KANO STATE

ABDULLAHI GANDUJE: SLOW AND STEADY

Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje came to office with a 12-point blueprint to consolidate on his predecessor’s infrastructure milestones. But he found that money would be a challenge to the attainment of his objectives.

With dwindling proceeds from the Federation Account, the governor had to reform the state Board of Internal Revenue for improved revenue generation.

He then turned his attention to expanding the infrastructure of the state, constructing and rehabilitating roads and bridges he felt would facilitate economic growth. They include the underpass at Bukavu Barracks Junction, Katsina Road-Kofar Ruwa – Kabuga Road, Aminu Kano Way-Katsina, and Sheik Jafar Road-Panshekara by the Madobi junction underpass.

He also given attention to education and placed emphasis on completion of capital projects at the Kano University of Science and Technology, among others. Ganduje further impacted on health care delivery with his focus on the prevalence of HIV/AIDS, polio and malaria. He has also trained 1,936 traditional health attendants on effective maternal health care service.

However, Kano, the commercial capital of Northern Nigeria, remains a shadow of its former self. Several of the industries in the Sharada Industrial Layout remain closed, robbing the state of job opportunities for its teeming population. Although Ganduje has embarked on investment roadshows to attract investments to the state, this has been slow in coming, making the state over-reliant on handouts from the centre.

Ganduje, nonetheless, must be given credit for revamping the state’s Board of Internal Revenue, as this has seen his state’s IGR jump from N13.61 billion to N31 billion. But with a population of 11.36 million (2014 estimates) and lower FAAC allocations, the Ganduje administration must improve its revenue drive to provide the infrastructure and amenities for the rising demographic of the state.