The Katsina State Governor, Aminu Masari says the State government has so far spent over N40 billion on building drainages across more than 300 communities in the state.
He says doing so has prevented flooding in the state, saved the lives and property of the people of the state.
Governor Masari disclosed this in an interview with Journalists in the state capital, Katsina, during the recent visit of President Muhammadu Buhari to the State.
The Governor added that the investment, which he described as one spent on the welfare of the ordinary people, paid off more during the 2022 flooding as the state did not record any significant loss in human and material terms.
Priorities
According to him, his administration focused on what advances the lives of the people, especially education and health rather than gigantic infrastructure that attracts temporary praise.
“I spent over N40 billion constructing drainages in over 300 communities across the state. That’s why throughout the heavy rains of 2022, there was no recorded major flooding in Katsina State.
“We didn’t lose lives, we didn’t lose properties and we didn’t lose our roads, bridges or culverts. But this is money that we spent on the ordinary people,“ he said.
According to Masari, he had been prudent with the resources of the state in a way that he noted had confounded critics, saying specifically that people found it hard to believe that one of the legacy projects President Muhammadu Buhari inaugurated last week in the state, the Revenue House, was achieved at the cost of just N800 million.
“So, if I take N40 billion and start building all these things, Katsina would have been littered with these kind of buildings. Then, people will shout, ‘Masari is working,’ when my people are dying, are losing their lands, are losing their houses. What are we talking about?
“That’s why I say leadership is not about how well you dress but how well you deliver because at the end of the day, after how many years you put in office, you will be able to sleep with your eyes closed.“
Security Challenge
Masari, however, bemoaned the effect of banditry in the state, describing the phenomenon as unique in view of the fact that the perpetrators share similar culture, traditions and religion with the victims.
“We never bargained to have the kind of situation we found ourselves because our own in northwest and especially in Katsina, is unique in the sense that these are the same people, professing the same religion, the same tribe, the same culture. And yet, they are killing themselves.
“People who were sharing the same market yesterday, who were sharing the worship places yesterday, who were visiting each other, attending each other’s ceremony, suddenly found themselves killing each other. Why?”
He said even though President Buhari is from the state, as Governor, he had never gone to Abuja to solicit funds from him.
According to him, “By May, Buhari will be eight years in office. But for me as his Governor, I have never been to Abuja for Buhari to give me N1 to support Katsina. I will not do it.
“You see, he’s the President of Nigeria, and not President of Katsina. He is the President of Nigeria. You see what we missed, that’s how our leaders here were. If you’re a leader, you are a leader for all.
“The oath of office did not say where you come from, did not say your political party; they say Nigerians. So, those who elected you and those who didn’t vote for you, you are ultimately responsible and liable. That’s leadership.”
PIAK
