ViewPointNigeria (VPN) presents an exclusive interview with German based nuclear scientist/physicist Dr Daniel Kutchin –an aspirant for the 2015 gubernatorial seat in Plateau state. In this exclusive, he talks about his ambition and what he hopes to achieve given the mandate/mantle of leadership of our great state and then delves into other pressing issues affecting the state and Nigeria in general, below are the excerpts.

For the benefit of people whom your candidature may be new to, please could you introduce yourself?

My name is Daniel Yakubu Kutchin. I was born on Friday, the 6th of July 1962 at Ganin Daji in Barkin Ladi local government area. My father moved from Ampang West in Mangu LGA to Barkin Ladi in pursuit of a better life during the tin mining boom of the mid-1950s. My mother, Mrs Christiana Nafiyak was a potato trader and she supported the family through buying and selling.

I am the first born of nine, all of whom were born in Ganan Daji. I went to St Matthias Primary School then proceeded to Boys’ Secondary School (BSS) Gindiri, from 1973 to 1978 and afterwards I enrolled at the School for Preliminary Studies (SPS) Keffi finishing in 1980. After that, I secured admission into Ahmadu Bello University to study Physics; I completed that in 1983, earning a BSc. before undertaking the compulsory National Youth Service (NYSC) in Ondo State. Thereafter, I returned to ABU Zaria to take up a role as a graduate assistant. During that time, I was privileged to do my MSc in Nuclear Physics and then taught there for 5 years till 1989.

I then left for Germany to do a PhD in nuclear physics, researching nuclear reactors for a variety of applications including nuclear bombs. Following the completion of my PhD study, I was unable to return back to my job at ABU, because there was an Academic Staff of University Union (ASUU) strike. I therefore opted to stay behind in Germany and then took courses in Information Technology whilst awaiting the resolution of the strike. I got a job with Siemens and became a network specialist. I left Siemens in the year 2003 to become an independent consultant and thereafter obtained one of the highest certificates in IT called “CISCO certified internetwork expert”. I worked independently until last week when I finally ended my career in IT to dedicate my life to serving Africa. I will be campaigning now till 2015 when elections take place.

ViewPointNigeria (VPN) presents an exclusive interview with German based nuclear scientist/physicist Dr Daniel Kutchin –an aspirant for the 2015 gubernatorial seat in Plateau state. In this exclusive, he talks about his ambition and what he hopes to achieve given the mandate/mantle of leadership of our great state and then delves into other pressing issues affecting the state and Nigeria in general, below are the excerpts.

For the benefit of people whom your candidature may be new to, please could you introduce yourself?

My name is Daniel Yakubu Kutchin. I was born on Friday, the 6th of July 1962 at Ganin Daji in Barkin Ladi local government area. My father moved from Ampang West in Mangu LGA to Barkin Ladi in pursuit of a better life during the tin mining boom of the mid-1950s. My mother, Mrs Christiana Nafiyak was a potato trader and she supported the family through buying and selling.

I am the first born of nine, all of whom were born in Ganan Daji. I went to St Matthias Primary School then proceeded to Boys’ Secondary School (BSS) Gindiri, from 1973 to 1978 and afterwards I enrolled at the School for Preliminary Studies (SPS) Keffi finishing in 1980. After that, I secured admission into Ahmadu Bello University to study Physics; I completed that in 1983, earning a BSc. before undertaking the compulsory National Youth Service (NYSC) in Ondo State. Thereafter, I returned to ABU Zaria to take up a role as a graduate assistant. During that time, I was privileged to do my MSc in Nuclear Physics and then taught there for 5 years till 1989.

I then left for Germany to do a PhD in nuclear physics, researching nuclear reactors for a variety of applications including nuclear bombs. Following the completion of my PhD study, I was unable to return back to my job at ABU, because there was an Academic Staff of University Union (ASUU) strike. I therefore opted to stay behind in Germany and then took courses in Information Technology whilst awaiting the resolution of the strike. I got a job with Siemens and became a network specialist. I left Siemens in the year 2003 to become an independent consultant and thereafter obtained one of the highest certificates in IT called “CISCO certified internetwork expert”. I worked independently until last week when I finally ended my career in IT to dedicate my life to serving Africa. I will be campaigning now till 2015 when elections take place.

Could we not say you are over qualified for the position of Governor being a nuclear physicist? Why should a nuclear physicist who should be out there sorting out problems of humanity, such as the power issues in Nigeria be concerned with politics?

Well to answer your question, I shall refer to Angela Merkel the present chancellor of Germany –she is equally a nuclear physicist and has done exceptionally well in taking important political decisions. And to further underscore her calibre, virtually all the member of her cabinet, including advisers and decision makers are PhD holders. This demonstrates the importance of putting the most qualified people in the right positions. If elected governor, I shall be imbibing some of her leadership principles in order to bring the desired change to our dear state.

But just to add, being a nuclear scientist (PhD), I don’t feel over qualified to run for the position of governor because I have learnt that even some of the other contenders are also professors and seasoned professionals in their own right. I believe this can only be a good thing for Plateau State.

Many people are of the opinion that Jang scores highly in infrastructural development, including the building of roads, bridges, and houses/offices. If elected Governor in 2015, do you think you will be able to match what Jang has achieved or would he continue to be a shadow over you?

What Governor Jang has done in the area of infrastructure is very laudable. It is in line with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which encourages Africa to develop its infrastructure and social capital in order to support its ever-increasing population/citizenry. Jang will not continue to remain a shadow over me if I am elected Governor of Plateau state, because I have already structured my manifesto to “Re-build Plateau” and improve what already exists. So as a matter of fact, I shall be exploring key areas, which require development and working hard to bring the requisite development to the people, while consolidating on whatever gains have been scored by the Jang and previous administrations. There is always room for improvement on any laudable project –so we shall be looking to go over and beyond what any previous administrations have achieved.

Can you be specific on what particular areas you will be improving when elected?

We need more infrastructural development given the neglect that Plateau has suffered in past administrations. Infrastructural development will still be an area of focus, along with agriculture, health and the education sectors, which are key and primary to every thriving economy.

This may be too early to ask, but have you considered the choice of a running mate?

Not yet, but negotiations are currently on going in that respect. For the record however, I can confirm that you can expect my running mate to be someone who reflects what we stand for, someone who is competent, who has a heart for Plateau and is capable of bringing change to our people.

Are you a registered member of any party? And what political platform would you be running under?

I am a registered member of the PDP in Germany and I shall be going to Nigeria in a couple of months to regularise my membership in the Ampang West ward. So to answer your question simply, I shall be running on the platform of the PDP.

Given your very humble upbringing, who would you say has had the most influence on your life (perhaps as a mentor)?

Many people have been influential in my life, these range from my immediate family to colleagues and friends but I cannot forget one person who has been quite cardinal in my formative years; my school principal at BSS Gindiri, a man called Mr Derek C Joy. He admitted me to the school and was there till 1977 when he left for Nakam Memorial Secondary School, Panyam. To underscore how influential he is in my life, when I face challenging situations today, I always ask myself –What would Derek Joy do in this situation? Unfortunately, he died a few years ago, but he has left an indelible imprint on my heart that cannot be erased.

In my up coming book, entitled “Born in Nigeria, living in Germany and an African diaspora”. ‘I identified a group of Europeans who were upright and served Africa diligently. One of them was Mr D C Joy and another was Karl Kumm. Karl Kumm founded the church formerly known as Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN), now called Church of Christ in Nations. He founded it in 1905 and a little about him is that he was born in Germany. Recently I went to his place of birth in Osterode near Hanover and it gave me an insight into his activities and later that of Derek Joy. These people are great men we should identify with. They are towering figures who had big visions for Africa.

I recently read a book about Karl Kumm and a quotation of his was that “Africa was a continent of the future”. His whole life was dedicated in educating, “Christianising” Africans and strengthening them against the Arab slave raiders. He really saw a great future in Africa and this motivated the next generation of missionaries including Mr Joy who came to Africa tracing the root of Karl Kumm and settled in Gindiri Nigeria. They served us well as they gave their lives, wellbeing and pleasures to educate us. The first Governor of Plateau State then Benue-Plateau was a talented individual and product of Gindiri. We have a fond memory of him in Plateau state and I advise anyone who wants to work solemnly for the benefit of Plateau to look up to these two individuals.

Plateau state has been engulfed by a series of ethno-religious crisis and disturbances for the last decade. How would you approach the very challenging task of preventing further escalation of violence?

I was lucky to be involved in crisis management and resolution in Plateau state, since 2009. And through my interactions, I have been able to identify some themes which I reckon are the root causes of the disturbances. Firstly, the economy is a key culprit. You’d agree that in the history of Plateau state, we have witnessed several periods of economic boom, including that of tin mining. Now, since that resource has been completely depleted and there is no money coming from that area, tensions are erupting in terms of economic survivability. Secondly, the splitting of Plateau into other states including Benue and more recently Nasarawa state has put immense strain on the scarce and limited available resources.

In view of the above, my prerogative would be to enjoin Plateau state and Nigeria to modernise its citizenship laws, to be consistent with those found in other parts of the world. Plateau state does not need to re-invent the wheel by developing new citizenship laws; it simply needs to adopt those found in civilised society. A key component of that would be to make people who have migrated from other areas (so called settlers), who now live within us to feel welcome and cherished.

Plateau state is blessed with a lot of tourist attractions. If elected governor, how would you go about boosting the tourism potential of the state as a means of revenue generation?

In my opinion, if we genuinely wish to develop our tourism potential, then we need to start by attracting our Jos residents before we think about other people outside. If we significantly harness and upgrade our tourism opportunities and we are able to attract Jos residents, I assure you that it would be easier to attract people outside of the state and abroad.

Perhaps it would make sense to engage a consulting group to advise on a blueprint on how we can develop our tourism potential in the state over a 5 or 10-year period. Basically to develop our tourism capability we will need to have access to steady electricity and water supply, shopping outlets and transportation to the tourist sites. This will be of benefit to the economy and provide jobs to our people.

Being a Plateau professional who has been based in Germany for a long time, what plans do you have about leveraging on some of your connections to attract foreign direct investment to Plateau?

Good question. I have been active in the Nigerian diaspora community in Germany and Europe for several years and I can say that I am well networked in that community. The Nigerian diaspora share my vision of returning home to explore investment opportunities and partners. One key aspect is the area of bonds trading –the idea of selling bonds to raise funds/capital for key projects is a fantastic idea that presents a win-win scenario for both people in diaspora and those in Nigeria. When government works out modalities for auctioning or trading specific bonds at attractive rates, people in diaspora will be drawn to such opportunities and that will bring development.

You are a PDP member! Do you believe in the principle of zoning the gubernatorial seat of Plateau state to the southern senatorial zone?

Good question! I cannot say that I haven’t heard of the purported zoning issue, because I have. However the recent proclamation by the governor has put this issue to rest, since he clearly stated that he still doesn’t know his successor and that the race was an open one. I suppose if we are to follow the principle of zoning, then we could argue that the central zone has had its shot through Joshua Dariye and that Plateau North has fulfilled its quota through Jonah Jang. And therefore the next candidate should rightly come from the southern senatorial zone. However, I know that Plateau people have risen above the trivial sentiments of zoning and would prefer to have the best candidate because the concept of governance is not about the sharing of the commonwealth of the people through sectionalisation but about service to the people.

Given that plateau people are highly enlightened and knowledgeable, I am convince that they would choose the most competent candidate, with a proven ability to lead and govern as opposed to choosing based on a retrogressive zoning arrangement. The chosen person should realise that he or she has the mandate of the entire Plateau population and therefore should govern with fairness and equity, devoid of tribal, ethnic or religious sentiments.

Are you in agreement with the idea of further splitting Plateau into two?

I am not in support of such a divisive idea. And I’d give you my reasons –I currently reside in an area of Germany which has a population of approximately 11 million, with a budget that is approximately 22 times that of Plateau state, but the area is still ran as a single entity. So in my opinion, Plateau state is not too big for governance. Again, let us not forget that the entire population of Nigeria is only the size of a mere state in India. So instead of continuing with the divisive mentality, perhaps what we need to do is to understand what is causing people to want their domains to be fragmented into smaller entities. Aside the concept of adding more lawmakers on to the payroll of government, I cannot point to the specific benefit to the Plateau man.

Do you agree with the way President Goodluck Jonathan is tackling Boko Haram?

Well, in my opinion he has done a relatively satisfactory job, given that the frequency of attacks has reduced drastically. However, with every attack that occurs, it goes to show that more needs to be done to curb the ever present menance and restore confidence in the security forces. Of course Goodluck Jonathan has done well to reduce the incidences of the attacks, but more still needs to be done because there are still soldiers on the streets and several areas remain no go areas for specific ethnic groups.

Should you wish to comment, please leave your thoughts on the page or contact Daniel Kutchin directly through the email address [email protected]

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Exclusive interview with Dr. Daniel Kutchin, a nuclear physicist and aspirant for the 2015 gubernatorial seat in Plateau state