YUGUDA HAS FAILED WOEFULLY – NINGI CPC CHAIRMAN

Why do you go by the name Progressive Change?
You know there can be a change but such a change might not be progressive. We experienced this in 2007 in Bauchi. We fought for a change. There was a revolution in Bauchi. But the revolution turned out to be unprogressive.

What do you mean by that?
It is not all changes that are progressive. We have changes that are retrogressive. Changes that are reactionary like the one we experienced in Bauchi in 2007. People were very hopeful. In fact it was a revolution. Your colleagues must have witnessed it.

It was a revolution literally speaking, but it turned out to be a retrogressive change. So that is why we are talking of progressive change. Change that is meaningful. Change that will improve the life of the common man. Change that will make life easy. So, that is the progressive change.

A change that will make it possible to have pipe borne water all over the state. We have access to education, free education, like we were given, myself and the present Governor. We were given free education. In fact I built a house with my scholarship. I married with my scholarship. But we are the people now who don't like others to benefit like we did. So that is why we are talking of progressive change.

How did this progressive change turn out to be retrogressive?

Well, the government doesn't seem to have a sense of direction in Bauchi. At the beginning, there was a sign of progress; but just four months, five months later, after the swearing in ceremony, the government started derailing. Contracts were given; very good contracts were given, but up to this time, that is 3 years after the award of contracts, they have not been completed.

Are you saying the governor has not achieved anything?

?He has not achieved anything virtually, because in fact even if it is Satan, he must have achieved a little, but we are talking of the number of years he has spent, the resources he has collected vis- a -viz the work he has done.

Do you know how much he has collected?
Yes. Like in the month of February 2010, Bauchi got N4.5 billion. That is the state's own only, without local government. Then in the month of March, Bauchi got N3.8 billon. Then there was also an additional N62 million for local governments. December 2009, Bauchi got N4.4 billion. Anyway that is even enough. The government seems to have forgotten about the people. Look at fertilizer in the north. The fertilizer in Bauchi State last year was the most expensive in the whole of the north, N2,500. Kano which is about six times the size of Bauchi sold its own at N1,000.

Bauchi sold its own at N2,500.
Where is our money? And then you know most of the people here are farmers. So, don't they pity the people? Where is our money? What has happened to the seven point agenda of PDP.

Agric sector is part of it. Are you encouraging agriculture by making fertilizer very expensive? Why do you go and spend one thousand million, that is one billion naira in stadium, but you neglect education.

One thousand million, that is one billion in stadium when most of your people are unemployed. Most of your people are uneducated. Look at our children staying, sitting idle, playing snooker, playing football, but you are spending one thousand million in stadium. Students in Bauchi had to demonstrate, had to start a riot before N300million was given to them as their total scholarship. N300 million only. They had to start a riot in Bauchi. But you are spending one thousand million in stadium. How can you explain this?

You were commissioner in charge of budget?
Budget and planning, yes.
Are you justified to speak on this manner when you are supposed to know where the monies have gone?

No I left before the government started derailing.
Why did you leave?
Because I criticized them; that the way we were going was wrong. Openly in the public and five days later they sacked me. Five days later after my criticism. I did not go to become rich. If I wanted to become rich I would have been rich. I said we were preaching justice; we were talking about justice, justice, justice and fair play but the way we conducted local government election was full of traces of injustice.

I mentioned so many cases of injustice. So many wrong doings in the local government election that was conducted. That was all and I said that went contrary to our principle, contrary to our manifesto, contrary to what we were always talking about, justice.

Would it be right to say you are speaking in this manner because you were sacked from the government?

No. They know me. If you tell Yuguda that I am speaking because I was sacked, he will tell you no because he knows me. He knows what I used to tell him personally.

So what do you have to offer in CPC?
We want to change the society through good leadership. The problem with Nigeria is like what Chinua Achebe said is in his book. The name of the book is 'The Trouble With Nigeria'.

He said the trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely a problem of leadership, and that is my belief. If our leaders will not steal, then generality of Nigerians will enjoy. They will be comfortable. One person will steal the amount that will build all the hospitals in Bauchi State. One person will steal it. Yes! If you steal two billion, how much do you need to build four hospitals? How much do you need to build ten hospitals? You steal six billion, one person stealing six billion.

How financially sound are you to go into the 2011 polls? The CPC is a new party

For the elections, we are getting set financially. But the people are financing CPC activities. The people themselves. We went to Abuja about six times. We went to Buhari about seven times. The people themselves paid for their transportation. We went with 64 vehicles the last time we went to Kaduna . Sixty four vehicles.?

How many governorship aspirants do you have now?
Well, those who have come here to declare their intention are only two, but we know they are six. We have Dan China, that is Sarki Abdullahi. Then we have Engineer Sadiq Mahmood. We also have Engineer Nuhu Gida Dokami because he spoke to me. We have one Mohammed Jimkpa, a former bank employee. Then we have Jarman Katagum, the former prison boss.

Have you zoned your governorship seat?
No, not necessarily, not necessarily because sometimes zoning prevents you from having the best individual.

It all depends.
If our following is overwhelming, like it happened during Isa Yuguda's time when we were campaigning, it was overwhelming support we had, then there would be no need for zoning. But if our support is from one side, I mean if it is tilted towards one side, then we will think of taking the governorship candidate from the side that we don't have support.