2019: Why Katsina needs people-oriented programmes- Halilu

Surveyor Abubakar Halilu Jikamshi, is not only a fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Surveyors but the National Rescue Movement (NRM) Katsina State governorship candidate, who believes governments’ desperation to win election at all cost is fuelling vote-buying and violence. In this interview with Patrick Andrew, he says he hopes to run a people-oriented government if elected governor.
Being from Katsina the home state of the incumbent president, some think it would be an Herculean task to remove President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019?
Yes, removing Buhari now is an Herculean task because of the love the down trodden people have for him, but in the actual sense if it were in developed democracies it would not be difficult at all to remove him. This is because, may be not himself, but his lieutenants, have failed him woefully in the running of this government. People are suffering and a lot of things are not being done the way people had expected.
Yesterday we had a rally for the flag-off of the NRM governorship campaign for Senator Saidu Dansadau in Gusau, same night there were two cases of armed banditry, the victims, who were badly wounded were brought to hospital. There is a road linking Shinkafi to Katsina, ordinarily it would take two and half hours but you dare not try it now because even last night three groups attacked,  kidnapped, maimed and assaulted and killed some persons along that road.
Unfortunately, the minister of defence is from this State l don’t know what business he has being on that seat as far as I am concern. As minister of defence he should be up and doing not only in Zamfara but throughout the federation. He should stop these nonsense killings, which put people in absolute fear. Those mostly affected are innocent peasant farmers and they can’t go on with their daily lives as they should.
The former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Masari is the current governor of Katsina State and people say he has been doing well. Why then do you want to remove him?
I will not say he is doing relatively well. I think he is one of the persons that have failed President Buhari. You need to go to Katsina and hear directly from the masses.  There should be people-oriented programmes which can reduce the suffering of the people. Katsina is one of the most educated states in the country, most of our educated past leaders from the Premier of Northern Nigeria, and other leaders, were educated at the Katsina College, but now where are we?
We always say we will educate our people but we are not preparing them for the future. We always say we want to create jobs but we are not creating the enabling environment where our youths can get jobs. We are not even training them to equip themselves with the physical tools they need to create jobs for themselves.  Instead, we are only creating room for entertainers.
You need to be on the ground in Katsina to know the real need of the people. In our party, our mission is to rescue people from the social economic decadence not only in Zamfara but the country as a whole.
One of the cardinal points the President promised to take care of was to address the insecurity challenges that the country had faced before he assumed office. Quite alright, he has achieved reasonable level of security in the North east. He has tried to bring down Boko Haram but he has not stop insurgency, which is back in full swing in the region. There is no where you can go to in the North east and some other parts of the North and feel safe.
The government seems not quite ready to end Boko Haram because uptil now no sponsor of Boko Haram has been arrested, prosecuted and jailed. We know Boko Haram is being sponsored. The only thing we hear is the arrest of few Boko Haram members. They don’t even tackle the problems of youth unemployment at the grassroots which provides Boko Haram easy recruitment venue. They sponsors are never arrested and questioned to know their motive for this madness and as a military general he ought to have done far better than he has done now.
What will you do differently to better the lot Katsina people?
Firstly, I will bring all persons on board; Katsina indigenes who are well to do not for them to come and work but to establish industries where our teeming unemployed youths can be engaged. We are training students from secondary schools and universities but there are no jobs.
I live in Abuja and I am well aware of what our counterparts from the South are doing. Some Southern governors are really working hard for their people creating the enabling environment for industries to be established and to thrive and it helps to reduce youth restiveness. That is our mission for Katsina.
What really will be your policy thrust?
We shall bring all on board to ensure that we do not entirely depend on the federal allocation. We shall focus on education, agriculture and job creation.
Your party is one of the newly registered parties and in fact is one of the minor parties, against the might of the ruling APC at the centre and in Katsina, what chance does your party-the NRM- really have?
Our motor is ‘Power Comes from God’ and we deeply believe that power indeed comes from God. God gives power, when and where he wants it as well as takes it whenever He wants to. He puts whoever he likes whenever and it does not matter how much money one has or the large crowd behind you. Our intention is to serve the people not to enrich ourselves so whatever happens at the end does not really count.
The issue of vote-buying has become a threat to credible election, how should it be tackled to sanitise elections in Nigeria?
Simple! Voter education. The electorate need to be made aware that the money desperate politicians use to buy their PVCs is their money- which was supposed to be used to provide social amenities and services for all. These desperate politicians deny the people these and at the end of the day the voter can’t complain because he has sold his conscience. The government must be serious about ensuring credible election by not being desperate to win election, this will reduce vote-buying in our elections.
Do have confidence that the INEC will do a fair job of conducting credible and violent-free election in 2019?
I do hope so. I have been a victim previously when I contested and it was manipulated. I know the powers of the INEC and the judiciary panel. I am however glad that the present Chief Judge of the Federation (Justice Onoghen) has been telling judicial officers to seat up. We have to believe they will do something about improving the quality of electoral justice.
Also, the INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu has promised to conduct credible election.  There is, however, a big but. This is because the two elections in Osun and Ekiti states painted different pictures altogether. Vote-buying played major role and even in katsina where there was bye-election, vote-buying was very prominent. I learnt, because I was not in Katsina, that during the election once one thumb-printed and showed it to the party’s agent that is willing to pay one got paid.
In the NRM, we don’t have money to buy vote and we don’t lie about it. Though the government launched the Not-Too-Young–to-Run law but when it was time for the purchase of the expression of interest and nomination forms it was sold in millions of Naira. If a young man graduated five years ago and is in the right course, how can he muster such amount of money?
How accepted is the NRM is katsina?
People are decamping here and there but the elite are not coming to us because they believe it is only through government that they will make money. These elites don’t work with their conscience and they don’t consider that there is a day judgement when one returns to God. The huge crowd that attended our flag-off  campaign in Gusau and will be replicated in Katsina clearly showed how well we are accepted by the people who are eager for credible alternatives to the ruling and main opposition parties.
Any hope for violent-free election in 2019?
Well only God knows. But sometimes the conduct of election gives room for violence because when there is vote-buying, ballot box snatching, intimidation and agitation it raises concern. We are, however, praying for a very peaceful and violent-free election in this country in 2019. Nigerians have everything but the will to prevent wrong things from happening and hope those in charge will ensure that the 2019 elections are violent-free.

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