Education

By Anwar Usman

Government Secondary School Kwakwaci, Kano, has a rich history of academic excellence spanning decades. Over the years, the school has produced thousands of graduates who have gone on to achieve greater things.

The Daily Reality reliably gathered that despite these notable achievements, the school is now facing significant challenges.

Many fear that Kwakwaci will be among the schools in Kano State that may cease to exist due to severe environmental and managerial problems that have plagued the institution.

These unresolved issues threaten to ultimately force the school to close its doors.

Part of the problems bedevilling the school include dilapidated classrooms, abandoned laboratories, and other infrastructural decay, further exacerbated by rampant theft of school facilities by hooligans living in the vicinity.

Neglect despite huge education allocations

The Daily Reality also gathered that this menace persists despite the state’s declaration of an emergency in the education sector and the allocation of massive funds to improve education in the state.

This persistent neglect raises uncomfortable questions about the priorities of the Kano State Government, which allocated a staggering ₦95 billion to the education sector in its 2024 budget and an additional ₦168,350,802,346.19 (representing 31.00% of the budget) in 2025, making education one of the most heavily funded sectors in the state.

Current state of the school

The once-proud institution has no gate to protect its infrastructure, giving people of all kinds unrestricted access to the premises.

A staffer of the school, who spoke under the condition of anonymity during an interview with our reporter, lamented how the school has been grappling with issues that threaten its very existence.

“At night or after school hours, people enter the school and steal whatever they want due to the absence of security personnel at the gate,” he said.

He added that, “That’s what makes it easy for people to engage in criminal activities like smoking, drug abuse, and other illegal acts.”

He further noted, “The school is located very close to a market, and people have taken advantage of that proximity to carry out illegal activities.”

Other schools suffering a similar fate

Kwakwaci is not the only school in this dire situation. Several other schools are either on the verge of collapse or desperately need renovation to continue operating.

Schools like Mai Kwatashi, GSS Tudun Bojuwa and many others in the rural communities have suffered from over a decade of neglect.

In the case of GSS Tudun Bojuwa, the school has no gate, students sit on the floor, and the classrooms lack doors and windows, among other distressing conditions.

It is evident that while the state government’s declaration of an emergency in education is a vital step, these persistent problems continue to undermine teaching and learning.

Response from the principal

When contacted, the principal of Government Secondary School Kwakwaci said he was not fully aware of the situation.

“The only thing I know is that the school has no junior secondary students because they are under the supervision of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), and they don’t send junior secondary students here anymore,” he said.

He attributed the lack of students to the high cost of living. “Most of the students come from areas like Kurna, Rijiyar Lemo, and Bachirawa.

“Many parents cannot afford the transport fare for their children, and that’s why the school has no junior classes.”

He added, “We only have SS2 and SS3 classes, and we have already appealed to stakeholders to reconsider the situation and send fresh students for junior secondary education.”

Government response

TDR also contacted the Kano State Ministry of Education through its Public Relations Officer, Usman Abdullahi, who referred us to the Executive Secretary of the Kano State Secondary Schools Management Board (KSSMB) for a comprehensive report on the condition of the school.

However, the Executive Secretary’s phone could not be reached.

Efforts to contact the PRO of the KSSMB also proved futile as there was no response to the calls and messages we sent to him at the time of compiling this report.

Many people believe that it is high time the government took decisive action to address the plight of these schools, especially Kwakwaci.

They also believe that that would help not only in revitalising education but also in curbing illegal activities by individuals who exploit the school’s deteriorating facilities.

By Lamara Garba

In a world where leadership often wears the heavy cloak of command, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano State walks a different path—one marked not by spectacle, but by quiet grace. His recent donation of N5 million to support the health of Professor Abubakar Roko, a senior lecturer at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto, shines like a candle in a stormy night—a gesture simple in form, yet profound in meaning.

This act of compassion stirred a ripple through the academic community, reaching hearts far beyond Sokoto. The family of Professor Roko, alongside the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) UDUS branch, offered their deep thanks. For them, the governor’s support was not just financial—it was a lifeline, a moment of humanity in an often indifferent world.

Professor Roko’s struggle for access to medical care echoes a troubling truth: that even those who nurture the minds of generations can find themselves abandoned in times of need. When society allows a scholar—one who has dedicated his life to the service of knowledge—to fall through the cracks, it begs the question: who among us is truly safe?

Indeed, Governor Yusuf’s gesture is more than an act of charity; it is a quiet protest against this injustice. It is a reminder that governance, at its best, is an extension of empathy. That leadership is not just about steering the ship, but about seeing those who have fallen overboard—and reaching out a hand.

Beyond the naira and kobo, what Governor Yusuf has given is dignity. His kindness says, “You matter.” It is a message sorely needed in times where those who build the foundations of our future—our teachers, our thinkers, our guides—are too often overlooked.

The ASUU Zonal Coordinator Professor Abubakar Sabo in terse verbal message of appreciation who, himself a staff of UDUS described Governor Abba as a “Messiah.” Saying, forever we shall not forget you, in our hearts. While titles are fleeting, the sentiment behind the praise is enduring. Governor Yusuf’s empathy has breathed life into the belief that leadership can still be rooted in service, not self.

In a letter penned by Professor Aminu Muhammad Bui, Head of the Department of Computer Science at UDUS, heartfelt gratitude poured forth: “This act of kindness and compassion from your esteemed office has brought immense joy and relief to Professor Roko and his loved ones.” These are not just words of thanks—they are testaments to the healing power of compassion.

Meanwhile, Professor Ibrahim Tajo Siraj, Chairman of ASUU BUK, illuminated the grim landscape of public education: dwindling morale, poor working conditions, and an exodus of talent—each one a symptom of a system that has long been neglected. His call for reform is a plea to rescue the very soul of the nation’s development engine.

Indeed, a society that does not cherish its educators weakens the roots from which all progress grows. The conditions endured by those in the education sector are not just unfortunate—they are unacceptable. Their resolution demands more than words; it requires will, vision, and urgent action.

Therefore, Governor Yusuf’s act is a glimmer in this long night, a sign that compassion can still guide power, and that true leadership is not found in titles, but in the quiet decisions that uplift lives.

It calls us to imagine a new dawn—where educators are honored, not merely with words, but with systems that support them; where acts of kindness are not rare exceptions, but a culture of care. Governor Yusuf’s compassion is a seed—may it find fertile ground in the hearts of other leaders.

And so, as the dust of this singular act settles, may it not fade into memory, but grow into a movement—a call to conscience. For in Governor Yusuf’s gesture, we find a lesson not just in leadership, but in humanity. And may that lesson echo far beyond Kano, beyond Sokoto—into every corner where hope waits to be awakened.

Perhaps, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s donation to Professor Abubakar Roko is more than just a gesture of kindness; it is a reflection of his character as a leader. It shows that he is a man of compassion, empathy, and enduring humanity—one who listens not just with his ears, but with his heart.

It is worthy to note that in a time when many cry out for leaders who truly understand the burdens of everyday people, Governor Yusuf’s act stands as a quiet yet powerful answer.

It reminds us that leadership is not measured by grand speeches or lofty titles, but by the courage to care and the grace to act. His benevolence has not only lifted a man in need, but also rekindled faith in the idea that public service can still serve the public. May this gesture inspire others in power to lead not from above, but from among—and to remember that the true strength of leadership lies in the strength it gives to others.

Lamara Garba writes from Bayero University, Kano

By Anas Abbas

In the recently released results of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), 17,025 candidates, representing 0.88% of the total 1,931,467 participants, scored 300 and above. 

This information was disclosed by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) on Sunday, coinciding with the announcement of results from the resit examination.

This year’s performance marks a notable improvement compared to previous years since the introduction of the Computer-Based Testing (CBT) format in 2013. The latest figures surpass the 1,842,364 results released in 2024, reflecting a consistent increase in UTME participation over time.

For context, only 8,401 candidates (0.46%) achieved similar scores in 2024, while just 5,318 candidates (0.35%) reached this benchmark in 2023.

By Muhammad Abubakar

Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf has directed the automatic employment of 84 foreign-trained graduates into the Kano State Civil Service, following his administration’s full settlement of their outstanding fees at Near East University, Northern Cyprus.

The graduates, who had been abandoned mid-study after the previous government withdrew scholarship funding, were recently issued their certificates after the state paid N2.24 billion in arrears to the university.

Addressing the students at the certificate presentation ceremony in Kano, Governor Yusuf said the graduates would be immediately absorbed into public service. “These students have suffered enough. Now, they will be given the opportunity to contribute to the growth of our state,” he said.

Among the beneficiaries are medical doctors, nurses, dentists, pharmacists, computer scientists, and biomedical experts — all of whom earned degrees under immense hardship.

The governor’s action is seen as both a humanitarian and developmental gesture, aimed at harnessing the skills of foreign-trained professionals while restoring faith in government-backed education programs.

Education experts have praised the move, describing it as a practical step toward addressing youth unemployment and reversing the brain drain trend.

By Muhammad Abubakar

Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano State has brought relief to 84 students abandoned in Northern Cyprus after settling a massive N2.24 billion debt owed to Near East University, paving the way for the release of their academic certificates.

The students were part of a foreign scholarship scheme initiated by former Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso but were left in limbo when the succeeding administration halted funding. The withdrawal left them unable to pay tuition and accommodation fees, effectively trapping them in a foreign country without support.

Governor Yusuf, during a ceremony in Kano, described the situation as a national embarrassment and expressed satisfaction at resolving the crisis. “This marks the end of years of hardship, uncertainty, and humiliation for our children abroad,” he said.

The affected students, including 28 medical graduates and others in health and engineering disciplines, faced legal threats, eviction, and exclusion from classes during the years of neglect. Their ordeal sparked widespread concern both locally and internationally.

Stakeholders have commended the governor for the intervention, calling it a timely and compassionate move to restore dignity and hope to the affected families.

By Hadiza Abdulkadir

The Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigerian Police have arrested 20 suspects in Abuja for allegedly hacking into the servers of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and the National Examination Council (NECO) to manipulate UTME scores.

The suspects, part of a larger syndicate of over 100 members, reportedly charged candidates between ₦700,000 and ₦2 million to obtain inflated results. Many are said to operate private schools and special centres used for the fraud.

Sources indicate that the group aimed to discredit JAMB’s Computer-Based Testing (CBT) system and discourage its future use by other examination bodies, such as WAEC and NECO.

The arrests follow JAMB’s release of the 2025 UTME results, in which over 78% of candidates scored below 200 out of 400. 

Registrar Ishaq Oloyede earlier cited server faults affecting nearly 380,000 candidates, prompting a resit exam from May 16.

By Muhammad Abubakar

The Governing Council of Federal University Birnin Kebbi (FUBK) has approved the appointment of Barrister Abdulkadir Abubakar as the new Registrar of the University for a five-year term.

The decision was made at the Council’s 29th meeting held on Thursday, May 22, 2025, under the leadership of the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, Col. Abdulmumini Aminu (Rtd.). The appointment follows the recommendation of the Joint Senate and Council Selection Board.

Barr. Abdulkadir brings to the position 18 years of experience in university administration. He joined FUBK in 2015 as a Senior Assistant Registrar and became Deputy Registrar in 2022. Before this, he served at Kebbi State University of Science and Technology, Aliero, and at the College of Basic and Advanced Studies, Yelwa-Yauri.

A legal practitioner with a Master’s degree in Petroleum Law and Policy from the University of Dundee, UK, Abdulkadir also holds a Bachelor of Law in Common and Islamic Laws from Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto. He was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2009.

Until his recent appointment, he headed the Legal Unit of FUBK and served in various administrative capacities, including TETFund Desk Officer and Assistant Secretary to the Council.

In a related development, the Council also approved the promotion of four academic staff to the rank of Professor and three others to Associate Professor. The newly promoted Professors include Dr. Bello Bala Diggi (Intellectual History), Dr. Mohammed Bashar Danlami (Virology), Dr. Muhammad Muazu Yusuf (Development Economics), and Dr. Yahaya Tajudeen Olarenwaju (Cell Biology and Genetics).

The new Associate Professors are Dr. Halima Muhammad Bande (Business Administration), Dr. Abdullahi Umar (Geography), and Dr. Ali Sherrif Kabara (Accounting).

The appointments of Professors Diggi and Danlami are effective from January 1, 2024, while those of Professors Yusuf and Olarenwaju take effect from January 1, 2025.

By Muhammad Abubakar

Al-Qalam University Katsina has announced that thirteen of its academic programmes have received full accreditation status from the National Universities Commission (NUC), following a visitation in November 2024.

The accredited programmes span the Colleges of Humanities, Education, and Natural and Applied Sciences. 

According to a report released by the NUC, this development means that all degree programmes offered by the university now enjoy full accreditation.

The university expressed gratitude to the Katsina Islamic Foundation—its founders—as well as its Chancellor, Malam Aminu Alhassan Dantata, and members of the Board of Trustees and Governing Council for their support. 

The statement also appreciated the contributions of staff, students, and parents in achieving this milestone.

“This achievement reflects our collective dedication and the growing confidence in our institution,” the management said.

By Salim Yunusa 

When we were neck deep into planning for KAPFEST 1.0, we decided that we would definitely have a poetry slam. Having seasoned spoken word poets on the team who had participated, judged, or simply watched one made planning for it easier. Everyone knew what to expect and what structure would work. The poetry slam was not going to be a filler—it was going to be a central experience of the festival.

Then came the aspect of naming it. Without hesitating, I suggested we either name it the Aminu Kano Poetry Slam or the Mudi Sipikin Poetry Slam. Both names carried weight. Both men represented distinct traditions of intellectualism, activism, and the power of the word. At the end, we settled for the Mudi Sipikin Poetry Slam. It felt right. It felt timely. It felt necessary.

When I informed my friend Mukhtar that we decided to name a segment of our program after his dad, he was elated. Genuinely elated. We didn’t do it because we wanted sponsorship from the family or anything like that. We didn’t do it because we were friends with the family members. We did it because of what Mudi Sipikin stood for—creative expression, social commentary, economics, science, thought, and literary legacy.

Salim Yunusa is the founder of Poetic Wednesdays Initiative and curates the Kano International Poetry Festival. He writes from Zaria, Nigeria.

He was one of those voices that had shaped public thought and intellectual culture in Arewa for decades. So came to pass the first edition of the Mudi Sipikin Poetry Slam. Young people from different places participated. They competed. They poured their hearts out. They won cash prizes. And they made history.

Two of Mudi Sipikin’s children—Mukhtar Mudi Sipikin and Sani Misbahu Sipikin—were there physically. Mukhtar, in a touching gesture, gifted the winners beautiful textile materials. The SSA to the President also showed up and made generous cash donations. It was a moment of recognition. It was a moment of continuity. It was a moment of reclaiming history.

Then came ZABAFEST. I was pleasantly surprised when they named their poetry slam after Dr. Abubakar Imam, the famous writer and intellectual who lived in Zaria. His name, for those who know, is one of the pillars of early Northern Nigerian literature. The slam segment was electric and greatly thrilled the audience. Two of Dr. Imam’s children were in attendance, and they expressed their appreciation for the gesture. It was not just about honoring their father—it was about honoring an entire generation of thinkers who laid the foundations for what we now call Northern Nigerian literature.

And then, just yesterday, the Jos Art and Culture Festival announced that there would be a poetry slam and it would be named after Danmaraya Jos. That news made me deeply happy. Danmaraya Jos was not just a musician. He was a griot. A chronicler. A custodian of memory. And seeing young people take the initiative to immortalize his name within a literary event speaks volumes. It is not about nostalgia. It is about remembering rightly. It is about giving names their due.

During the opening ceremony of the maiden Kano International Poetry Festival in 2024, I emphasized the significance of literary festivals, stating: “Can we have enough festivals? I am thrilled that we are having literary festivals spring up in this part of the country, where we have many unsung literary heroes and heroines. You see, festivals are remarkable opportunities to educate, empower, enlighten, and entertain the public. They are a breath of fresh air, where we reignite the fires of our literary passion, cultivate new friendships and rekindle old ones, and above all, engross ourselves in rich conversations about the arts, culture, music, and poetry.”

This is why naming these events after literary icons goes way beyond immortalizing them. It is a way of preserving their contributions to the literary world. It is a method of introducing their names—and possibly their work—to younger audiences who may never encounter them otherwise. When I curated the poetry exhibition on the life of Alu Ɗan Sidi, I realized how much has been forgotten. For many attendees, it was the first time they were hearing that name, let alone engaging with the literary and scholarly contributions of the emir. But what pleased me most was how that exhibition opened a portal of learning. It sparked appreciation. It generated questions. And it even led to plans for follow-up conversations and more literary and cultural exploration on of our rich literary legacy. That is how preservation begins.

We are in a time where the literary contributions of our ancestors are being neglected or sidelined. Curriculums barely reflect their names. Public discourse often forgets them. Archives are dusty. Monuments are few. So it is refreshing—no, it is necessary—to see young people bringing back these names and personalities to life through poetry, exhibitions, festivals, and critical discussions. This is more than memory work. It is cultural survival. It is literary resistance. It is about stitching our present to our past, so that the future does not forget.

Hopefully, this growing momentum will lead to proper archiving of their works. Hopefully, it will inspire scholars to take interest in their contributions. Hopefully, it will lead to deeper appreciation and appropriate honor for their legacies, in Nigeria and beyond.

Because the names live on. Because we must speak them. Because the griots must never be forgotten.

By Abdullahi Mukhtar Algasgaini

In a touching display of determination and love for education, an elderly grandmother brought six live chickens to Adiedo Mixed Secondary School in Migori, Kenya, on Tuesday, May 14, 2025, to settle her granddaughter’s unpaid school fees after the child was sent home for non-payment.

The elderly woman’s unconventional payment moved teachers and onlookers, mainly when one of the hens laid an egg on the spot—a moment seen as a divine blessing. 

The incident highlighted the family’s profound dedication to education, despite facing financial hardship.  

School officials accepted the poultry, recognising the grandmother’s sacrifice of her valuable laying hens to keep her granddaughter in class. The story has since touched many, highlighting the lengths families go to secure their children’s futures.