Buhari’s government for Buhari’s hometown? – Part 2

Continued From Yesterday

The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) has distributed cosmetology packs and cash component to 1000 women trained on cosmetology in Daura town in Katsina State. The Director General NDE Dr, Nasiru Mohammed Ladan Argungu made the distribution at the skills acquisition centre Ganga Daura recently. According to Argungu each of the beneficiaries will be supported with five thousand (N5, 000) as start-up empowerment for enterprise creation. He said, NDE had invested heavily in Katsina State within the last three years in the area of Agricultural park Sabuwa, Agricultural Skills Training Centre Katsina, vocational skills acquisition Daura, Kurfi, Jibia, Funtua and Rimaye as well as traditional weaving skills centre at Agayawa village. Argungu said reasonable number of youth have benefitted much from the NDE Graduate Attachment Programme (GAP) and the Graduate Coaching Scheme (GCS) in the state. The military institutions are not left out in the race to build projects in Daura to please the President and his hometown. Around August of last year, President Muhammadu Buhari inaugurated the Air Force Reference hospital in Daura, Katsina State. The President during the commissioning on assured of his support and commitment in ensuring that the hospital becomes fully functional and accessible to all Nigerians. He believed that the commissioning of this hospital is another critical milestone recorded by the nation’s armed forces. According to the President, the medical facilities deployed to the hospital are enough to cater not only to Daura people but also those coming from the neighboring Kano, Kaduna, Abuja and even overseas for medical attention. Last Month it was reported that the Federal Government has approved N2 billion for the establishment of a medical school at the Federal University, Dutsin-ma (FUDMA), Katsina State.

The Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Amarya’u Bichi, disclosed to the News Agency of Nigeria shortly after assuming office. Transportation ministry wouldn’t want to be accused of not knowing that Buhari’s administration is for BUHARI’s hometown and so they are building massive N18 bullion worth Transportation University in Daura. Chibuike Amaechi the minister of transportation even preempted critics by saying that he has no regrets building the multibillion institutes in Daura, Buhari’s hometown. With joy, President Muhammadu Buhari last year in Sadanmu, Daura Emirate Council of Katsina State, inaugurated the construction of the N18 billion University of Transportation to be completed in the next one-and-a-half year. Buhari, while performing the groundbreaking ceremony, said the newly-established institution would bring rapid development to the transport sector as well as generate both academic and non-academic employment opportunities for Nigerians.

He spoke just as the Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, said he had no regret situating the university in Daura, the president’s hometown, as the town is in Nigeria and not in another country. Buhari stated that the University of Transportation, which will be the first in Africa, will pave the way for the domestication of railway engineering and bridge the technology and skill gap in the railway and transportation sector. According to him, “This university and Rolling Stock Assembly plant projects have demonstrated the commitment of Messrs. CCECC to having a long-term relationship with Nigeria and thus create more avenues for collaboration between the parties and will no doubt assist the enhancement of the bilateral relationship between China and Nigeria”.

The president added that the university would enable Nigeria to domesticate railway engineering and transportation. He acknowledged the cooperation and understanding of all stakeholders in the implementation of federal government projects, especially state governments. Buhari said his administration would continue to create job opportunities through the establishment of indigenous industries and would reposition the transport sector, especially the construction of rail lines, roads, and other transport-related utilities. According to Buhari, the project is expected to have multiplier effect on the economy and on Nigerians. “In light of the clear advantages of this university, I wish to commend on behalf of the good people of Nigeria, Messrs China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC) which is building this university as part of their corporate social responsibility. “In addition to this, I wish to put on record and commend CCECC for the willingness to establish, also, the Rolling Stock Assembly plant in Kajola, Ogun State whose groundbreaking took place on November 9, 2019,” he added. Earlier, Amaechi had defended the need to build the university and why Daura was picked as its site. “We realised that education is key to the building and maintenance of all these infrastructures. I engaged CCECC. “I insisted on the University of Transportation. Today, we are here for the groundbreaking ceremony of the university. “When we sited the factory at Kajola, there was no noise; nobody debated about it; nobody abused us for it.

Nobody influenced me to site this university here. “Anybody who accuses me of being a sycophant; let me admit it in advance that I am a sycophant. And if you know the president very well, you will know that sycophancy does not sit well with Mr. President. Amaechi continued: “Daura is in Nigeria. It is not in any other part of the world. It is not in Niger; it is not in Biafra; it is not in Mali; it is in Nigeria; so, what is wrong in siting a University of Transportation in Daura. I have no regret citing this university in Daura”. Well, we have been told that Daura is in Nigeria and so there is nothing wrong if all of Nigeria’s money are used to turn the place into another Abuja. It is in that light that Buhari’s administration is currently constructing a new 330kv/132kv substation in Daura, Katsina State as part of its plan to strengthen and boost power supply to the North West region of the country. Speaking during a courtesy visit to the Emir of Daura, the Minister of Power Sale Mamman lamented that the region experienced one of the worst supply of electricity in the country.

He explained that the Daura substation is only the third of such Power infrastructure in the whole northern region adding that such miserable situation was unacceptable and could not enhance the socio-economic development in the region. Then the Army has also joined the growing list of agencies rushing to set up projects in Daura, Buhari’s Hometown, even as the town will have Battalion Barracks.  “Lt Gen TY Buratai announced that works and provision of infrastructure will soon commence on the proposed permanent site of the 171 Battalion located in Daura.” The Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen. Tukur Buratai, has commended the commitment and achievement of troops deployed at forwarding Operating Base at Daura in Katsina State for combating armed banditry, cattle rustling and kidnapping among other menaces during Operation Harbin Kunama III and ongoing Operation HADARIN DAJI in the North-Western part of Nigeria. The army chief stated this when he visited the base on August 15, 2019, a statement by the army disclosed. He also disclosed the Nigerian Army’s plans to replicate the “noble concept of Super Camp” in the region, with the aim of projecting offensive patrols, raids, ambushes and other combat missions to tackle the security threats occasioned by the activities of bandits and other criminals elements. He added that provision of logistics to enable troops to perform effectively remained his top priority. “Lt Gen TY Buratai announced that works and provision of infrastructure will soon commence on the proposed permanent site of the 171 Battalion located in Daura. He informed them of the introduction of ‘boots and polish’ allowances, among other welfare packages to boost troops morale, encourage hard work and professionalism.

“There was loud ovation when Buratai conducted troops at the base to a series of push-ups,” the statement said. In another development, the army chief along with the Chief of Defence Staff, General A.G. Olonisakin, and other service chiefs attended the commissioning of Nigerian Airforce Reference Hospital in Daura and thereafter paid Sallah greetings to President Buhari. The President Muhammadu Buhari has approved a rail line from Kano to his hometown in Daura. The rail will run from Kano to Jibia local government areas of Katsina state, Minister of Transport, Rotimi Ameachi disclosed. Amaechi disclosed the news in Abuja at The Osasu Show Symposium — which bothers on the economy and its effects on the less privileged. “Government said concession this narrow guage, and we have successfully done that to the extent that we are able to sign an agreement with GE. By October GE will take over the narrow guage and begin to run from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri. What this trend shows is that the constitutional oath of office sworn to by Mr. President is not being adhered to because the oath obliges the President not to allow his Personal or tribal interest to becloud his national governance decision. The building of almost one hundred major federal institutions and projects in one town of Daura only because it is the hometown of the President is a total negation of the constitutional position of the President of Nigeria as someone who should be fair to all constituencies irrespective of his own personal advantage or interest.

Concluded.

Onwubiko is the head of Human Rights Writers Association Of Nigeria (HURIWA).