LETTER TO GOV. ABBA KABIR YUSUF
LETTER TO GOV. ABBA KABIR YUSUF
By:
Nurudeen Dauda
May 5, 2023
nurudeendauda24@yahoo.com
nurudeendauda24@gmail.com
nurudeendauda.blogspot.com
Good day His Excellency Engr. Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, the executive governor of Kano state. Accept my best wishes and congratulations to you as the governor of Kano state. This is an open letter to you and I do hope it will get to you through the power of both conventional and social media platforms. His Excellency, please tarry while on your ongoing "demolition" of alleged illegal structures on public lands! Due process is required ! Your "actions" have since empowered "looters"of properties in your state.
In my observation, your "demolition" exercise for the time being only affects those structures approved by a "legitimate" government not those built without "legitimate" government's approvals. In my thought, your "actions" will scared away private investments/capital in your state which you badly needed for your administration's success in particular and your state in general. Your action taken so far should you deem it fit to attract private partnership for your government in the future will not speak well of you and your state.
Politicians" and "aids" may not honestly advise you on the issue at hand, but your honest admirers will. Sir, please don't be a bull in a China shop. The noun phrase "a bull in a china shop" is often used for a person who breaks things or who often makes mistakes or causes damage in situations that require careful thinking or behavior.
In my thought, the fact that one "promises" to do "something" during his campaign is not enough "reason" to go ahead with it if it turns out to be a "folly". Changing a "stand" or a "position" on an "issue" as a result of new "facts" or "superior" argument is not a "weakness" or ones failure to "keep" to promise. In fact it is the right thing to do!
I know too very well that his excellency knows by the provision of the 1978 Land Use Act that the former governor has the legitimate powers to approve a "change" of "purpose" for the "use" of public properties from; for instance, "public" to "private" use or "school" to "commercial" or "hospital" to "residential house" use for "as long as" the "due process" of law is duly followed. I equally know too very well that his excellency by his exposure as a public servant and a former commissioner knows that there are process and procedures for correcting a perceived "wrong" public policy or decision by a previous legitimate government. There is a popular adage which states" that, two "wrongs" will never make a "right". I know too very well that his excellency knows that public policy or law is not supposed to be "targeted" at an individual or group of individuals or drafted to please the "ego" of an individual or group of individuals.
His Excellency sir, the best thing to do in the situation at hand is to set up a committee to investigate the following: (1) Was due process followed? (2) What was the rationale for changing the purpose of public lands? (3) were the properties sold at the market price or at a give away price? (4) Were the properties sold through competitive bidding or just allocated to family and cronies? (5) Were the funds realized from the sells of the properties paid to Kano state government or to private accounts? etc. The outcome of the said committee's investigation should form your smart next line of actions.
Perhaps your difference with the out gone governor is about governance "model" or "philosophy". Governance model or philosophy is still an going debate. From your utterance it appears you align with socialist model. Socialism is a political cum economic system of governance. It is apt to state that the socialist republic of China from the China's golden era of Deng Xiaping (1978-1989) has since opened up China's economy by embracing private capital. China now operates the political aspect of socialism , but it has largely discarded the economic aspect of socialism from the time of Deng Xiaping. At height of the debate on economic model in China, Deng Xiaping once said: "It doesn't matter if a cat is black or white as long as it catches mice".
For as long as the due process of law is followed there is absolutely nothing "wrong" in Public private partnership (PPP) or privatization of "dilapidated" public assets in order to put it to proper use for the economic development of the state. It is just a matter of economic philosophy. In modern economy his excellency requires private "capital" to revive abundant public infrastructure for the benefits of your people. It is even more so, in an economy like yours which heavenly relies on federal allocation with a very low internally generated revenue (IGR) profile in comparison with states with less potential as yours. His excellency requires private capital for public schools, hospitals, roads, rail, bridges, electricity, markets, and agriculture etc.
Similarly, there is absolutely nothing wrong economically for borrowing to finance capital projects. Debt or loan in itself is not necessarily “bad”, but what you use it for makes it is“good”or "bad". At governmental level, It is a sound economics to borrow for infrastructural development, but to borrow in order to sustain ostentatious life style or finance over bloated bureaucracy is a "bad" economic. I support loans for judicious execution of capital projects, but not for over bloated recurrent expenditures.
The United States of America is the most indebted country in the world yet the number one economy in the world. Brazil is the most indebted country in Latin America yet the number one economy in the zone. Japan is the most indebted country in Asia yet the second biggest economy in Asia and the third in the world. South Africa is the most indebted country in Africa yet the second biggest economy in Africa. Germany is the 4th most indebted country in the world yet the biggest economy in Europe.
Lagos state is the most indebted state in Nigeria yet the most developed state economy. Dangote group spent $19billion on his the world largest single train refinery through debt financing model by both local international financial institutions.
His Excellency sir, please retrace your dangerous steps. Accept my best wishes. May you succeed as the executive governor of Kano state.