The Coalition for Good Governance and Change Initiative on Tuesday issued Kano Governor Abba Yusuf a 72-hour ultimatum to stop his reign of ‘madness’ and pacify victims who lost their properties to the demolitions.
To be prepared, the Coalition for Good Governance and Change Initiative has issued a 72-hour ultimatum to Kano Governor Abba Yusuf, demanding an end to the destructive actions and the provision of compensation to victims who have lost their properties in the demolitions.
The coalition also called upon President Bola Tinubu to intervene and prevent further destruction of investments in the state. Speaking in Abuja, CGGI National Coordinator, Okpokwu Ogenyi, condemned the unlawful and inhumane demolitions, emphasizing that if left unresolved, the situation could escalate into a major crisis.
He said, “We believe that the situation in Kano, if not called to order, is capable of causing unrest that may affect the whole country. Something urgent must be done to stop this madness. We call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to quickly intervene and call Governor Abba Yusuf to stop the illegal demolition of property, leading to further loss of lives in the State”.
“We hereby give Governor Yusuf a 72-hour ultimatum to retract himself and stop the ongoing demolition, call the affected persons and groups for proper compensation, or face legal action,” the former member of the Tinubu-Shettima Presidential Campaign Council stated.
The property demolition campaign led by the new governor of Kano State has faced strong criticism due to its negative consequences.
Tragically, one person has been reported dead and three others have been hospitalized after a demolished building collapsed on scavengers in Kano. However, the coalition disputes this figure, as their investigative team on the ground has recorded approximately 20 casualties.
The incident has intensified concerns and raised further objections to the ongoing demolition activities.
Ogenyi, however, said he wasn’t surprised by Yusuf’s action because such a precedent has been set in Imo and Niger states.
He said, “We have watched with keen interest the level of destruction done in Kano metropolis, including the loss of over 20 lives of innocent Nigerians who died during the process of the unlawful demolition of property in the state. The government claimed that two people died, but our team members who were in Kano discovered that over 20 people had died, which is a serious concern for the human rights community”.
“More worrisome is the trend of successive governors destroying the legacies of the previous administration in a quest to slight previous governors either based on hatred or fear of popularity, among others. It happened in Imo State when former Governor Emeka Ihedoha maliciously demolished an edifice built by the administration of Rochas Okorocha”.
The Governor of Niger State is also demolishing property perceived to have belonged to his predecessor. What a show of shame!
“The last three weeks have become hell in Kano State, with cries in almost every home within the metropolis. Governor Abba Yusuf has become a shadow of good governance. Even his supporters are no longer proud of him because of his inhuman action against the people of Kano State.”
The coalition also expressed concerns over the continued silence of Yusuf’s political godfather and presidential candidate of the New Nigerian People’s Party, Dr. Rabiu Kwankwaso.
The coalition also questioned the motives of a governor who, within a short span of three weeks in office, showed an excessive determination to demolish structures as a means of targeting his predecessor.
The coalition expressed bewilderment at the governor’s apparent obsession with such actions and raised concerns about the underlying motivations behind these decisions.
“Mr Kwankwaso, who is the leader of the governor, is silent over the inhuman activities currently ongoing in Kano State, and it is a bad signal that he is also part of the demolition plot. If he is not, we call on him to exonerate himself by joining religious leaders and other prominent Nigerians in condemning the evil act”.
“If it is true that the previous administration of Kano State illegally allocated these plots, why not call the immediate past Governor Abdullahi Ganduje to answer questions and, if possible, charge? Is government no longer a continuous process? Most of these individuals got loans and invested them in Kano, only to face this kind of devastating situation. How do you expect them to survive?” he argued.
