The Jigawa State governor, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, has said, but for President Muhammadu Bubari, he would not have remained state governor.
Abubakar made the statement when he received the Minister of information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Muhammad, who was on an official visit to inspect the tallest national flag in Nigeria at the Malam Alu Agro-allied company in Birninkudu local government in Jigawa State.
Baduru said Buhari’s administration has supported state government at different levels since the beginning of APC-led government.
“With what we have inherited in Jigawa and the circumstances we found ourselves of a dwindling oil economy, we know the challenges we would have faced without the support of President Muhammadu Buhari. I’m telling Mr. Minister I would have packed my bags and run.” the governor said.
“If you remember, he bailed out all the states, gave 18-month support for us to pay salaries, I mean all of the governors. He paid the Paris fund money for all to do infrastructure,” he continued.
He said the state had received about N37billion from the Federal Government as a refund of the Paris Club loan, and that another N10billion was received as a refund to the state for the building of Dutse airport.
The Governor also commended the president for the social investment programs in Jigawa, adding that about 164,000 families were taken out of poverty through the conditional cash transfer.
According to the governor, the agricultural transformation agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari has also helped in alleviating poverty in the state.
“The ancho borrower program that provides soft loans for peasant farmers have greatly affected the lives of people of Jigawa. As we are talking now in our communities the richest individuals are farmers. We can not that the president enough.” Badaru said.
