The Alhaji Ibrahim Masari Foundation gave N300,000 each to 1000 business owners in Malumfashi and Kafur local governments, as part of its yearly empowerment programme on Sunday.
He’s the people’s governor. Some call him a servant leader. In other fora, he’s called a visionary governor. These epithets capture Dikko Umaru Radda, the governor who has orchestrated what can only be described as democracy’s finest moment in Katsina’s history. He created a budget that carries the voices of 71,384 citizens, carefully sought the opinions of 6,649 households, and ensured that women (32.1% of attendees) and persons with disabilities (4.9%) were not mere spectators but active participants in shaping their state’s financial destiny.
“Katsina is not just developing. It is leading.” Those were the words of Vice President Kashim Shettima as he departed Katsina on Tuesday afternoon, after a two-day working visit that revealed the depth of transformation happening in the state. It was not a political statement. It was an observation—one made by Nigeria’s number two citizen after witnessing firsthand what Governor Dikko Umaru Radda has built.
“A serious farmer does not just plant seeds and walk away. He waters daily, weeds constantly, and watches over his crops until harvest.” This age-old wisdom accurately captures the leadership style of Governor Dikko Umaru Radda as Katsina State celebrates 38 years of existence. Like that dedicated farmer, Radda has shown that when he says he means business, he backs his words with daily action, constant attention, and dedication to results.
“Government is an institution which prevents injustice other than such as it commits itself,” wrote the great Arabian scholar Ibn Khaldun centuries ago. Yet in Governor Dikko Umaru Radda, Katsina has found a leader who proves that governance can indeed be an instrument of justice rather than its obstacle. Radda’s journey from a classroom teacher at Radda Day Secondary School to the state’s top echelon office reads like a testament to the power of purposeful service.
Political discourse in Katsina State and beyond has been dominated by one subject: Governor Dikko Umaru Radda’s decision to proceed on a three-week medical leave amid prevailing security challenges. The debate has taken on a life of its own, with critics especially from opposition quarters claiming that the governor’s absence at such a time is irresponsible and insensitive.
