Halilu Ibrahim Dantiye mni, a pioneer staff and former Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Triumph Publishing Company and the former Secretary General and National President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, is currently the Director of Public Affairs and Strategy for the Governor of Kano State, Alhaji Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso. In this interview with SALISU ALHASSAN BICHI, Dantiye discusses why he moved from journalism to politics.
With your background in journalism and general administration at the national level, what motivated you to accept a political position at the state level?
First of all, let me start by congratulating my very good friend, the Chairman/ Editor in Chief of the Leadership Group of Newspapers Mr. Sam Nda Isaiah on attaining the golden age of 50. I want to seize this opportunity to wish him more years of meritorious service to the profession and Nigeria in general.
Let me say that I considered what I’m doing right now and see it as service to the people of my state. Certainly, after assuming the position of Editor of a newspaper for several years and later deputy Editor in Chief of a whole newspaper house and later becoming the Secretary General of the Nigerian Guild of Editors and eventually its National President, naturally I would have decided to move on to Lagos or Abuja which is the hub of the journalism profession. But His Excellency, Governor Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso invited me to serve under him. I only agreed because I want to be identified with a person that delivers. I want to be identified with achievements of Governor Kwankwaso. It is a thing of pride to serve under a person who is trusted within and outside the country as a performer and an achiever.
You will agree with me that Governor Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso has restored the people’s confidence in leadership and governance. And this is what we were lacking. Today in Kano State, everybody knows that when Governor Kwankwaso says yes, it remains yes and if he says no, it is a no. No deception, no multiplicity of meaning to whatever his government says.
But there are insinuations that Governor Kwankwaso doesn’t take advice.
Truly, before I came in, I have heard a lot about him that he is a difficult person to work with, he doesn’t take advice, and he doesn’t like spending money and so on. But you know it is natural for people to have different perception on people and events especially where it concerns our leaders. Working with leaders involves giving advice and I believe Governor Kwankwaso has the ability to differentiate between what is a good advice and what is a bad or wrong advice. Moreover, he also possesses the courage to accept it as appropriate. So, if you are confident within yourself and deliver good advice to him, be assured that your suggestion will always sail through. But you have to realize that when dealing with a government, there are a lot of considerations that come to bear before a decision is taken under all circumstances. The only key when dealing with Governor Kwankwaso is not to be selfish or entertain vested interest while dealing with official matters.? ?
Since your assumption of office here, what impact have made in the department?
Generally, since I assumed office, I have been busy bringing harmony between stakeholders in the information dissemination process. I have also been trying to reconnect the government and people hitherto not in consonance with what the ideals are. We are also strategically turning government opponents into friends by communicating to them directly and frankly, explaining the positive things government is undertaking and also collating their line of arguments as feedback with a view to helping government adjust. Through this, we are gaining a lot of support and people are now realizing that government is not a one man business, it is for everybody to contribute to achieve success.
In fact, I count myself lucky because since I assumed office, it has been from one crisis to another. It was first the fuel crisis then the security situation. I have to seize this opportunity to thank my colleagues, editors of the national dailies for their understanding and full co-operation. The journalists we work here with have also been of tremendous assistance. I thank them and further appeal for their utmost cooperation as we are not even halfway to the tenure and our aims are to make Kano a model to be emulated.