‘I will prevail on FG to complete irrigation projects’

Speaker, Kano State House of Assembly, Honourable Kabiru Alhassan Rurum, won the Rano, Bunkure and Kibiya Federal constituency to the House of Representatives in the last National Assembly poll, on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC). He spoke with MURTALA ADEWALE on his plans to sponsor bills that would enhance agricultural development and attract the Federal Government’s presence to his constituency.
What difference will you make for your constituency in the House of Representatives?
Let me first and foremost start with what motivated the move to join the contest. Rano, Bunkure and Kibiya Federal constituency is one of the constituencies in Kano that are endowed with natural and human resources. Agriculture-wise, my people are industrious and we have arable farmland. 

What we lack in that constituency is the federal presence. We are lagging behind in terms of growth, capital projects and amenities despite the presence of a member who has spent almost 12 years in the House.Now, our focus will be on ensuring that the Federal Government completes the abandoned irrigation project at Rano. If that alone is accomplished, I will give praise to God. The expected contribution of that irrigation to agriculture cannot be quantified. All-year irrigation farming will be made easier.

I will also facilitate empowerment and employment opportunities for our youths. Opportunities abound in all places and our young graduates have no jobs. 

How will you achieve these considering that you are a first timer in the House?
If you check my antecedents in politics, especially in legislation, perhaps you will be convinced I am not a greenhorn in the business. I started as a councillor in the most civilised city in Nigeria, Lagos. And by the special grace of God, I became Speaker of Kano State House of Assembly, another politically exposed environment. So, we have the required exposure, the requisite expertise and skills of legislature.

Lawmaking is not a rocket science if I may put it that way, and coupled with our experiences, achieving all our goals will not be a difficult task. We shall engage our people who gave us the mandate and we shall carry everybody along. It is going to be a collective responsibility.

How did your party scale through the hurdles?
I personally don’t believe in a paper tiger or empty roar in the jungle. We believe in the game of reality. The people of Kano know who they want and that was clearly made known during the Presidential and National Assembly polls. The people have shown where they belong and no amount of blackmails and gimmicks will work as far as I am concerned.Politics in Kano is a game of the wise. So, don’t be deceived by any noise from the other side. APC is fully on ground in Kano.