SET TO FIX BWARI:HONOURABLE SOLOMON GARDA REVEALS PLAN

As the FCT Area Council elections draw closer, candidates are in a push to secure the attention of voters that may have been missed in the past three months, one of the frontline contenders for the seat of Chairman, Bwari Area Council, Honourable Solomon Danjuma Garda, also known as MC Dariya, granted an exclusive interview with insidekubwa.com.

He spoke about his developmental focus and intentions for the Area Council. He also revealed his depth of understanding of the issues affecting the people of Bwari Area Council and how he is positioned to solve them.

He and his vice, Chief Nnamdi Justus Anni, accompanied by his campaign director and the team, came directly to the interview venue from a campaign ground. Honourable Garda appeared upbeat, excited and full of energy; his team also exuded the same energy upon arrival.

Below is the excerpt from the interview:

Congratulations Honourable. We know work has been quite hectic over the past few weeks. So sir what is your motivation for aspiring for this office of Chairman of Bwari Area Council?

Just seeking a bigger platform to complement and consolidate on what I’ve been doing, that is a clarion call from the youths, from the women who believe in the little impact I’ve made in the communities. That is the reason why they dare for more. If, in my little capacity, not being in government office, I could do so much for humanity, I could influence lots of community development projects, if given more, if entrusted with the funds of Bwari Area Council, I’d be able to do more. And that is because I have been tested and trusted in accountability, honesty, integrity tests, and I’ve passed all. This is what every Nigerian should look out for in a leader.

When entrusted with public funds, how sincere, how honest can you be? Because what we are looking at is a contest of who becomes the chairman of Bwari Area Council, and who is the chairman of Bwari Area Council? It’s one whose the resources and allocations of the entire masses of Bwari Area Council is entrusted; and then how you put all of these resources into use needs to be checked.

Most people don’t really look at those aspects; most people really just want to see this is the chairman without looking at the qualities of such person. I want to tell you that Dariya here–what the youths and women are yearning for–it’s because our track record is speaking for me.

I am building a team. A team of experts. A team of honest persons. A team of people who have passion for development

 

We at insidekubwa.com, we are particularly interested in your story; in checking, we’ve seen that you’ve actually done so much to uplift the community…we look at that, and it’s something that gets our attention, and we are quite interested in seeing that trajectory of development from the grassroots. We also understand that you are from Ushafa.

Yes, I’m a native of Ushafa

How well do your people know you, outside politics?

The name Dariya is a household name. Just recently, it became a name in politics. The name Dariya on its own has been a household name because of the impact I’ve made in this society. The name Dariya is not my name; it is the name of my company, and NGO, Dariya Development Initiative.

When I returned from school in 2012, after graduating, I came back to Ushafa, and I saw that there was a need to solve the problem of financial transactions. In 2012, there was a huge gap and people were suffering in Ushafa. If you wanted to withdraw money or transfer money, you have to go to either Dutse, Kubwa or Bwari. I said no, I have to solve the problem of this community. Go and verify, I’m the first person to introduce the use of POS in Ushafa and environs. Today, you cannot count the number of POS that emerged after my discovery. I want to say discovery because at the time I brought it, for so many people in the entire community and environs, there was nothing like that.

It was at that time, within those periods, 2013, 2014, 2015, that JAMB introduced CBT, where people had to use computers to write JAMB. Thereafter, they also introduced Junior  WAEC to use computers to write. In my community, such problems existed because computer centres were rare, and the ones that even existed, the parents couldn’t afford to train their children. At that time, computer training was hot cake. Where in three months, people trained for 10,000 naira. Six months, 15,000 and 18,000 and it became a very big problem to people in the community. So what I did, I assembled friends who were technologically inclined like me, knowledgeable enough, brought in our computers. I  called  parents and said, we’ll be able to train your children at the rate of 3,000 naira instead of 10,000  naira. We got that money, we went and bought additional desktops. We had sufficient ones to train a lot of number of students and to be able to accommodate them and that problem also was solved.

Hon Solomon Garda interview

We have quarries in our communities where they keep blasting (rocks), and their activities are encroaching on our existing infrastructure, such as roads and our buildings, and at that time, when I was the president of our youth association, nothing existed like a community development agreement, CDA. I had to take a look at the Mining Act and I started the agitation that these companies, they must give back to the society through corporate social responsibility. As I talk to you today, as a result of my initiative, my knowledge, it has caused the companies today to do lots of corporate social responsibility to the community, such as grading of roads, introducing more of water, public water pipes as I speak to you now.

It’s also as a result of it that they are building the chief palace and chief residence. There are many more that I cannot even mention. So, you see, this is the little I’ve been able to do in my community.

I’ve been able to give a lot of scholarships to qualified students whose results are clean, and they also have aspiration to become health workers. If you go to Gwagwalada today, I have a reasonable number of people, they came under the Dariya Development Initiative scholarship, tuition-free, but they pay their examination fee buy their handouts. When it comes to tuition fee, it’s taken care of. So at some point when things began to deteriorate, rates becoming high, I couldn’t afford to give them a total tuition-free again–the subsequent batches–I started subsidising to 50% tuition-free.

Hon Solomon Garda Interview

And I’m glad today, when I walk on the streets, I see people greeting me, appreciating me. I just respond to them. Some months ago, one of them saw me and said “sir, don’t you recognize me? I’m one of the beneficiaries of your scholarships”. I said, I don’t know. So you don’t need to really render help just because you know this one. Give it to people who are in dire need of it. Throw it out, and posterity will speak for you.

…we are going to fix Bwari Area Council. We’re going to fix Bwari Area Council.

You’re one of those who have good intentions for the people of Bwari Area Council? How do you intend to transform this area council? Walk us through your manifesto?

One and first, what you follow determines what follows you. I’ve discovered that the past and present are still building a team that contains leaders who have served Bwari before and have failed. Leaders who don’t have something new to offer. Inasmuch as I am the Chairman Bwari Area Council, I am building a team. A team of experts. A team of honest persons. A team of people who have passion for development. There is one thing for you to be there, and people surrounding you are picking up portfolios, but they are not delivering. Bwari Area Council is building a team that is credible and competent. Not minding what tribe, not minding what state. Once you have what it takes to transform Bwari Area Council you bring it to the table and we harmonise. Because I’ve seen that even as a chairman, we have good intentions and (if)  people around you are not in the same velocity of development that you are, it will retard your development. So I think it’s one important aspect that I need to deal with.

Another aspect is the issue of inclusiveness. I don’t (intend to) run the Bwari Area Council as if you are running a family business where you bring up all your family members, all your friends to run it. At this time around, we’re looking at how we’re bringing different tribes, religion, not just because of religion, but people who have been tested and trusted. Whose qualities represent what we’re looking for in Bwari Area Council from the political persepective, and they know how to transform things. So that every tribe come into Bwari Council and make their developments and having your own in the government gives you a sense of belonging. Bringing the government closer to the people.

I’m glad you’re mentioning this because I was going to ask you about specifics to gauge your appreciation of the people’s challenge, the challenges that people are facing. I’m glad you’re mentioning this because things having to do with dark streets, the roads, the state of the road, the state of even drainages because now you hinting on this gives  a clearer picture of how you are closer to our real challenge.

It may be interesting to know that as big as Kubwa is –and Usuma Ward– we appreciate the presence of the General Hospital, but the primary health centers are not functioning. Primary health centers are directly under the Area Council. It’s the responsibility of the chairman to ensure that our primary health centers are working. I’m telling you, I’ve taken survey, I’ve gone there myself to assess the state of most of these health centers. A large percentage of it, they are not functioning. In fact, some are not even existing at all. The last one I visited was the one at Chikakore Primary Health Center. When I arrived there, it was like a graveyard. In fact the staff in that particular facility, they were just sitting idle, I went round the wards, there were no activities  going on in that place. When I even tried to confirm their staff strength, I discovered that most of the staff working there, the ones I met, they were all volunteers. I have to tell you that we are really short of staff. I’m telling the people of Bwari Area Council, when I come, we’d look into the health sector, and increase the budget so that it will accommodate employment of qualified health workers. Because when we have the health centers working, it will really serve the vulnerable. Yes, they say health is wealth. So no matter what development you bring to a community, if the health of those people in the community is not in check, the developmental amount to nothing.

Honourable Garda, thank you so much for everything that you’ve said so far. It engenders hope and it makes us understand that you are close to your people and that grassroots is quite important to you. For us at Inside Kubwa, you know, our primary constituency is Kubwa, but operating inside the whole of Bwari Area Council, naturally we have to have interest in what goes on elsewhere. So we have 10 wards in the area council. You are from Ushafa and that is taken for granted, you are familiar with Kubwa based on the things you’ve told us. How about places like Dutse, Kawu, Igu, Kuduru and the rest of the places? What should they expect? How would they expect to “feel” you?

Hon Solomon Garda Interview

Well, if time permits me, I will thematically tell you what is obtainable in all the wards and what is not obtainable in all the wards. We have to talk about education, primary education. It’s the same in the 10 wards. There is no ward that the primary school roof is not bad. There is no word that is lacking of debts. There is no ward that teachers have not agitated for the payment of their entitlements. It’s just recently now that they were have paid the entitlement and some it’s not absolute 100%. But I want to give it to the chairman that after incessant strike actions, lots of agitation, we’re able to come up to solve this issue of non-payment of teachers’ entitlement. There are some people that are still agitating, you know. So that is to tell you that I’m familiar with what’s happening. I’m one of the frontrunners who has participated and added a voice calling on the local government, area council chairman to do the needful. So when I come on board by the special grace of God, I already know the terrain, I already know the challenges of our teachers and I’m telling you by the special grace of God, we are going to fix Bwari Area Council. We’re going to fix Bwari Area Council.

So, last words, Bwari Area Council is a place that has people that are not indigenous. Many of us came from all over the country, and we’ve made this place home. It has been a good place for a lot of people who are here. Now, people have brought themselves out. They say they want to be chairman. Why should they choose you over those people?

Well, one of my favorite quotes is that good leadership is a blessing to the people and bad leadership is a curse. People of Bwari Area Council want to be blessed. That’s why they are going for one whom they know, when given the opportunity, is going to attract blessings to them. It was not just a coincidence that they chose me. They’ve seen my track record. They know my character.

So in this contest, I’ve traded my integrity, I’ve traded my honesty, and I’ve traded credibility. I may not be the best in the entire Bwari Area Council, but in this contest where I have other people in other political parties contesting with me, I’m telling you who presents the best manifesto. When given opportunity, having seen our track record and having assessed our credibility and competence, and having assessed our experience and our vast knowledge, I tell you that we are the best to beat.

Thank you so much, Honourable Solomon Garda. We appreciate you for the time. Thank you very much. We wish you all the very best.