Why we need change in Gombe - Habu Mu’azu
Alhaji Abubakar Habu Mu’azu is a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Gombe State. In this interview with Daily Trust, Mu’azu scores the administration of Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo low in human development and people-oriented projec
You have been holding meetings with party leaders and stakeholders since joining the APC; don’t you think you started too early?
I want to make it very clear that I started these meetings and consultations considering the fact that my party, the APC, is an opposition party in the state, and there is the need to make the party attractive to followers and supporters. The party cannot be attractive without being lively; so I felt the only way we can make our party lively is by engaging party leaders, stakeholders and our supporters in series of activities because where there are lively activities people will always come. That was why since early last year, apart from the usual meetings and consultations with party leaders at ward, local and state levels, I initiated and sponsored series of activities in collaboration with the party to bring our members together as a deliberate strategy to build and sustain APC in Gombe State.
You may be aware that I recently gave out funds to the party to rent offices in all the wards and local governments to support the re-election bid of Mr. President. We have done some rallies in support of Buhari. These are all in a bid to add colour and value to our party in the state. We are doing this to motivate our supporters and to give them the assurance that APC is in the state despite not being in government in the state. I thank God the people of Gombe have accepted the party and they are fully ready for change come 2019.
These activities involve spending money, could we say you have a lot of it that is why you started your campaign very early?
It is not about having money, but it’s all about sacrifice. Like I told you earlier, it is not all about me, but about building a viable party. My aspiration is secondary. I cannot achieve my dreams and aspiration without having a strong platform. Therefore, we must be willing to sacrifice in building and uniting our great party in the state before we start talking of our aspiration. If it is about money, I am sure you know that there are people that are also eyeing the governorship that are far richer than me. I am doing this not because I am desperate to be a governor or because I am rich, but because I believe in the vision of President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC. That is why during my meetings and consultations with party leaders, I always advise them to be wary of politicians that will come at the rush hour to woo them with money because if they collect such monies, they are mortgaging their future and that of their children. I encourage them to assess the political antecedents of all contestants, considering their contributions to society, humanity and the development of the party before making the decision on whom to support or vote for.
There are about 10 of you aspiring to be governor under the APC, what gives you confidence that you will clinch the ticket?
Even if there are 100 aspirants, there will just be one governor. And why are the majority of the aspirants in APC? It is because it is the platform that offers an alternative. For me, there are only two parties that can present candidates in the state and they are the PDP and the APC. The PDP is shut and why do I say so? It is because whoever will run on the platform of the PDP must have the backing of the present governor, except we are deceiving ourselves.
The only platform that is open is the APC, so you have people coming to it. My duty is to sell myself to the delegates that I have what it takes to win for the party.
What gives me confidence is because I am a dogged fighter and very courageous. As a young man, I am not scared of challenges because I believe in myself and that is why I am not afraid of investing in developing the party. I am from a respected royal family. You ask people who have interacted with me as a politician, they will tell you I am a straightforward person and I am very honest and caring. I have also gone round the state and I don’t know any aspirant that is not taking Habu Muazu serious.
I would not like to disclose the steps I am taking to get my party’s ticket, but the most important thing is that no one can deny the fact that I am on ground and fully ready for the contest. I am not the type of politician that only shows face during election and disappears immediately after election.
The PDP government is said to have performed well, especially in the past seven years, don’t you think it will be difficult to dislodge them from power?
The PDP administration led by Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo has not performed anything in the area of human development and peopleoriented projects. Take the health sector for instance, since his coming about seven years now, did he construct any new hospital? Even the women and children’s hospital they claim to have built at Idi Quarters is yet to be furnished or equipped; that is why it is yet to be commissioned. Go to other hospitals in the state and see things for yourself; there are no drugs, beddings or even medical doctors and healthcare givers to look after the patients. So the issue of development in the health sector is not true.
Also, talking about education, which they said was their priority; it is only on paper because there is nothing tangible on the ground. All the new tertiary institutions they claim to have built have not been completed and most of the contractors handling the projects have not been paid and that is why they stopped working in the sites.
So he has not performed anything tangible that will make taking over power from PDP difficult. I was part and parcel of a movement that dislodged the then ANPP government of Abubakar Habu Hashidu from power in 2003; so again it will not be difficult now to take over from the PDP.
Water seems to be an issue in Gombe, how do you plan to tackle the problem?
When a former Governor, Danjuma Goje, took over in 2003, there was no water in Gombe, water tankers were going all round the town selling. So, his first priority was to do the Gombe Regional Water Supply and to the grace of Allah, it was completed and commissioned. And throughout Goje’s tenure, there was water in Gombe Metropolis and all the towns and villages along the Dadin Kowa Dam to Gombe, people were enjoying water.
But immediately after Goje left, the administration of Governor Dankwambo neglected the gigantic project which is supposed to be a continuous process. He refused to give money to maintain the water treatment plant. The contractors that were maintaining and handling the project left the place. The agreement was that the Chinese company that handled the project should train our people to take over after they leave. But the project was neglected and they left, that is why there is acute water shortage in Gombe Metropolis and the suburbs. So in the event I get elected, the first thing I will do is to continue with that project because the project is going to be a waste. Over N7bn was spent on that project, how can he allow this to go wasted?