Interview: I Have 20 Motions To My Credit – Hon Abdullahi Halidu Danbaba

The member representing Kaiama/Kemenji/wajide Constituency in Kwara State House of Assembly, Hon Abdullahi Halidu Danbaba in FactualTimes Special Interview Series said he has moved 20 motions to address challenges facing his Constituents and other Kwarans. The Political Science Graduate said Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has turned the state to construction site. He hosted Our Managing Editor, OYELOLA OYEWALE and Political Correspondent, NASIR ABDULGANIYU in his office at Assembly Complex on Wednesday.

Please tell us about your background.

I have been here since 2019 when OTOGE revolution brought a change of government in the state. By virtue of that revolution I was elected to represent Kaiama/Kemenji/Wajibe Constituency in the Kwara State House of Assembly. I was born February 13, 1978 in Yaida, Kaiama. I started my primary school in 1980 and finished 1988. I proceeded to Government Secondary School, Kaiama and passed SSCE in 1994. I did one year IJMB at Kwara State Polytechnic and thereafter gained admission to Usman Danfodo University Sokoto in 1998 to study Political Science. I had compulsory NYSC between 2001/2002 at the National Assembly, Abuja in the department of commerce services. After NYSC, my vision and plan in life was too secure federal government job but those jobs were not forthcoming. That’s why I joined politics to add value to the system and society.

In 2004, Kaiama local government Chairman appointed me as Special Assistant on Legislative Affairs and I serve for three years. In 2014, I was appointed as Director of Youths in Mandate Campaign. We delivered Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed for his second term. Ex-Governor Ahmed appointed me as Special Assistant on Non-governmental matters in 2016. In 2018, the then political Leader of the group, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki had to carpet-cross back to PDP because he left PDP for APC in 2014. So, we delivered Abdulfatah Ahmed with that structure and eventually he(Saraki) moved back to PDP. But I decided not to follow him to PDP because when it happened I had to go home to consult my people widely and broadly. The opinion sampled was that I should cross-carpet back to PDP and as an Appointee of the Governor, I had no choice than to resign. I resigned my appointment as Special Assistant in 2018 and this attracted wide commendation for the courage. It was all over the media; print, broadcast and online platforms. I was celebrated! I went home and my people gave me heroic welcome. My decision gave birth to current position as a Lawmaker that if someone can make this sacrifice and there is the need to reward it. They unanimously gave me ticket to contest House of Assembly, initially some people were of the opinion that I should go to Senate but I believe in process. A journey of thousands kilometers usually start with a step. For me, I feel I should go through the ladder and learn the process very well.

After our election, by virtue of State balancing; the Governor is from the central while his Deputy hails from Kwara South Senatorial district. Hence, the Speaker should go to Kwara North and the zone is divided into two Federal Constituencies. The other Constituency (Edu/Patigi/Moro) had served in the second and third Republic- Isa Benjamin and Alhaji Shehu. So, for fairness and justice it was conceded to Kaiama/Baruten Federal Constituency. It’s worthy of than Kaiama has also not produce Speaker. So people are of the opinion that I should aspire for Speakership. Be that as it may, we went into the race with Engr Yakubu Danladi and he emerged as the Speaker. It was unanimous decision by Members-elect from Kwara North Senatorial district that we should be magnanimous because of his age and concede the Speaker to him. Throughout our stay here, we have been working as brothers and through this effective collaboration we being able to attract a lot of developmental projects to the two local government areas; Baruten and Kaiama.

Five years after inauguration, what are your achievements in term of core legislative assignment and community interventions?

Let me start with the major issue-infrastructure deficit. Kaiama local government and particularly my Constituency have gained tremendously as a result of my efforts to attract social amenities for my people. When I came on board in 2019, generally like I said that part of the state is suffering from infrastructural deficit. I don’t know if you have traveled to the place, Kaiama local government headquarters in Kaiama township is endowed with major three roads- the one link the headquarters from Kishi (Oyo State) to Kaiama, Niger linking Kaiama and the one linking Kaiama to kosubosu, the headquarters of Baruten local government area. These major roads are all federal roads in deplorable positions. When we came on board we have made enormous decisions to ensure the Kwara State Government give attention to those road in spite of their status as federal roads. So, as a State legislature one will want to see how the state can intervene. I put up a memo to His Excellency, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for rehabilitation of that road-from Kishi to Kaiama is about 64km but it takes up to 5hours to get to Kaiama due to the deplorable state, especially in the raining season. I let His Excellency know that even if the government cannot do complete rehabilitation, there should be intervention.

The Governor was magnanimous by awarding grading of the road. We also let him know that the agricultural hub of Kaiama is located in the village known as Yaralea. During our electioneering campaign, I realized that some communities don’t have water, electricity and others, particularly a community-Bacha with non-indigenes who have settled their for more than 40 years. They were not connected to national grid. During campaign, I promised to connect them to national grid before my 100 days in office and to God be the glory, I was able to connect them to national grid within 60days. There are enjoying electricity before they used to take their phones to Kaiama township for charging. Kaiama General Hospital also facing lack of water and dug a motorized borehole in 2019. Equally, another community near Shirgwaria has no water supply. The Dwellers usually come to Kaiama township about 7km to get water. I provided borehole and fixed their electricity challenge (They had issue with their transformer). I wrote the Governor and he approved installation of 500kva to the community. Another area known as Kemenji by-pass lack electricity supply by getting 500kva transformer through my efforts.

In terms of legislative work, I have close to 20 motions that has to do with people oriented motions. I remember a motion on need to reposition Electricity Distribution Companies (DISCOs) in Nigeria. We have observed that communities or government usually procure transformers and cables while DISCOs continue to charge users after these. We need to change this narrative. As Lawmaker from Agrarian society, I also moved motion on how we can develop the area using agriculture. Ukraine exploits in Agriculture, especially as major wheat producer in the world. I understand that the high cost of bread is as a result of Ukraine-Russia crisis because they are major producer of wheat and when there is scarcity of wheat, which is the raw material for floor and price will increase. Looking at the land mass of Ukraine- 20 thousands square meters and Kaiama landmark is 7 thousands where we habitats is not up to 1000 square meters and remaining 6000 are arable land. I felt can deliberately invest in agriculture to address issue of food scarcity. Also, Kwara South are agrarian society.

What have you done in area of oversight functions?

In 9th Assembly, I served as Chairman House Committee on Water Resources and part of my determination to provide potable water. This became necessary as majority of communities visited during electioneering campaign were asking for water. Therefore, I proposed to His Excellency, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq to procure rig for digging of boreholes based on Senatorial districts need. The Governor approved procurement of borehole drilling rig in the state. Also, existing boreholes are not functioning and we need to repair them. The state government repaired water works and Dams from 2019 to 2021. As House Committee on Water Resources, we visited the sites in Igbaja, Kaiama, Okuta, Jebba and other waterworks. We were there to look at the contractors to ensure the job is inline with Bill of Quantity. We when went on oversight, the Committee discovered that the specification is new pump but he repaired the existing one. Through the staff of the water works we deduce that. We wrote that he should buy new pump or else the Committee will write the Governor to terminate his contract. Fortunately for him, he complied immediately.

I also served as Committee member in Works, we took oversight on all roads then. I remember contractor handling Akerebiata road was not doing good job and we call his attention to it. We also did oversight on jobs in Kwara State Stadium as House Committee on Sports member.

As Assembly generally, the Speaker in his wisdom divided the House to two groups- one led the Speaker and another one by Deputy Speaker for oversight functions on projects across the state. We visited all 16 local government areas to perform oversight on projects executed by Kwara State Government. Each group were assigned to eight local government areas.

What can you say about executive-legislative collaboration for development of the state?

The 9th Assembly (2019-2023) enjoyed cordial relationship with His Excellency Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq. He has been magnanimous and allowed free operations that the House is independent. In this arm of government, we exercise our functions. When they brought revised budget in 2019, the House drilled Ministries, Departments and Agencies to come for budget defense. Commissioners face the House to defend their budget in area of recurrent, we picked recurrent one after the other. His Excellency has never intervene. For the first in the history of democracy in the state, he brought a budget and we saw the need for our capital to be jacked up because Honorable Members representing different Constituencies saw the need why we need to carry more capital projects.

As an Institution, we added and x-ray the budget. He assented the budget without raising dust. His Excellency said that is the essence of appropriation and it’s the right of the Assembly. The Governor usually consult with legislature before making appointments. We been having smooth working relationship in the interest of the state and Kwarans.

Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq is marking his fifth anniversary in office. How would you describe his performance?

The mantra of the administration is OTOGE (enough is enough). Kwarans have suffered from bad governance for long. For somebody who emerged as a result of that doesn’t have option than to deliver. For five years of his administration today, I can enphatically say Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq have done excellenly well in terms of performance. Almost all the wards in the state have blueprint of Governor AbdulRazaq. We have 10 wards in Kaiama and there is no ward you won’t at least a project executed by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq. Whether road, water, electricity, education -constructions/supply of furnitures in classrooms.I remember the UBEC counterpart fund that haven’t been paid by last administration. He paid counterpart fund and UBEC release money for projects. You can testify to what is happening in Ilorin, the state capital. Construction of two flyovers, International Conference Centre and others. The Governor today launched Ilorin Master Plan and Ilorin Smart City Prototype in order to address growing expansion rate.

Kwara State is now a construction site with infrastructural development projects of the Governor. When I was talking to you earlier I said the people of Baruten and Kaiama would need to go to Oyo state before linking Ilorin. But there is a project ongoing in the state from Bode-sadu to Kosubosu through tax credit by federal government. The Governor facilitated that project. Concrete road, brand new road that would link Ilorin to Baruten and Kaiama without going to Oyo State. I was telling somebody that it takes a visionary leader to have that kind of vision. One would not be fair to Governor AbdulRazaq if we don’t appreciate these legacy and remarkable projects.

Are you in support of Kwara North Agenda ahead 2027 elections?

Kwara North agenda is a collective view of the people of Kwara North because one of their own is yet to occupy Governorship position for 25 years. Mohammed Lawal from Kwara Central used four years, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki from Central district spent 8 years, Abdulfatah Ahmed who is from southern zone served for eight years and Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq from Central would also use 8 years. The expectation of people of Kwara North is that the two other senatorial districts should be magnanimous to willing support us in spirit of fairness and equity. It’s obvious that our people back don’t want anything than to see their own in the Kwara State Government House. What I am saying in essence is that it’s general consensus in Kwara North. They have been supporting other zones and we feel that support should be reciprocated come 2027. So, this time around their own son or daughter should be Governor.

Kwara State Independent Electoral Commission has announced September 21 for local government elections?

It’s tier of government that is very close to the people. If there is no democratically elected in the local government social economic development would not be achieved. We appreciate His Excellency for constituting KWSIEC to ensure they conduct the election. I urge the people to participate actively in the forthcoming local government elections in order to enhance grassroots development.