President Buhari’s visit to Katsina not political – Masari

Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina State said on Thursday that President Muhammadu Buhari’s visit to the state on May 9 “is not for political reason, but to promote the state’s economic potentials”.
Masari said during a press conference in Katsina on the forthcoming Katsina State Economic and Investment Summit that the visit would help to focus the attention of the world on the state’s vast investment opportunities.
He said: “The President will visit the state to actively participate in the Economic and Investment Summit that is geared to uplift the economic status of the citizenry of the state.
“The people of the state should accord high respect to the coming of the President as a citizen and indigene of the state.
“The President should not be insulted as the gathering was not a political programme but an investment and economic summit.”
Masari said the government had extended invitation to all officials of the 21 political parties with presence in the state to also participate in the summit.
He said: “I call on the political class not to turn the economic and investment summit into a political affair.
“The government through intelligence report has gathered that some disgruntled elements are planning to sponsor restive youths to stage demonstration so as to disrupt the summit.
“The Katsina State Government will not fold its arm and allow mischief makers to scuttle the programme that was designed to create an environment for investors.”
The governor said the state was blessed with human and mineral resources that needed to be harnessed for the overall benefit of the citizens.
Commenting on the security situation, Masari said the state was completely safe for investment as there were no cases of kidnapping or cattle rustling.
He said the state government had dislodged all the cattle rustlers in Rugu forest and recovered 11,000 cows, which had been handed over to their owners.
NAN.