From Naseer Mijinyawa, Minna
As the race for Niger state government in 2023 hots up, Retired Lt. Col Jibril Jibril Madugu has obtained the New Nigerian People’s Party (NNPP) Gubernatorial nomination forms to change the narratives.
The gubernatorial hopeful has outlined security, agriculture, education and health as his major priorities if given the mandate in 2023.
The retired Military Officer who voluntary left the Military to join politics, identified maladministration by successive governments at all levels of governance in the state as the major reason for high level of poverty, and by extension Insecurity across the state.
Speaking with newsmen in Minna on why he joined the gubernatorial race, shortly after meeting with the 25 local government chairmen of the party, Madugu indicated that his decision to quit the Military and join politics was borne out of his desire to librate the people of the State from the hands of a few that have held the state captive since 1999. Madugu pointed out that after over 20 years of Democratic governance in the country, Niger State finds itself among the most underdeveloped states, stressing that few individuals have mortgaged the destiny of generation yet unborn in the state.
He attributed the growing level of Insecurity in the state and the country in general to what he described as years of neglect of Critical areas, including agriculture, education, health and youths empowerment.
According to him, “until people’s resources are used for the purpose they are meant for, the country will continue to experience the current security situation.
He singled out Niger, as one of the states in the country that has found herself among the list of underdeveloped states in the country “because the leaders have no interest of the people at heart”, adding that the current APC administration in the state is the worst since the country returned to democracy in 1999.
Madugu promised to use his Military experience to bring to an end, the security challenges bedeviling the state, saying that lack of political will and high level of corruption in the system have made the current security situation to linger on for too long
“I will deploy my military experience to tackle the security situation in the state. What is happening is essentially lack of political will and corruption in the system, and that is what I will address if I am given the mandate.
“The politics in the Military is more than the normal politics. I have what it takes to rescue the state and put it among the comity of developed states in the country.
“That is why I have listed security, agriculture, education and health as my areas of major priorities”.
According to him, the lack of focus by the present administration in the state, has made it the worst since the state was created in 1976, pointing out that “this administration owed the people of the state a very big apology for the mismanagement of their resources in the last seven year
