2023: Groups Endorse SMEDAN DG, Umaro Radda For Katsina Governorship Election

A PRESS TEXT BY THE COALITION OF CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATIONS IN NIGERIA (COCSON), PROJECT 20 MILLION, YOUNG PROFESSIONALS IN POLITICS, NIGERIAN YOUTH CONGRESS, NIGERIAN STUDENTS AND KATSINA STAKEHOLDERS

Katsina 2023: SMEDAN DG, Umaro Radda, the right man to succeed Gov. Aminu Masari

Protocols:

We have gathered as one single, United and indivisible body to lend our voice to the Katsina APC delegates to grant a consensus to DR UMARU DIKKO RADDA as the Candidate of APC in the 2023 Governorship Elections in 2023.

Radda has proven that he is a man of impeccable character that has what it takes to bring true dividends of democracy to the people of Katsina State. He is a young man like us, he is vibrant, articulate, energetic and technically sound to take up the baton from where Gov Masari will stop.

Dr. Dikko Umaru Radda PhD was appointed as Director General and Chief Executive Officer of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria in 2016, a daunting task of developing and growing MSMEs sub sector of the economy with the life span of Five years in office and his tenure was renewed for the first time in the history of the Agency by the President of Federal Republic of Nigeria

President Muhammadu Buhari in 2021 giving the credence to the dictum that says “reward for work well done is opportunity to do more “.

Under his watch and unprecedented leadership style and superintendence, SMEDAN has recorded innumerable accomplishments; too many to list in an abridged post, but suffice point out few as follows:

1- Implementation of the Conditional Grant Scheme (CGS) for micro entrepreneurs in Nigeria programme where not fewer than 51,000 entrepreneurs have benefited from capacity building, micro insuarance, registration with Corporate Affairs Commission, financial inclusion account opening),grants of N50,000 each and delivery of business development services across more than 15 state in Nigeria.

2-Implementation of the One Local Government One Product (OLOP) programme where thousand of entrepreneurs under 563 cooperatives and operating within organic clusters have benefited from equipments, work space and working capital supports in the form of grant and soft loans as well as capacity building, access to markets and delivery business development services across all states of the federation including FCT.

3-Establishment of Accreditation and Certification Framework for Business Development Service Providers (BDSPs) in Nigeria to ensure that BDS delivery services to MSMEs maintain minimum standard.

4-Conducted 2017 and 2021 National Survey on MSMEs in partnership with National Bureau of Statistics to ensure availability of credible data for planning purposes within the MSME sun-sector in Nigeria.

5-Upgrading of the Industrial Development Centers (1DC) for purposes of providing serviced workspaces for MSMEs in Nigeria .

6- Establishment of the Market Place MSME Database in Nigeria to ensure that critical specific data is available for stakeholders within the MSMEs ecosystem in Nigeria.

7- Introduction of Mass Registration of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises MSMEs in Nigeria. The registration exercise facilities the development of a comprehensive database for MSMEs across Nigeria and a Unique identification number was created for them. Under the MMRP, Over 3 million MSMEs have been registered with their locations, the kind of business they do their phone numbers and email address which makes it easier to attract clients that will require their products and services.

8- Implementation of Young Business Owners Programme, It is towards addressing the economic challenges that Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) has initiated the Young Business Owners in Nigeria (Y-BON). The programme is to empower business owners between the ages of 20 and 45 with a view to reducing unemployment and improving on the self dependence among the youths.

9-Implementation of Agri-business Development Empowerment Programme which aim to promote and facilitate the development programmes and projects in the MSMEs sub-sector of the Nigerian economy.

10- Implementation of talent hunt in Nigeria which is geared towards employment generation through wealth creation and self-reliance, thereby reducing poverty among young people in Nigeria. SMEDAN Talent Hunt is designed to identify and showcase young change agents in Nigeria who developed Innovative, Creative and Entrepreneurial sustainable solutions that have positive socioeconomic impact on any identified local community in Nigeria.

From the foregoing, The Director General of SMEDAN has exceedingly recorded giant stride in the MSME sub sector since assuming office and has remained passionate about the mandate of SMEDAN, as it is only in achieving these demanding responsibilities, that will stem the growing unemployment, youth restiveness and other sundry challenges facing Nigeria.

Meanwhile, as the battle for who will succeed Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina State gets stronger, we believe that Dr Umaro Radda, a governorship aspirant under the platform of APC, is the right person to govern the state, considering his tremendous achievements as DG of SMEDAN, where he has established himself as a true leader, technocrat and economist of the highest order.

His experience as the erstwhile National Welfare Secretary of the APC and former chairman of Charanchi Local Government from 2005 to 2007 as well as a two-time caretaker chairman of the local government under late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Shehu Shema administrations respectively, have endowed him with great wealth of knowledge to pilot the affairs of Katsina State to greater heights

We strongly believe that given the APC governorship ticket, Dr. Radda would use his experience as the former Chief of Staff to Governor Aminu Masari, to end the state’s intractable woes and bring about sustainable economic prosperity in the state.

If given the opportunity to serve, his administration will tackle insecurity, increasing rate of poverty, poor access to social infrastructure, underdeveloped economic sector, lack of integration to national value chains, low-level of education and inadequate support for businesses in the state