Amaechi’s turbaning as ‘Dan Amanar’ Daura not politically motivated, says Zwingina

Silas Zwingina, former deputy majority leader of the senate, says the planned turbaning of Rotimi Amaechi, minister of transportation, by Daura Emirate is not politically motivated.

Amaechi will be turbaned as the Dan Amanar of Daura in Katsina state (trusted son of Daura) on February 5.

Daura is the hometown of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Zwingina said the recognition accorded to the minister is because of his outstanding performance and leadership qualities.

He said the Daura Emirate considered the numerous achievements recorded by the minister in the transport sector in Nigeria and by extension the Daura community.

He said rather than perceive such gesture, as politically motivated, attention should be shifted to the merits of the projects executed by Amaechi.

Describing the development as most welcomed, the former lawmaker said it was the culture of the Daura Emirate to show appreciation and single out those who have impacted on their lives.

“It is a most welcome development. It is the culture of the people to reward and single out those who have done something for the community that will remain with them for life. It is totally out of politics and nobody should read any extra ordinary meaning to it. The kind of projects that the Minister has put in the country, has put in Daura, I’m sure the President did not request for them,” he said.

”The Minister came up with them himself and considered it worthy to put those projects there and the Federal Executive Council approved them. There is the University of Transportation and the railway line that would pass through the emirate. The most interesting thing is that the university is a Corporate Social Responsibility(CSR) project. That is to say that they are practically free of charge to government as it’s compatible to the actual rail projects the Chinese are executing.

“The Ministers that haven’t thought about that, or if they have, I’m not aware that anyone is doing Corporate Social Responsibility projects the way it is done by Amaechi. So, I commend him sincerely for that because it’s either there would have been no Corporate Social Responsibility projects in the manner of the University, or it would have been diverted. The gesture by Amaechi is beyond Daura. The spirit is that every multinational company that has a big project here should have a Corporate Social Responsibility project that is visible, identifiable and publicized in the manner the Daura Community has done.”

On why the recognition should be in the build-up to the 2023 presidential election, Zwingina said: ” There is nothing extraordinary with the timing. It is just about a Community that has learned to show appreciation to a man who has done them good, a man who has served this nation so well, very diligently and producing outstanding results both as a minister and Director-General of President Buhari two successful campaigns. A man who they so trusted and have decided to turbane him with such a very prestigious title as their ‘Dan Amanar’. Honestly, Amaechi truly deserves the title and I think we should see it that way, on its merit and not otherwise.”