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Says Masari, as Jigawa academics endorse Tinubu, Namadi for second term
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From Mohammed Abubakar, Dutse
The Presidential Adviser on Political Matters, Alhaji Ibrahim Kabiru Masari, has declared that former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, can never become the president of Nigeria due to what he called his desperation for power.
The presidential aide made the declaration in Dutse, Jigawa State on Saturday just as over 2,000 academics of Jigawa origin from various tertiary institutions from within and outside the state unanimously passed a vote of confidence on both President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Umar Namadi of the state and have vowed to actively push for their re-election in the 2027 elections.
Rising from their annual meeting, the lecturers under the aegis of the Jigawa Academics Forum (JAF) attributed their unanimous decision to what they described as the superlative performances of both the President and the state governor.
The declaration was preceded by sectoral presentations by heads of various ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) highlighting the achievements recorded by the Namadi administration in the last three years, including education, health, agriculture and rural development, works and transport, power and energy, amongst others.
Presenting the forum’s stance after about five hours of deliberation and review of the performances of both the president and the governor, the forum’s Chairman, Prof. Haruna Abdullahi Birniwa, said the members were satisfied with
Besides Masari, the forum attracted the participation of the Deputy Governor of the state, Engr Aminu Usman Gumel, the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Engr Hamza Rabe Dharma and his counterpart, the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Sa’ad Ahmad, the Speaker of the Jigawa State House of Assembly, Haruna Aliyu Dangyatin, among other dignitaries.
Prof. Birniwa, who summarised the opinions of the academics, noted that they believed that there was no need for any change of government.
According to him, “Given the preponderance of opinions expressed by my colleagues and which were expressed, we believe that the present government needs an additional four years to enable it to complete the good work that it is doing.”
Masari, while reacting to the decision of the lecturers, described it as not only a welcome development, but also as an acknowledgement of the efforts of both the president and Governor Namadi of the state.
He hoped that the vote of confidence on the two leaders would spur them to put in greater efforts and raise the bar of governance beyond where it is at the moment. “We will advise them not only to continue but to do more than what they have been doing in the last three years.”
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The presidential aide, who was reacting to the former vice president’s criticism of Tinubu’s economic policies and his resolve to dislodge the president in the 2027 general elections, downplayed the impact of Atiku’s campaign, noting that he would go nowhere.
His words, ” Atiku is a joker, don’t waste your time listening to him. You know desperation will not give you what you want. Atiku is desperate and he will not become the president of this country, inshallah.”
Also reacting, the governor welcomed the endorsement of his administration, noting that the development would spur them to do more for the people.
“The better part of it is that they are able to appreciate what Mr President has done for Nigeria and what he has done for Jigawa State and at the same time they have appreciated the modest things we have done for Jigawa State.”
“They are very happy with what we have done leading to this endorsement of us and that is the climax of this meeting and we are really appreciative of what they have been doing in the state in particular and the country at large.”
“What they have seen that made them endorse us, definitely we will continue to work to provide infrastructure, advance agriculture, healthcare, education and social security services to our people.”
The governor had earlier reviewed progress in power, investment, employment, environmental protection, and social protection, including the state’s renewable energy initiatives, investment facilitation efforts, youth and women empowerment programmes, waterway rehabilitation, and social protection interventions.
He further disclosed that the state’s internally generated revenue had recorded significant growth, with average monthly IGR rising from about ₦1.1 billion in 2023 to over ₦5.2 billion in 2025, while annual collections increased from about ₦27.5 billion to over ₦66 billion.
The governor said the next phase of the administration would be guided by three priorities: completing ongoing programmes, establishing through evidence what works, and institutionalising successful reforms.
He said the state’s 12-Point Agenda complemented President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly in food security, economic diversification, livelihoods, infrastructure renewal, and human capital development, as he highlighted federal interventions in agriculture, education, water supply, roads, SME financing, skills development, and social protection that were supporting development efforts in Jigawa.
