From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
One of the frontline contenders for the 2023 Kaduna State governorship election on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Mohammed Abdulmalik Duruguwa, has given qualities that Governor Nasir El-rufai’s successor must have.
Dr. Duruguwa from Southern Kaduna in this interview, spoke on various issues.
What is your idea about grassroots politics?
Most of our leaders including the rest of us, I have come to understand that some of us have forgotten about the village. We ran away from the village to the city and left the village people to their own fate. Nobody is advising them, and as a result, they are doing whatever they like. So we have to go there from time to time and correct whatever that is going wrong. Where I come from in Daruguwa, I can bet you, you can never see a thief. Despite all the threats to make our community vulnerable like others, we had to stand our ground because we don’t have any other place to go from our community.
Every person in Nigeria no matter how big you are, find time once in a while and go to your roots and find out what to do to make sure the people there are sleeping well. If you cannot do that, I am sure you are not a leader yet. Most of us have abandoned the village to their fate; no hospital, no road, no school, most of them have scattered from their homes. Go to places like Birnin Gwari, you will know the importance of what I am talking about.
What is your assessment of Governor Nasir El-rufai’s administration so far?
I must thank our present governor who has done his best at his own time; of course, he has changed the face of Kaduna State and as such anybody that is coming to become the next governor of Kaduna State, must have a kind of multifunctional and dynamic brain to be able to push Kaduna beyond where it is currently. It is not just to develop the urban areas alone. The rural areas also need to be given critical attention as well. Kaduna and Zaria are not just the only local government we have in Kaduna State. There are other areas that we can turn them to cities. We have a lot of other border ranch areas that we can turn into big agricultural farm to make sure this bandits could no longer be seen in Kaduna State. I am telling you, Kaduna has enough to offer everybody so that all of us here can live comfortably everyday. I am telling you Nigeria can never move forward without necessarily looking at the economic potentials that are in the state. Right now, there are so many challenges in Kaduna. We need to stop thinking of how to bring resources from the Federal Government, rather to look internally to see what we can use to generate revenue for ourselves. So, let us put our heads together and see how we can make this state thrive regardless of wherever you come from; so we can be proud to come back and say indeed, this state is a centre of learning God’s willing if we have the chance. Governor Nasir El-rufai is our leader and as far as APC is concerned in the state, he is our number one leader. He has done very well and I want you to look at his strength rather than his weaknesses because all of us have one weaknesses or the other as human beings, by so doing, we can be able to move Kaduna State forward.
How would you rate yourself in terms of changing the society for the better?
I have never worked in an organization where I have the opportunity to steal. And even if I have the opportunity to steal money, I will never steal it. Anybody that comes to me can say yes, I have met somebody I know that can turn any of the little sweat he has to anything. So I am thinking that there is need for a change that should come in this country that will make everybody believe that, that change has been made. We have been saying change! Change!! Change!!! To God who made me, change is change but are we really changing? There is need for all of us sitting here tonight to look at the mirror and ask ourselves what kind of change can I make that can affect the society. I am assuring you that with my experiences in life, what I went through in life up to the point of being kidnapped and spent seven days in the hand of the kidnappers, I have dedicated my life to serve humanity and till I die, I will serve humanity.
What is the motivating factor in running for the governorship of Kaduna State?
By the grace of God and by the will of Allah, I am putting myself forward after consultations and meeting a lot of people in Kaduna State and in fact, the neighbouring states and the whole Nigeria that God willing, I think with the socio-cultural knowledge of Kaduna State, there is no nook and cranny of Kaduna that I don’t know; there is nobody in Kaduna, I challenge, nobody knows Kaduna State like me, Dr. Muhammed Duruguwa. Secondly, I have traveled a lot but not too far. I have attained the highest level of education at PhD level. I have worked with the Government for your information even to the point Deputy Director of investigation with Public and planning commission with the Federal Government. I think if it is governance at public service or bureaucracy, I am bonafide to say that I am a technocrat-turned a very big Politician. Since 1988, I have been in the corridor of politics and since 1999 in Kaduna State here, I have been seeing what is going on and happening in Kaduna State. I am telling you that I am more experienced politically, as someone who knows Kaduna more than anybody to help secure the state for everybody to go to bed and wake up without any fear of insecurity. My dream is to have a harmonious Kaduna State where every local commuters can go to their bed and wake up in the morning, go to their farm and businesses peacefully without any fear of molestation; that is when we will have a Kaduna that you are always dreaming. You can have all the social amenities but once the populace are not at peace, you cannot achieve a lot. That is the number one thing in this state. We need serious peaceful coexistence to be able to solve the issue of insecurity in Kaduna State.
How would you rate Kaduna among other states in the country?
As far as I am concerned, Kaduna is one of the best states in Nigeria; there are good human resources, good materials, mineral resources; in fact, the environment is so fantastic, the human beings are so wonderful that I am telling you that they need a multi functional person to come on board to harmonise all these things, put them in proper perspectives and then we move on.
As a Journalist, I am telling you that you are good catalysts and can go to any extent to either make or mar a person that is having this kind of ambition.
You should report every positive thing about any aspirant, either in APC or in PDP or any other party devoid of hatred or blackmail. Even if I don’t get it at the end of the day, I will still work for APC but we just have to throw the chaff away and stand by whoever is good, competent and most importantly good leadership.
How do you intend to buy the Nomination Form because some aspirants claim that friends and supporters bought for them?
Very soon I will be making my official declaration at the state’s party office and then move further to get the form. Some of the students I taught in Government day secondary School in Kafanchan, they are now successful human beings in their respective endeavours. I taught them in 1988 and all of them have grown up and are working in various places. They told me, Mallam, we know you. If you hadn’t taught us mathematics, we wouldn’t have been where we are today. We are now mathematicians, we have Medical doctors among others and we have gathered our money to come and give you because we know you are a teacher, you don’t have money but we know you are doing business. So, what we gathered, we will give you so that with the little you have, you can add it so you can get the form no matter how it costs.