Kano State governor, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has said the diversity of Nigeria if not considered as an opportunity would remain a major problem in getting a generally acceptable constitution for the country.
The governor made the assertion on Wednesday while declaring open the two-day public hearing for Kano, Kaduna, Katsina and Jigawa states by the Special Committee of the House of Representatives on the review of the constitution held in Kano.
He said, coming up with a constitution that is accepted is an enormous task in a country like Nigeria because of its diversity and as such constitution is expected to put together the norms, values and interests of a large number of ethnic, religious and socio-political groups.
“Our problem in Nigeria is that we allowed diversity to be a challenge and we fail to convert challenges into an opportunity. According to some sociologist and psychologists, every ethnic nationality in Nigeria has some inherent traits (that) if properly harnessed will make Nigeria a stronger society,” the governor said.
He said the state government is in support of the exercise which is evident by the memorandum it submitted to the committee that encapsulates the state’s position on the issues for the constitution review.
On his part, the chairman of the special committee, who is also the leader of the House of Representatives, Alhassan Ado Doguwa, said the focus is to “fully secure the participation of all Nigerians in the “process” and to have a constitution that can reasonably meet the expectations of “we the people” as an irreducible minimum condition through the inclusion of the people’s broad spectrum views and divergent opinions.”
Creation of Tiga, Ghari states from Kano among memos
Several memoranda were presented at the first technical session, including those seeking for the creation of Tiga and Ghari states from the present Kano State.
Arguing the case for the creation of Tiga state, Senator Mas’ud El-Jibril Doguwa, who represented the 16 local government areas that makeup Kano South Senatorial District, said since the creation of the state along with 11 others in 1967, it has remained the way it was with the exception of Jigawa carved out of it.
He said Kano State is being cheated with one senator representing 16 LGs while states like Zamfara and Nasarawa, with less than 16 LGs, have three senators representing them.
The chairman of the movement for the creation of Ghari state, Alhaji Muhammad Sani Gadanya, said Ghari state will consist of 13 local governments from the present Kano State.
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