The Coalition of Southern Kaduna Youths has condemned what it described as a campaign of calumny against the senator representing the region, Barr Sunday Marshall Katung.
Addressing journalists in Kaduna yesterday, the coalition coordinator, Comrade Luke Duniya Augustine, said the negative and unfortunate campaigns against Senator Katung were personal and selfish and did not promote the overall development of Southern Kaduna.
Augustine said that Senator Katung surpassed expectations within the first year as Senator representing the good people of Southern Kaduna by addressing the key issues that affect the people of the region the most.
According to him, “We have keenly been following events of the last few months in which some individuals or a group of individuals have decided to launch a campaign of calumny against our respected Distinguished Senator, Barr Sunday Marshall Katung, by trying to smear his name and his hard-earned reputation.
“We have decided that we will not sit back and watch insignificant, bitter-minded political businessmen who have not contributed anything to the development of our communities or region insult, malign, and contemptuously misrepresent facts just to get at our Senator for their selfish political interests.
“Distinguished Senator Barr Sunday Marshall Katung, in the last year, has performed far beyond our expectations. He has done what no other senator has done within this short period in the history of the Southern Kaduna Senatorial District. We are very much aware of his achievements.
“This man has dedicated his time, energy and resources to improve the lives of our people and the region. Security has always been one of the major problems confronting us as a people, but in the last year, we have seen how our Senator has effectively collaborated with security agents operating in our region to stabilise it. His regular meetings with the heads of security agencies in the zone and the advantage he took to collaborate with the Chief of Defense Staff, Gen. C.G. Musa, have helped significantly in reducing the number of banditry attacks the region experienced before now.
“His prompt response to a security challenge in the region is top-notch. He has supported the security agencies with logistics in the last year. The senator has equally supported our local vigilante with logistics to continue to watch over our communities.
“In healthcare, his first litmus test was immediately when he was sworn in as a Senator. A report came out that at least six people, mainly children, had died, with 12 others hospitalised following the outbreak of diphtheria disease in Kafanchan. The senator swung into action by moving a motion in the hallowed chamber of the Senate, and by God’s grace, that challenge was nipped in the bud.
“He has been working tirelessly to ensure the zone has access to quality and affordable healthcare services. He has introduced a bill to establish a Federal Medical Center in Kafanchan. His collaboration with both the federal and state governments has yielded immense results, with some health facilities in the region being upgraded.
“On education, the senator did not waste time proving to the region the importance he placed on education. His bill for establishing the Science University, Manchok, received massive support in the Senate and has passed through the second reading. The public hearing on this bill was massive, and the support the bill enjoyed was commendable. A dream the senator is pursuing with every energy to make it a reality for the benefit of our people.
“We have also seen how he has been offering scholarships to students across the 8 LGAs of the zone irrespective of tribe, religion or political learning. He has supported the development of the College of Education in Gidan Waya. This same Senator facilitated the establishment of ICT centres in selected regional schools, including the Federal School of Statistics, Manchok, Technical College, Abet, GSS Kafanchan, GSS Damakasuwa, etc.
“We have also seen how the senator presented the plight of ginger farmers in the region who suffered losses due to fungal disease that affected ginger farms across the region last year, amounting to about N10 Billion loss. The Senator demanded that compensation be given to ginger farmers for their losses, and by God’s grace, the Federal Ministry of Agric released about N1.8 billion to Kaduna State this year for that same purpose.
“In October 2023, the Senator, as the grassroots person that he is, selected over 200 rural farmers, mainly comprising women and youth within his Constituency; they were trained on Agribusiness, and each one of them was given a N50,000 start-up grant by the distinguished senator. This has helped alleviate the extreme poverty experienced by families in our rural communities.
“Just recently, the senator launched a very laudable program known as SMK – Social Welfare Intervention Program (SMK – SWIP) with a N100 million yearly grant to uplift families across the zone. Even though the first phase of the program was greeted with mixed reactions especially on the list of those who have benefited from the first batch,” Augustine said.
The coalition, however, called on the critics and detractors of Senator Katung to desist and allow him to deliver the excellent representation he has started giving to the region.