Inauguration: El-Rufai pleads forgiveness, predicts tougher days ahead in Kaduna

At the inauguration for his second term in office Wednesday, Kaduna state Governor Nasir El-Rufai told people of the state his administration would be out to further take tough decisions.

To this end, he pleaded for forgiveness well ahead of his actions, which the governor said though would be people-centred but won’t go down well with some interests within the state.

In a loaded speech, the governor, flanked by his deputy, Dr Hadiza Balarabe, called on all residents of the state to live in peace with one another to achieve meaningful development.

He said: “The challenges confronting us are numerous and they are hard. But if we do our job well, we will solve them, with your help, support and prayers. We will continue to take very difficult and sometime painful decisions.  We ask your understanding and forgiveness in advance.

“With your support and prayers, we will not waiver in supporting ordinary people to attain their aspirations. We will continue with our tradition of cooperation with the other arms of government in the service of our people. We will devote every energy and talent in putting people first and making Kaduna great again!”

He said notwithstanding the individual voter’s decision to choose candidates of their choice, all residents would be treated equally.

The governor said: “Ours is the government of everyone who lives in Kaduna state. I call on every resident of Kaduna state to join hands with us in the hard tasks that lie ahead. Back in March 2019, we all made our democratic choices, and freely expressed our preferences. Whatever our partisan affiliations – and however we might have voted – we are all compatriots and fellow citizens. It is time to put politics aside and work together in the urgent task of improving the lives of all our people, and keeping them safe. Amidst so much poverty, division is an unaffordable luxury.

 “Let us unite in a common endeavour to make ours a state of peace and concord, working to promote equality of opportunity for every resident. Let us cherish our diversity while embracing equal citizenship, the rule of law, and respect for the lives and livelihoods of all who call Kaduna state home.”

The governor who eulogised his erstwhile deputy, Mr. Bala Bantex, said he put in his best in the service of the people.

“We will continue to do our utmost to unite our state and rid our communities of strife. The pain of loss is unbearable, and it has been felt too frequently by too many of our fellow citizens. We must replace the legacy of division and violence with one of peaceful, collective endeavour in progressive undertakings.

“We should not maroon ourselves on the desert islands of identity politics, or neglect the obligations of our common humanity. Strife is not our destiny, and neither is division preordained. Let us come together in the ever-more urgent task of human progress, to educate every child to create jobs, to care for the sick, to protect life and property, to comfort the afflicted and to strive for peace in our time.

“We pledge to continue the vigorous implementation of our governance agenda of putting people first. During our first term, we signalled and then demonstrated that we stand firmly with ordinary people. We put the needs of ordinary people at the centre of governance. In education and health, we have shown a commitment with investments to expand the access of ordinary people to these public goods.

“Aside from fixing the learning environment, we took bold steps to improve teaching standards. We made basic education truly free and have made education free and compulsory for girls up to the end of senior secondary school. We will continue to fix existing schools and build new classrooms where necessary, and support our teachers to deliver decent public education.

“In the health sector, the focus on strengthening and expanding primary care will continue. It is the best way to reduce maternal and infant mortality, and bring basic care closer to the people. Our commitment to universal health coverage will continue.

““Therefore, we shall accelerate the implementation of the Contributory Health Insurance Scheme as a priority programme. We will complete the supply chain transformation programme in the health sector that has improved the availability and reduced prices of drugs in our health facilities; we will also emphasise routine immunisation to reduce the impact of vaccine-preventable diseases on our children.

“I am pleased to announce that just yesterday, our State Executive Council approved six-month maternity leave for our female public servants. This encourages the healthy development of infants through prolonged breastfeeding, among other benefits. Mothers in our state are also reminded that children up to the age of five get free, regular medical check-ups in public hospitals,” the governor further said.

Lalong urges forgiveness

Also, Governor Simon Bako Lalong of Plateau state has urged people of the state to shun violence and embrace the path of forgiveness.

He said corruption, dishonesty, disloyalty, rumour-mongering, fake news, religious and political fanaticism, ethnic jingoism, violence, and other forms of social evil were antithetical to the vision of the new Plateau.

The inaugural event, delayed by heavy downpour, had in attendance some former governors of the state including Fidelis Tapgun and Jonah David Jang, as well as former Deputy Senate President Ibrahim  Mantu, while Ambassador Yahaya Kwande was  conspicuously absent.

Another former governor, Joshua Chibi Dariye, serving a jail term in Kuje Prison, Abuja, was represented by his wife, Valentina.

Speaking at the event held at the Jos township stadium, the governor said, “While as a government we shall strive to meet our own side of the social bargain, we equally expect the good people of Plateau state to reciprocate government’s gesture, not only by giving their unalloyed support, but, more importantly, by learning to live in peace with one another so that together we can achieve the much desired development.”

Lalong said the people “should recognise that corruption, dishonesty, disloyalty, rumour-mongering, fake news, religious and political fanaticism, ethnic jingoism, violence, and other forms of social evil are antithetical to our vision of the new Plateau, and must be avoided.”
He further said the administration had, as part of the policy of breaking the cycle of violence in the state, developed critical policy of “forgiveness.”

He said their “humanism will be based on the principles that people need freedom and self-determination; that people should be respected and held in high esteem, rather than means of negative governmental action; that people are fundamentally social in nature and therefore value or cherish community life; and that people have a right to seek truth and oppose authoritarian rule.”

In line with this, Lalong said he granted prerogative of mercy to one a prisoner, Mr. Evaristus C. Mozie from life imprisonment to absolute pardon.

“This pardon is granted for reasons of good conduct and determination to continue to be productive, with effect from the date of sentence,” he added.

Mattawalle

Also speaking shortly after his inauguration, Zamfara state Governor Muhammad Bello Mattawalle pledged to declare state of emergency in the education sector with a view to having better future generation.

The governor said free education at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels should be secured to teeming children, particularly vulnerable ones across the state to ensure every child attained western education free.

On the deteriorating condition of the Internally Displaced Persons resulting from banditry attacks in the state, Governor Mattawalle said plan was underway to establish modern IDP camps in all the three senatorial zones of the state with adequate facilities to ensure their wellbeing.

While urging the bandits to stop their inhuman acts and surrender their arms to the state government through security agencies, he said those who refused to embrace peace would be severely dealt with even as he asked security agencies to work within the ambit of the law in tackling security challenges in the state.

“My administration will not condone any form of criminality and terrorism by some unscrupulous hoodlums without taking proactive steps to dislodge them,” he said.  

He further stated that, his government would collaborate with the federal government to renovate Bakalori Dam with a view to improving power supply, irrigation farming and water supply, particularly in all rural communities across the state.  

On healthcare services, Governor Mattawalle said he would build more primary health care centres, particularly in all rural communities with free medical care, adequate health facilities and manpower for the benefit of women and children to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality rates across the state.

The governor promised to uplift Shari’a legal system, remove traditional institutions from politics, create job opportunity for teeming graduated indigenous students of the state and rehabilitate state skills acquisition centers to promote entrepreneurship among youth.

He urged people of the state to support his administration to enable it acihieve the set goals.

Leave a Reply