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 Daily Independent Online.
* Tuesday, August 10, 2004.
Makarfi in and out of office
By Sukuji Bakoji
Bureau
Chief, Kaduna
Sir
Kashim Ibrahim House, Kaduna, that occupies an expansive land in the
heart of Kaduna metropolis, is the seat of power of Kaduna State, which
has prided itself as the Centre of Learning and Heartbeat of the North.
It also
serves as the seat of power of the defunct Northern Nigeria during the
colonial period. The Government House, named after the first governor of
Northern Region, Alhaji Sir Kashim Ibrahim, was officially commissioned
by the then Prime Minister of Great Britain, the Rt. Hon. Harold
Macmillan, during his visit to Northern Nigeria from January 16 to 18,
1960 where he used the Council Chamber as his office.
The
Governor, Alhaji Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi, who is the fifth civilian
governor in the crisis-ridden state, is the longest serving governor. The
first civilian governor after the creation of the state in 1976 was
Alhaji Abdulkadir Balarabe Musa, who was impeached as a result of his
socialist posture in running the affairs of the state during the Second
Republic.
When the
governor is around, Kashim Ibrahim House is usually a beehive of
activities as government officials, politicians, traditional rulers,
important dignitaries and political hangers-on throng the place to see
him. But during his absence, very little or no activity goes on there.
In the last
seven days, Makarfi had hectic time attending one official function or
the other. On Monday, he was in Abuja to attend the inauguration of the
Steering Committee on the Presidential Committee on the Rehabilitation of
the National Mosque, Abuja. While the Deputy Governor, Mr. Stephen
Shekari, was a special guest of honour at the 2004 Annual National
Conference of the Magistrates Association of Nigeria, which took place in
Kaduna. On Tuesday, the deputy governor represented the governor as
special guest of honour where he commissioned the Magamiya, Anchuna, Gora
Baffai, Gora Gan multi-million naira rural electrification project in the
southern part of the state.
But on
Wednesday, the governor was on seat to receive the national and state
executive officers of the Magistrates Association of Nigeria. It preceded
the State Executive Council meeting at 12 noon. Also on Thursday, the
governor approved the appointment of a vice chancellor and the governing
council members of the Kaduna State University with two campuses - the
main campus in the Kaduna metropolis and a campus at Kafanchan in the
southern part of the state.
The
principal officers of the embryonic Ivory Tower are Professor Abubakar
Sani Sambo (vice chancellor), whose appointment was with immediate effect,
while the Chief of Maroa, Mallam Tagwai Sambo will serve as the
chancellor, and Dr. Saidu Goje and Professor Idris Abdullahi will serve
as the registrar and the pro-chancellor, respectively. The appointments
were contained in a press statement by the Secretary to the State
Government (SSG), Mr. Patrick Yakowa.
On Friday,
the deputy governor presided over the activities in the Sir Kashim
Ibrahim House, which included receiving the executive members of the
Nigerian Institute of Management, Kaduna State branch, and the executive
members of the Kaduna State branch of the Manufacturers Association of
Nigeria. (MAN).
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