Dikko Umaru Radda

By Ahmed Abdulkadir

It was with a mix of curiosity and concern that I came across an article published by The Daily Reality on July 12, 2025, titled “How the Lack of Strong Opposition Masks the Government’s Failures in Katsina.” The write-up was emotionally charged, laced with sweeping generalisations and unverified claims against the administration of Governor Dikko Umar Radda. But beyond the passion and provocative headline lies the need for a more measured and fact-based perspective—one grounded in reality rather than rhetoric.

Let us take a closer look at the major allegations raised in the article and critically examine them with verifiable facts and thoughtful context.

The “Failure” of a PhD Holder? A Misplaced Premise

One of the more glaring assertions in the article is the idea that Governor Radda’s possession of a PhD was oversold during his campaign and that his government has since failed to meet expectations. But such a claim is not only simplistic—it is unfair.

Yes, Governor Radda holds a doctorate degree, a fact that underscores his academic pedigree. However, governance is not a matter of titles or certificates—it is about policies, programs, and political will. The proper question should be: What has he done since assuming office in May 2023?

So far, the Radda administration has rolled out programs in agriculture, healthcare, and security reform. For instance, his data-driven community development model now guides the distribution of fertiliser, agro-support, and loans, ensuring that those who truly need support get it. His collaboration with the Bank of Industry for interest-free loans to MSMEs is unprecedented in the state. His administration has also launched the Health Insurance Scheme for Retirees—the first of its kind in Katsina’s history.

If there are areas needing improvement, no doubt. But to write off the administration as a “failure” just two years into a four-year mandate without a balanced assessment is more political than logical.

Insecurity: Who Really Bears the Blame?

The article devotes significant attention to the security situation in Katsina State. It laments the rising tide of banditry and communal violence, laying the blame squarely on the state government’s shoulders.

There is no denying the pain and fear that many communities in Katsina face. Attacks in places like Yargoje and Faskari are fresh scars in our collective memory. But to understand the security challenge in Katsina, one must first recognise that it is a national crisis, not a localised failure.

Security in Nigeria is under the exclusive control of the Federal Government. The police, the military, and the intelligence agencies all answer to Abuja. Governors, including Dr. Radda, are often described as “chief security officers” in name only—they command no troops, control no weapons, and fund security operations from limited state budgets.

That said, the Radda administration has not folded its arms. It has recruited and trained community vigilantes, equipped local security outfits, and created a Directorate of Humanitarian and Social Support to cater to victims of banditry and displacement. These interventions may not be silver bullets, but they reflect proactive governance in a highly constrained security architecture.

Education: A Long Road, not a Quick Fix

Another issue raised in the article is the high number of out-of-school children in Katsina. On this point, the critics are absolutely right. Katsina ranks among the states with the highest rates of out-of-school children in Nigeria. But what they failed to mention is that this is not a new problem, nor one created by the Radda administration.

The roots of the educational crisis in Katsina go back decades. Years of underfunding, weak infrastructure, socio-cultural barriers, and insecurity have combined to undermine education in the state. What matters now is what the current government is doing to address it.

Governor Radda has begun the process of improving school enrollment, especially for girls. New schools are being built in underserved areas. He has introduced teacher recruitment and training initiatives. And there are plans underway to integrate Qur’anic education with formal curriculum to bridge the gap between Almajiri and Western education.

Is it enough? Not yet. But progress is being made—step by step.

Opposition Politics: Is There Really a Vacuum?

Perhaps the most politically charged claim in the article is that Katsina suffers from a lack of effective opposition, which allows the government to operate without scrutiny. This is an old and recurring lament in Nigerian politics, especially in states where the ruling party dominates.

Yes, the All Progressives Congress (APC) won the 2023 governorship with a comfortable margin. Yes, the party also secured all three Senate seats and most House of Assembly positions. But to interpret this dominance as the death of opposition politics is disingenuous.

The PDP remains active in Katsina. The SDP fields candidates. Civil society voices are alive and well. In fact, the very article in question—published without censorship—is evidence that dissenting voices are being heard.

If opposition parties are underperforming, the responsibility lies with them to reorganise, re-strategise, and connect meaningfully with the grassroots. Democracy is not sustained by the volume of complaints but by the quality of alternatives.

A Balanced View, not a Biased Verdict

In conclusion, while the concerns raised by Daily Reality are important and deserve public discourse, their presentation lacks balance and fails the test of objectivity. The article reads more like a political broadside than a serious critique of governance. It ignores nuance, omits progress, and assumes malice where complexity exists.

Katsina State, like much of Nigeria, is grappling with real challenges—security, education, healthcare, and youth unemployment. But it is also a place where honest efforts are being made to build a better future. The truth, as always, lies somewhere in the middle, not in the extremes of praise or condemnation.

Governor Radda may not have achieved everything yet, but his administration has not been idle, incompetent, or indifferent. Let us hold him accountable, yes—but let us also be fair, factual, and future-minded in our assessments.

Ahmed Abdulkadir is the Board Chairman of Katsina State Radio and Television Services.

By Muhammad Isyaku Malumfashi

One thing I despise about Katsina’s political realm is the absence of a strong and formidable opposition that will tackle the government’s dormancy and make them very focused and renaissance-like toward their responsibilities by using both envious and constructive criticism against those in power, so that at least the citizens may witness democratic dividends seen in some states.

But for the opposition to hold hands and keep mute without holding those in power accountable for any misfortune is unhealthy, and that’s the reason why we are here. Many citizens have questions about the power, but they are afraid to ask due to threats of arrest or intimidation by those close to the power. Perhaps some would disguise themselves in the name of advice to convince you not to oppose this failed government led by the so-called PhD, but they will not prove to you that what you said about the government is not true.

It’s a good thing to advise one to be cautious and watchful of his tongue, but it’s cowardice to intimidate him with arrest or cite the quibbles of his words without pointing out the error in them. The present Katsina government at all levels has become a failure despite the boasting made about the ‘educational qualification’ of the governor during the campaign and even after in his first year of office.

The governor made it clear that he would work with only ‘educated people’ because he is a PhD holder. His academic position was also used to deceive people into believing that Katsina would have a governor for the first time who had attained such a high level of education, unlike his predecessors, who were only master’s degree and diploma holders. People believed that the highest level of education equates to good governance until Governor Radda spent two years in office with nothing to show, or at least outshine or perform better than his predecessors.

That’s when we realised that a secondary school leaver may do better than a PhD in governance because it’s not about the qualification but fear of God, experience, integrity, and honesty. This administration of a PhD holder has not endangered any sector in Katsina. Take the security issue first, which is the most pressing issue in the state.

During the campaign, the governor made it clear that even if it’ll cost him not constructing a single gutter, he’ll eliminate insecurity in the state. We were happy to hear that and even began to see some desirable steps toward actualising that by distributing ammunition to citizens, launching the Katsina State Security Watch Corps, and arresting and killing many people found sabotaging the fight against insecurity. But what happened along the way?

The emphasis was later shifted to politics; the bold promise of no negotiation with bandits at the weak point was broken, and we saw negotiations made in some local governments when it was apparent that the bandits breached many trusts that had been placed in them by the previous government after the talks, and the insurgency escalated. It’s only during Radda that we’ve seen the worst of banditry, especially in my hometown of Malumfashi.

Initially, they only attacked villages, but later they expanded their attacks to cities. People are no longer safe. The son of our immediate local government chairman has been in bandits’ captivity for months now. My sibling, a sister of the same father and the same mother, was kidnapped in the same area where the ex-chairman lived while in office, and his child was abducted.

Many people inside Malumfashi were kidnapped; some were killed, and some had ransom paid to release them. Even today, I woke up seeing the sad news of the death of a PDP leader in Malumfashi from bandits. It’s under this government that dozens of villages in Malumfashi were evacuated due to banditry, and a whole brigadier general from Tsiga was kidnapped and spent more than 50 days in their hands before gaining freedom after millions were paid to them as ransom.

And a first-position winner from Katsina of the National Qur’anic Competition (Musabaqa) held in Kebbi was also kidnapped with his parents along their way back to Faskari from Katsina, where the governor gave him prizes and gifts, but was not able to ask security to escort him home despite the apparent danger of their town. And the governor made a blatant lie in a video, which I saved for my unborn children to remind them that ‘he’s the one feeding every family whose head is kidnapped in the state.’ This is not just a capital lie but a grievous one.

If you take education, you still have nothing to show. The previous government was paying WAEC and NECO for every student in government schools who passed the qualifying exams. Still, this government of ‘PhDs’ paid only NECO to every student, even if he or she passed both WAEC and NECO last year. Katsina’s NECO result was released late last year, after many schools had concluded their admission processes, and the pass rate was very low. Katsina was ranked among the three lowest-passing states in the NECO exam last year.

The governor employed thousands of teachers and a few from the health sector. I agreed, but he did not tell us how many thousands have retired in every sector every year and how far along the replacement process is. No school will go without seeing a shortage of teachers, and the same goes for clinics.

How long did it take him to implement the 70k minimum wage, and has it been implemented 100%? You’ll hardly see a civil servant who saw an increase of up to 50k in his salary, like in other states. What was the cause of his dispute with the university staff about the minimum wage implementation, and how many times did they reject his low implementation of minimum wage for them?

The tertiary school fees were raised when many students were dropping out due to the high cost of education, even though the governor is now earning more than his predecessor because of the removal of subsidies. His predecessor did not increase the school fees, but PhD did. In his just two years in office, he claims to have spent more on security than the previous government did in 8 years, yet there has been no clear difference between the two governments in their success against banditry in the state.

Only these two crucial areas are sufficient to condemn this Yan Boko government, but the lack of opposition in Katsina is giving the governor the confidence to speak badly about the coalition. 

Coalition/opposition has come to stay in Katsina, and no man born of a woman can stop it.

By Abdullahi Mukhtar Algasgaini

The reason for the query is the non-participation of some districts in the traditional Durbar during the last Eid-al-Adha celebrations, two weeks ago.

However, as some observers pointed out, there has been a cold war between the Emir and Governor Dikko Umar Radda in the last six months.

They added that Governor Radda is bent on checkmating the Emirs’ perceived excessess.

Part of the governor’s plan, the observers who prefer to remain anonymous said, is to restructure the Emirate, bring on board some of the Emir’s sworn “detractors,” and appoint them to strategic traditional stools.

Incidentally, the governor and the Emir are blood relations. The Emir himself said so publicly during the 2023 electioneering campaign.

By Muhammad Malumfashi

It is no longer intriguing to discuss with the victims of withheld pension payments under the current administration in Katsina State. The pensioners are experiencing severe hunger, their children are unable to attend school, and as a result, their families are vulnerable to social problems for which the governor of Katsina is responsible.

How can a rational government extend the screening process until salary time, knowing that their screening team is not mature and time-conscious enough to complete their work before the start of the salary period? This government, which claims to be ‘intelligent’, is creating unnecessary chaos.

I have listened to the accounts of the victims. Regrettably, this government is not taking significant steps to address the issue. These unpaid pensioners dedicated their lives to serving our state. Some could have found lucrative jobs elsewhere but chose to remain in Katsina and serve their home state until retirement. And now, the government is rewarding them with starvation. What an ungrateful government!

If Governor Dikko Umar Radda (PhD) indeed possesses a doctorate, he should not have merely stated it through words, but instead, he should have demonstrated it through his actions. Unfortunately, his actions don’t even match those of someone who has never had the opportunity to attend elementary school. A PhD, in my opinion, should be characterised by excellence, compassion, promptness, and exceptional decision-making. However, the current government, led by Dikko, is the complete opposite of what we expected.

Dikko should not give us the impression that we are moving from frying pan to fire under the APC’s administration in Katsina. We have long to witness a significant distinction between educated leaders and those lacking education. But Dikko demonstrates, through his actions, that the only difference lies in whether they attain power. They are all birds of the same feather.

Dikko started impudently with a fervent religious overtone and resolute vigour regarding his esteemed doctorate. Katsina’s initial expectations were that a transformation would ensue, surpassing the advancements of neighbouring states in infrastructure development, educational excellence, scholarly interventions, agricultural sustainability, and unexplored approaches to security intelligence. However, to our dismay, we regret electing this incapable and uninspiring PhD holder to lead our state affairs.

We earnestly implore Governor Dikko to take compassionate action, whether motivated by his moral duty or the preservation of his scholarly prestige and promptly provide the pensioners with their long-overdue pensions. Their current living conditions have reached an unacceptable state, bordering on the unimaginable, and if not addressed promptly, dire consequences may unfold.

It is disconcerting to witness the sight of workers and pensioners protesting on the streets, exemplifying the government’s ill-treatment towards them. Should our esteemed governor not execute the necessary actions, it would mark an unfortunate first during his tenure and harm the state’s harmonious relationship with its workforce.

A thorough assessment of his achievements thus far has made it evident that a degree or doctorate certificate is not a prerequisite for government appointments or the ability to govern effectively. Dikko’s PhD has not set him apart from his predecessors; instead, he merely builds upon their legacies. The sole accomplishment I can attribute to his tenure is the establishment of the ‘Katsina State Security Watch Corps,’ which emerged as a product of his government initiative. Unfortunately, there seem to be no further substantial achievements to highlight.

Nonetheless, our followers are responsible for recognising that even the constitution does not require a specific educational qualification, such as a degree or PhD, for individuals seeking governance. We should disregard excessive education and prioritise transparency, credibility, competence, experience, past performance, and a candidate’s track record to determine their eligibility for our vote. This is because having a PhD has not translated into tangible benefits for our society, such as improved living conditions or economic prosperity.

Initially, I believed that with the grandiose claims made by Dikko and his supporters about his PhD degree, Katsina would have transformed into a modern metropolis like Dubai or Qatar by now. However, disappointingly, we have yet to surpass the standards set by even neighbouring states in the northwest, let alone compete with the more developed southern states.

We have now realised that all the hype and celebration surrounding Dikko’s qualifications were falsehoods (duk karya ne). He has failed to deliver on his promises, and the role of the governor surpasses that of the Director-General of Smedan. Furthermore, Katsina is not simply a local government like Charanchi.

Muhammad Malumfashi wrote via muhammadisyakumalumfashi@gmail.com.

By Isah Miqdad

The Executive Governor of Katsina State, Malam Dikko Umaru Radda, PhD, has approved the appointment of Naufal Ahmed as Director General (ICT Directorate).

The appointment, which is with effect from 14th August 2023, is based on the conviction that Mr Naufal will serve faithfully, diligently, and in the best interest of the service.

As the visionary founder of the esteemed Kirkira Innovation Hub, Naufal has pioneered the establishment of the first-ever technology hub in the region. This groundbreaking initiative has served as a transformative force, equipping countless young individuals with vital technological skills and providing them with a platform to thrive.

Naufal’s remarkable career as a tech ecosystem builder has been nothing short of extraordinary. With an unwavering passion for innovation and youth empowerment, his impact on the tech landscape of Katsina and Nigeria at large is undeniable.

He has been a sought-after speaker and organiser at numerous conferences across Katsina and the country, sharing his insights and inspiring others to embrace innovation.

In recognition of his outstanding achievements, Naufal has received numerous accolades, including being named among the Opportunities Hub’s 100 Most Influential Youths for his significant contributions to youth development and entrepreneurship.

By Amir Sa’ad Ribadu

The 2023 election cycle has introduced quite a handful of female politicians ranging from the candidates themselves to the wives of candidates. Some female politicians have garnered massive publicity and relevance within their states, while others have become national figures and inspirations to women all over Nigeria.

One such woman is the wife of Katsina state Governor-elect Hajiya Fatima Dikko Radda, whose sudden emergence in the Katsina state political scene has made her an inspiration to women and a political force to reckon with in Katsina.

Before her emergence into the scene as a result of her husband’s success at the Katsina APC primaries sometime in May 2022, Hajiya Fatima, fondly known in Katsina as Zinariya is only known for her philanthropy, passion for educating the girl-child and healthcare delivery by a few beneficiaries of her foundation, PAC-F. PAC-F, which she founded a few years back, has kept her busy. In a recent interview, Hajiya Fatima attributed her passion for philanthropy, which birthed PAC-F, to her late mother.

In another interview in December, she told reporters how she intends to support her husband’s policy, especially in eradicating poverty and improving the healthcare and educational environment for the Katsina girl child.

It is therefore not surprising when she was seen campaigning so vigorously that she is said to have taken her husband’s message personally to 146 wards out of the 361 wards in Katsina, which is unprecedented for the wife of any guber candidate in any state in the North.

Her campaigns mainly centred around her husband’s policy document. Also, they focused on her passion for helping the girl child and supporting her husband in making healthcare delivery accessible to all in Katsina, especially women.

She seems to have been accepted by women and young people in Kastina because most can relate with her, owing to her age, ability to understand and proffer solutions, and natural propensity for generosity. Her acceptance is evident through the crowd she gathers every time she’s at a campaign rally or even in her house when she’s around Katsina.

Her Batagarawa low-cost home has become a popular destination for many who need assistance for medical purposes or daily needs. Her humility, they say, is akin to that of the carpenter of Nazareth.

Her youthful determination and willingness to contribute to her husband, Dr Dikko Radda’s campaign, could be seen in how passionately she reached out to the electorates in Katsina villages. She travelled through the length and breadth of Katsina’s Funtua Zone, a zone marred by insecurity and violence, and on many occasions, some members of her entourage have opted to stay back, but not Zinariya. This is because she was determined to witness first-hand the situation of the typical Katsina family in the villages where insecurity and poverty are rife.

It is, therefore, not surprising to see youth and women rally around her, chanting slogans of hers and her husband’s whenever she is around. This and many more reasons are why Katsina is said to be lucky to have a youthful, energetic, and passionate Governor in Dr Dikko Radda, who shares precisely the same qualities as his wife, Zinariya Fatima Dikko Radda.

Amir Sa’ad Ribadu writes from Libreville Crescent, Wuse 2, Abuja. He can be contacted via mrribadu@gmail.com.

By Yusuf Murtala

With great delight, pleasure and excitement, I write to congratulate you on this marathon achievement of being elected Governor of Katsina State in the recently concluded election. Your success is a sign that Katsina state is on the verge of becoming a greater state again. I pray you to achieve your plans for Katsina state in sha Allah.

I write to inform or remind you about the current or sorry state of my dear town, Maska, which I believe is part of your plans to restore the good image of rural areas and carry them all along in your administration, which you stated in your blueprint that they could also contribute to the development of our dear State.

With a population of over 50,000, Maska is left behind by previous administrations/governments because they’re not informed about the abundant natural resources. It has, which can if carefully managed, generated a handsome amount of revenue for the state.

I Would not hesitate to remind you about the dirty Condition of our (Maska Community Comprehensive Hospital) which was built a long time ago by a patriotic citizen to save the town and its environs from the suffering they experience in an attempt to carry their patients to the local Government near them for treatment. It’s in a dirty condition as inadequate or lacking infrastructural development to treat patients. Female and male wards are left shattered that even animals will suffer to live therein. Toilets and maternity wards where our parents ( Pregnant women ) are received is also a thing to cry out for. I hope his excellency will consider us on this too.

Our local market (Maska Monday Market) is undoubtedly a hub of the economy, where millions of transactions are carried out every Monday. Thus, reconstructing it by providing or building newly constructed shops or stores will ensure much attendance, especially in the rainy season. This will also encourage investors or businessmen from and around the town to participate actively and hugely contribute to the economy of my dear state and the country at large.

I will not forget to remind you again about the Dam in my town which, if also given a concern, will save several unemployed youths from roaming the street. Moreover, reconstructing it will also create jobs for the teeming populace as it will be used to enhance dry season farming, popularly known as (Noman Rani) and encourage fishing farming which is also a means of generating income for the state.

Security issues of the state are among the top priorities you highly placed in your blueprint, and we firmly believe they will be drastically eradicated quickly.

Finally, your excellency, we hope and pray that this letter will reach you in good and sound health. We also pray that your administration will be smoothly carried out.

Yusuf Murtala can be reach via yusufmurtala595@gmail.com