2015 presidency: I won’t support anyone – Aliyu

The Governor of Niger State, Dr. Babangida Aliyu, has declared that his loyalty is to the Peoples Democratic Party and not any individual within or outside the party who seeks any elective position, including the presidency, in 2015.
Aliyu said this on Monday while exchanging views with different delegations that called on him at the Government House, Minna.
He declared: “I am not supporting any particular candidate for any position as of now because nobody knows who will reach 2015.”
Aliyu said the clarification had become necessary following the misconception of the people about his statement last week that the PDP will win the presidential and Niger State governorship elections come 2015.
He said: “It is not a support for any individual.
“I am a party member, loyal one for that matter, and I must sell my party and I will do it in a such a way that Nigerians will buy it.
“I don’t know whether I will reach 2015, not to talk of supporting a particular candidate.
“I cannot tell you who will be where or what will happen in 2015, but I must continue as party member to be loyal and patriotic to Nigeria.
“There is no much difference between all the registered political parties in the country, which has made vigorous mobilization of the people very important and necessary.
“When you look at all the political parties in Nigeria, there is no major difference but we need to be ahead of others.
“We need to re-strategize government and its activities and bring out our manifesto properly and let the people compare us and the other political parties.”
Speaking on education, Governor Aliyu observed: “There is no age limit to the acquisition of educational knowledge because the more you study, the more active, the more vigilant one becomes.”
While commending the National Open University. Minna Study Centre for assisting the state government in the execution of its free education programme, the governor directed that the N30 million debt owed the university by the government since 2007 should be paid immediately.
He also said that 100 hectares of land should be made available to the university for development as the permanent site of the institution.
He promised that the government will assist to make the project a reality.
To reduce the huge number of qualified students seeking admission into universities in the country, Governor Aliyu advocated that each NOUN study centre should be made a full fledge university to the extent that they will be able to absorb more students.
Leader of one of the delegations and Coordinator of the Minna NOUN Study Centre, Dr. Francis Gana, disclosed that the institution has so far graduated 394 students since its establishment in the state in 2003, adding that admission had risen from 150 in 2003 to 3,188 last year.
The governor also received the Volleyball Supporters Club, which appointed him the National Patron of the group, as well as the victorious football team being funded by the state Chairman of the PDP, Dr. Abdulrahama Enagi.