LABOUR PARTY OUT TO SECURE KADUNA, RESTORE HOPE – Johnathan Asake
Zainab Tanimu
Kaduna Northwest Nigeria
A Southern Kaduna born, Hon. Johnathan Asake, a man of high pedigree who had been in the affairs of governance is Kaduna Labour Party Governorship candidate.
Kaduna state under his leadership if given the mandate come 2023 polls will see a new dawn. With Asake/Bashir ticket, things he said will be done differently.
According to him, their passion is to secure Kaduna and restore hope.
He made this declaration during an interactive session with representatives of different trade unions in Kaduna.
The lawmaker, giving a run down of what he has in stock for the people of Kaduna state and members of his constituency, the labour union said, “his administration will be an inclusive one devoid of any religious, tribal and cultural tendencies.
This man with a track record of achievements together with his running mate, Alhaji Bashir Idris Aya, a one time majority leader, Kaduna state house of assembly is promising 5 key areas of focus that will help secure and boost the economy of Kaduna state.
“Our government will focus on five key pillars. Security, Women and Youth Empowerment, Human Capital Development, Inclusive Economic and Infrastructural Development, Agriculture, and good governance.
We have gone to different local governments, we have come to see that the problem is that of leadership.
Experience he said has shown that leaders who are fair and just to their subjects succeed. He therefore called on leaders to be cautious in the way they manage the affairs of their subjects. Urging that they be guided by the rule of equity, justice and fair play.
“If there is a leadership that is devoid of these ingredients, that leadership no matter how it is cannot get it right.”
Leaders should begin to see their followers as one entity irrespective of their religion, cultural or tribal affiliation. Only then can the nation move forward. He added.
The former Southern Kaduna People’s Union (SOKAPO) President said it is time our leaders begin to reflect and tackle economic and developmental issues from human perspective rather than that of religious, tribal and social cultural divides.
Revealations he said have shown that the average Muslims and Christians family in the far north face same problems with same Muslim/ Christian families in the south.
lf elected governor of Kaduna state the problem will be tacked headlong.
“As a leader, you need to see the people not from the premise of their religion, not from the premise of their ethnicity, not from the premise of their culture, not from the premise of their status. No! these are people that God has placed you upon to provide a way for them to reach a common destination.
But what we see today is different as different yardstick is being used to measure such indices.” He lamented.
“Kaduna state is endowed with many natural resources including people that are well trained but still cannot get it right.why?, Problem of leadership. We need leaders that are emphatic and well Inclusive .
“While campaigning, we have toured various local governments out of the 23 LGAs in the state.”
Their tour of various local government areas in the state, he said have helped to reveal many things.
Still on their plan for the state,
“Top on the party’s agenda is security. The primary purpose of having government in place is security.
In my own experience as a social cultural leader, l have come to realize that if security is well tackled, many things will fall in place.”
The present state of insecurity he described as unacceptable.
“l think leadership should have been done differently. If the leaders had the will power, it would have been tackled by now.
Many schools, places of work in Kaduna state have closedown. This he said has also affected investment as investors are moving out. His party he said has a blue print that tackles insecurity as well as other things that will help bring back the glory of Kaduna state.
“We have developed steps of taking care of insecurity. Our government would leave no stone unturned towards achieving peace.
We still have displaced communities in southern Kaduna that are displaced.
“When l was Sokapo President, l visited different communities where l distributed relief materials.
“As a leader, you will have to continuously engage with critical stakeholders.
One of the steps to be taken to improve security includes community policing with a roadmap for the 3 senatorial districts. These will be intelligence – driven
There is also plan to use the old system of involving the traditional institutions to assist in curbing crime.
A lot of strategies he informed have been penciled down towards achieving success in the area of insecurity.
Speaking on the issue of mass retrenchment of teachers, other civil service workers, that will be a thing of the past under his regime. He assured.
Responding to the question as to what he has in stock for women if he becomes the governor of Kaduna state come 2023, he has this to say.
“I know women, the way they have passion for their children is same way they have for resources.”
His is going to be an inclusive government while promising to carry both women and youth along for these are very important segments of the society.
He lamented the present situation where youth are seen wandering about, unemployed. Such youth, he said “are a ready made army for recruitment by the criminal gangs that are perpetrating insecurity in the state.”
For the labour union, his party has plans as to how it will take them out of their present deplorable condition. He said.
“All still bored down to lack of effective leadership.
If you look at the retrenchment of teachers of the civil servants, local government workers that have been taking place, without following regulations under the pretext of lack of capacity. What we would do differently is that we will be engaging in human capacity development instead of retrenching people that they don’t have capacity. We need to give them capacity.”
Speaking confidently, based on their present outreach to numbers of PVCs holders, If by the grace of God he occupies the No.1 seat come 2023, Kaduna will be secured and hope restored again. He promised.
.
Speaking earlier, Chairman Kaduna Labour Congress NLC Comrade Ayuba Suleiman said the interactive session is a platform created for politicians within their domain to interface with their members.
This is put in place as a means of finding ways of helping the down trodden and how best the parties can help develop the small scale businesses that is falling in the state.
Comrade Ayuba while urging that the guber candidate being one of them to look into their deplorable condition stated that, Article 26 of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) constitution of 2019 as amended together with the mandate of the congress gives them the power to “kickstart the process of engaging the political process of 2023 electioneering year.
The NLC Chairman on behalf of members expressed joy that one of their own is coming out for governorship contest. This they see as a welcome development while wishing him victory in the forthcoming general elections.
Also speaking, the Political Committee Chairman, further stressed that not only is their coming on board institutional but strategic.
“Strategic in the sense that anyone who lives in this country knows that the treatment extended to the working class of this country is no longer what it used to be, thus the birth of this committee “
Hon. Johnathan Asake aside being SOKAPO’s former President is a one time member, National Assembly, 1999-2003. A Senior Special Assistant, Special Duties during Governor Makarfi’s regime. The year 2004 -2007, President Olusegun Obasanjo appointed him Special Assistant, National Assemblies Matters.
Looking at his antecedents it is no wonder that the Nigeria Labour Congress decided to showcase him as qualified candidate to run for the Guber race.
