GOVT CAN'T MAKE EVERYBODY RICH – GOV. SHEMA
Governor Ibrahim Shema of Katsina State was national deputy chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the days leading to his election in 2007. A former Commissioner for Justice and Attorney- General in the first tenure of late President Umar Yar'Adua as the state governor, Shema declared that he has kept his promise to develop the main sectors of the state economy. He spoke with Daily Sun. Excerpts:
What will be the focus of your administration in the next four years?
Education will remain the most important sector of this administration. Unless we fortify the educational standard of our people, there is no way we can have genuine democracy and progress. You can't make everyone rich, but you have to create jobs. Through the creation of jobs people will now become employed or self employed and they can sustain themselves.
That is why education will remain my number one priority. Of course, the second one will continuously remain agriculture and livestock development because our people are basically farmers. The third will be solid mineral and infrastructural development, including youth development.
Courage and vision
I feel grateful to Almighty Allah and to the good people of Katsina State for giving me the opportunity to serve. I have always maintained that politics should be seen as a vehicle for service. Once one sees politics as something else, he falls into all kinds of problems and troubles. The most important thing in service is fear of Allah. Whatever you do, do it with the fear of Allah.
This thing that we are doing is but for a period of time. Whatever time Allah wants us to be here, we will be. The important thing is to serve our people to the best of our ability, with the best of intentions and with the fear of Allah foremost in our minds. That is my focus, that is my vision and that is what I hope. I call on my political associates to ensure that we visit house to house and every corner of this state with respect, dignity and honour to call on people to assist us. What I believe in is politics of service.
Anybody who is interested in service should be able to join hands with us. What I believe in is working with people to render successful service to our people. If you are a man or woman from Katsina State and you feel you have something to offer, the Shema administration has kept its door wide open. We are inviting every good son and daughter of the state to join hands with us in developing the state and our people. That is our mission that is our purpose, that is our faith and it will remain so by the grace of Allah.