Following reports that Malam Nasir el-Rufai has declined his nomination as Minister of the Federal Republic and jetted out of the country,...
Following reports that Malam Nasir el-Rufai has declined his nomination as Minister of the Federal Republic and jetted out of the country, a group, All Progressives Congress (APC) Grassroots Development Network (AGON) has suggested his replacement with Hon Yusuf Bala Ikara.
This was contained in a statement signed by AGON’s Secretary, Musbahu Adamu Gimi, made available to our correspondent yesterday.
“We have to canvass for a viable alternative to Malam Nasir Ahmad el-Rufa’i in case he backs out from the nomination.
“As a public-oriented group, this association, APC Grassroots Development Network is therefore, rallying support for Hon. Yusuf Bala Ikara, a two-time member of the House of Representatives,” the group said.
According to them, “As it were, the position of a minister must reflect either political antecedent/technocratic antecedent, public responsiveness of the minister, community initiative, loyalty to the existing government and creation of opportunities through positive engagement with national and international communities.”
They argued that this pedigree, when properly harnessed in one person, will inadvertently reflect on the entire administrative policies and trajectory of the President.
“Expectedly, Rt. Hon. Yusuf Bala Ikara has been on the podium of political permutation of the post-independent democracy, where he has served at various levels of responsibility.
“Wherever he served, he always left the places better than he met them. His love and passion for the progress of Nigeria and its people are unquantifiable as he deploys every bit of resources towards human development and various emancipation programmes for youth and the grassroots.
Imperatively, it is expedient to chip in here that when others that were given opportunity ended up being at each other’s throats with their executive governors who facilitated their nomination, with Yusuf Bala Ikara as a minister from Kaduna State, it will be a plus to the Governor of Kaduna State, Senator Malam Uba Sani as he is exceptionally loyal and imbued with uncommon sense of patience and forbearance, two attributes that are important for successful leadership positions.
“We, therefore, wish to state here categorically that there is no substitute for Malam Nasir Ahmad el-Rufa’i, but when the tides of change blow differently, we must take a stand and that stand undoubtedly points to Rt. Hon. Yusuf Bala Ikara,” they declared.
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