President Muhammadu Buhari has said that he will continue to maintain a neutral position in the feud between Kano State Governor Abdullahi Ganduje and the Emir of Kano, His Royal Highness (HRH) Muhammadu Sanusi II.
Buhari, however, said that the separation of powers between the federal government and the states notwithstanding, he has enough grounds in the constitution to ensure that the security of Nigerians is not compromised.
He stated this yesterday when he received Governor Ganduje and the newly-elected state legislators on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the presidential villa, Abuja.
Commenting on the dispute between the governor and the emir of Kano, the president in a statement issued by his media aide, Garba Shehu, said: “I know my role as the president of Nigeria. By the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the governor of Kano State has his own roles, once a matter is in the hands of the House of Assembly (like in Kano), the president has no constitutional right to interfere. I am here by the constitution, I swore by it, and I am going to stand by it.
“But let me tell you, the bottom line of my understanding of the constitutional role is that the peace and security of all Nigerians must be guaranteed, where the people are threatened, then I will use my constitutional powers,” he said.
President Buhari advised the elected officials to live up to the promises they made to their constituents to justify the confidence reposed in them.
He said: “I hope you are mindful of your promises to your constituencies? You went round and you promised your constituencies. I hope the promises you made are within the resources of your state? If you made promises outside your resources, it will be your problem because you are going to stand again in four years’ time. This is very important and it is important for our party.”
Governor Ganduje, who led the delegation, thanked the president for the federal government’s projects in the state, which he identified as the Kano-Abuja road reconstruction; the modern railway from Kaduna to Kano, and from Kano to Niger Republic; the gas pipeline from Ajaokuta to Kaduna and from Kaduna to Kano; the dualisation of Kano-Katsina Highway as well as the construction and equipping of new terminal wing of the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport.
He also apprised the president of the efforts of his government to make life better for the people of Kano, especially in terms of security and education.
Ganduje said: “We have done a lot in the area of security, even installing CCTV cameras in black spots and all major routes into Kano State. We also have a multi-purpose vehicle for monitoring, which has helped in arresting kidnappers and Boko Haram terrorists. We have also established an army training area.”
He said that the state has also curtailed herdsmen/farmers’ clashes by establishing settlements.
On the worrisome out-of-school children phenomenon, the governor said that “we used to have one million out-of-school children but now we are down to about 400,000 on account of the new education policy which makes schooling free and compulsory from basic to secondary school, complemented with free feeding, free uniforms and free instructional materials.”
He added that his administration had recruited 600 mathematics and English language teachers as well as 3,000 teachers for Almajiri schools that would be incorporated into the normal school system.
The governor, however, requested for federal government’s intervention in the completion of the Kano River Irrigation Scheme, the establishment of a Federal Medical Centre, and desilting of the 24 dams in the state
