Letter: Yakowa’s death and Kaduna politics

Posted by admin Headlines, Kaduna, Letters, State News Thursday, December 27th, 2012

The death of former Governor of Kaduna State, Patrick Yakowa was a colossal loss, not only to the people of Southern Kaduna, but for Kaduna State and Nigeria at large.

Patrick Yakowa was an experienced, tested and trusted civil servant having served in various capacities from local government to the federal level in the course of his administrative and political career.

Yakowa was once an administrative officer, district officer, secretary in the military governor’s office and local government sole administrator, rising to the top of the civil service in the state as Permanent Secretary in the Ministries of Health, Works and Transport before joining the Federal Civil Service in 1990. At the federal level, he worked as Director, Joint Services in the Ministry of Defence and was appointed Minister for Solid Minerals by the Abdusalam Abubakar government. After he left the Federal Civil Service on June 14, 1999, he was appointed Secretary to the State Government (SSG) by Governor Ahmed Makarfi. In 2005, Yakowa was appointed Deputy Governor following the death of the then Deputy Governor – Stephen Shekari.

Unfortunately, in spite of Yakowa’s vast experience in the civil service, some people opposed his Governorship ambition in 2007 because he was from Southern Kaduna and a Christian. These set of people who believed they are ‘born to rule’ chose Namadi Sambo (who never had the kind of vast experience Yakowa had) as governor. But as a sign of humility, Yakowa still accepted to serve as a Deputy Governor under Sambo’s administration in Kaduna State.

Against all odds, Yakowa latter became the first Southern Kaduna and a Christian civilian governor of Kaduna State following the elevation of Namadi Sambo to the position of Vice President. Since he won the election of 2011, some people are not happy and they are busy with ‘permutation and combination’ of Kaduna politics with Yakowa at the helm of affairs.

It is now glaring that Vice-President Namadi Sambo is now in charge of Kaduna politics with emergence of his political son, Mukhtar Yero as new governor. Mr. Vice-President can now decide who becomes what in Kaduna State and he has started with the nomination of 63-year old Ambassador Nuhu Bajoga, who is the current chairman of the
People Democratic Party (PDP) in Kaduna State as new Deputy Governor without considering people of Southern Kaduna who just lost their illustrious son.

John Tosin Ajiboye Osogbo, Osun State.wp_posts