By Yusuf Shuaibu Yusuf
Built of undoubted traits, His Excellency Abba Kabir Yusuf’s growing popularity and indomitable personality prove to be impenetrably and unbreakably tough.
His resolution to build on his boss, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso’s legacy, his love for Kano people and his dogged determination to restore Kano’s lost glory have always been the nightmare and a bone of contention to his political opponents.
Their fear is the fact that Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s bold strides to reposition the state, strengthen its institutions and transform the state into an economic powerhouse and an emerging tourist destination will ultimately overshadow their mediocrity, a legacy many adjudge as a stain on the state’s progress.
Making several failed attempts to spoil the longstanding relationship between Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf and Senator Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, the opposition party has now resorted to political sabotage and blackmail of the trustful and hard-working Kano state government officials using hired online political propagandists masquerading as journalists.
Unlike under the immediate past administration, where most appointments were allegedly based on nepotism, Kabir Yusuf handpicks and appoints only such people as he believes they have already built for themselves reputable personalities, capable of handling public responsibility with integrity and piety.
Yet the opposition party, relentlessly desperate to smear the reputation of the government officials through misinformation and defamation, allegedly connive with some federal agencies in order to distract and derail the government from fulfilling its campaign promises to the good people of Kano state.
Kano state government taking the past allegations for normal constructive criticism, the saboteurs, toughened and hardened, have now become vigorously systematic in their effort to vilify and demonize the NNPP-led government, strategically targeting and pouncing on its officials one after another with false accusations, maliciously intended to disrupt the government from its set goals and make it unpopular.
It’s no longer news that the federal government has never been a friend to the Abba Kabir Yusuf’s administration since its inception. No wonder some of the federal security operatives more often than not come at loggerheads with the Kano state government, especially when the latter’s interest clashes with the opposition group in the state. No wonder anti-graft agencies seem to squarely direct their activities on the Kano state government more than any other state in the country.
The hypocritical stance of federal government on Kano state emirate tussle, which is a trial balloon to test the efficacy of their machination against the state, the false accusations against former Chief of staff to the governor, Alhaji Shehu Wada Sagagi and former commissioner of transportation, Ibrahim Ali Namadi, over alleged drug bail; and now alleged 6.5bn fraud smeared against Director General Protocol, Abdullahi Ibrahim Rogo, are all but indications to how federal government allegedly conspires with the opposing political party in the state to rubbish the ruling party’s achievements and defame its reputation, thereby inhibiting development in our dear state.
While the Abba Kabir Yusuf led-government will remain focused and resilient against all odds, open against constructive criticisms, these ungrounded allegations and systematic lies will no longer go unchallenged.
With unwavering faith, the good people of Kano state will rise together to defend the future which they placed in the hands of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf.
Yusuf Shuaibu Yusuf writes from Kano and can be reached via: 07035176671 or yusufshuaibuyusuf@gmail.com
