In Kano there is a revolution. This revolution is not a violent one.
This revolution is not a ballot one. This revolution is a one Man
revolution. This revolution is called Kwankwasiyya revolution. The man
Kwankwaso has become some kind of wonder. In 2011, when he got
re-elected to govern Kano again, I was in Kano on the day of the
announcement. I assure you the celebrations were unimaginable. Back then
I was wondering, wasn’t it this same man that governed Kano from 1999
to 2003 and was voted out overwhelmingly? I remember having and intense
argument with my cousin Bashir who is a staunch supporter of Kwankwaso
and the Kwankwassiya movement, trying hard to convince him that the man
had nothing new to offer. I was wrong.
On the 15th to 17th of
November, 2014 I was on a 3 days tour in Kano alongside some notable
Twitter figures and bloggers on a social media reporting role to cover
Kwankwaso’s achievement or not in the last four years. I wasn’t to miss
that
opportunity. Not that Kwankwaso’s work in Kano is new to me, as
Kano is home. But the tour presented me with a chance to see other parts
of Kano I didn’t get to see on other occasions I visited.
Rebuilding Kano
In
recent time, so many people have asked me what changed? Why is there so
much difference between Kwankwaso’s first term in office and his second
term. So many reasons abound for that but that is certainly discourse
for another piece. Infrastructural deficit is major problem in Nigeria.
We don’t even spend adequately on infrastructure talk more of a decline
in spending. Kwankwaso and his team understood this. From what I have
seen on ground, they had a plan and that plan is yielding fruits. Roads
everywhere in the city are under construction. Those in good shape are
been dualised. Most of them are already completed as is the case with
Kabuga-BUK road, Zaria road, Airport road, Sharada road, etc. And this
is important because it ensures the whole town is linked together and
the ease of moving goods and services from one end of the town to
another is guaranteed. Bridges, flyovers and under-pass are springing up
in every part of the city. There is a two kilometre bridge which passes
through Sabon Gari up to Murtala road, there is an under-pass at Kabuga
and another at Kofan Gadan Kaya, all under construction.
One area
the North has played with before now is education. Kwankwaso has
ensured education top the list of the government’s policy. What he did
is impressive and it takes great courage to accomplish. He did not open
Almajiri school as someone who calls himself a leader boast of. What he
did is to abolish the Almajiri system and integrate all the kids back
into the society. Those that weren’t from Kano, were sent back to their
states. Those from Kano were sent back to their parents home and
admitted into schools. This wasn’t easy as he faced countless criticisms
from people who had stake in the Almajiri system. However what
impressed me the most is how he encouraged school enrolment of the girl
child. Kwankwaso provided Intervention buses in different streets in
Kano which will convey only the girl child to school to counter parents
who don’t want their girls mixing with boys in public buses. Then again
there is the provision of free uniforms and free meals for kids. All
these has gone a long way in ensuring more kids attend school. This is
evident in the creation more class room blocks. Official figure has it
at three thousand more class rooms in the space of three years.
Interestingly,
one can’t really tell where he deserves more praise because he has done
equally great at the tertiary level. In the last four years, many Kano
state students have been sent abroad for undergraduate and post-graduate
studies in various fields of study. The SSG to the Kano state
government told us also that the government has sent qualified students
to different Nigerian institutions and no single institution without a
Kano state citizen. To get a clearer picture I advise anyone interested
to request for statistic on education from the government that covers
the last four years of Kwankwaso’s administration.
Significantly,
the Kwankwasiyya revolution is reshaping the psyche of every Kano
person. This is evident in the compliance with the Karota system which
is modelled after Lasma in Lagos. If you know Kano before now, you will
know how people drive rough before now. The introduction of Karota has
stymied this. Everyone is driving responsibly because they know there is
consequence if they break traffic laws. But the Karota system is
without criticism. I have listened to many people with genuine concerns
about their operations. There is a particular man I met in a Bus who
told me about their treatment of a friend whose sister was sick and was
in a haste to get her to the hospital when officials of Karota stopped
apprehended him for crossing the trade mark white line. He pleaded with
them to no avail. He had to pay the sum of ten thousand Naira which he
budgeted for his sister’s treatment. This is is the kind of excesses I
urge the next administration to look into to ensure the Karota system
doesn’t trample on people’s rights. In all, the good far outweigh the
bad. My hope is the next administration doesn’t scrap it but instead
make it better.
Power
is instrumental in achieving industrialisation. No industrialised
nation today achieved that status without first having stable
electricity. Stable electricity is important to the growth of Kano state
which is described as the centre of commerce. In the late 90s and early
2000, most of the industries in Sharada Kano suffered because of
increase cost of production. So many of the companies closed shop. It is
because of this that the news of signing a contract for two power
plants by the Kano state government gladdens my heart. The governor
himself confirmed this to us in a chat with him. This will go a longer
way in ensuring return of investors to the ancient city, increase
employment and the general well-being of the Kano child.
Furthermore,
the Kwankwassiya revolution has extended its hands to a housing policy
that is highly impressive. On our tour, we visited three massive housing
estates embarked upon by the Kwankwaso administration that is focusd on
providing homes for the Kano people. First is the Kwankwasiyya city
then Amana city and Badarawo city. Each of these cities holds three
thousand units of houses. It didn’t stop there. The overall plan is to
build schools, markets, malls, services stations, etc in each of the
cities.
WHY IT MATTERS
One might take a look and argue a
city like Kano should by now be more developed than it currently is.
Well it isn’t. We can blame that on past administrations and lack of
foresight. Including Kwankwaso first term in office. Most come into
power without a clear vision on the direction a state should move. That
is why I am glad Kwankwaso has addressed that and set a standard for the
next governor. In many years to come, we will look back at what
Kwankwaso has done and appreciate it more. The young people he has
encourage to get an education and those who went to further will be back
to change this land for better. What I want all young Kano people to
believe is they are the revolution. The Kwankwasiyya revolution is real
and it has just began.
For further engagement the writer tweets as @Sir_Ruffy on Twitter.
Source: DailyPost
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