Speaker of the 10th House of Representatives, Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, says President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has done for Kaduna State what no president or head of state has done since Nigeria’s independence in 1960.
Speaker Tajudeen, who noted the “exceptional love” President Tinubu has for Kaduna State and its people, challenged anyone with a contrary opinion to point out any Nigerian leader who comes close to what the President has done for the state in just three years.
A press statement issued on Sunday by the Speaker’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Musa Abdullahi Krishi, said Tajudeen made the remarks during the groundbreaking ceremony for 11 key township roads across Zaria and Sabon Gari Local Government Areas, performed by Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, in Zaria on Saturday.
He said:
“I would want to seize this opportunity, as well, to thank His Excellency, the President/Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for the exceptional love he has for Kaduna State.
“Some people who don’t know what they’re doing think that President Tinubu is a tribalist. They think he is only after the interest of the South-West. I challenge anyone to tell me of any president, right from 1960, after Sardauna, who has been able to bring more phenomenal projects to Kaduna State than President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The Speaker gave reasons for his assertion.
“Let me tell you: we had only one federal university that was created in 1962 by Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sardaunan Sokoto of blessed memory. Since then, no president or head of state has come close to bringing any tertiary institution of that magnitude to Kaduna State.
“But today, the story is different under President Tinubu. He upgraded our Federal College of Education, Zaria, to the Federal University of Education, Zaria, making it two federal universities within Zaria. He didn’t stop there; he went to Kachia and established a brand-new Federal University of Applied Sciences. We thought that would be the end. Just three weeks ago, he converted another institution belonging to the Petroleum Training Institute into a university.
“Just last week, I had a discussion with him, and he told me that he is planning to upgrade Kaduna Polytechnic to the Federal University of Technology, Kaduna, within the next few months. That will bring the number of federal universities in Kaduna State to five.”
The Speaker added:
“Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, where have we ever seen any president, within a span of three years, give so much to Kaduna State like President Tinubu? I don’t think there is any. This is just one out of many.”
Speaker Tajudeen further said that President Tinubu has included Kaduna, alongside three other cities, in his administration’s light rail project.
“Light rail will be introduced in only four cities in Nigeria for the first time in our history. One of those four places will be the city of Kaduna. It will benefit from the light rail, which will help address transportation challenges for people residing in Kaduna, Rigasa, Sabon Tasha, and other areas. This is an unprecedented project that will cost hundreds of billions of naira. Kaduna is a beneficiary. No president has ever done that much for Kaduna State.”
He, therefore, appealed to the people of Zaria and Kaduna State to show their gratitude by coming out in large numbers to vote for President Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.
“I appeal to you, ladies and gentlemen, that on the day of reckoning, the day of judgment, the day we are going to elect our next president, let the people of Zaria show their gratitude. Let the people of Kaduna State show their gratitude. Come out in large numbers and show that we are people who appreciate good things; we are people who reciprocate goodness with goodness. That’s the only way we will appreciate this honourable gentleman.”
Speaker Tajudeen also lauded Governor Sani for his leadership, noting that the governor had demonstrated that Zaria is a special constituency to him.
“My message is very simple: it’s just to say thank you very much, thank you very much, and thank you very much. The chairman of Zaria Local Government has put it more plainly and comprehensively: the Governor of Kaduna State is somebody who truly loves Zaria.
“He mentioned only one instance where the governor intervened in Zaria to avert a political crisis occasioned by some projects we brought, but which some people within our communities were trying to sabotage.
“There is another example, which he forgot to mention. It is the issue of siting four additional federal institutions in Zaria, namely the Federal College of Technical and Vocational Education, Sports Academy, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, and the College of Agricultural Sciences.
“For those four institutions, it was His Excellency, the Governor, who came to our rescue. Even within the state government, many people were putting pressure on him not to grant our request, which was to carve out a large parcel of land within Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic that had been sitting idle and unutilised for years.
“His Excellency said, ‘I will not be intimidated by those people. I will do what is expedient for Kaduna State. I will give this piece of land to you so that you can build those noble institutions within Zaria Local Government.’
“So, I use this opportunity once more to thank His Excellency for always being there for us in Zaria. There is no empowerment programme to which we have invited His Excellency that he has not honoured. There is no request made to His Excellency for the benefit of the people of Zaria that he has not granted.
“Today is the culmination of the gratitude that the people of Zaria owe you. The roads you are going to construct will significantly complement those we have started on behalf of the state government, Zaria Local Government, and the Federal Government of Nigeria. These nine projects, out of the 11 being flagged off today, will go a long way in addressing our infrastructural deficit in Zaria.
“I assure you, Your Excellency, that your nobility, humility, generosity, support, and assistance to the people of Zaria will not go in vain. We will reciprocate in a big way. Come 2027, Zaria will speak only one language, and that language is APC, In Sha Allah.”
On his part, Governor Uba Sani noted the cordial working relationship between him and the Speaker, saying all the people-oriented projects he is executing, as well as those the Speaker has attracted to Zaria and Kaduna State, are possible because of the support they receive from President Tinubu.
He said President Tinubu has done so much for Kaduna State, including approving the light rail project mentioned by the Speaker. According to him, the project, the first of its kind, will cost N1 trillion.
“Additionally, in the next one week, the project for the construction of the road from Mando to Birnin Gwari will be flagged off. The President approved the sum of N178 billion for the road. Work will commence next week.
“The President doesn’t stop there. He has done many things for Kaduna State. But there is one thing I want to tell you, the people of Zaria. Rt. Hon. Speaker Abbas Tajudeen, if not for the fact that he is occupying the office of the Speaker, you would not have seen all the good projects he has attracted to Zaria. For that, we must vote massively for Tinubu. We must ensure that he gets at least 95 per cent of the votes from Zaria. That is the only way we will appreciate the President.
“Today, I want to assure you of something, by God’s grace. A few days ago, I was with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and he assured me that Abbas Tajudeen will return as Speaker by God’s will. Therefore, what we want from you is prayer.
“We won’t allow the Speaker’s seat to be taken away from Kaduna State. We want it to remain in Kaduna, in Zaria, to be specific. We will stand firm until the election period and ensure that he returns as Speaker, In Sha Allah. I call on you all to come out and vote for APC from top to bottom. I thank you all.”
The governor said the 11 road projects flagged off would be completed within four to five months and assured residents that they would be commissioned within that period.
The road projects flagged off are Babban Dodo–Durumi–Kofan Kuyanbana; Rimin Tsiwa–Kofan Gayan (Secretariat–Albarkawa–Kaura); Maje Road, Tudun Wada; Turunku Road (Sabon Gari); Waff Road (Sabon Gari); Layin Radio Road, Tudun Wada; Aba Road, Tudun Wada; Turunku Road (Sabon Layi, Tudun Wada); Dadda’u Road
(Layin M. Mamuda); Sheikh Umar Muazu Street; and Idris Majeh Street (Fillin Mallawa).
