By Abdullahi Yusuf
Transition is a normal process in life. We all transit from one situation to another; from one weather to another e.g from harmattan to heat; from one programme to another; from one Government to another; and above all, from our present world to the next world(the hereafter).
There is nothing new therefore, in transiting from an outgoing administration to an incoming government, but there are due processes and procedures which normally take time and expertise to actualise.
The recent statement credited to the incoming NNPP administration in the state that the Ganduje administration is undermining the transition process is akin to crying wolf where there is none, as the outgoing APC government is treading normally, surely and credibly, in articulating its transition programme and handover notes for the succeeding government.
In fact, as the State Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Malam Muhammad Garba said, His Excellency Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje had reiterated his administration’s commitment to ensuring a peaceful and seamless transition to the incoming government.
Malam Garba who said this in a statement explained that the main transition committee and the various sub-committees set up by the government were working towards a smooth handing over of power in the state.
He dismissed insinuations by the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) that the outgoing administration is undermining the transition programme.
The commissioner further stated that the main transition committee and the various sub-committees at the levels of Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) were working tirelessly and had made substantial progress towards preparing handing over notes to the incoming administration.
He said that while the transition committee formed by the outgoing government prepared final handover report, the committee set up by the incoming administration would eventually receive the report at the appropriate time.
Malam Garba said that the decision to include representation from the incoming government was based on the need to ensure transparency and openness in the process.
He said since the outgoing government was having all the relevant data and information at its disposal which the transition committee was gathering, the incoming government needed “the least representation in the committee, just as it obtains in other states where transition is between different political parties.”
He noted that the aim of the transition committee was to prepare a handing over from one government to another and not presenting or promoting any form of ideology.
“The outgoing government expects that the issue of ideology and new programmes to be initiated by the NNPP should wait for the unveiling when the new government is inaugurated,”the commissioner said.
He urged the elements of the incoming government to tread carefully and work for a smooth transition process and “avoid anything that could sabotage the process.”
It could therefore be deduced from the foregoing explanation that the Ganduje administration is leaving no stone unturned in ensuring a smooth transition to the incoming NNPP administration, and any perception to the contrary should be disregarded.
The administration of Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has achieved so much in the last eight years in terms of infrastructure development and human development among others, that it is determined to bequeath an enduring legacy to the incoming administration, the governments to come after it, and the good people of Kano State.
That was why Governor Abdullahi Ganduje in his recent Sallah message to the people of the state urged the incoming NNPP government to ensure the completion of all viable projects embarked upon by his administration which time would not permit their completion for the benefit of the people.
“Government is all about continuity; no project executed with taxpayers’ money is worth abandoning,” the Governor said.
What is now left is for all of us to pray for a successful transition to the incoming administration and for continued peace and harmony in the state as guaranteed by the Ganduje administration from 2015 to date.
Abdullahi Yusuf is a Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Information to the Governor of Kano State.
