“I would have quit as Governor if not for Buhari” – Gov. Badaru

Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, the Executive Governor of Jigawa State, claimed he would have packed his belongings and run for governor if President Muhammadu Buhari had not supported him.

The Governor made the remarks when he hosted Alhaji Lai Muhammad, the Minister of Information and Culture, who was in Jigawa State on an official visit to inspect the country’s tallest national flag at the Malam Alu Agro-allied enterprise in Birninkudu local government.

According to the Governor, President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration has helped state government at all levels since the APC took power.

He said “with what we have inherited in Jigawa and the circumstances we found ourselves of a dwindling oil economy, we know the challenges we would have faced without the support of President Muhammadu Buhari. I’m telling Mr. Minister I would have packed my bags and run.” the governor said.

He continued “If you remember, he bailed out all the states, gave 18-month support for us to pay salaries, I mean all of the governors. He paid the Paris fund money for all to do infrastructure.”

He said the state had received roughly N37 billion as a refund of the Paris Club loan and another N10 billion as a refund for the construction of Dutse airport from the federal government.

The Governor also praised the president for the president’s social investment projects in Jigawa, noting that the conditional cash transfer has lifted roughly 164,000 households out of poverty.

According to the governor, President Muhammadu Buhari’s agricultural reform plan has also aided in the reduction of poverty in the state.

“The ancho borrower program that provides soft loans for peasant farmers have greatly affected the lives of people of Jigawa. As we are talking now in our communities the richest individuals are farmers. We can not that the president enough.” Badaru said.

Earlier, Alhaji Lai Muhammad, the Minister of Information, said that after visiting the Emir’s palace, he now understands why Jigawa is Nigeria’s most tranquil state.

The Minister, who was conferred citizenship in Jigawa, said the Emir highlighted how the emirate is resolving over 3000 local conflicts per month with the help of the state government, which he described as the key to the state’s long-term peace.