Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State has challenged all stakeholders, especially the civil society organisations (CSOs) to join hands with governments to tackle the menace of drug abuse.
Ganduje threw the challenge Friday in Abuja when he was awarded a Certificate of Good Public Service for his consistency in people friendly policies by the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO).
The governor, who was represented by his deputy, Dr Nasir Yusuf Gawuna, said government alone could not address the challenges drug abuse posed to the society.
He said credible organisations like the CLO should come out and join the struggle to rid the society of drug abuse.
Ganduje identified the menace of drug addiction among youths, problems associated with girl child education and low school enrolment and appalling level of poverty as some of the challenges that should be tackled in the country.
“I consider this award as one of the most prestigious I have received in recent time. I assure you that I will cherish this award for life.
“It has come to stay. It can’t be retrieved due to bad governance on my part. Our government is ready and ever willing to partner with progressive organisations like CLO to tackle the myriad of problems besetting our society,”he said.
He thanked the organisation for the award and urged all well meaning Nigerians to close ranks and ensure good governance in the country.
The CLO President, Mr Igho Akeregha, while presenting the certificate to the governor at the organisation’s quarterly board meeting, said the governor had also excelled in implementing internationally stipulated MDGs and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the state.
Akeregha said the CLO had beamed its focus on Kano State in the last two years and monitored the progress being made by the state government.
“Therefore, the state emerged as most considered, given its size and population in key deliverables in the areas of education, health, infrastructure, justice sector reform, peace and security.
“The board, therefore, chose to recognise the leadership of the state with a Certificate of Good Public Service as a way of encouraging the state government and placing it on the radar of progressing states in Nigeria.
“I must, however, remind His Excellency, that should there be observable lapses and drawbacks after this honour, the CLO may withdraw the recognition in defence of its best tradition of trust and credibility,” he said.
Akeregha, who congratulated Ganduje for emerging the first Governor ever to be recognised and hailed by the CLO for good public service, urged him to sustain the current momentum of providing quality leadership to the citizens of Kano state and Nigerians in general.
He said going forward, those who had utilised public offices to the benefit of citizens would be commended by the organisation while political “demagogues and profiteers“ are to be named and shamed.
He said the CLO would regularly evaluate democracy deliverables using international benchmarks as measurement.
The CLO was founded on Oct. 15, 1987 with a mandate to pursue democratic advocacy, human rights monitoring and education, gender rights, police and penal reforms among others.
