Some of the newly sworn in state governors are already on the war path with their predecessors less than a week after assuming power.

Kano State Abba Yusuf yesterday rolled out bulldozers to demolish buildings at the Kano Race Course and some identified public places in the metropolis which had been approved by the immediate past Governor Abdullahi Ganduje.

Yusuf branded the buildings illegal structures.

His Zamfara State counterpart Dauda Lawal gave his predecessor Bello Matawalle and his deputy five working days to return all government vehicles in their possession.

Lawal accused Matawalle of going away with all government vehicles he (Matawalle) claimed to have bought for a combined sum of N2,794,337,500 .

The new Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Umo Eno, has a debt burden of N264 billion to deal with while Peter Mbah of Enugu State, Uba Sani of Kaduna State and Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State are sweating over the security challenges they inherited from their predecessors.

Yusuf, who vowed as soon as he took over the reins of leadership on Monday to launch a probe into the N241bn debt inherited from Ganduje, yesterday got several buildings pulled down in the Kano metropolis, alleging that the structures were erected on public land.

Explaining his mission on his Twitter handle @Kyusufabba, the governor said: “In the early hours of Saturday, we witnessed the implementation of the first step in our pursuit to restore sanity to the Kano State Urban Development Master Plan.

“With the demolition of the illegal structure at the Race Course playground, we have set in motion to reclaim all encroached land on the identified public places that were used to erect illegal structures by private individuals or groups.

“I have also directed the demolition of all the illegally erected structures in schools, mosques, play-grounds, graveyards, markets and hospitals, to ensure strict adherence on the urban planning, beautification and safety of people. “With the demolition of the illegal structure at the Race Course playground, we have set in motion to reclaim all encroached land on the identified public places that were used to erect illegal structures by private individuals or groups.

“I have also directed the demolition of all the illegally erected structures in schools, mosques, play-grounds, graveyards, markets and hospitals, to ensure strict adherence on the urban planning, beautification and safety of people.

“We call on the residents of Kano to exercise patience as our administration is committed to ensuring a prosperous Kano. – AKY”

Among the structures demolished yesterday were a three-storey building with 90 shops at the Race- Course. The governor also gave an order to developers in Hajj Camp area to stop construction immediately.

Return all official vehicles within five days, Zamfara gov warns Matawall

Lawal, in a statement through his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Sulaiman Bala Idris, said Matawalle claimed to have spent N2,794,337,500 to buy government vehicles but left none of the vehicles in Government House.

His words: “A contract was awarded by the former governor for the purchase of vehicles to be distributed to dignitaries and other ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) at the cost of One Billion, One Hundred and Forty-Nine, Eight Hundred Million Naira (N1,149,800,000.00).

“The contract for the purchase of the vehicles was awarded to Hafkhad Properties and Facilities Management Nig. LTD.

“The money was meant for the purchase of a Toyota Lexus VIP Bullet Proof 2021 Model; Toyota Land Cruiser VIP Bullet Proof 2021 Model; Toyota Prado V6 2021 Model; Toyota Prado V4 2021 Model; Peugeot 2021 Model; Toyota Hilux 2021 Model; Toyota Land Cruiser Bullet Proof 2021; and Toyota Lexus 2021 Model.

“On the 4^th of October 2021 the former governor paid MUSACO for the supply of three bulletproof Jeep at the sum of N484, 512, 500.00; to supply seven sets of bulletproof Prado Jeep and Land Cruiser at the sum of N459, 995, 000.00; to supply seven Toyota Hilux at the sum of N228, 830, 000.00.

“On the 19^th of May 2021, Matawalle paid for the supply of 30 sets of Peugeot 406 to TK Global Services at the sum of N61,200,000.00. Also, on the 15^th of December 2021, Nadeen Butta was paid for the supply of one bulletproof Land Cruiser in the sum of N130, 000, 000.00.

“On 26^th of February 2022, a contractor Dapiyau B. Linus was paid the sum of N160,000,000.00 for the supply of two Land Cruiser Jeeps 2021 model; On the 20^th of March 2022, Matawalle government paid MUSACO the sum of N120,000,000.00 for the supply of three vehicles for the office of the Deputy Governor.

“It is the height of indignity for the Zamfara APC to continue to fizzle at a time when all the above official vehicles were looted by the outgone governor and his associates. None of the vehicles is available in the government house.

“This is a show of shame, not only to the state chapter of the APC but to anyone justifying the action of Matawalle.

“We have communicated officially to former Governor Bello Matawalle and his deputy to return all the missing vehicles within five (5) working days.”

Tough start for Eno as he grapples with N264bn debt, unpaid gratuities

The finances of the Akwa Ibom State Government are not looking good for the new governor, Pastor Umo Eno.

Chairman of the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations in Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Harry Udoh, alleged that the immediate administration of Udom Emmanuel left accumulated debts of N264 billion behind.

Udoh wondered how the new governor would handle the situation and the settlement of unpaid pension and gratuities of retired civil servants.

It was gathered that the hierarchy of the PDP in the state is also mounting intense pressure on Udo on who should be in his cabinet.

Infrastructure, water provision, job creation top Mbah’s challenges

Dissatisfied by the disruption of socio-economic activities in the state by the prohibited Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah on Thursday said enough of the protest.

He described the sit-at-home protests as antithetical to the economic interest of the state and declared that it should stop from tomorrow June 6.

He said In Executive Order 003 of 2023, which he signed moment after his swearing in, that his mission was to “make Enugu the best destination for investment by creating environment for businesses to thrive and making policies that is business friendly”.

He promised to creatively address the challenges of the future of Enugu youths by ending the endless desire for greener pastures abroad.

Abia’s Otti fumes over ‘criminal looting of treasury’

Abia State Governor Alex Otti said he inherited a treasury that was “criminally ravaged to the extent that we have an alleged N50 billion in unpaid salaries, gratuities, and pensions.”

That is besides local and foreign debt overhang he put at N200 billion and other debts to contractors.

He is no less unimpressed by the conditions of towns and cities in the state.

He said: “The so-called urban centres in the state have fallen far behind in terms of physical infrastructure, modern housing, amenities like pipe-borne water, quality road networks and some of the features one normally associates with modern cities.

“It will not be wrong to describe some of them as glorified villages. These places bear the semblance of urban areas in large part because of the resilience of the residents, but most importantly, because of the extensive investments made decades ago by our revered leader, Dee Sam Mbakwe.

“Fixing these urban centres and bringing them at par with their contemporaries around the region and beyond would take a humongous amount of time and resources. We can only save them through massive reliance on new public-private sector investments.”

He plans to pay salary by the 28^th of every month beginning from this month as part of the strategy to boost the morale of the civil servants.

Sani sweats over security challenge

Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani had hardly shaken off the fatigue of his inauguration on Monday when the news broke about the abduction, by hoodlums, of the Birnin-Gwari APC Women Leader, Hajiya Lami Awarware, her deputy Hajiya Haulatu Aliyu and several others while returning to Birnin-Gwari from Kaduna after attending his swearing in.

The women were still in captivity at press time.

Insecurity is one of the main challenges inherited by him in a state where gunmen kill and maim innocent people at will.

Recurring banditry has crippled the economy of the agrarian rural communities of Birnin Gwari, Chikun, Igabi and Giwa local government areas, impoverished the people and sent many to early graves.

He immediately convened a security council meeting on Wednesday, where he pledged logistics support to the federal security agencies in the state, to enable them rid Kaduna of all forms of crimes and criminalities.

The Governor at the meeting expressed concern and reiterated the fact that safety and security is a major plank of his administration’s 7-Point Agenda and urged Heads of Security Agencies to facilitate and or organise an all-inclusive security summit with a view to promoting community engagement and creation of public enlightenment on public safety and security.

The meeting received briefings on security challenges arising from banditry activities, kidnapping, communal disputes, phone snatching, looming threat of fuel shortages, and gang fight (sara suka).

Plateau’s Mutfwang too

Like Sani in neighbouring Kaduna State, Plateau State Governor Mutfwang has an enormous security challenge to address.

Apart from hundreds of people who have been killed by rampaging gunmen, no fewer than 20,000 citizens of the state currently live in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in the state.

Nearly 200 victims of the latest attack in the state were recently given a mass burial.

He also inherited a debt burden of N200 billion

Mutfwang said he understands clearly the “enormity of the task before me and I have no illusions that it is going to be an easy ride.”

He said the people should not expect a quick fix. (The Nation)

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