By Mohammed Babagana Abubakar
Email: aunodigitalabuba@gmail.com
Governance is a machinery of synchronized gears. When the Governor and the Deputy Governor the two primary gears of the state cease to mesh, the entire engine of progress stalls. The absence of Deputy Governor Comr. Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo from the 38th State Executive Council (SEC) meeting on March 12 is not just a headline, it is the sound of Kano’s development grinding to a halt.
The State Executive Council is the engine room where contracts are awarded, security strategies are refined, and social welfare programs are birthed. When the Deputy Governor boycotted this meeting, he didn’t just snub Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, he snubbed the administrative process itself.
Policy Paralysis, important memos regarding Higher Education a ministry Gwarzo personally oversees cannot be effectively defended or integrated into the state’s broader vision if the Commissioner is absent.
Investor Anxiety, international and local investors look for stability. A state where the top two leaders are in a cold war is a state where policy consistency is at risk, driving away much-needed capital.
Bureaucratic Confusion, civil servants in the Ministry of Higher Education are left in a wait and-see limbo. Without clear synergy between their Commissioner and the Governor, routine approvals become political minefields.
It is deeply concerning that while Governor Yusuf has transitioned to a new political alignment to navigate the state’s future, the Deputy Governor remains anchored in a position of defiance. By refusing to resign his cabinet role as Commissioner for Higher Education, Gwarzo is effectively holding the academic future of Kano’s youth hostage to his political grievances.
In a state with a massive youth population, the Ministry of Higher Education is too vital to be used as a political shield. The honorable path one taken by several other commissioners was to step down once their political ideologies no longer aligned with the Governor’s. Staying in office while refusing to perform the duties of that office is a textbook definition of self-serving interest.
Is this Gross Misconduct? The answer lies in the result. If the Deputy Governor’s absence causes projects to fail, budgets to lag, and the Ministry of Higher Education to stagnate, it is a direct violation of the oath of office.
The Kano State House of Assembly must recognize that Administrative Stagnation is a legitimate ground for intervention. The Constitution provides for impeachment not as an act of vengeance, but as a reset button for a government that has become dysfunctional.
Kano cannot afford a ghost administration. The rift between Yusuf and Gwarzo is costing the state precious time and resources. For the sake of the millions who rely on government services, this deadlock must be broken. If the Deputy Governor can no longer find it in his heart to sit at the table of governance, he must vacate the seat for someone who will.
Patriotism demands that the interests of the Kano people be placed above the ego of any individual. The ship of state must sail, with or without a deputy who refuses to row.
