By Uzair Adam
One year after Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf announced automatic employment for 54 postgraduate students trained in India, the beneficiaries say the promise remains unfulfilled, raising concerns about accountability and policy follow-through.
The graduates, who studied at Symbiosis International University under the Kano State Government’s foreign scholarship programme, returned to the state on March 22, 2025.
The Daily Reality recalls that during an official reception and Iftar held in their honour, the governor declared that the students would be absorbed into the state civil service.
“I was pleased to have Iftar with another set of our students who returned from India after completion of their studies,” the governor said at the time, adding that the 54 beneficiaries would be given automatic employment.
He also urged them to justify the investment made in them by contributing meaningfully to the development of the state, stressing that they should “repay the state by working assiduously.”
However, despite the governor’s public promise of automatic employment, the graduates remain without jobs one year later.
The delay has created uncertainty and hardship for the scholars, who had planned their careers around the assurance, while no formal communication or timeline has been provided by the authorities.
Speaking on behalf of the affected graduates, a student’s representative who pledged anonymity said the commitment has not been implemented despite repeated follow-ups through appropriate channels.
“During the reception, His Excellency publicly announced automatic employment for all 54 returning scholars,” he said.
He explained that many of the graduates had structured their professional plans around the governor’s promise, but the delay has left them facing uncertainty and hardship.
According to him, there has been no formal communication or clear timeline from the authorities regarding when the employment will take effect.
He said the situation has persisted for a year despite the group’s efforts to seek clarification.
“We believe this is a matter of public accountability and policy follow-through,” he added, calling for attention to the issue.
The Director General, Media and Publicity to the governor, Sunusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, did not respond to several calls seeking comment.
Efforts to reach the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Mustapha Muhammad, were also unsuccessful due to network constraints at his location.
The development comes amid ongoing state government investments in foreign education programmes to build skilled manpower, particularly in critical sectors such as health and education.
Many people believe that delays in implementing such commitments could weaken public confidence in government policies and affect future beneficiaries of similar programmes, even as the affected scholars remain hopeful that the promise will eventually be fulfilled.