Criticism of FAAN, CBN departments’ relocation can incite northerners

The Senior Special Assistant to the Governor of Yobe State on Students' Affairs, Abdulmumin Liman, speaks to MUHAMMED LAWAL on the hike in tuition fees in many tertiary institutions, issues surrounding the youth, among others in the state

How do you feel serving as a Senior Special Assistant to the Governor of Yobe State on Students' Affairs at this young age?

Well, to me, age is just a number what is important is the person's ability to contribute towards societal development in whatever capacity he is being asked to.

With respect to me, coming to my constituency, the students know that I am so much informed about student matters.

I have served students in many capacities from being the number one student in the entire state (National President of the National Union of Yobe State Students) to becoming the Majority Leader of the Nigerian Students Parliament, and now to being appointed the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor of Yobe State on Students' Affairs.

My expertise in both offices held prior to the SSA has actually groomed me to face reality and has given me the strength to deliver my mandates exceptionally which made me record numerous accomplishments to the students.

One of the greatness is the multi-million naira utility buses for the students' unions namely (NUYOSS & NANS Yobe Axis), getting approvals for the reconstruction of the Yobe apex Students' Union Secretariat, supports our teeming students to return home free from their respective institutions during the last year's naira scarcity and supports to vulnerable students who could not cope with the hikes in the tertiary institutions tuition fees among others.

Perhaps, these have made the people of Yobe State rate my performances as one of the best SSA Yobe has had.

Have you ever been oppressed or discriminated against by senior officers considering your age and experience in the political realm?

None, not at all! It has never happened here in Yobe. Our politicians and civil servants are birds of the same plumage.

Besides, the pace of success set in place by my humble self starting from when I was the number one student in the state to the achievements made so far in my capacity as SSA would not have become possible without the support of the elderly and experienced political heroes and informed civil servants in the state. I am always welcomed by them.

Truly, they always respect me and appreciate the ideas I contribute considering my age. The goodies I come with to the table, hence they support me in achieving all of them.

You once said the Governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni, was always in Abuja to woo investors. So far, how many investors have visited the state since you made that statement?

I did not say always. I responded to some critics of the Peoples Democratic Party claiming that the governor has been out for some weeks, while the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor has always been keeping us up-to-date on the activities of the governor in Abuja, which has to do with wooing foreign investors.

Well, you know wooing investors is a process; you cannot just interact with investors today and expect them to answer your request the following day. It does not work that way.

As a leader, you just have to provide an enabling environment for the investors, engage them, and let them decide on how to invest.

You cannot force it and with the level playing ground the governor prepares for those who want to add value to the state's economy, I am sure many investors will come.

It has been alleged that there is a huge number of unemployed youths in Yobe State and this somehow causes a lot of problems in the state. What is the government doing to save the situation?

I do not know where you got this information from, but to the best of my knowledge, the facts on the ground have it that the Yobe State Government earns multiple applause from both national and international labour organisations as the state with the highest number of employment in the year 2023.

The state government recruits from each of the 178 wards of the 17 local governments and 15 graduates into the state civil service. This brought the total to 2,670 youths being employed.

Moreover, Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni, established a brand new ministry named Ministry of Wealth Creation, Employment and Empowerment Generation coupled with other youth empowerment programmes. What the newly established ministry is doing has brought down the number of unemployed youths to a bearable minimum.

Amidst the downturn of the economy, hikes in tertiary institution fees have been the order of the day and many can't afford to pay. What are the steps the state government is taking to put things in place?

Here in Yobe, before the increase in tuition fees, the state took instant action in the area of the disbursement of scholarships and bursaries.

It is just like a responsibility for the government. A few weeks before the end of 2023, the state government paid the students' scholarships.

Also, for those who could not afford the tuition fee increment, many of them were nominated and their names were submitted to the Yobe State Ministry of Higher Education for its kind consideration.

 According to the National Bureau of Statistics (2022) literacy index, Yobe has one of the highest rates of out-of-school children, with about 658,770. Has the government done anything to change the situation?

Although the NBS can get it wrong sometimes, I want to say that in May 2019 when Governor Buni was coming in, immediately after he was sworn in as the governor, the first thing he did was the declaration of a state of emergency on education.

This effort alone explains the zeal and preparedness of this administration to tackle illiteracy.

Part of his efforts, was the construction of modern schools across the three geopolitical zones of the state, well-furnished primary schools with the latest innovations like up-to-date libraries, well-equipped classrooms with air conditioners, and an enabling environment for the students across the state.

This gesture by the governor has made a lot in reducing drastically the number of out-of-school children in Yobe State.

In the entire North-East, Yobe State has the highest inclusion of young people (General Managers, Executive Secretaries, and Director Generals of parastatals and agencies in the country) which turned out they aren't adding any value to the progress of the constituents (youths). What is the government doing to curtail the menace of this perceived selfishness?

Certainly, it is true that Yobe has the highest number of youth in the state cabinet, but I cannot attest to the fact that they are not supportive, because the appointees are doing selfless service to add value to the progressive governance of Governor Buni, mentoring their younger ones and are very open to access and interact with.

For instance, the state's pioneer focal person of the North East Development Commission, Professor Ali Ibrahim Abbas, is one of those who has been supportive to the youths.

Over time, we've heard of some state Ministries of Youths empowering and contributing immensely to the development of the youths in their respective capacities. How do you react to the alleged claim that the Yobe State Ministry of Youth is one of the silent ministries in the nation?

The Chief Executive Officer and Honorable Commissioner of the Ministry for Youth is one of the most youth-friendly commissioners the state ever had. He is passionate about grooming youths to take over, very open and humble in supporting the young people, and always welcoming developmental ideas that will move the ministry forward.

Insecurity has taken over Nigeria, and Yobe State is one of the states that has been plagued with kidnapping, abduction, banditry, and terrorism. What is the government doing to ensure lives and properties are protected in the state?

Yobe was known for insecurity many years ago and it was the menace of Boko Haram insurgents that destabilized the peace of the state, but fortunately for us at Yobe, the story has changed. Yobe is now peaceful and normalcy has since returned because many if not all IDP camps were closed as people have gone back to their various destinations. They are now involved in farming and fishing. Rural markets were opened since the inception of Governor Buni for the growth of our dearest state economy.

 What has the government done so far to help Yobe people to survive the current economic crunch?

Just last week, the state government appointed and inaugurated the committee on cash palliative package for state civil servants.

The committee which is expected to be led by the Secretary to the State Government has the commissioners for Finance, Budget, and other commissioners.

This came after an all-inclusive palliative committee chaired by the governor and his deputy went around the 17 local government areas of the state to disburse foods and non-food stuff as palliative to households in their thousands.

Nigerian youths are leaving the country in droves for greener pastures elsewhere. How can the government discourage this?

There is a fact on the ground that the Federal Government is doing its best possible to provide an enabling environment for all the professionals going abroad to work, especially the medical experts.

This country has been very supportive of the healthcare delivery system, except for tech enthusiast, only those who are not patriotic are left for slavery in other countries, but there is no place like home; many have been spending over half of their incomes on taxes and accommodations.

I do have friends who left, but I can categorically tell you anytime we interacted, they showed eagerness to get back home because that is the only place they can spend happily the little gains remained after excessive charges on tax and accommodation.

Sure, the demand for tech professionals is not stable, the tech opportunities here are rare, and most Nigerians work remotely for companies abroad.

Going forward, the government should continue putting in its best in aspects like health, technology, and others to tackle the menace of our personnel going out to nurse aged people. It does more harm than the earnings.

There have been several calls from the North that the Federal Government shouldn't relocate some departments in FAAN and CBN to Lagos State. Do you find it necessary or wrong?

Well, personally this came to me as weird; I could not convince myself to believe it was true when I heard about it. Until the Federal Government released a memo informing staff and members of the public about the relocation, that was when I believed it was real.

I am not in support of it solely because there is no point so far in convincing the northerners of the need to relocate some departments in the agencies.

However, that I am not in support of this does not invalidate the decision of the President. He knows better as a leader.

Reading about the take of the elite and leaders from the North, the approach is not the best when voicing out in a situation like this.

Advising the President or highlighting openly the problem such relocation may cause will add more to the feelings of the North because the words used are more of trying to incite people.

Preaching about a breach of trust and political disagreements that may result from this act openly is not good. Although, the Vice President was said to have claimed that there would be no relocation, the attempt is already making northerners see the current administration as favouring the southern part of the country.

However, that does not mean that as leaders of the North, they should not have opposed the decision of the Federal Government instead, their call should be channelled to the economic growth and advancement of this country; Nigeria first.

The President is the chief executive officer of the land and he has the right by virtue of the power conferred on him by the constitution to decide the country's greatness. However, it is not all decisions of the President that require public hearings.