Dasuki: Northwest ADC Candidates Introduce New Strategy to End Insecurity
By Nafiu Muhammad Lema
The Deputy Minority Leader of the House of Representatives and Coordinator of the Northwest ADC Governorship Candidates Forum, Hon. Abdussamad Dasuki, says the seven governorship candidates of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) have introduced a new and coordinated approach to tackling insecurity in the region.
Dasuki made the remarks when he appeared on the Arise News Night program after the seven ADC governorship candidates from Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara and Jigawa states signed a regional development compact on September 9, outlining common strategies to address insecurity and other socio-economic challenges confronting the Northwest.
He described the initiative as a significant departure from previous approaches, saying the candidates were preparing to assume office with clearly defined plans rather than waiting until after their inauguration.
“You don’t wait until you get there before you start preparing. They want to get into office well-prepared from the very first day they swing into action” he said.
According to him, the security situation in the Northwest requires fresh ideas and coordinated action, noting that the region has endured insecurity for nearly two decades without a lasting solution.
Dasuki said he was optimistic that the proposed measures could significantly improve security within months of the candidates assuming office.
“We have been discussing insecurity for almost getting to 19–20 years, and we have not been able to find the headway. But with what they have brought in the last couple of months, I believe, in a couple of months after assuming office, we’re going to get over insecurity in the northern part of the country and, by extension, Nigeria” he stressed.
He said technology would be central to the candidates’ security strategy, including the deployment of drones and the establishment of command-and-control centres across the 21 senatorial districts of the Northwest.
“Technology must be utilized, drones must be used, and they’ve agreed that in the 21 senatorial districts within the Northwest region, every zone should have a command and control center” Dasuki emphasized.
Dasuki explained that the proposed centres would facilitate rapid responses to reports of attacks and other security incidents.
“Immediately you report security incidents, within the next three minutes, you have an answer to what is happening” he declared.
Dasuki Defends ₦110,000 Minimum Wage
The ADC chieftain also defended the proposed ₦110,000 minimum wage contained in the candidates’ development agenda, arguing that the current ₦70,000 minimum wage has been significantly eroded by the devaluation of the naira.
He said workers’ earnings must reflect prevailing economic realities and help restore their purchasing power.
“With regards to ₦110,000 minimum wage, that is long overdue. There should have been a new minimum wage as far back as July 2023” the House Deputy Minority Leader said.
Dasuki argued that the impact of currency devaluation had substantially reduced the real value of workers’ salaries.
“The ₦70,000 is less than the ₦30,000 that they were getting before devaluation. The only way we can help this system revitalise it is to make sure that minimum wage is in conformity with reality” he cried.
He further maintained that increased revenue allocations to states following the naira devaluation could provide the resources required to implement the proposed wage.
According to him, the ADC candidates had examined the figures and concluded that states could afford the ₦110,000 minimum wage without undermining their finances.
“We have done the math, and we realised that with the amount of money going to the states, you can do a minimum wage of ₦110,000, even right now” Dasuki affirmed.
The seven Northwest ADC governorship candidates said their regional compact is intended to promote coordinated policies on security, economic development, workers’ welfare and other issues affecting the region.
