Agency reports,
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain in Kaduna State, Yakubu Lere, has said the poor governance of Governor Nasir el-Rufai will end the All Progressives Congress (APC) reign in the state.
Lere stated, yesterday, in Kaduna that residents, who supported the ‘Sai Mai Ruzo’ mantra in 2015, were full of regrets following the antecedents and negative impact of the APC government on many citizens.
Lamenting the socio-economic policies of El-Rufai, which, he said, put an end to the popularity of the APC in the state, the PDP chief remarked: “While some are looking backwards to make informed decisions on the candidate they will support, some are still making the mistake of joining the emotional bandwagon, hell-bent on repeating the mistakes of the past.
“By their decision, if the APC returns to power beyond 2023, it is certain that Sen. Uba Sani will toe the line of his predecessor, El-Rufai. It is no longer news that in the last seven years of the APC in Kaduna, the majority of citizens were crushed to the ground and in agony, with bad experiences, socially and economically, attributed to what many describe as unfriendly policies of the El-Rufai administration.”
According to Lere, despite the economic potential of Kaduna, many citizens complain of an increase in the poverty rate, which is beyond imagination, and have also attributed it to the ‘anti-people policies of the APC government in the state.
“Sadly, according to the state’s Social Register and Rapid Response Report, (RRR) released recently, rural dwellers, farmers and illiterates top the over two million poorest and most vulnerable in the state.
“No doubt, the policies of APC in Kaduna has adversely affected many institutions and sectors of the state, creating all kinds of socio-economic consequences, as many have closed shop and relocated to other states,” Lere stated, adding that the state’s socio-economic policy is alarming, with a high rate of unemployment.
He made reference to the United Nation’s Global Multidimensional Poverty Index, which noted that 44 per cent of the population in Kaduna is in extreme poverty, without access to health, education and essential living resources like water, housing, and food.
“Within the seven years of APC’s reign, over 5,000 teachers were sacked, thereby putting pressure on the labour market and increasing the poverty rate. Indicators have also shown that for every 100 people living in Kaduna, 44 residents do not have access to food because El-Rufai’s government has taken away their means of livelihood.
“Also, traders, who constitute a large percentage of the state’s population, have had their own share of the APC style of governance. They are left to wrestle with or survive with a lack of means of livelihood. As he is popularly called ‘Mai Ruzo’ (the demolisher), El-Rufai demonstrated that his government is anti-people by demolishing several markets in the state without providing alternatives; hence, causing economic hardship on citizens.”
