Leon Usigbe – Abuja
The Katsina State Governor-elect, Umaru Radda has vowed to deploy technology to tackle terrorism and make deserted farmlands accessible for cultivation when he takes office.
He spoke to correspondents after being presented to President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Friday.
He was led to the president’s office by incumbent Katsina State Governor, Aminu Masari.
Radda promised to resuscitate farming activities as the mainstay of Katsina’s economy.
He said: “I have said it over and over that security is our first priority. This is what we are going to give much attention to because it is only when you have peace and security that you can be able to go to the farm, school, hospital and even the market.
“So, security is very cardinal to the economic development of our society. And agriculture is one of the major areas of employment in our state. And it’s a major means of livelihood for our people.
“We must provide security for our people. And we promise to involve the locals and we will involve the use of technology in tackling the security issues in my state.
“Agriculture is a major area of livelihood for our people. So we must provide security for our people to farm. We will involve the locals and use technology in tackling the security issues in my state,” he added.
Radda said he has already commenced a strategic policy review under the present administration whose recommendations will be implemented after May 29.
The governor-elect stated: “We have rolled out our strategic policy for the state and just the day before yesterday, we inaugurated our strategic policy review committees.
“We want to kickstart our work immediately after we are sworn in as governor and deputy. So I think we are doing everything now to ensure that we put everything in place so that we can hit the ground running immediately after swearing-in.”
“The president has always been advocating for transparency and accountability in government. And he urged us to be fair and open to Almighty God in discharging our responsibility.”
He spoke more on his visit to the villa, saying: “We thanked Mr President, and we felt that we should come and show him our certificate of return as issued to us by INEC.
“We just came here with my governor and our leader to meet Mr President and to thank Him for what he has done for us as a nation and what he has done for us as the leader of the party. We came to appreciate him because of his input to the victory we got in Katsina.”
READ ALSO FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
