Tuesday, 9th January, 2018.
My colleagues, APC officials here present,
Members of the media,
Ladies and gentlemen, assalamu alaikum.
I warmly welcome you all to this press briefing.
A couple of days ago, the self acclaimed chairman of the little that remains of the dying opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Katsina state, Hon. Salisu Yusuf Majigiri addressed you gentlemen of the press during which he regurgitated the outlandish lies and claims he has so pathologically become adept at against the person and government of our able, amiable and nationally acclaimed performing Governor, Rt. Hon. Aminu Bello Masari.
We have decided to respond to Mr. Majigiri latest diatribe of lies because it appears that he is a strong believer and deciple of Gobbels, the infamous propaganda Minister of Adolf Hitler, who expounded and made good use of the sophist theory, which states that lies spoken too often assume the dimensions of truth.
We attribute Magajigiri's penchant for lying against the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration in the state to three factors:
(1) Although facts are sacred, opinions are free. And even mad people are not only entitled to hold, but free to express their opinion, with the listener reserving the right to be their own judge. So the opinion of the Majigiri's of this world cannot transform lies into truth, no matter the level of their sophistry.
(2) Even after nearly three years of losing out power to APC, the rump of the PDP has refused to come to terms with the fact that a more competent, capable and dynamic team under the able leadership of Governor Masari is in place delivering dividends of democracy to the good people of Katsina state. Of course, you cannot take away his candy and prevent a child from crying. For sixteen uninterrupted years, the PDP had had power without responsibility, which is the prerogative of the harlot over the ages.
(3) The PDP in Katsina state exists only in name, with just Majigiri and a handful of nonetities hanging to the coat tails of the immediate past Governor Ibrahim Shehu Shema for hand outs, so as to keep mind and soul together. With the departure of the leading lights of the Katsina PDP such as Senator Ibrahim Ida (erstwhile PDP financier in Katsina), former (two-term) Speaker of the Katsina state House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Ya'u Umar Gojogojo, his Deputy, Rt. Hon. Bilya Mohammed Rimi and the rest of the party's former members of the State House of Assembly as well as most of the PDP councillors who served under the past administration, it is little wonder that Majigiri, who remains about the last person in the party, is out of his depth to prove his utility to his paymaster.
Back to his tissues of fantastic and outlandish lies and claims, let us address them one by one:
Your "sponsorship of radio programmes and use of social media" have failed to pitch the good people of Katsina state against Governor Masari because they are satisfied that in the APC administration, they are getting good value for their votes. So satisfied are the people of the state with the performance of Governor Masari that they gave him 86% approval rating in a poll conducted and widely publicized by NOI in November 2017. It was the highest approval rating given to any governor by the citizens of his state.
The opinion polls focused on strides made on workers welfare (payment of salary, pension and gratuity as and when due) and infrastructure and human capital development. In all these areas and others, Katsina State citizens gave Governor Masari a ringing endorsement, the like of which no governor has received from his people.
It is said that silence is the best answer to a fool. This holds true of Majigiri's allegation that the Katsina APC has "already conducted a primary election several months before the official time for it". Perhaps, it took place in his disturbed mind, a mind so used to the impunity of his rejected party.
It is the manifestation of a deranged mind to believe "the last 31 months as Katsina's most prosperous months of (sic) it's history". It is simply preposterous. How possible is that, when the average combined monthly earning for state and local governments during the said period was N7billion. It was a period when crude oil, the nation's main source of revenue, has never sold above $60 per barrel. For most of the time, it averaged only $40, at times even sold as low as $28 per barrel. Therefore, how and where did the "close to N400 billion Katsina state earned in 31 months" come from, outside the compromised mind of the PDP's lone ranger?
Compare that to the 16-year period of PDP's misgovernance, when price of a barrel of crude oil in the international market had never fallen below $100. It had severally sold as high as $114 per barrel. Then, the average combined monthly earning for state and local governments had never fallen below N15 billion. Still, there is pretty little on ground to show for all that earning?
Majigiri's claim that former Governor Shema had left N17,743,913,731:00 in the treasury at the time of his departure was clearly false, as bank records and other documents showed only N4,251,100,820:00 found in the many accounts his administration had operated. Also false is another claim by Majigiri that Shema left Katsina state debt free. In addition to the over N11billion debt in unpaid pension and gratuity to retirees, the Shema administration had bequeathed a debt portfolio, both local and foreign, amounting to N67.9 billion. The external component of the debt, which stood at $78,925,362.43 or N15,469,371,034.00 (@ N196/$) as at 29th May, 2015), included four different loans incurred by the administration of the former Governor. These are (1) $1,500,000.00 (US Dollars) loan taken on 1st January, 2009 ostensibly for the construction and rehabilitation of small earth dams, (2) SDR 3,250,000.00 loan taken on 15th April, 2009 for community and social development projects from Saudi Arabaia, (3) SDR 2,585,563.00 loan taken on 17th September, 2009 for the Katsina State Third National Fadama Development Project also from Saudi Arabia and, (4) $4,000,000.00 loan taken on 25th February, 2015 as additional facility for Katsina State Community and Social Development project. This last loan was taken after the 2015 Gubernatorial election, and only three months before Shema exited from office as Governor on 29th May, 2015. There are documents from the Debt Management Office (DMO) Abuja supporting this claim.
There is really no point wasting time responding to the allegation that "hospitals and schools are neglected by the Masari administration". Given the concrete and tangible evidence of the positive revolution sweeping all the sectors of the economy, such thinking can only be the product of a frustrated mind, which is beyond redemption.
On a courtesy visit to the Governor to present the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA's) Distinguished Service Award to him on November 3rd, 2017, the NMA President, Professor Michael Ogirima had this to say about Governor Masari: "Your Excellency, you have demonstrated uncommon love for the health sector and the medical profession in Katsina state, so much that your untiring efforts in making Katsina state a medical tourist destination is reverberating all over the nation and beyond".
A good product does not need advertising, it attracts customers naturally, the same way iron fillets are attracted to magnet without external prompting. This is why contrary to Majigiri's assertion, Governor Masari does not need to invite members of the PDP to join the ruling APC. They do so on their own volition, convinced of the sincererity, commitment, focus and humility of PresidentMuhammadu Buhari and Governor Masari, attributes never spoken in the same breath with Majigiri's paymaster, former Governor Shema.
Those who dumped the PDP for the APC cited arrogance, deceit and arbitrariness of Shema and the rest of the PDP crowd as their reason for seeking redemption within the APC.
They are so full of praise for Governor Masari for the many people oriented projects executed and programmes implement in under three years despite the paucity of resources.
These projects and programmes include, but not limited to, the following:
Governor Masari has settled the pension and gratuity debt of N11.6 billion left by the Shema administration
-So far paid pension and gratuity to the tune of N17.8 billion.
EDUCATION:
The Katsina State government has just paid out N77 million as refund to parents who sponsored their children's Senior School Certificate Examinations, SSCE this year.
The government has recruited 1,900 primary and secondary schools teachers
Has repaired and rehablitated over 150 primary schools and 15 secondary schools, including construction of additional classrooms and hostels (for boarding schools) in each of the three Senatorial zones in the state.
Has promoted, with payment of areas, over 1000 primary and secondary schools teachers in the state, some of whom have had no promotion for up to 10 years.
Aall girls secondary schools are now boarding.
HEALTH
The government has embarked on the enovation, rehanlitation and expansion (by 70%) of the General Hospitals at Katsina, Daura and Funtua.
State-of-art equipment are being supplied to these hospitals to rival the best in the country.
In like manner, enovating, rehanlitating and expanding Kankiya, Dutsinma, Malumfasi and Mani General Hospitals
So far recruited 690 medical staff comprising 110 doctors (including 15 consultants), 250 nurses and 330 midwives and allied health personnel.
Governor Masari's administration has secured accreditation for Katsina School of Nursing, the first time since it was established in 1956, and doubled its annual students intake from 50 to 120.
SECURITY:
Governor Masari has addressed the issue of acute insecurity that came in the form of cattle rustling, killings, kidnapping and rape which seriously affected farming and commercial activities in eight local government areas in the state.
So acute was insecurity that on a day in March, 2014, with then President Gooluck Jonathan and national chieftains of then ruling PDP in town, bandits callously massacred in cold blood 142 people in a community between Faskari and Sabuwa local government areas.
On coming into office, Governor Masari initiated the joint security action by the seven North West states of Katsina, Kano, Kaduna, Jigawa, Zamfara, Sokoto and Kebbi, as well as Niger state.
He negotiated an amnesty programme for repentant cattle rustlers, who handed over their fire arms to government, in return for forgiveness, reintegration and provision of aminities like schools and clinics in their settlements.
He also initiated, in collaboration with MTN, the launching of Animal Identification and Management Solution Programme (designed to track stolen animals) at Runka in Safana Local Government, Katsina state on Saturday, 2nd December, 2017.
AGRICULTURE:
It is a mark of the importance given to the sector by Governor Masari that his deputy, Alhaji Mannir Yakubu is given charge of the agriculture ministry as its commissioner, ably assisted by Dr. Abba Abdullahi, an internationally renowned consultant, as Special Adviser on Agriculture
As a wholly agrarian state, Katsina state is an active participant in the CBN's sponsored Cotton and Rice Anchor Programmes, with Katsina first in cotton, and second only to Kebbi in the production of rice.
Farming in Katsina has been given a new impetus with in unprecedented regular procurement and distribution of sufficient quantity of assorted fertilisers for both wet and dry seasons farming without the usual annual fanfare of public launching of the distribution of the commodity.
A reasonable quantity of tractors has been procured and distributed to farmers in the state on soft loan by the government.
The Masari administration has concluded arrangements with the Indian Tractor manufacturing firm, Mahindra Machines to assemble the tractors and other farming implements at the recently resuscitated Kankiya Metal Works factory.
WATER SUPPLY:
On a scale never undertaken before, comprehensive rehabilitation and upgrade of the Ajiwa Dam and Water Works (for Katsina township and environs), Malumfashi Dam and Waterworks (for Malumfashi township and environs) and Mairuwa Dam and Waterworks (for Funtua township and environs) have been embarked and in progress by the Masari administration
Also, in collaboration with the Federal Government, the Masari administration embarked on the completion of the abandoned waterworks at Zobe Dam in Dutsinma town, Sabke Dam in Daura town and Jibia Dam in Jibia town
Efforts have been stepped up by the Masari administration to expand the utilization of these dams, which are among the largest man made bodies of water in the country for irrigation purposes.
INDUSTRY:
Organized an economic and investment forum with participation of leading Nigerian and foreign business persons and companies with Dangote and BUA groups among the local participants while others came from China, India, UAE, US, and UK.
Governor Masari administration has liberalized the space and created a conducive environment for investors to do business.
Governor Masari has revived some industries that have remained moribund since they were established in 1979 by the administration of Governor Balarabe Musa of the defunct Kaduna State during the Second Republic. These include Kankiya Metal Works, Kankara Kaolin, Funtua Burnt Bricks and Daura Tennery.
EMPOWERMENT:
Over 2000 youth have been trained and empowered in various trades and crafts, at the ratio of 60%/40% in favour of women.
ROADS:
The Masari administration has completed all the unfinished road projects inherited from immediate past administration, some of which were awarded and barely started on the eve of the Shema administration's departure in May, 2015.
So far constructed over 200 kilometres and counting of roads in almost equal measure in the three Senatorial zones in the state.
Over N2 billion has been spent on the construction of drainage in many parts of the state, notably in Katsina, Daura and Funtua towns and environs.
Finally, be rest assured that His Excellency will be only too happy to accept your challenge to a debate, anywhere, anytime to once again prove to the good people of Katsina state that their decision to reject the PDP at the polls in 2015 has not been in vain. They have been reaping the dividends of their wise choice ever since.
GOVERNOR MASARI IS WORKING AND KATSINA STATE IS CHANGING LIKE NEVER BEFORE.
I thank you for your attention, ladies and gentlemen.
