By Ismail Auwal
The gubernatorial candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in Kano State, Engr. Bashir I. Bashir, has chastised his opponent in Action Democratic Party (ADP), Sha’aban Sharada, over his work as a federal lawmaker.
In an exclusive interview with SAHELIAN TIMES, Bashir criticised Sharada, who is also ADP gubernatorial candidate, and called him “naive,” “over promoted,” and unprepared to hold such a position of authority.
“He is disparaging the position of a lawmaker and is ignorant of his duties in that capacity.
When asked if he counts the access the federal lawmaker has to the presidential villa and the number of empowerments he has carried out so far as accomplishments, the LP flag bearer responded that even the “ignorant Rarara,” a singer, has access to the villa.
Speaking of “empowerment,” Bashir alleged, “To me, what they term empowerment is corruption personified; they go around influencing and blackmailing head of government agencies to secure contracts worth billions without following due process.
“He went around leading a convoy of security agencies while those services were meant to be safeguarding common persons. It is a shame that he does not understand his duties as a lawmaker,” he said.
When asked on how to evaluate a Sha’aban’s performance, he responded that it should depend on the number of bills he sponsored, his ability to perform oversight duties, and how well he represented his constituents.
Speaking about his plans for Kano State, the candidate declared that he wanted the state to be self-sufficient in terms of revenue generation and employment, not dependent on federal funding.
“By guaranteeing that our farmers can labour all year long and making proper use of our dams during the dry season, we will restore agriculture.”
He continued by saying that his administration would develop agro-based sectors to produce cash crops for both domestic and international markets.
In addition to overhauling the educational and healthcare systems, Bashir promised that during his first year in office, he would develop a state-wide independent electricity supply.
