The APC candidate for Abuja South Federal Constituency, Hon. Danladi Bomboyi Chiya, has said the development currently being pursued by the administration of Hon. Nuhu Daniel in Kwali should be understood within the context of the foundation laid by previous administrations, particularly his own tenure as chairman of Kwali Area Council.
Chiya made the remarks while reflecting on leadership, continuity and development in Kwali, insisting that government should not be viewed as a collection of isolated administrations but as a continuous process in which every succeeding leader is expected to build on what his predecessor achieved.
According to him, the real test of leadership is not whether a successor abandons the foundation he inherited, but whether he has the capacity to expand it and leave behind something greater for the next generation.
“Let me make something very clear: I am not against Nuhu Daniel. He is a son of Kwali and I want him to succeed.
“But we must understand the principle of leadership. What Nuhu is doing today in Kwali did not start from nowhere. There was a foundation before he came, and I am proud of the foundation my administration laid.
“Government is continuity. If I built a road, the next chairman should not demolish it because it was built by Danladi Chiya. He should extend it. If I started a programme, he should improve it. If I opened a door, he should make that door wider.
“That is how development happens.”
Chiya said his administration invested in infrastructure, rural development, water, electrification, agriculture and institutional development during his tenure, pointing to reported road construction and rehabilitation, borehole projects, solar electrification and other interventions as part of the foundation his administration established in Kwali.
He also recalled the introduction of an electronic platform for Kwali Area Council during his administration, saying the initiative was intended to improve communication between government and citizens and provide greater public access to information about council programmes and projects.
“For me, development is not about saying, ‘I am the one who did it.’
“If Nuhu takes what we started and makes it better, I will be the first person to celebrate him. Because ultimately, the beneficiary is not Danladi Chiya. The beneficiary is the people of Kwali.
“That is the difference between politics and leadership.”
Chiya, however, said there must also be a standard by which succeeding administrations are judged.
“A son should always strive to do better than his father. If the son inherits a house from his father and refuses to repair it, expand it or make it better, what kind of son is he?
“If I have laid a foundation, the person coming after me should build higher.
“If I built ten, he should build twenty.
“If I opened one door, he should open five.
“If I started a programme, he should improve it.
“That is what I mean when I say a son must do better than his father. It is not an insult. It is a philosophy of progress.”
He said the same principle should apply to the entire Federal Capital Territory, arguing that residents should compare the development trajectories of the different Area Councils based on documented projects, policies and measurable outcomes rather than political sentiments.
“Can anybody honestly compare what we achieved in Kwali during my administration with what was happening in some other Area Councils at the time without looking at the facts?
“Look at Gwagwalada. Look at Bwari. Look at Abaji. Look at Kwali.
“Every council has its own circumstances, resources and challenges, so comparisons must be made carefully. But the people have the right to ask: what was done, where was it done, how much was spent and what impact did it have?
“I welcome that comparison because development should be measurable.”
Chiya said he would rather see his successors surpass his record than spend their time trying to erase his legacy.
“I don’t want Nuhu to spend his time talking about Danladi Chiya.
“I want him to make people say, ‘Nuhu has taken Kwali beyond where Chiya stopped.’
“That is what will make me proud.
“If my administration laid the foundation and Nuhu builds a bigger structure on it, then both of us have served the people.
“But if every administration comes and starts from zero, Kwali will remain permanently at zero.”
The former Kwali chairman also praised the principle of continuity in governance, noting that even current reports about Nuhu Daniel’s administration show projects in areas such as roads, health centres, schools and solar-powered boreholes.
He said such projects should not be viewed as belonging exclusively to one politician.
“A road belongs to the people.
“A school belongs to the people.
“A borehole belongs to the people.
“A health centre belongs to the people.
“Politicians come and go, but the people remain.
“So when a new chairman continues a project started by his predecessor, that is not weakness. That is responsible governance.”
Chiya said his political philosophy is fundamentally opposed to the idea that every new administration must destroy the work of the previous administration simply to claim ownership of development.
“That mentality has damaged Nigeria.
“Every politician wants to say, ‘I started everything.’
“No. You did not start everything.
“You inherited something.
“You inherited roads.
“You inherited schools.
“You inherited workers.
“You inherited institutions.
“You inherited policies.
“And somebody before you also inherited them.
“The responsible leader takes what he inherited, corrects what is wrong, strengthens what is working and leaves something better.”
He said this philosophy would also guide his proposed representation of Abuja South in the House of Representatives.
“If Abuja South employs me, I will not go there to behave as if I am the first politician from the constituency.
“I will study what previous representatives have done.
“I will identify what worked.
“I will identify what failed.
“I will continue useful programmes.
“I will introduce new legislation.
“I will pursue new federal interventions.
“And I will try to leave Abuja South better than I met it.”
Chiya said his experience in Kwali had taught him that development required both continuity and ambition.
“You cannot build a modern constituency by constantly starting over.
“We need to build on experience.
“We need to build on institutions.
“We need to build on previous investments.
“And every generation must try to leave a better society for the generation coming after it.”
He therefore challenged politicians across Abuja South to make the 2027 political conversation about records, ideas and measurable development rather than personal attacks.
“Let us talk about what we have done.
“Let us talk about what we want to do.
“Let the people compare.
“Let them ask questions.
“Let them demand accountability.
“I am ready for that conversation.
“My record in Kwali is available for examination, and if Nuhu has done better in certain areas, let the people say so.
“If somebody else has done better in another Area Council, let us learn from it.
“Leadership is not about being afraid of comparison. Leadership is about having something to present for comparison.”
Chiya said his ambition for Abuja South is therefore not merely to become a federal lawmaker but to transfer the lessons of grassroots governance into national legislation and federal constituency development.
“I am coming from the grassroots.
“I understand the farmer.
“I understand the civil servant.
“I understand the young person looking for opportunity.
“I understand the rural community waiting for a road.
“I understand the family looking for water.
“I understand what it means when government is close to the people.
“Now I want to take that experience to the National Assembly and fight for Abuja South.”
He concluded by saying that the ultimate measure of every political leader should be whether the next generation inherits a better society.
“My greatest achievement will not be that somebody remembers Danladi Chiya.
“My greatest achievement will be that the people say: those who came before us built something, and we were able to build something even greater.
“That is how societies develop.
“That is how Kwali will develop.
“That is how Abuja South will develop.
“And that is how Nigeria will develop.”