The Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Science and Technology, Hajia Saadat Modibbo Kawu has resigned her appointment to contest Ilorin East/Ilorin South Federal constituency seat in the House of Representatives in the forthcoming 2023 general elections.
Recall that Governor Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq, issued a directive asking political appointees seeking elective offices in 2023 to resign.
Speaking with members of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the state council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Ilorin, Hajia Kawu said that her passion is to transform the rural areas in the education sector.
The All Progressives Congress aspirant, who observed infrastructural gap in provision of toilets, especially in primary schools located in rural communities in the state, said her focus would be to complement efforts of the state government in addressing the gap.
An educationist and proprietress of a private school based in Abuja, Hajia Kawu said she did her best to improve education system in the state despite the rot she allegedly met, especially in the rural communities.
The former Commissioner said she worked well with the education stakeholders to record success in school rehabilitation, e-learning and provision of equipment.
Hajia Kawu, agreed that the nation’s education sector is in shambles, as the education system is facing a challenge of inadequate funding, “especially at the primary education level”.
“The area also needs political office holders that are passionate about the appointment of personnel in order to bring about desired change. Meanwhile, I’m satisfied so far with our stewardship.
“The state government has tried to change things more especially with backlog of decay inherited from the previous adminstration.”
She described herself as the most prepared aspirant, saying that she had been in the journey before now, “having worked with communities in my constituency before this time and I also worked in the primaries of APC.”
If elected, the aspirant would be the first female House of Representatives from the Ilorin East/Ilorin South federal constituency, as she is a native of Ilorin South local government and a citizen of the Ilorin East by marriage.
Hajia Kawu, who is the wife of immediate past director general of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Mallam Modibbo Kawu, said that she got the consent of her husband to contest, adding that her husband had given a go ahead.
“Though, he refused to give his consent when I asked for in the last general elections, he has permitted me to go ahead this time, probably because there is a more relative peace and low level of insecurity in our communities when compared with what was the case before,” she added.