WHY I WANT TO BE SOKOTO GOV - SENATOR GADA

Senator Abubakar Umar Gada has had his fair share in the Sokoto State politics. He was elected as senator in 2007 to represent Sokoto East senatorial district, having left his prestigious job in the oil sector to join politics on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Ever since, his influence has continued to soar and impact on the state politics.

In this interview, Gada talks about issues surrounding politics in Sokoto State and his intention to contest the March 10, 2012 governorship. According to the PDP chieftain, the intention was borne out of his passion to bring the needed change for the socio-economic development of the state.

'I intend to contest the post and my decision is unequivocal, categorical and unambiguous one,' he said.

What informed your declaration to contest for your party's governorship ticket?

Sokoto State, by history, has been the most respected heart of the Caliphate. It is an origin of good leadership, peace and harmony. Am talking about 200 years ago, but all of a sudden, we found ourselves in a different shape of lifeclass. Even our political history has been bastardised. Our children's hope has been dashed and I feel I have an obligation to rise to the challenge and help to salvage my people. If I cannot do that now, then we may likely lose all the generations because of bad leadership. But there is need for such change, which has been necessitated by the current leadership of this administration in the state. That is what actually compelled me to declare and work for better change in the state's political leadership. I equally believed that my people are clamouring for such change, which is long overdue.

Are you not afraid of the power of incumbency in clamouring for this political change?

In recent time of our nation's political history, we have cases where incumbency factor could not work or retain the serving political office holders. The issue here is for the electorate to realise that there must be a change and prepare for it. And that is why am out to fight their cause and by God's grace, we shall realise this noble mission.

The battle to represent your senatorial district in the National Assembly could not be realised. Do you think external factors were responsible for that?

My people know that certain things happen. Those things can never repeat themselves. In fact, my people have made up their minds that such things would not happen again. So, personally I consider all that transpired during the primaries as circumstances that were meant to change the future event that is unfolding now. I dare say that I have never seen a representative that is so loved and cherished by his people, like me. I am saying this with full sense of responsibility and decorum. Anybody who wants to test my popularity should take a trip into my personality and I tell you that he would report what words cannot tell.

What is your scorecard in the Senate? By and large, in terms of improving the standard of living of my people during my tenure in the Senate, I contributed immensely to raising their livelihood. Let us take agriculture as a case study. I have sunk more than 5, 000 tube wells with pumping machines for my people. The reason is that, we do not have much raining season in this part of the country. Therefore, we rely heavily on irrigation to improve our food productions. We also provided many infrastructure that sustain this irrigation system of farming. On infrastructural development, we have Goronyo Dam on ground already, and as a member of water resource committee in the Senate, I agitated that a huge resource be allocated to the Dam maintenance. In fact, there are lots of benefits derivable from this initiative. What I have achieved really speaks volume of my political pedigree in the state.

In the area of education, we built more classrooms across the senatorial district. On healthcare, we did the same. We have provided motorised boreholes and done rural empowerment and women empowerment. I dare say, nobody has done as much as I have as an elected representative in my area. When you talk about creating job creation, there's no local government council in my zone where most of the youths are not engaged directly or indirectly owing to my political influence.

How would you rate youths in your state? The leaders of the state have compromised them. They have turned them to political tools that they use to execute political violence during any electioneering. They are being induced with hard drugs, in the name of political supporters or loyalists. But upon all these, their children are in conducive environment, making good use of their lives. That is why I reasoned that the present generation might be rendered useless if we do not check this situation. As I am talking to you now, just move town, you will see this evidence of nervousness among the youths.

What is the way forward? Sokoto, as I mentioned earlier, is the seat of the caliphate and this caliphate we are talking about was founded on knowledge and reformation. Our political leaders need to lead by examples, so that these youths can be on the right part and reshape this society.

What's your blueprint, as you seek to contest for governorship seat in the state?

My priority will be education and agricultural sectors. This is because they have direct impact on our people. Social vices sometimes can be traced to these two sectors. I mean lack of education and unemployment. Having the political will, in providing good leadership, is very essential to this state. If you look at what obtains in the state, you will realise that there is no political will to provide this modest leadership we are clamouring for. The state is being steered to an unknown direction, no economic policy input, no programme or blueprint that is really targeted at the rural dwellers, let alone the urban people. We need Federal Government's presence in the state; we are tired of the state being isolated from the central government due to political distrust and manipulations playing itself out in the state.

In the wake of political violence in the state, what is your appeal to your teeming supporters?

I always tell people that nothing can be achieved in chaos or anarchy. As a true Muslim, we must live in peace with one another. Also, our people must rise to this new call and make the political change; there is no shortcut about that. The issue here is how to change this state for good. We have to forget about sentiments or loyalty, our people have to realise this trend.

There have been security challenges across the country. What is the way forward?

It is unfortunate that we have this level of insecurity, particularly, in the northern region. And there're lots of opinions from people attributing this to a religious factor. It is very unfortunate, because the most peaceful religion as far as I concerned, is Islam. It gives protection to the weak people. It peaches freedom for the oppressed people.