I spent over N40bn on drainage – Masari

Katsina state governor Aminu Masari has said his government has spent more than N40 billion on building drainage systems in more than 300 communities in the state to save the people from annual floods.

Speaking to reporters in the capital on Monday, he claimed the measure not only saved lives, but also property and infrastructure.

Masari stressed that his government was focusing on what promotes people’s lives, especially education and health, rather than the gigantic infrastructure that is temporarily praised.

He said: “I have spent over N40 billion on building drainage in over 300 communities across the state. Therefore, during the heavy rainfall of 2022, there were no major floods in Katsina. We didn’t lose lives, we didn’t lose property, and we didn’t lose our roads, bridges or culverts.

“But this is money we spent on ordinary people.”

He said he had been prudent with the state’s resources in a way that he noted had left critics confused. , was implemented at a cost of just N800 million.

The former Speaker of the House of Representatives added: “So if I took N40 billion and started building all these things, Katsina would be littered with buildings like this. Then the people will shout, ‘Masari works’, while my people die, lose their land, lose their homes. What are we talking about?

“That’s why I say leadership isn’t about how well you dress, but how well you perform, because at the end of the day, after how many years you’ve been in office, you can sleep with your eyes closed.”

Masari said that although President Buhari is from the state, as governor he had never gone to Abuja to ask for money from him.

According to him, Buhari will have been in office for eight years by May. But for me as its governor I never went to Abuja for Buhari to give me N1 to support Katsina. I’m not going to do it.

“You see, he is the president of Nigeria and not the president of Katsina. He is the president of Niger. You what we lacked, so were our leaders here. If you are a leader, you are a leader to everyone.

“The oath of office didn’t say where you’re from, not your political party; they say Nigerians. So those who elected you and those who did not vote for you, you are ultimately responsible and liable. That’s leadership. ”

The governor lamented the effect of banditry in the state, describing the phenomenon as unique given that the perpetrators share the same culture, traditions and religion with the victims.

He said: “We never negotiated the kind of situation we found ourselves in because our own situation in the Northwest and especially in Katsina is unique in the sense that these are the same people, profess the same religion, the same tribe, the same culture. And yet they kill themselves.

“People who shared the same market yesterday, who shared the places of prayer yesterday, who visited each other, attended each other’s ceremony, suddenly found themselves killing each other. Why?”

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