November 29, (THEWILL) — Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin, has cautioned Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano State against politicising security issues, urging him instead to concentrate on resolving the growing challenges confronting the state.
Barau’s reaction followed a claim by the state government that his recent comments were capable of undermining ongoing security operations.
The allegation was made at the end of the State Executive Council meeting presided over by the governor.
In a statement issued by his media aide, Ismail Mudashir, Barau dismissed the allegation as baseless and challenged the state government to produce evidence of any comment he made that could aggravate insecurity in Kano.
The statement, “The attention of the media office of the Deputy President of the Senate has been drawn to the false, reckless and malicious claims by the Kano State Government through its Commissioner of Information, Ibrahim Abdullahi Waiya, alleging that Senator Barau made statements undermining security efforts.
“It is unfortunate that the state government has reduced governance to fabricating lies aimed at tarnishing the Deputy President of the Senate’s growing reputation.”
Barau insisted that he had never made any comment capable of jeopardising security operations, adding that he had consistently collaborated with stakeholders to tackle the security challenges affecting parts of Kano and the wider country.
“We challenge them to produce the clip where the Deputy President of the Senate made any statement capable of undermining security efforts,” the statement added.
Barau, who also serves as First Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, urged Governor Yusuf to “wake up from slumber” and take charge of the administration of the state.
“Until governance was pushed aside, Kano used to be second only to Lagos in terms of prosperity. Unfortunately, misgovernance has eroded this. We have everything necessary to restore the state’s glory, but the governor is not taking steps in that direction,” he said.
The senator outlined his own contributions to security enhancement in the state, including the provision of operational vehicles to police formations across his senatorial district and other parts of Kano, as well as motorcycles for police personnel in Kano North.
He also renovated parts of the state police headquarters, constructed police stations, and supported the Department of State Services (DSS) with logistics.
Additionally, Barau facilitated the establishment of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) training college in Gwarzo, the Police Service Commission training institute in Kabo, and the Nigeria Immigration Service training school in Bichi—all currently under construction.
He also installed solar-powered streetlights across his senatorial district and other parts of the state to aid night patrols.
“Senator Barau has made significant contributions to enhancing security in Kano State. The state government should emulate such efforts rather than casting aspersions on his personality,” the statement concluded.
Abdullahi Yusuf is a seasoned journalist, communicator and was previously the Deputy Editor-In-Chief and Zonal Manager, News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, Jos, where he retired on December 15, 2021
