Subsidy removal: Initiate concrete interim palliatives rather than picking hole in FG’s plan

Kano State Coommissioner for information and Internal Affairs, Malam Muhammad Garba

The immediate past administration in Kano state has called on the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) government to initiate and evolve concrete plan that will alleviate the suffering of the toiling masses in the state rather than picking hole in the federal government’s post subsidy palliative plan.

Former commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs in the administration, Malam Muhammad Garba, on Sunday, said in a statement in response to the NNPP’s faulting of the palliative plan which it later retracted following a backlash from the public.

He said instead of studying what the palliative plan is all about, Kano state, openly criticized the plan only for them to withdraw the statement.

Malam Garba pointed out that while some states have went ahead to set up committees that would provide an interim solution to the situation and others like Imo state has jacked up the minimum wage to N40, 000 as an immediate interim measure, the NNPP government in kano has not made any concerted efforts.

The former commissioner said: “In 2017 while negotiation were on between the federal government and the Labour Union on the N30, 000 minimum wage, the administration of Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje went ahead and negotiated
N36, 000 minimum wage and thereby became one of the first state government to approve minimum wage above that of the federal government.”

He said that lack of understanding of what governance really is has been responsible for the inconsistencies and unguarded statements from senior officials of the NNPP government in Kano state.

Malam Garba noted that similar scenario had played out when the Secretary to the Kano State Government, Dr. Baffa Bichi, gave reason for the demolition of the iconic Kano roundabout which he claimed carried huge Christian cross which he said was against Islamic ideology.

“Unfortunately After an outrage, the SSG appeared on a national television to embarrassingly deny making the statement, which also further eroded his personal credibility and that of the state government,” the statement added.

He said instead of making a careful study of what is on the ground, the government engaged in vengeance and also adopted anti-people policy that has worsen the economic condition of the state.

Malam Garba added that after stopping the salaries of suspended civil servants employed by the immediate past administration as well as demotion of hundreds of teachers, the NNPP government, despite its promise, has failed to set up the committee that will look into their case.

The former commissioner, therefore, called on the NNPP government to always approach governance with ease and stop making statements capable of jeorpadising the peace and development of the state.