…As Shettima receives Yusuf into APC
…Describes governor’s place in party second to none
The Federal Government has approved the sum of N5 billion as an intervention fund for traders affected by the fire outbreak that razed large sections of the popular Singer Market in Kano.
This came just as state governors on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), under the aegis of the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF), also donated N3 billion to victims of the inferno, totalling N8 billion to provide relief to hundreds of affected traders.
According to his spokesman, Stanley Nkwocha, Shettima, who announced the donations on Monday when he led a Federal Government delegation to condole with traders at the market on behalf of President Bola Tinubu, sympathised with the traders, praying Almighty God to prevent future occurrences of fire disasters in the market.
Shettima also formally received Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano State and his teeming supporters into the APC fold on behalf of the President.
Speaking during the grand reception to welcome Governor Yusuf to the APC at the Sani Abacha Stadium, Kano, the Vice President reiterated the President’s assurance that the governor’s place in the governing party was second to none.
He noted that the governor’s decision to join the governing party has strengthened the collective resolve of the Tinubu administration and the party to build a more inclusive and prosperous nation.
“Your Excellency, we have watched the transformation that Kano has undergone under your leadership. We have seen a commitment to people-centred governance and a respect for the mandate of history. Today, we are proud to welcome you aboard the All Progressives Congress train.
“We welcome you with open hands and open hearts. His Excellency, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has made it abundantly clear that your place in this party is second to none and that your presence strengthens our collective resolve to build a more inclusive and prosperous Nigeria,” he stated.
Describing Kano as “an eloquent expression of Nigeria’s cosmopolitan soul” and a state that “welcomes every Nigerian, absorbs every accent, accommodates every ambition, and turns diversity into destiny,” Shettima acknowledged the state’s contributions to Nigeria, which he said “stretch far beyond the arithmetic of elections.
“In commerce, Kano has been the heartbeat of enterprise and trade. In scholarship, it has produced minds that interrogate power and redefine ideas. In politics, in culture, in faith, in industry, Kano has consistently offered Nigeria more than it has ever demanded in return.
“This is a state whose influence transcends geography and whose legacy outgrows any single political moment,” he maintained.
The Vice President recalled that Kano had gifted Nigeria “towering figures who reshaped” the nation’s “political philosophy and moral imagination,” citing prominent politicians like the late Alhaji Maitama Sule and Alhaji Aminu Kano as examples.
Welcoming the Governor into the APC, Shettima described the governor as “another visionary son of Kano,” observing that the governor and his supporters are on “a political journey that speaks to the future of Nigeria.
“His Excellency, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, may be a man of few words, but his principles speak loudly. They speak in the language of conviction. They speak in the language of discipline. They speak in the language of service. They speak in a tone that cannot be doubted because they are anchored in consistency and guided by purpose,” he stated.
On behalf of the Federal Government, the Vice President sympathised with Yusuf over the fire outbreak at Singer Market, assuring that the government at the centre will work collaboratively with the state “to ensure that support is extended to all those affected and that recovery efforts are swift and effective.”
Also, Deputy President of the Senate, Barau Jibrin, noted that with the governor’s defection to the APC, Kano was now in the
