It is too early to condemn the system – Hon AbdulKadir

Hon Shuaib Ahmed AbdulKadir represents Patigi Local Government at the Kwara State House of Assembly. In this interview with HEAD POLITICS, MUMINI ABDULKAREEM, Abdulkadir, member of various Committees like Finance and Appropriation, Water Resources, Commerce, Industry and Women Affairs, speaks about his political sojourn and challenges so far. Excerpts:

What is your antecedents before embracing politics?

I’m a graduate of Estate Management from Kaduna Polytechnic but at times it is not what you read that matters but the interest. I worked with the Federal Airport Authority (FAAN) in Lagos from 1994 to 2002 and left for the Royal Dutch Airline (KLM) where I worked in the Operation Department for 12 years. In the process, I became interested in politics and started a very close contact with the people from the grassroots. During that process, we provided bursary allowances for them and also met them at their point of needs in terms of job provision and assistance according to our capacity. That has been the situation. We started with the Social Democratic Party (SDP), National Republican Convention (NRC), All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and now All Progressives Congress (APC).

You appear to have worked largely in the aviation sector, now that you are in the House of Assembly and with the International Aviation College in Ilorin, how do you intend to use your experience to make positive impact in that regard?

I think they are on the right track with the recent introduction of the Flight Dispatch Course because even if you have a Ph.D in the field, you must train to have the technical requirement on the field, which is very important. I will encourage Kwarans and Nigerians at large to cue into the programme because after Zaria, Ilorin Aviation International College is doing great.

At what point did you develop interest in politics?

One of my hobbies is meeting people and I really have passion for it. With that, I was dragged into it. In 2001, a group came to me that they wanted me to come and contest for local government elections in Patigi and I pleaded for time. In 2011, I was contacted again to come and run for the House of Representatives seat under the ACPN. But I also rejected the offer because my very close friend, Hon Aliyu Ahmad (Bahago) is already there and I cannot contest against him. But in 2015, I was also requested to come and contest for the House of Assembly this time around. But in between these calls, the grassroots mobilisation and intervention have been sustained.

Ahman Patigi is said to be currently embarking on a university project in Patigi and this is your first stint in politics, what is the plan?

First, that University Project is a great thing and he is just matching on the footsteps of his late father, who was a former Minister of Information. He has the support of every one of us because he is a mobiliser and the project will bring succour to his constituency, the state and Kwarans in general. He is also doing a lot in terms of transportation with his highly subsidised ferries and personal intervention on roads. But for me, my people are predominantly low income farmers and I want to see how we can improve in the way they do things by seeing how we can bring technology to their doorsteps in that regard, which can be domesticated for use. We will be looking at how to make them commercial farmers from the subsistence edition they mostly practice now for them to be able to farm and save something for the raining day and generate income from it. The issue of commercial farming is a welcome development but we need to enlighten our people on the advantages.

So far, how can you describe your experience, especially with the insinuation that the new law makers might have problems adapting?

Most of us are coming from the private sector and the way things are conducted there is quite different from the way it is done here. But now, we are under studying the situation and the processes and it is too early to start criticising or commenting negatively about the system. But it has been a learning process for now and so far, it has been okay.

What can you say you missed most since your switch to this place?

The bureaucracy is very limited in the private sector and you move according to your target and pace, unlike here. Things that you have structured or scheduled may not materialise as planned because of bureaucratic bottlenecks.

How is the relationship between the returnees and new law makers?

I think the issue of the new members having a good relationship with the returnees started not too good but they are beginning to know that we are their friends and brothers and the moral and tone of everything has changed. We have good working relationship now.

Selection of Principal Officers allegedly caused disquiet in the house then, what is the situation like now?

The returnees wanted selected committees to be assigned to them and we the new members just waited for things to naturally unfold. I didn't lobby for anything but since I have worked in the aviation sector before, I was expecting to be given a committee with aviation related issues. But we will watch things as they unfolds

What might be your first bill or motion in the house?

We have a lot of non employed graduate and their joblessness has forced them to take to anti social vices. In my area in Patigi, we don't use to have issue of burglary before but now, they break into peoples' shops and houses. I want to move a bill that will create jobs and fix these people while still pushing for the emancipation of the downtrodden, to give them back their lives so to say.

Characters like Senator Baba Zuruk once made headlines against Saraki’s Dynasty, how much threat do you think the opposition poses in Patigi?

I don't know why people like Baba Zuruk decided to go along with the opposition. He has been like a senior brother to us and has his fair share of positions from the APC community that produced him. We have the number in Patigi. The former deputy speaker, though he is now a lecturer, is very much on ground, his switch has affected nothing as we hold meetings from time to time.

The recent nominees' list has generated petitions and complaint in some local governments, what is the situation like in Patigi?

Patigi's case is very peculiar and no matter the differences, we go back home and resolve them because we do have the internal mechanism and capacity to do that. The zoning has really worked for us in Patigi and whenever issues like this come, we already know who gets what and there is no issue of petition or argument.

What do you make of the crisis at the National Assembly?

There is no crisis, it's all about politics. That's all.

How do you intend to leave the house?

Better than I met it through sponsorship of bills that will improve the living conditions of my people and the state in general and by the grace of God, I intend to step higher after this.

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