Why I want to be President in 2015 - Kwankwaso

Kano State Governor, Alhaji Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso says he wants to become Nigeria’s President in 2015 to enable him use his requisite experience to address the fundamental socio-economic challenges facing Nigeria.



Kwankwaso, who spoke with journalists last night in Kano, pointed out that he had been studying the problems facing the country over the years and had come to the conclusion that he possesses the requisite experience and expertise to tackle the issues and give Nigerians and Nigeria a new lease of life.

He explained that given his rich background as a long-standing public servant, an engineer and a one-time Defence Minister, he truly understands what the country needs in order to become great among the comity of nations.

The governor said the country needed someone like him, who had seen the nation from various angles to be able to solve its problems and advance the interest of Nigerians at all levels.

The governor said that although he was still consulting with other stakeholders across the length and breadth of Nigeria on his next political move, he would make a formal declaration for the presidential contest at the appropriate time.

Kwankwaso said that more than anything else, the worsening security threat to Nigeria and the seeming inability of the administration to address it were unacceptable as it had driven away over four million Nigerians into Chad, Niger Republic and Cameroun as refugees.

“The situation is so bad that apart from those displaced by the insurgents, many other Nigerians have been hospitalised while others have gone into hiding just to save their lives, while the system continues to give assurance of victory,” the governor lamented.

“So many Nigerians have also been displaced in Chibok, Gwoza and Bama as well as other places in the country. This is not a good thing for Nigeria and we need to rise up and find a lasting solution to the problem, which is not beyond us.

“A situation whereby Nigeria’s leadership is encouraging division is not good for the unity of Nigeria. We should stop abusing the very people we are supposed to protect and give them a sense of hope and dignity,” Kwankwaso noted.

The governor said that in a bid to give his state a new lease of life, his administration had undertaken major infrastructural projects including three major flyover bridges, major roads and water projects across the state in addition to establishing 23 big dams for water and energy supply.

He pointed out that in a bid to rid Kano of malevolent elements and reduce criminality, his administration, working in league with security agents had constantly been raiding black spots in the metropolis, including the Sabongari Market, which he described as the biggest drug market in Kano.
According to Kwankwaso, illicit drugs worth N4 billion had been seized from the market and destroyed by security agents in the last three years in a bid to flush out the couriers from the state.
The governor said that the All Progressives Congress, where he crossed over to last December from the ruling PDP, was working hard to ensure that it wins the next election convincingly and use the opportunity to move the country forward.