By Abba Dukawa,KANO
Irked by the current national crisis ceased by anti SARS demonstrations and, inspired by his desire to see peace and tranquility in Nigeria, Kano state Governor, Dr Abdullahi Umar Gnduje, held a dialogue with journalists in Kano during which he appealed to them to be patriotic and ethical in their reporting.
The Governor admonished media men and women to always take into consideration the security implications of what they write, added that since Nigeria project is not negotiable it is the business of all to consolidate the nation’s unity.
Commenting on the ongoing anti SARS demonstration, the governor said recently the country and its citizens witnessed a peaceful #EndSARS protests ,before unpatriotic elements disguised as the legitimate protesters to ransack public and private properties.
According to him, Kano had its share of that unfortunate development which he said has now been brought under control.
Alleging ulterior motive into the entire situation, the governor said that since the protesters called for an end to Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) which the federal government suspended across the nation, there was no justification in continuing the protest.
President Muhammadu Buhari, he said, ordered the Inspector General of Police to disband SARS as the first step of his administration commitment to police reform in order to ensure that the primary duty of the police and other law enforcement agencies focus on the protection of lives and livelihood of Nigerians yet, the protesters refused to listen to the voice of reason.
Notwithstanding the good will of Mr President, some adamant youths vowed to stay on the street until their demands are met.
According to the Governor, “even after the suspension of SARS, protest continue to wreak Havocs in various cities breaking into shops, government Warehouses and private houses of individuals.
Shielding more light on Kano incident, the Governor emphasized that notwithstanding the peace the state has enjoyed for a long time, some unpatriotic elements in the Sabon Gari area of Kano metropolis capitalized on the protest to loot, adding that, with the prompt response by the state government to curtail what would have degenerate to a major disaster, the situation is now normal in the state.
Kano he said, is a cosmopolitans state and most populated state in the country with different ethnic nationalities leaving in harmony. On the basis of this, no responsible and responsive government will allow hoodlums to make life unbearable for the law abiding citizens in the state.
‘’ If not for the prompt response from our administration, the story could have been different by now. We have instituted various measures to safeguard lives and property of people in the state because, Kano is our state and we don’t have other state than it. Kano is peaceful, base on this, I call on all to live peacefully with one another as there is no alternative to peace”
According to the him, since the unfortunate incident, the state government has been meeting with various stakeholders to concretize peace in the state, adding that his government is also working very closely closely with the security agencies to ensure the state continue enjoying peace, saying “we are happy that they are working with good synergy among themselves which is why we are living peacefully in the state”.
The governor further stated that on the part of the state government, meetings were held with leadership of different ethnic nationalities in the state with assurances that, they would do everything possible to talk to their people to continue living peacefully with other people.
Governor Ganduje who appealed to all for calm ,said peoples should continue to uphold the peace profile of the state by not taking laws into their hands, added that it was unfortunate that some unpatriotic elements tempted to attack public property and facilities which took government and taxpayers many years of sacrifice and struggles to build.
Governor Umar Ganduje urged the journalists to continue to educate members of public on the importance of peace and law abiding, adding that the state government was grateful to journalists for the tremendous contributions they have made in the progress of the state.
The governor said he was not oblivious of the fact that this commendable roles of media men and women toward the success of his government is largely made possible by having a renowned journalist as information commissioner in person of Comrade Muhammadu Garba.
The governor who thanked the journalist for the support and cooperation rendered to the administration used the forum to commend the Honourable Commissioner of Information, Malam Muhammadu Garba for job well done as he appreciated his services to the state and the government toward promoting government activities.
Further commending the Commissioner , the governor stated “I know him for more than 30 years and work with him closely right from my commissionership, Deputy Governor and Governor till today. He has in deed, proved to be a journalist of international repute as my information commissioner”.
