By Ozumi Abdul
The gubernatorial candidate of the All Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) in Kano state Engr. Abba Yusuf Kabir, popularly known as Abba Gida Gida has pledged to provide free access to quality education, access to quality and affordable healthcare, infrastructural development, agricultural facilities, and industrialization among others if elected in the 2023 general elections to govern the state.
Abba Gida Gida made the pledges on Thursday during the unveiling of his 189 – paged gubernatorial blueprint in Kano state, titled “The Blueprint To Create Prosperous Kano”.
He faulted the free education policy of the current Governor Abdullahi Ganduje’s led government in the state as a ‘scam’, alleging that 32 percent of school-age children in the state are out of school despite the huge amount of money claimed to have been spent.
He proffered that to address the burden of out-of-school children and access to school on the state, his government if elected next year will build additional 729 primary schools in selected areas where they are needed, provide school infrastructure, provide school furniture, recruit quality teachers with teaching aids, as well as providing school feeding and free uniforms.
“The free education as declared in 2014 by the then governor of Kano state would be reintroduced. The current free and compulsory education policy of the present administration is a scam because 32 percent of school-aged children in Kano are out of school despite the huge amount of money claimed to have been spent.
“We shall establish additional schools provide school infrastructure, provision school furniture, recruitment of quality teachers with teaching aids, the introduction of school feeding, and provision free uniforms”, he said.
He also promised to develop the state’s University, known as Kano University of Science And Technology(KUST), recruit additional academic and non-academic staff, and as well as establishing additional state universities.
In the area of health, he promised to strengthen the health care system to function as a social service to the teaming population of Kano state, through a review of the Health Information System (HMIS), recruiting human resources in the health sector, such as medical doctors, nurses, pharmacists, provide mobile and ambulance services, free maternal and child health (MNCH) program, involve renown health professionals and regulate private health institutions.
The former Kano state Commissioner of Works and Housing also noted that the agricultural sector in the state will be another area his government will give premium attention to if elected next year.
He said his government will support the state’s Agrochemical Supply Company (KASCO) to attract private sector investment, rehabilitate and expand irrigation facilities, establish agro-industrial estates, as well as establishing community aggregation centers.
Also, Abba Gida Gida pledged that the agenda for infrastructure would focus on maintaining the status of the state as a mega city, through an urban renewal with mega projects such as rehabilitation and upgrade of major physical infrastructures across the metropolis and rural areas, provision of independent power supply (IPP), provision of sustainable energy, provision of a housing scheme for high medium and low-income earners, provision of rural housing scheme, protection of Kano historical monuments, road constrictions and expansions.
“The agenda for infrastructure would focus on maintaining the status of the state as a mega city, through an urban renewal with mega projects such as rehabilitation and upgrade of major physical infrastructures across the metropolis and rural areas.
“The need for energy is increasing exponentially as a result of population growth. To achieve universal electrification and sustainable energy for all, our government would promote the use of other sources of alternative energy such as solar, moonlight, wind energy as well as Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) in partnership with the private sector,” he pledged.
The occasion also saw the inauguration of the party’s presidential and gubernatorial campaign councils, as the gubernatorial candidate officially flags off his electioneering campaign on Saturday.
