Local

By Muhammad Aminu 

The Kano State Chapter of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) has condemned the Kano State Government’s plan to secure a loan of N10 billion for CCTV installation in the State.

The party, in a statement signed by Kano State Chairman, Hon. Umar Doguwa described the loan as mortgaging the future of Kano children by the incumbent Governor.

The statement read: “The New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP), condemned in totality, the Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje’s fresh demand of N10 billion loan request from Acess Bank to install CCTV cameras in the State. 

Governor Ganduje seems to be using his seat of power to mortgage the future of the State and that of our children.”

Hon. Doguwa stated that despite the acute water shortage in Kano, the Governor chose to fund insignificant projects.

“Ignoring the fact that the State is experiencing widely increased water scarcity, the Governor chooses to borrow to fund a project as insignificant as CCTV installation.

“The NNPP can’t sit down to watch this clueless administration stockpiling debts in the state without a commensurate achievement on the ground,” he added.

He lamented that the administration refused to settle secondary school students’ examination fees, which led to students dropping out despite taking loans in the name of reforms in education.

“Due to the failure of Ganduje’s government to pay their Senior Secondary School examination fees, countless students have been forced to drop out of school, and others are on the verge of dropping out.

“Kano people can vividly recall that Ganduje had borrowed the sum of fifteen billion naira on education reform, but the money was diverted to something else, and today, a significant number of our students dropped out from schooling as the government cannot cater for their common interest examination and senior secondary school examination,” he said

While appealing to the State Assembly to desist from granting such approval in the future by putting Kano’s interest ahead of Governor’s desire, Doguwa warned that should NNPP win the 2023 gubernatorial election; it will not honour the agreement.

“We wish to categorically draw the attention of all commercial banks and other financial lending institutions within and outside the country to be cautious with the Ganduje’s demand for loans as the next administration will not in any way honour such reckless borrowings.”

He stated, “Our great party is urging the State House of Assembly to refrain from granting trivial demands from the Governor like these.

“We implore honourable members to put the needs of Kano’s good people ahead of the Governor’s insatiable desire to wreck the future of the State before we defeat them in the 2023 election.

“We also call on the Access Bank to resist any temptation to advance any loan to the borrowing Governor Ganduje, who is hellbent on mortgaging the state to satisfy his self ends.”

He chided Ganduje’s administration for its failure to maintain CCTV installations deployed by the Kwankwaso administration only to plan to borrow funds for the same purpose.

“With a sense of nostalgia, the general public remembered that in the past, our party’s presidential hopeful, Engr, Dr Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, deployed CCTV in strategic locations throughout the State.

“However, the current administration, that seeks N10 billion loan to install new ones, failed to handle them, and the good people of Kano can’t trust a governor with the installation of new ones at their detriment,” he noted.

It can be recalled that The Daily Reality reported that the Kano State House of Assembly had approved a loan request of 10 billion naira for Gov Ganduje’s administration to install CCTV installation in Kano to tackle security challenges.

By Muhammad Aminu

The Kano State House of Assembly has approved a loan request of ten billion naira (N10,000,000,000.00) by Governor Abdullahi Ganduje. The request was contained in a letter forwarded to the Assembly by Governor Ganduje and read by the Speaker, Hamisu Chidari.

According to the letter, the loan will be used for security infrastructure development in Kano. The Daily Reality gathered that part of the security infrastructure to be developed includes an installation of CCTV cameras in Kano to improve the security architecture.

In the letter, Gov. Ganduje said the development became necessary considering the recent security challenges facing the State.

In another development, the Kano State House of Assembly has appointed Magaji Zarewa as its deputy majority leader, following the resignation of Alhaji Abdullahi Iliyasu Yaryasa.

Yaryasa resigned his appointment after dumping the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP).

The speaker, Hamisu Chidari, who read Yaryasa’s resignation letter at a plenary, wished him well in his new party and thanked him for his numerous contributions to the house.

Zarewa, who represents the Rogo constituency, appreciated the house for finding him worthy of the new appointment.

By Sumayyah Auwal Ishaq

Governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufa’i has approved the appointment of Professor Abdullahi Musa Ashafa as the new acting Vice-Chancellor, Kaduna State University.

Ashafa, a professor of diplomatic history and the immediate past Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), was announced by the Kaduna State Commissioner for Education, Halima Lawal.

Before his appointment, Prof. Ashafa was Head of History Department, Dean, Faculty of Arts, Dean of the School of Postgraduate Studies and the immediate past Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academic, Kaduna State University.

Ashafa served as Vice President, Historical Society of Nigeria, North West Zone. He is also a Research Fellow at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA).

By Muhammad Sabiu

Reports reaching The Daily Reality have indicated an angry mob in Chinade town, Bauchi State’s Katagum Local Government Area, set fire to a suspected motorcycle thief.

According to a source in Chinade, the crime occurred on Sunday, and the suspect took the motorcycle from Hardawa Market in the state’s Misau LGA.

He said the suspect fled with the motorcycle but was apprehended and beaten to a pulp before being set ablaze in Chinade town.

Ahmed Wakil, a Superintendent of Police for the state police, confirmed the homicide in a statement and stated the investigation was still on.

“The Commissioner of Police, Bauchi State Command, Umar Mamman Sanda, has ordered a thorough investigation into the barbaric and dehumanising act of jungle justice meted out to the suspect by some irate youths in Chinade.

“While reacting to the ugly incident, the CP frowned on the action of the irate youths, who, instead of taking the suspect to the police for proper investigation and prosecution, mobbed him to death for allegedly stealing a motorcycle without any recourse to the law,” the statement of the police commissioner read.

Communities in Bauchi State State have for over a long time been badly affected by the activities of motorcycle thieves, who, in many cases, would gruesomely murder the owner of the bike before snatching it.

Considering what reports have indicated, the Bauchi metropolis could be the most affected place in the state with respect to such criminal acts.

By Muhammad Aminu

Bandits-cum-terrorists have killed at least three people in Gayawa village of Bukuyum Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

They also kidnapped 23 people from Gayawa village and two other villages of Takalafiya and Kairu.

The attack was reported to have taken place in the early hours of Tuesday, June 7, 2022.

A Village head from one of the affected areas who did not want his name mentioned told The Daily Reality that the attack had displaced many villagers.

“We are restless and have been turned into displaced persons by the Dogo Gudale’s terror camp who attacked us today and kidnapped our 23 youths between the age of 19 and 35 years.”

He said the terrorists have moved them into their den to farm for them and expose them to other inhumane labour. 

“This has been his usual cruelty to our people. This is why my people ran away from the village to escape being kidnapped, killed, molested or held for ransom,” the monarch said.  

Twenty-two-year-old Balki Adamu, whose husband was among those abducted, expressed fear that the terrorists may demand ransom to release her husband. 

“My greatest fear is that the terrorists should not ask for ransom because we have no money and no assets to sell out for his freedom,” she said.

A member representing Bukuyum South at the Zamfara State House of Assembly, Sani Dahiru, told journalists that activities of terror groups had made seven villages in Kyaram Ward under his Constituency unaccessible. 

He said: “Zamfara State Government, in synergy with Nigeria’s security agencies, are tirelessly working hard to end the scourge of the insecurity affecting the areas.”

“As you might have been briefed on the situation in the affected areas, Zamfara State Commissioner for Disaster Management and Humanitarian Affairs has already put everything in place to respond to the IDPs’ immediate need.”

Police Public Relations Officer in Zamfara State, Mohammed Shehu, told our reporter, “the Command is presently contacting its sources in Bukuyum LGA for quick response to the latest security breaches in the areas.”

By Muhammad Aminu

At least one person was confirmed dead and another injured after a newly constructed three-storey building collapsed in Unity Road, adjacent to Kwari Market in Fagge local government of Kano State.

The building was undergoing finishing touches and consisted of shops before it collapsed around 12 40pm Tuesday afternoon, leaving two workers affected.

Operatives of Kano State Fire Service who rescued and took the victims to Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital said one person was confirmed dead while one other was wounded.

The spokesman for the Service, Saminu Abdullahi, confirmed the incident, “Two people were trapped. We rescued one alive. One dead.”

Abdullahi added: “Around 12:40 pm were called that a building collapsed at Unity Road. Our officers arrived almost instantly and rescued one worker alive but injured. And another one was confirmed dead. The injured is receiving treatment at the Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital.”

The building was positioned in a very tight location amid other storey buildings.

Collapsing of buildings has become prevalent in Nigeria, usually due to poor supervision and the use of substandard materials.

An eyewitness told The Daily Reality that the building had been recently erected, and it was only finishing touches that remained before the collapse.

By Muhammad Aminu

Kano Metropolitan local governments remain in perpetual acute shortage of water supply despite budgeting 12 billion Naira for water supply in the last two years by the State Government.

In 2021 and 2022 budgetary allocations, Kano State Government earmarked six bn each fiscal year for the Kano State Ministry of Water Resources for its activities, including tackling water shortage in the state.

However, residents of different communities in Dala, Fagge, Gwale, Kano Municipal, Nasarawa, Tarauni and Ungogo Local Government Areas continue to face acute water scarcity as Kano State Water board could not meet up with the city’s water demand amid excruciating heat waves that require plentiful water to survive.

Many residential areas visited by The Daily Reality reporter remain at the mercy of water vendors, who are the leading suppliers of water for household consumption and daily need in the ancient city.

A resident of Fagge, Kabiru Sani, said that water had become a scarce resource that they use consciously to save themselves from the difficulty of sourcing it. “We are really suffering from lack of water. So we now use boreholes, and some good Samaritans that have boreholes in their houses often connect it to walls outside their houses so that their neighbours can access.”

Unlike Kabiru’s area, Abubakar Adam said their primary source of water supply is water vendors who supply them with water and some time. “We buy a 25-litre jerry-can at the rate of N50 on normal occasions, but when things are terrible, we buy the same jerry-can for ₦100.”

Ja’afar Musa said in their area, around Tal’udu, sometimes they get water at the mercy of good samaritans who supply them water in water tankers to ease off their suffering.

In the Dorayi Karama area, Haruna Bala told The Daily Reality that water vendors are their “Steady and reliable water suppliers.” Tap water comes to us sometimes once a month. The only well close to my house, which we abandoned, come to our rescue, but it cannot provide sufficient water to the neighbourhood.”

Other areas in the inner part of the commercial nerve centre of northern Nigeria, such as Tal’udu, Mandawari, Fagge, and Sabon Titi, often get respite from water tankers that supply water to the areas by good spirited individuals and, on some rare occasions, by the government.

In Dan Agundi, people resorted to fetching water to their houses from nearby mosques that make water provisions for worshippers to perform ablution.

“I once bought a 20-jerry-can cart of water from the vendors at ₦2000 because there was no electricity and not many water vendors then,” said Kabiru Idris of Kofar Nasarawa in Kano city.

Generally, the water supply problem cuts across all nooks and crannies of Kano with a varying effects from one location to another.

Some water vendors who spoke to The Daily Reality said they are also affected by the erratic power supply that makes it challenging to have a constant price for their supplies.

Rabiu Hussaini said he supplied a cart of 20-jerry-can for ₦1000, “I sell one jerry-can ₦50, but when there is no light sometimes, I sell more than that up to 100 per one because where we buy the water from also increase the price.”

He added that “We used to pay N70-100 per cart with 18 or 20 jerry-cans, but now we pay 120 – 200 to get water from the managers.”

Mohammed Sani, who survives on his water vending business, said they are finding things hard despite their crucial work of serving the water supply needs of the residents. He lamented that “We use our energy to do the work. We buy water from boreholes or tank owners before supplying it to the people. Then, we hire the cart, and we pay a tax of ₦50 daily.”

For Sunusi Idris, whose sole essence of leaving home to live in Kano City is working and gathering some money for his family’s needs. “I make a maximum of ₦5000 on a good day, but sometimes I make just ₦2000 a day.”

The vendors, however, complain that apart from the tax they pay, police and KAROTA officials charge them fines for any slightest misdemeanour.

This is coming despite Kano State Government’s yearly pronouncements and allocations to provide the state with adequate, portable drinking water.

Earlier during budget defence and presentation, the then Kano State Commissioner for Water Resources, Sadik Wali, said six bn was budgeted for the Ministry in 2022 in addition to loans secured from France and support from donors.

Sadik Wali told the press that Tamburawa and Challawa Water Treatment Plants were to be rehabilitated. “Our major focus is the provision of portable water supply, especially in the face of health challenges recorded in the state and also rehabilitation of our existing infrastructure….”

The Commissioner further said that “Tamburawa Water Treatment Plant has a capacity of 120 million litres per day while Challawa Water Treatment Plant has a capacity of 90-120 litres per day.”

He acknowledged that they are only running the plants at 40 – 70 per cent capacity subject to availability or otherwise of energy through electricity or generating set.

Kano State Water Board Managing Director, Dr Garba Kofar Wambai, earlier apologised to the residents over the inability of the board to supply water to the people.

The Daily Reality could not find any response from the Kano State Ministry of Water Resources for the lingering water problem in the state as the Commissioner for water resources, Sadiq Wali, resigned his position in March to pursue his gubernatorial ambition.

By Muhammadu Aminu

Legal Aid Council of Nigeria has refused to provide legal aid services to a controversial Kano cleric, Abduljabbar Kabara, who is standing trial for alleged blasphemy.

The Daily Reality earlier reported that the cleric sacked his previous legal teams over a misunderstanding.

Justice Ibrahim Sarki Yola earlier urged the Council to provide pro bono legal services to the cleric to enable him to have a fair trial.

The Council argued that Sheikh Kabara does not deserve its services because he earns more than Nigeria’s minimum wage (30,000).

According to the Council, it is also out of its jurisdiction to defend an alleged blasphemy case.

The prosecuting counsel, Yakubu Abdullahi, appealed to the Judge to allow the Kano State Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice to provide lawyers for the plaintiff.

Justice Yola, however, denied the request and directed that a letter should be written by an independent lawyer, Barr. Dalhatu Shehu to defend the cleric.

Sheikh Kabara has been facing trial for charges related to blasphemy in an Upper Shariah Court in Kano, although he denies the allegations.

Justice Yola adjourned the case to June 9, 2022, for a continuation of the trial.

By Aminu Adamu Naganye

Kano State Fire Service said fire incidences have killed 14 people and destroyed properties worth over 17 million Naira in the month of May in the State.

This is contained in a statement of monthly of activities of the service made available to journalists in Kano Wednesday by the Service Public Relations Officer, PFS Saminu Abdullahi.

The statement added that 112 people were rescued at different locations by the officers of the Service.

PFS Abdullahi further revealed that People’s properties worth over 52 million naira were saved.

The statement reads in part: “State Fire Service received emergency calls from our twenty seven 27 fire stations across the State in the month under review. We received 59 fire calls, 74 rescue calls and 19 false alarms.

“Estimated properties destroyed by the fire :#17,730,000.00k; estimated properties saved# 52,080,000.00k; the total number of deaths in the month of May we registered 14 lives were lost.

“The number of people that we successfully saved from different incidences 112 people.”

Meanwhile, PFS Abdullahi further said 20 animals were burnt to death while three people were hospitalised in Unguwar Gyartai community of Kunchi Local Government Area of Kano State on Tuesday.

The PRO noted that 20 other people were rescued while eight local food storage (silos) were burnt to ashes in the inferno.

He said Firemen from nearby Bichi Fire Station were mobilised were they saved numerous animals and houses adjacent to the scene of the fire incident.

“Twenty (20) sheep’s and goats burnt to death, and one (1) sheep, one (1) goat were rescued…eight (8) local food storage (Rumbu) well alight.

“While fire escalated to one ground floor of about 200 X 200ft used as a dwelling house with four (4) rooms involved.”

“With good effort of our men, the fire became under control, and successfully saved Twenty (20) rooms, Two (2) local food storage, and forty (40) domestic animals from the fire and control the spreading of fire to the near by structures.”

PFS Abdullahi therefore called on the general public to always abide by the fire safety guidelines to save lives and properties.

By Muhammad Aminu

A Nigerian based agro-allied company, Silvex International, in partnership with a UK and US based Kingston Organic and Regen Farm have trained 220 farmers from Kano and Jigawa States on climate smart agriculture in Ajingi Local Government Area of Kano State.

At least 30 field officers were equally trained in the programme.

This was made known in a statement by the Vice President-Nigeria Operations, Kingston Organic PLC, Sunusi Bature.

Bature said that the programme is part of the Silvex’s preparation for the full scale implementation of this new innovation of producing organic foods in Nigeria.

The training conducted in Ajingi Local Government with 220 farmers and 30 field coordinators from Kano and Jigawa States focused basic concept of the regenerative agriculture, digital platform for farmers and contract farming.

The statement reads: “The farmers were sensitized on the techniques involved in producing organic food items with a priority given to hibiscus, sesame seed and groundnut. The participants are expected to step down the training to other farmers across the two states of Kano and Jigawa.”

“Silvex International Limited with the support from the British FCDO LINKS Project has already enrolled thirty thousand (30,000) farmers in its digital platform for the regenerative and climate smart agriculture in Kano and Jigawa states and it’s expected to onboard up to one hundred thousand farmers by the end of 2022.”

“The digital platform gives access to real time and verifiable data on the farmers and their activities at the farm, which include farm size, socio-economic profile, weather condition, date of planting, projected date of harvest and expected yield.”