Governorship debate: PRP candidate pledges to prioritize agriculture

Alhaji Salihu Takai, the People’s Redemption Party (PRP) governorship candidate in Kano State, has promised to give priority attention to agriculture if elected as governor of the state.

Takai made the promise during the 2019 Kano State governorship debate held at the Aminu Kano Centre for Democratic Research and Training, Mambayya House, on Saturday.

The debate was organised by the Bayero University Kano (BUK) in collaboration with some Civil Society Oganisations (CSOs) as part of efforts to give the governorship candidates the opportunity to showcase their programmes.

He said if given the mandate, he would give the sector the priority attention it deserved to boost food production in the state.

Takai, who was a Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs during the administration of former Gov. Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, also pledged to give priority attention to irrigation as according to him, the state could not afford to rely on rain-fed farming only in view of its population.

He said it was part of his plans to govern the state to ensure total rehabilitation of all existing dams in the state to boost dry season farming across the 44 Local Government Areas of the state.

He also promised to ensure that monthly grants of the local governments were released directly to them for the development of the rural areas.

On the new national minimum wage, the governorship candidate assured that once the bill was signed into law, he would ensure its prompt implementation.

Also speaking at the occasion, Alhaji Abba Kabir-Yusuf, the PDP governorship candidate, promised to revive the moribund industries that had been closed for many decades to provide job opportunities for the unemployed persons.

Kabir-Yusuf also pledged to rehabilitate all the Water treatment plants in the state to improve water supply especially in Kano metropolis and other major towns being bedevilled by persistent water supply.

In addition, he promised to establish waste recycling plants to address waste disposal problems as well as improve the revenue base of the state.

On his part, Alhaji Nasir Mukthar of Legacy Party of Nigeria (LPN) promised to expand schools by construction of three storey buildings for primary schools to accommodate more pupils while villages that lacked the shoools would have them built within the shortest time possible.

The three governorship candidates who were once commissioners at various times in the state, also promised to accord priority attention to education in order to empower the youth to enable them to contribute their quota toward the social,economic and political development of the state.

Two out of the five governship candidates, incumbent Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje and Muhammad Abacha of APDA were conspicously absent at the the occasion.