration will investigate the tenure of his boss, Nasiru El-Rufai a move regarded as unprecedented. According to a student, Awwal Ibrahim, “Let the government investigate the loan collected by the former governor, so that citizens of the state will know how the funds justly used or not.
Another politician, Danjuma Sarki noted that in the history of Kaduna,”we have never seen such thing where a successor is probing the past government especially coming from the same party. My hope is the House of Assembly should do a thorough job so that we will learn from them.”
However,a former women leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Maryam Suleiman, though she was removed as women leader for insubordination and lack of respect for the party and the governor, she saw the governor’s move as a clear case of betrayal because according to her,”the governor was part and parcel of the former governor’s kitchen cabinet.”
Some pundits were of the view that the probe against the former governor was uncalled for, calling on the governor to reach out to the former governor to mend their fences.
But the House of Assembly has commenced probe of the former governor. In a recent memo the committee sent to the ministry of finance it was requesting the ministry to release all documents pertaining loans, financial transactions, contracts executed during the reign of El-Rufai from 2015 to 2023.
Onlookers as well as the general public are keenly watching to see what the outcome of the probe will be. A political pundit who will not like to be mentioned had maintained,” the move is not only unprecedented as it has never happened in the history of the state but if nothing it has shown to the world that there’s only one leader at a time.
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