On Thursday, protesters from Ringim Local Government Area in Jigawa State marched to the Government House in Dutse, demanding the immediate removal of the state’s Agriculture Commissioner, Muttaka Namadi. The demonstrators, who are members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), blocked the main entrance of the Government House, voicing their dissatisfaction with Namadi’s performance.
Hailing from Ringim LGA, Namadi has been accused by the protesters of failing to adequately represent his constituency in the state executive council. Abdullahi Muhammad, one of the protest organizers, expressed frustration over the commissioner’s lack of responsiveness to the needs of his constituents, despite repeated attempts to engage him.
Muhammad stated, “We have come here to formally lodge our complaints against the Commissioner for Agriculture, Muttaka Namadi, because of his poor representation of our community. We have spoken to him several times to carry everybody along in the area, but he turned a deaf ear to our demands.”
The protesters emphasized that their actions were in line with Governor Umar Namadi’s directive for political appointees to engage with and support their constituencies. They argued that the commissioner’s failure to do so had demoralized party members in the area.
In response, the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Mustapha Makama, and the state APC chairperson, Aminu Sani, received the protesters and promised to relay their concerns to Governor Umar Namadi. Sani urged the protesters to remain patient, assuring them that their complaints would be addressed in due course. He also praised the protesters for their peaceful conduct during the demonstration.
