THE REMOVAL OF SUBSIDY IS GOING TO CAUSE A LOT OF PAIN IN THE COUNTRY BUT AT THE END NIGERIEN WILL SMILE- HON. BARR YUSUF RABIU
Barrister Yusuf Rabiu is a hearty loyalist to the movement of kwankwasiya, he was a special assistant to the executive president of Nigeria, Muhammed Buhari on public prosecution and coordination. Barrister Rabiu resigned from appointment as special assistant and joined the movement of kwakwasiya under the new party. party of new Nigeria people so as to successfully run on the verge general election. He was interviewed in his office at national assemble by Abom Monica Nassnews correspondence.
Nassnews: we will like to know your name sir?
Hon. Rabiu: my name Hon. Barr Rabiu yusuf representing Sumaila-Takai federal constituency of Kano state under the flag of NNPP am the currently the Chairman of House Committee on Treaties, Protocols and Agreements.
Nassnews: tell us little about your background;
Hon.rabiu: I was born in Kano State. Did my school in Kano state up to the university level, that is Barrow University Kano. I was born 1976, that’s precisely I’m 47 years old now. So after my school I got admission into Barrow University Kano where I study LLB. There I proceeded to Nigerian law school in enugu where I successfully completed my bar program that is called BL. They call it called to BAR. I was called to bar 2004 October 12th to be precise. From there I venture into property practice as a legal practitioner. Before I decided to join the service of kano State where I rose through the ranks of the position of Director, Students right in kano State anti-corruption. So later I was offered an appointment by the immediate past Attorney of the Federation, where he appointed me as his Special Assistance on Asset Recovery and Management and later again Mr. President, the same Mr. President Mohammed Buhari. Fit it deemed to appoint me as his Special Assistance on Prosecution Coordination. I resigned my appointment on April 2022 and venture into active politics. Contesting for the site of House of Representative, got the nomination in the primary election and the suspently go into the wider campaign which fulminated in me been elected in 25th February 2023 and I scored the highest votes. I beat my opponent with a high margin of almost like 20,000 votes, so that is a little I can see about myself.
Nassnews: Where u born into wealth or you work hard to be where you are today?
I was not born with silvers spoon but I struggle myself with the help of my parents and to certain extent I have to help myself through my studies at the time when I finish my university. Actually, I don’t want to even remember those days. we have passed through a lot of things, but thank God there is light at the end of the tunnel and we attribute all this to the almighty God.
Nassnews: what can you tell us about the 10Th Assembly; what have they achieved so far?
Hon. Rabiu: To God be all the glory, actually we are inaugurated on 13th of June 2023. But 10th assembly you know, though I am not part of the 9th assembly, I am a fresh timer, but from what we heard about the 9th assembly and the previous assembly before the 9th assembly, 10th assembly is unique on its own. You know, first of all the composition of the 10th assembly is such a way that The majority of members belong to the opposition parties while the minority belongs to the ruling party. But nevertheless, as a tradition of all Parliament, you know most of the time you know there are certain constitution which will be made to see that the majority or the ruling party established the Principal officers. we have almost like 360 members of the National Assembly, but you have to divide it into two. So imagine all the difference between the majority and the minority, It’s not up to 5,10 or there about. So we considered it without tranco and whatever that the ruling party to established. So by this what I’m trying to say cumulatively is this tense assembly. You know, actually by their nature and dispositions of our principal officers, we know they are up and doing on the right to run the National Assembly. Thank God we have a gentleman, a perfect gentleman, a person of Tajudeen Abbas as our speaker of the of the 10th Assembly and you know, with just a little time we’ve spend in the National Assembly, we pass a lot of bills, we pass a lot of motions and even laws, we pass certain amendments as regard to our laws. So we have achieved a lot within the short time we have on our function. But now we are in recess, we’ll come back to active duty I think on 6 September 2023. You know the committees were just form, up till now the composition of the members of the committees is not yet out, but I believe immediately we come back from recess that is when we will hit the ground running. so I believe we will do well this tenure and it will be unique on it own, I we will serve Nigerian people the way we are supposed to serve them.
Nassnews: Talking about subsidy; Are you in support of the removal of subsidy?
So actually you know this issue of subsidy is so Germaine in Nigerian section or in Nigerian society. You, you know, I’m a lawyer by training and I’m not an economist. I’m not a mathematician. When they talk about subsidy, I got confused. Actually, I tell you my mind, I don’t know how who subsidized who, but they say subsidy so we take it as subsidy. And they tell us subsidy is canker worm. So we take it as a canker worm. They told us that if they rule the subsidy, Nigeria will become Paris. So we are happy about that. So we hope by the end of the subsidy, but it introduced a lot of pain in the society. It introduced a lot of unbearable pain more especially if you interact with those people who are on the downtrodden sector of the society. Nowadays it is very, very hard for poor person to even feed himself talk less of his family. You will find a family now what they are looking for is what to eat and all You know, all these difficulties associated with the removal of the subsidy. So the economists, they have make a point that we have to remove the subsidy, they told us that it’s a cancer, it’s just like a patient who has cancer, that cancer must be removed before that patient can work properly. So we hope, by the removal of this subsidy Nigeria will be Paris.
Nassnews: From our previous interviews, we’ve heard that Mr president has a new method on how palliative should go; so we like to hear your view on that?
Hon. Rabiu: you know as far I’m concerned, issue of a palliative distributions or palliative programs, it belongs to the executive of government. They are the one who will decide on how they will distribute or in what modus operandi they will operate as far as the palliative is concerned. But what we wanted in such a situation is we want a situation whereby people, those who are less privileged, those who are downtrodden, those who are not able to afford 3 square meals per day. You know, we want a situation whereby the palliative distribution will be in such a transparent way whereby people will all be carried along in distributing their palliative. And I believe Mr. President has brought out a blueprint, a good blueprint, whereby the palliative will be distributed in our own part as legislators who will help our President to achieve that goal of trying to impact positively on the life of Nigerian. That the hardship being occasion by the removal of the society, the reduce or minimize. So actually from my own end, I support Mr. President on this regard and I hope the program will be done in such world. It will be highly transparent without bringing the violates. Then some certain people will just connect into their pockets. This test assembly will not accept this and will look towards elementary or moving or exposing or dictating the way it’s supposed to be, as people’s representatives will make sure that the palace distribution is highly transparent. Anything short of that, the 10th assembly under the leadership of our able speaker RT honorable Tajudeen Abbas will not accept that and will work towards eliminating that.
Nassnews: Concerning the rate of poverty and suffering; what is your advice to Nigerien?
Hon.Rabiu: You know in every hardship definitely ease one is coming, I believe we will not continue to live like this. You know, what I will advise Nigel, is exercise a little more patience, a little more endurance and I have the confidence that Mr. president means well for the public. And I believe Mr. President is doing everything possible within his power, within his reach to see that he minimizes the hardship of Nigerians. Quite all right. We sympathize with our fellow citizens. The way things are going in the country, that is not the Nigeria we envisage, that is not the country our predecessors, our fore fathers envisage as far as Nigeria is concerned. But it’s a process. We have to pass through the process to arrive where we want to arrive. And I believe at the end of the day, we will all smile.
Nassnews: what are your plans for your constituency?
Hon.Rabiu: actually you see my plans as far as my constituency is concerned, one you have to start Analyzing and thinking or trying to crafts Have you come into politics? You know the sole aim of you coming to politics is to serve you actually is to serve your society is to serve your constituency. I’m a legislative for a particular constituency, but my function will overreach all the Federal Republic of Nigeria you know. Is this in the parliament? We represent Nigeria, not our constituency alone. So what I will tell my constituency in this regards, we are just starting, not after a month or two months, and we have a lot of good things in the pipeline coming for one constituency and we will try as much as possible, we will try as far as we can. To see that I represent my constituency very well, to say that all the goodies of democracy, all the dividend of democracy, all the good thing about democracy, I will try to say that I bring it forward to my constituency. So what I want from them is to just exercise a little patience. We are going to spend 4 years if God spare our life. So four years just now maybe one or two months has gone down the drain. We have almost like 3 1/2 years which we are facing. So I believe within these 3 1/2 years we will do every possibility so that will bring the dividend of democracy, in terms of infrastructure development, intervention in education, intervention in health care, intervention in social life. Intervention in social justice. We’ll make sure that all these are bring to my constituency.
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