Tag: Shehu Sani

  • Why Northerners the cause of own problems – Shehu Sani

    Why Northerners the cause of own problems – Shehu Sani

    Former Senator representing Kaduna North Senatorial District in the 8th Senate, Shehu Sani, has said it’s time for northerners to look at themselves instead of blaming other regions.

    The former lawmaker worried about the underdevelopment of the northern region.

    According to him most public schools are free. However, the young northern ones still don’t want to go to school, just as he averred that most northerners don’t want their spouses to work or use their skills or talents to earn a living or contribute to the family particularly, stressing that resulted in a situation when such men die, they leave their spouse’s helpless widows and at the mercy of a hostile society.

    Shehu Sani stated this on his verified Facebook handle in a write-up titled, “The North; after blaming others, let’s probe ourselves”.

    He noted that most young people don’t want to serve as apprentices in workshops or retail outlets because they lack the heart and patience to serve. In contrast, most parents in rural areas hand over their children to a religious teacher in the city, and the spiritual teacher depends on the children to beg or steal to feed him and his family.

    “For ethnic, religious and sectional reasons, we protected, defended, praised and refused to hold to account all our kinsmen who led the country at every wasted opportunity for over five decades. The bandits and terrorists that kill and kidnap our people deny our farmers from going to their farms and deny our children from going to school. They are not from any country or the south of the country; they came from our homes and our families up north. We worshipped with them in the same mosque”.

    The human rights activist lamented with nostalgia how we used to live together as one region in peace, brotherhood and love. Then we divide and hate ourselves along religious lines, and how we don’t vote for people who will serve us but vote for those who will give us spaghetti and grains.

    “We concoct and spread all sorts of religiously inclined conspiracies to deny our children free health immunisation against diseases, and we end up with hundreds of thousands of blinds, lame, crippled and deaf children who grow up as impaired victims of polio, glaucoma or leprosy, begging in the streets of northern and southern cities. Even the kind of Bill Gates who regularly shows interest in us, we have no kind words for him.”

    He further said most of our women and Girls don’t have a business capital 100,000, but they have an iPhone worth N1.5 m. Still, they can ‘struggle’ to meet up on a wedding ashobi of 500,000, adding that most of our girls’ children are denied their right to go beyond secondary school because of negative thoughts about the university.

    “We don’t want our female children to wear uniforms. Whenever the recruitment portals for the Army, police, customs, immigration, and civil defence are on, we don’t want our female wards to apply. When our children are graduating from universities, especially public universities, most parents who attend to celebrate and appreciate their children in such events are parents of the southern students from the south.

    Most of our industries and factories in Kano, Kaduna and Jos have since closed down when our kinsmen were in power.

    “Our Farmers in rural areas have been farming with hoes for the whole period our kinsmen have been in power. The groundnut and cotton pyramids and fields disappeared long before our kinsmen were at the helm. All the spare parts, building materials, and pharmaceutical stores in the north are private businesses owned by people from other regions who were not backed, funded, or supported by any Government.

    “When our Kinsmen were in power, we attributed our poverty and insecurity to God and to our Sins; when our Kinsmen were out of power, we attributed our sufferings to the King. The FCT is in the north. Can anyone explain why the people from the region couldn’t dominate the private businesses in the FCT and Suleja and Mararaba? Who should be blamed for this one?”

     

     

     

     

  • Saraki fit to run, Dino Melaye can climb tree, Shehu Sani teases as protesters storm Kenyan parliament

    Saraki fit to run, Dino Melaye can climb tree, Shehu Sani teases as protesters storm Kenyan parliament

    Former Senator representing Kaduna Central Senatorial District, Shehu Sani has teased some former and present Nigerian senators following the violence that has greeted protests in Kenya.

    Tension escalated on Tuesday, as police opened fire on demonstrators who stormed the parliament, in protest of tax increases.

    The crowds retaliated throwing stones at police, pushing past barricades, and entering the grounds of parliament. The incident left lawmakers scampering for safety.

    Five demonstrators were reportedly shot dead and 31 wounded, several NGOs, including Amnesty Kenya, reported in a joint statement.

    However, a source told AFP on Wednesday that the death toll had climbed to 13.

    Proposed tax hikes and the rising cost of living have fueled the protests.

    Reacting, Sani, via the microblogging platform X, formerly Twitter on Wednesday, said if such should happen in Nigeria, he was sure former Senate President Bukola Saraki was fit to run but couldn’t say the same thing for Senators Ahmad Lawan and Godswill Akpabio.

    Teasing Senator Dino Melaye, the former lawmaker said he could climb a tree for safety, but Senator Ben Murray-Bruce, known for organising beauty pageants, would be caught catwalking.

    “When I watched the Kenyan Senators running, I know that Saraki is physically fitted to run but I’m not sure of Senators Lawan and Akpabio.

    “Dino can jump and Climb tree but Ben Bruce can only do Catwalk,” Sani wrote playfully.

  • Democracy Day: Pardon EndSARS protesters that are still in detention – Shehu Sani tells Tinubu

    Democracy Day: Pardon EndSARS protesters that are still in detention – Shehu Sani tells Tinubu

    Former Senator representing Kaduna Central, Shehu Sani, has asked President Bola Tinubu to pardon those incarcerated over the #EndSARS protest in 2020.

    Some Nigerian youths in 2020 took to the streets to protest against police brutality and the situation in the country. But in the wake of the protest, some police stations, formations, and officers were damaged across the country, leading to some arrests.

    While some of the arrested protesters were released, others are believed to continue being held up in various police stations.

    Speaking at a special dinner Organised to mark Democracy Day held at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja, Sani said those who took part in the protest should also be considered champions of democracy.

    Senator Sani noted that he and other of his peers who were part of the fight to entrench democracy in Nigeria as the ENDSARS protesters learnt from President Tinubu to be dogged.

    “Mr President, there are some people who are still in detention as a result of the #EndSARS protest, there are young people who were protesting for justice, freedom and for democracy.

    ” Any young protestant in Nigeria today learn from you because you were the founder of protest in Nigeria. Do something about it, give them the freedom.

    ” You taught us, you funded us to stand up and fight. So, they are your children and your grand children. Give them the pardon.”

     

  • June 12: Biden, Castro also fell at some points – Shehu Sani

    June 12: Biden, Castro also fell at some points – Shehu Sani

    Former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, has risen to the defense of President Bola Tinubu after he slipped at the Eagles Square in Abuja.

    Sani noted that many presidents have slipped in the past, citing the examples of US, President, Joe Biden; and former President of Cuba, Fidel Castro.

    Posting on X, the former lawmaker said anyone can trip and fall.

    Sani said: “Not Just President Tinubu, anyone alive can trip and fall; it happened to President Biden and Fidel Castro. Presidents are human beings and mortals.”

    On Wednesday, Tinubu slipped while boarding the parade vehicle at the Eagles Square, venue of the 2024 Democracy Day celebration.

    He had approached the vehicle shortly after he arrived at the venue.

    When the President slipped, his security details and some aides immediately rushed to him and assisted him to regain his balance.

    On his part, Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Social Media, Dada Olusegun, insisted that there are no issues with the president.

    Dada explained that Tinubu only missed his steps.

  • Minimum Wage: Shehu Sani knocks Governors for rejecting 60,000

    Minimum Wage: Shehu Sani knocks Governors for rejecting 60,000

    A former federal lawmaker who represented Kaduna Central at the upper chamber as described as very shocking the governors’ opposition to a minimum wage of N60, 000 for workers.

    Recall that during the ongoing negotiations by the tripartite committee, the Federal Government had at one point made an offer of N60, 000 as new minimum wage.

    However, the organized labour unions rejected the offer on the basis that it’s not a living wage and instead demanded 494,000 as minimum wage.

    It was gathered that  Governors of the 36 states of the federation have even rejected the N60,000 minimum wage earlier proposed by the Federal Government.

    It was further gathered  that the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) had on Monday embarked on indefinite strike after rejecting the federal government’s N60, 000 offer as minimum wage.

    In a statement on Friday the Director Media and Public Affairs of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), Hajiya Halimah Salihu Ahmed said the N60, 000 wage was not realistic, arguing that if implemented, it would force some states in the country to be borrowing to pay workers’ salaries.

    Reacting to the governor’s position on the proposed 60,000 minimm wage,  Sani said it was very surprising how the governor’s rejected 60,000 despite the increase in Federal allocation.

    “Governors’ opposition to N60,000 as minimum wage in spite of the unprecedented increase in Federal allocation is shocking,” Sani wrote on X.|

  • Autonomy only way to save LGs from paralysis – Shehu Sani

    Autonomy only way to save LGs from paralysis – Shehu Sani

    A civil rights activist and social critic, Sen. Shehu Sani, says local government autonomy is the only way to strengthen governance at the grassroots and save council areas from paralysis.

    Sani, who represented Kaduna Central in the 8th National Assembly and served as Chairman, Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debts, said this in an interview with NAN on Sunday

    The Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice recently filed a suit at the Supreme Court against state governments, seeking the enforcement of full autonomy of the local governments in Nigeria.

    In the suit marked: SC/CV/343/2024, the Federal Government urged the court to issue an order prohibiting state governors from embarking on unilateral, arbitrary and unlawful dissolution of democratically elected local government leaders.

    The government urged the court to issue an order permitting funds standing in the credits of local governments to be directly channelled to them from the Federation Account in line with the provisions of the Constitution as against the alleged unlawful joint accounts created by governors.

    Besides ,FG prayed the Supreme Court for an order stopping governors from further constituting Caretaker Committees to run the affairs of local governments as against the constitutionally recognised and guaranteed democratic system.

    It equally applied for an order of injunction,restraining the governors and their agents and privies ,from receiving ,spending or tampering with funds released from the Federation Account for the benefit of local governments when no democratically elected local government system is put in place in states.

    The 36 governors were sued through their respective Attorneys General.

    Reacting, Sani said that the step by the federal government had potential to restore development at the grassroots and strengthen the local government system.

    “Local Government autonomy is the only way to save the LGs from bankruptcy and paralysis.

    “Poverty and insecurity in the country is rooted in the destruction of the local government system,” Sani said.

    According to him, most council chairmen only go to their offices when federal allocations are released.

    He said lack of financial and administrative autonomy for the local government had affected the performance of the third tier of government.

    Speaking further, Sani described FG’s proposal that State Electoral Commissions (SIECs) should be scrapped as a good move,saying scrapping SEICs would deepen democracy at the grassroots.

    “The scrapping of SIECs is a step in the right direction.

    “It has become impossible for opposition parties to win elections at the LG level because of the institutional rigging and imposition of candidates by state governors.

    “The chairmen of SIECs and staff of SIECs are all agents of the state governors and of the ruling party in their respective states, ” Sani said.

    Recall that Mr Lateef Fagbemi, Attorney-general of the Federation and Minister of justice, had on Monday proposed that State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs) should be dispensed with.

    Speaking at a one-day discourse in Abuja, Fagbemi also posited that the powers of SIECs should be transferred to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    Fagbemi said governors had exploited the flaws in certain sections of the 1999 constitution, effectively rendering local governments powerless and irrelevant.

    According to him, these inadequacies have allowed the governors to abuse the rights of local governments by using SIECs to impose leaders on them through sham elections.

    He said other governors who do not conduct sham polls appoint vassals as caretaker leaders for the local governments.

    Fagbemi called for a robust constitutional amendment that will remove all hindrances to the development of local governments, and bolster their ability to fulfil their constitutionally recognised mandate

  • Evicted French, American troops must not be accommodated in Nigeria – Shehu Sani

    Evicted French, American troops must not be accommodated in Nigeria – Shehu Sani

    Civil rights activist and social critic Shehu Sani has warned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu against accommodating French and American troops on Nigerian soil.

    Posting on X, the former Kaduna Central Senator wrote: “The French forces and American troops evicted from Niger Republic must not be accommodated in our Nigerian soil.

    “President Tinubu should fully equip and fund our Military and other security forces to confront our security challenges. This should be clear and simple.”

    This is coming as some Northern leaders urged the Nigerian government not to allow the US and the French governments to relocate their military bases from the Sahel to Nigeria.

    They warned that allowing the US and the French governments to carry out such a move posed danger to Nigeria.

    They claimed that the US and the French governments have been lobbying Nigeria and other countries in the region, to sign new defence pacts allowing them to redeploy their expelled troops.

  • Constitutional amendments should address real issues of development – Shehu Sani

    Constitutional amendments should address real issues of development – Shehu Sani

    A civil rights activist and social critic, Sen. Shehu Sani, says the nation has always dodged  real issues affecting development in each constitutional amendment process.

    Sani said this in an interview with NAN on Sunday in Lagos.

    He said that real  development issues had not always been considered because of interests of political leaders.

    The senator, who represented Kaduna Central in the 8th National Assembly, said that the ongoing constitutional amendment process by the National Assembly must bring reforms that would bequeath a prosperous Nigeria to future generations.

    He said that important  issues like power devolution and reform of the electoral system should  be given consideration , if Nigeria must move forward .

    “Since 1999, the National Assembly has been inaugurating committees to amend the constitution of Nigeria, but the problem has been that the issues that are supposed to be amended are not amended because of interests.

    “Each time, we have this committee set up, the committee is  inaugurated in good time ,but the recommendations are hardly implemented.

    “Take for example,  electoral reform, no President in Nigeria wants to reform an electoral system that will take him out of power,” Sani said.

    He urged those in positions of authority to know that power is transient, and urge them  to ensure genuine reforms for future generations.

    ”Power is transient, if you think you are in position of authority today, and you have all the power to exercise, think of what happens to you tomorrow.

    “So, if you are in power, you should think of implementing reforms and vision  that will help generations after you,” the activist said.

  • Nigeria just giant in population – Shehu Sani

    Nigeria just giant in population – Shehu Sani

    Civil rights activist and social critic, Sen. Shehu Sani has said Nigeria should not only be a giant of Africa in population, but in all sectors of the economy.

    Sani, who represented Kaduna Central in the 8th National Assembly and served as the Chairman, Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debts, said this on Thursday in Lagos, adding that Nigeria was not yet where it should be.

    He spoke on the sidelines of the Inaugural Memorial Lecture of Prince Emeka Obasi, the late Publisher of Business Hallmark, with the title: “If this Giant Must Walk; Manifesto for a New Nigeria”.

    “We are a nation of 220 million people and we pride ourselves as a Giant of Africa. Well, population is an asset, but what do we use that population for?

    “We should be giant in manufacturing, giant in export; giant in shipbuilding; giant in car manufacturing; giant in information technology; giant in agricultural; giant in education.

    “Nigeria is not there yet, we shouldn’t just be giant in population,” Sani said.

    He wondered why the country’s problems had remained intractable,  calling  for concrete actions for   solutions to the country’s challenges.

    “But ,why have we not found solutions to Nigeria’s problems up till today?

    “It is over six decades since our political independence. Why should we still be struggling about power, water, infrastructure, about things which we could have addressed or what we should have addressed in the last five to six decades?

    “I think the things we need to do for now is to prioritise our issues. We were a young nation, but we can’t call ourselves a young nation now.

    “We have all the resources and all the manpower and all the opportunity to make this country great. We are not a failed state. God has endowed Nigeria with all that we need,” Sani said.

    According to him, if Nigeria does not have water to drink and power supply with all rivers around, if there is hunger with the arable land around, the problem is not God but self-inflicted.

    “Nigeria has everything God should give us. Where is the solution? The first thing is, Nigeria should address the security challenges we are facing today.

    “I’m a bit impressed because progress is being made, but we need to bring an end to terrorists and bandits that are destroying our country, kidnapping our people.

    “We need to make a heavy investment in agriculture. Nations of the world today don’t joke with agriculture. Why should a country with such climate, with such an arable land still be importing food?

    “We need to address the problems of our education sector. Most of those in power today, are products of public education. Today, we cannot take our children to the schools we attended.

    “So why should that be, with all the resources that we have in this country, We can give our children the best of education,” he said.

    Sani said that there was the need for huge investment in science and technology.

    He  also said that the nation needed an all out war against terrorists, with well equipped and funded security agencies, saying without security, ”Nigeria cannot walk”.

    On the programme ,Sani said that the event was to commemorate the life and times of Obasi, whom he described as a distinguished Nigerian, who excelled in the  media space.

    Discussants at the lecture, who shared the views on the country’s  development challenges, included Mr Femi Awoyemi, Chairman, PROSHARE; Prof. Anthony Kila, Centre Director, Centre for International Advanced and Professional Studies (CIAPS).

    Highlight of the event was the unveiling of Prince Emeka Obasi Memorial Foundation (PEOMF) by the Special Guest of Honour, Gov. Alex Otti of Abia, represented by his deputy Ikechukwu Emetu.

    Obasi, the Publisher of Hallmark Newspapers and former Commissioner for Information in Abia, passed on March 15, 2022, at a Lagos hospital at the age of 58.

  • BREAKING: University students kidnapped in Zamfara released

    BREAKING: University students kidnapped in Zamfara released

    Kidnapped students of the Federal University Gusau in Zamfara State have been released by their abductors.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Senator Shehu Sani, a former federal lawmaker, who represented Kaduna Central in the Nigerian Senate, made this known via X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday.

    It was confirmed that all the female students who were abducted have been safely released.

    “It’s pleasing and commendable to learn that the kidnapped Girls Students of the Federal University Gusau, Zamfara State have been released.

    “Kudos to all those who laboured to accomplish this,” Sani wrote.

     

    Details shortly…