Uba Sani and youth inclusiveness in governance

BY SANI ABDULRAZAK

Developmental strides of Senator Uba Sani, the Senator representing Kaduna central in the National Assembly, need no adumbration by now. It is evident in his salubrious efforts at impacting positively in the lives of his constituents through scholarships for students, women empowerment, provision of relief materials to the people of villages in Igabi local government area recently displaced by banditry and the efforts being made to restore peace to the affected communities, presentation of the long awaited bill seeking the conversion of Kaduna Polytechnic to City University of Technology, Kaduna. Also, bills seeking the establishment of Federal College of Education Giwa, Federal College of Forestry Technology and Research, Birnin Gwari and Federal Medical Centre Rigasa, among others.

The distinguished Senator has given his constituency an elixir of even marginal development. Kaduna central are so blessed to have such a vibrant and development driven senator and he can at all times count on their support.
It is also apt to aver that one salient aspect he has devoted his time and resources to is youth empowerment. Recently distinguished Senator Uba Sani trained 100 young men and women on agribusiness, the program aims at producing 1000 entrepreneurs who will in turn employ thousands in their various enterprises. He has also through the Uba Sani Foundation trained and empowered 520 young men and women from the constituency on self reliance. A 5-day program aimed at equipping the youth with basic skills in vocational training inter alia, tailoring, shoemaking and IT skills. All these will go a long way at providing both direct and indirect jobs thereby reducing unemployment which ultimately reduces crime rate within our youths especially thuggery and electoral violence in not just the constituency, but the state as a whole. Programs like these were hitherto treated with neglect and utter contempt which gave rise to all forms of violence before he assumed office. Curbing these fault lines is only possible through youth empowerment and training that will make them productive to the society. His wisdom and foresight is highly commendable.

His belief in our youth is well translated in the composition of his team; the Uba Sani Foundation (USF), Uba Sani Empowerment Foundation for the Underprivileged (USEFUL) and all his political appointees and advisers are rigorously selected vibrant, hardworking and dedicated youths, capable of wriggling us out of our challenges and working assiduously towards delivering democratic dividends to the constituency. This is a milestone achievement, and we have no doubt in the resourcefulness of these exceptional youths to surmount the multidimensional battles facing them and deliver on the set goals entrusted on them.

It is germane to etch in our minds the need to take into cognizance the processes and ways we nurture our young ones to become good leaders, because good leadership is a sine qua non for national development. It has been a challenge facing us for some time. The Executive Governor of Kaduna state Malam Nasir El-rufai addressed this mammoth challenge by initiating the Kashim Ibrahim Foundation. Taking it further, the distinguished Senator through the Uba Sani Foundation has partnered with Kashim Ibrahim Foundation, a program which train, nurture and develop leadership ability across Nigeria. It is a brainchild of the Executive Governor aimed at creating a network of high potential young Nigerians who are expected to rise to top leadership positions in both public and private sector in the next decade. So far, it is the ultimate platform of leadership training in the country and the climax of youth inclusiveness in governance. The people of Kaduna central are for the first time since our return to democracy in 1999 getting much more than they asked for in such a short period of time and to them, he is a rising new dawn. The exorbitant expectations on him are so enormous because he has awakened his people’s hopes in the short time he has served and it is not at any point in doubt, that he will not only meet their expectations, but exceed them.

It is our hope and prayers that the collaboration of Uba Sani Foundation and Kashim Ibrahim Foundation will bring about the much needed expansion of the project. It is a program most young Nigerians dream to go through because this is the first time in the history of our country that youth are not only trained on leadership, but given the rare opportunity to serve. Also, it is not in oblivion the enormity of time and resources put in place to effectively train young men and women under Kashim Ibrahim Foundation and the Executive Governor of Kaduna state Malam Nasir El-rufai must be commended for that. I must admit, the collaboration of these two Foundations has been long awaited and a match made in heaven.

Today, you can count on the fingers of one hand the leaders in this country that have done in four years, what Senator Uba Sani has achieved in less than a year. He has espoused a proclivity for purposeful and dependable leadership. The people of Kaduna central are consumed in the la dolce vita and pheromones of democratic dividends they are benefitting. There is now a ray of light in their political cumulus; one of which quality is in an ordered system, clearly assessed by the quantity and level of dividends the constituents are enjoying. The saturnalia has only begun.

Abdulrazak, a technologist at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, can be reached via email at [email protected]