KANO — Governor Abba Yusuf of Kano State has said that he did not influence his nomination for the 2024 Governor of the Year award by Vanguard Newspaper.
He added that he was nominated based on his performance and good work, noting that he never knew he was being closely watched.
The governor stated this while receiving a delegation from Vanguard Media Limited led by the General Editor, Jide Ajani, who was at the Kano State Government House to present the nomination letter to him.
Other members of the team included the Sunday Editor Wale Akinola and Deputy Regional Editor Dapo Akinrefon.
Governor Yusuf said he did nor know any of the Vanguard management staff before now just as he hailed the newspaper for finding him worthy of the award.
He, however, described the Good Governance Award as one which is capable of promoting unity in the country.
He said: “It (award) came to me as a surprise because this is the first time I am meeting any management staff of Vanguard Newspaper. What surprised me was that I didn’t know people were watching me and that is why it is always good to do good. Because you would never know how far it will go. Like the leader of the team said, the selection process was tedious. It goes through stages making it a herculean task. So it is only natural that they did what they did in making sure that they selected the best for this award.
“On behalf of myself, the good people of Kano State, we extend our appreciation to the management and staff of Vanguard Newspapers. Let me seize this opportunity to say that I wholeheartedly accept this nomination as Governor of the Year 2024.
“Be rest assured that Kano State Government will continue to accord you (Vanguard Newspaper) and all other journalists across the federation that have the interest of the good citizens of this country at heart. This is the main reason since we came, we have been trying to have mutual cooperation and understanding between the government and members of the press wherever they are, particularly the Vanguard Newspaper.
“Vanguard Newspaper is not from Kano, not like Triumph. Vanguard Newspaper is not from Northern Nigeria, not like Daily Trust. It is from the Southern part of Nigeria. So you can see the diversity, understanding and this is exactly what we want in Nigeria. Nigeria is one. Although, we may come from different tribes, religion, but one God created all of us for a purpose. This is why I want to seize this opportunity to call on all Nigerians to have an understanding of one another irrespective of where you come from. Let’s respect ourselves. Let’s try to come together and avoid anything that will bring about conflict especially with the insecurity situation we found ourselves. If other Nigerians, organisations could behave the way Vanguard Newspaper management did, I’m sure everybody in this country will be happy and there will be mutual understanding.”
Earlier, Mr Ajani said the process of nomination for the Vanguard award was a tedious one as it goes through proper scrutiny.
He said the governor was nominated for the award based on his performance in the areas of health and education.
