A mammoth was on hand to welcome President Muhammadu Buhari for his first official visit to Kano; but another “crowd” was on the social media accusing him of being less than grateful to the State that gave him 1.9 million votes.
Even the President was overwhelmed by those that came out to greet him. He said through his Personal Assistant on New Media Engagement, Bashir Ahmad, “Though I haven’t expected anything less, I was overwhelmed by the reception I received from Kano people this morning.”
Some, in the minority, who were not there to welcome him, threw 11 questions at him on social media which they sought answers to as he visits Kano.
1. Which Federal Government Project are you going to commission or flag off in appreciation of Kano’s 1.9m votes in 2015?
2. Why is Zaria – Kano road which is now a death trap not a priority to your government?
3. Why is Kano – Gwarzo – Gidan Mutun Daya road, another death trap not deserving your attention?
4. Four (4) Kano markets fire disasters that destroyed properties worth billions of naira, yet you failed to visit and sympathize with the victims of the inferno nor substantial support to cushion the effect of such reccurent tragedies?
5. Late Alh. Yusuf Maitama Sule (Danmasanin Kano) passed on and you were no where near Kano to sympathize/condole his family, government and good people of Kano State?
6. Your bosom friend Late AVM Mukhtar who sacrificed and risked everything for your sake till he passed on and you failed to show compassion by visiting to console/condole his family, government and good people of Kano State?
7. Kwankwaso and Ganduje through their supporters have been embroiled in bitter political rivalry with potentials to consume innocent lives. Both are members of your party but you sparsely cared and demonstrated a lukewarm attitude instead of rising to resolve their seeming difference as a father figure?
8. Yar’adua/GEJ initiated and constructed Abuja – Kaduna railway line in a record time. Why is it so difficult for you to construct Kaduna – Kano railway line?
9. DG SEC Mounir Gwarzo is from Kano, and was suspended illegally by Kemi Adeosun your Minister of Finance in order to shield OANDO malpractices and protect Tinubus’s interest. Is this not a tactical victimization of Kano?
10. Despite Kano’s population they are one the least beneficiaries of your N-power program neither did you launch CBN farmers’ anchor barrowers programme in Kano. Isn’t this a further slight on the people of Kano?
11. PDP led FG did the following for the North West Zone: established Federal Medical Center (FMC) Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State; Federal Medical Center (FMC) Katsina, Katsina State; Federal Medical Center (FMC) Birnin Kudu, Jigawa State; Federal Medical Center (FMC) Gusau, Zamfara Sate…also Federal University Dutsinma (FUDM), Katsina State; Federal University Dutse (FUD), Jigawa State; Federal University Gusau (FUG), Zamfara State; Federal University Birnin Kebbi (FUBK), Kebbi State. Revamped and remodelled through VAMED engineering the following teaching hospitals: Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH), Zaria, Kaduna State; Usman Danfodio University, Teaching Hospital (UDUTH), Sokoto State; Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH), Kano, Kano State. What is your plan and APC for a zone that gave you over 7 million votes (about 50%) of your total votes in 2015?
Their queries notwithstanding, tens of thousands of others, obviously in the majority, were out-shouting themselves praising the President, reiterating that he remains the best man for Nigeria.
For them, he should seek a second term in 2019, because he would beat others hands down.
Meantime, President Muhammadu Buhari in Kano reaffirmed that prison reforms and decongestion will be pursued with greater vigor by his administration.
Speaking at a ceremony in Kurmawa Central Prison Kano, at which 500 inmates were either pardoned or set free upon the payment of fines by the State Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, President Buhari lamented that some of the freed inmates were young and charged prison authorities to make every effort to make better citizens of prisoners.
A statement from his one of his spokesmen, Mr. Garba Shehu, said President Buhari pledged that prisons reforms and decongestion would continue to receive prompt attention from his administration.
He wrote further: The President stressed the need for prisoners to receive proper care, support and rehabilitation to make them better citizens after serving their prisons terms.
“I am pleased with this visit and I have learnt a bit more about the conditions of the prisons and inmates.
“This building in front of us was built since 1910. Rehabilitation of prisoners and training of inmates is very important to us and we would continue to invest more on this.
“I asked one of the inmates (released) how old he was and he told me he is only 19 years old.
“If we have people of 18 and 19 years in the prison, and there is no continuous training, then their lives will be completely destroyed. We will invest more in education and vocational training,’’ he said.
The 500 inmates granted pardon, including men and women, were drawn from various prisons in Kano state, including Kurmawa prisons, which has 1,398 inmates as opposed to 750, the established capacity.
Earlier, the President who arrived Kano to a tumultuous welcome by the Government and people of the State at the start of a two-day state visit paid homage to the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II.
At the Emir’s place, President Buhari recounted his fond memories of Kano, as a symbol of peace, trade, commerce and industry in Nigeria.
‘‘If there is a problem here, the whole country has a problem. I remember the industry and employment people get in Kano.
‘‘Before the problem in the North East, I remember the number of articulated vehicles that leave this city to Maiduguri and the Cameroons, and the number of vehicles that come in from Chad and Niger, providing millions of jobs to Nigerians.
‘‘A lot of people in Nigeria didn’t realise how much the instability in the North East have cost the people and the industry here ’’ he said.
President Buhari, therefore, assured all Nigerians that the fight against the degraded Boko Haram will be sustained, in addition to the positive trends in the economy and the fight against corruption.
‘‘The three things we said in our campaign on security, economy and fighting corruption, nobody will be able to successfully disabuse the minds of Nigerians on our clear intentions for our country and our people,’’ the President declared.