News

By Uzair Adam Imam

The news making the round about the increment in school fees by the management of Bayero University, Kano (BUK), has dragged many students into a sheer panic while others fear the increment would be the end of their academic journey.

However, the school management debunked the circulated news on Wednesday and described it as fake news meant to startle students.

Malam Lamara Garba, the school Deputy Registrar, Public Affairs, told The Daily Reality that the story was baseless, urging the general public to reject it as “there is no official disclosure on that effect”.

The Daily Reality recalled that the news about the increment in the school fees to N170,000, initially said to be leaked information, has gone viral since the beginning of the last week.

The Students Union Government (SUG) claimed to have made several attempts to highlight the negative consequences the increment would have on students and subsequently held two meetings on the process with the school management.

Auwal Lawal Nadabo, the school acting SUG President, stated that all their efforts were in vain as the school management remained firmly on its stands after all the meetings.

Nadabo, who relayed this on a Facebook post, said, “The school management, after all consultations and finalizing the proposed fees, called for a second meeting where it was confirmed to the student leaders that the new range of school fees would be N97,000 to N170,000, as the case may be.

However, asked whether what the SUG President said was true, Garba denied knowledge of the meetings, saying, “I don’t even know when they had the said meeting with the management.”

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

Nigerian President Bola Ahmad Tinubu is set to make his first international trip to France. 

The Special Adviser to the President on Special Duties, Communication and Strategy, Dele Alake, disclosed the maiden trip of the President in a statement on Monday. 

According to Mr Alake, the President will join other world leaders to review and sign a New Global Financial Pact that places vulnerable countries on the priority list for support and investment, sequel to the devastating aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The two-day summit also aims at mobilizing innovative financing for countries prone to climate disruptions, fostering development in developing nations and addressing other diplomatic concerns.

The Summit will be hosted by President Emmanuel Macron of France and will be held at Palais Brongniat.

The Special Adviser also disclosed that the President will return on Saturday.

By Muhammadu Sabiu

Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft, and Aliko Dangote, the head of the Dangote Group, met with President Bola Tinubu on Monday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Dayo Olusegun, Tinubu’s media assistant, tweeted about the meeting.

According to Olusegun: “Mr @BillGates, co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and founder of Microsoft, has arrived the Presidential Villa with Alhaji @Aliko Dangote to see President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR).”

Recall that Dangote revealed last week that Tinubu and Gates would have a meeting today.

By Muhammadu Sabiu 
 
In a significant transfer development, N’Golo Kanté, the revered French midfielder and a longstanding figure at Chelsea FC, has officially signed a four-year contract with Al Ittihad, a Saudi Arabian football team.
 
The transfer marks the end of an era for Kanté, who has become an emblematic player for Chelsea and an integral part of their success in recent years.
 
Reports suggest that the financial terms of the transfer are substantial. Kanté’s total salary over the duration of the contract amounts to a staggering €100 million. 
 
Kanté’s departure from Chelsea evokes a sense of nostalgia among fans and the football community as a whole. 
 
The diminutive midfielder, known for his tireless work rate, exceptional ball-winning ability, and precise distribution, has etched his name into the club’s history. 
 
His contributions were instrumental in Chelsea’s success, including two Premier League titles, an FA Cup, and a UEFA Champions League.
 
During his time at Chelsea, Kanté has established himself as one of the world’s premier midfielders, earning plaudits for his consistent performances and humility both on and off the field. 
 

By Uzair Adam Imam

A Nigerian doctor based in Russia has pleaded with the Kano State Governor, Engr. Abba Kabir Yusuf, to spare his newly built house from demolition.

The doctor, whose name is withheld, told Kano Chronicle that he borrowed almost $500,000 and added his savings of $500,000 to build the house.

The passionate plea to the governor was in a letter written by the doctor, which Kano Chronicle shared on its verified Twitter handle.

Recall that the governor had decided not to back down on demolishing illegal structures built by his predecessor.

Abba’s administration had torn down a three-storey shopping complex located at Race Course Road, Nasarawa GRA, with 90 shops, Daula Hotel and other buildings at Hajj Camp, to mention but a few.

However, the doctor, who insisted that he put the house up for N500,000,000, pleaded with the governor to spare his home, adding that he would be at a loss if the house is demolished.

He stated, “I spent close to 8 years working in Russia now, and I have developed a successful business. So I decided to take a loan on my business name and use my savings to move to real estate back in my home state Kano Nigeria. I borrowed close to $500,000 and added $500,000 together with saving from some family members to buy land for 15,000,000 nairas and build a mansion on it.

“My home has been completed, sir, and I have even put it on the market to service my debt due to the economic situation in Nigeria. I won’t even make a profit on it. I will take a loss because I put the house up for 500,000,000 Naira as a distress sale.”

“Yesterday, I was informed that (Knupda)  has marked my house for removal, and I followed all instructions before building. I got their approval and a C of O . I didn’t put up a single block on that land until (Knupda)  gave me approval. Please consider my situation, sir. 

“If that house is taken from me. I will be in very serious financial problems coupled with the debt I took for the building,” he added.

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari 

The Kano State Government has resumed awarding local and foreign postgraduate scholarships to indigenes of the state. 

This was made public on Friday through a statement signed by the Secretary to the Kano State Government, Dr Abdullahi Baffa Bichi.

Dr Bichi called for entreaties from qualified Kano graduates. Graduates with first-class honours who are from the state and are medically fit to travel abroad are eligible to apply. 

He also noted that the last time the state awarded scholarships of this kind was in 2025, during the administration of Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.

Part of the statement reads: 

”Applications are invited from suitably qualified graduates for Kano State postgraduate foreign and local scholarships for the 2023/2024 Academic Session.

Recall that the last scholarship was offered in 2015 by Sen. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso’s Administration which sponsored the third batch of 503 first-class graduates to 14 different countries.

After eight years without postgraduate foreign scholarship by the last administration, H.E. Engr. Abba Kabir Yusuf, The Executive Governor of Kano State, has approved the resumption of the postgraduate foreign and local scholarship with effect from the 2023/2024 Academic Session.”

Applicants are called on to fill out relevant application forms obtainable for free from www.kanostate.gov.ng/scholarship_application.

The state concludes that:

“Eligible applicants would be invited for a screening interview.

Completed application forms together with copies of credentials (indigene certificate, medical certificate, birth certificate, Primary School Certificate, WASC/GCE/SSCE certificate, Degree certificate etc) should be submitted to the secretariate of the screening committee, Old Conference Room, Office of the Secretary to the State Government, Cabinet Office, 1 Wudil Road, Kano within two weeks of this advertisement.”

By Ahmed Deedat Zakari

A Cameroonian, Simon Ngonja, has been killed by his pet dog in Yaounde, Cameroon.

According to reports, the German shepherd fiercely attacked and mauled his owner, a senior staff at the Cameroonian Prime Minister’s office.

The incident was reported to have happened on June 11, immediately after the deceased returned from a journey.

A soldier had shot the dog dead in a futile attempt to save the deceased. However, before the intervention of the soldier, the deceased had already sustained aggravated bodily injuries and had lost a lot of blood to bleeding.

Mr Ngonja was rushed to the hospital and was stabilised before his inevitable passing on the Morning of June 15, 2023.

A Facebook user, Bella Powers, gave details as to the cause of his death in a post, he wrote :

“Killed by his dog in Yaoundé… Simon NGONJA died this morning after being fatally attacked by his own ‘German Shepherd’ breed dog.

“Returning from a trip last Sunday night, he was attacked by his dog after opening the gate of his house. He fought fiercely with the animal to the point where it was a soldier who decided to kill the dog with a rifle bullet. Taken to the hospital with a lot of bleeding, the wounds were finally fatal to him.

“He was an executive in the services of the Prime Minister in Yaoundé.
May his soul rest in peace, and our condolence to his family.”

–News Desk

Following Tuesday, June 14, 2023, suspension of Mr. Abdulrasheed Bawa, as Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission by the Federal Government, Mr. Abdulkarim Chukkol has stepped in as Acting Chairman of the Commission.

Until this new role, he was the Director of Operations of the Commission.

A pioneer staff of the Commission and an illustrious member of the EFCC Cadet Course One, Mr. Chukkol is a consummate and vastly experienced investigator with speciality in cybercrime and money laundering.

His Command appointments in the Commission include spells as Head of the Advance Fee Fraud and Cybercrime Sections of the Lagos and Abuja Zonal Commands between 2011 -2016, pioneer Commander of the Uyo Zonal Command in 2017 and Commander of Port Harcourt Zonal Command in 2020.

Chukkol has participated in several special operations with international law enforcement organizations and maintains close relationships with Law enforcement agencies such as the FBI, UK National Crime Agency, United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), United States Secret Service, Australian Federal Police, Dutch Police, German Police, South African Police etc.

The acting EFCC Boss has worked closely with other Governments to develop law and infrastructure for carrying out law enforcement actions. He is Nigeria’s Contact person at the International Mass Marketing Fraud Working Group representing key Government regulatory, law enforcement, prosecution, immigration and customs, financial intelligence, and consumer protection agencies as well as trade and competition bureaus dealing with mass marketing-related issues from Spain, Nigeria, Belgium, Europol, Canada, United Kingdom and the United States.

He has attended several courses, seminars and workshops on Public Corruption, Advance Fee Fraud and other economic and financial crimes both locally and internationally, including the Oxford University, United Kingdom, in 2022.

His work and initiatives over the years have earned him several awards and commendations both locally and internationally, including “the Most Outstanding Award in Operations” by the EFCC and the “Outstanding Performance Award” by the United States Department of Justice, among others.

The acting EFCC Chairman holds a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Maiduguri (2000) and Post Graduate Certificate in Criminal Justice Education from the University of Virginia, United States as well as Graduate Diploma in Cybersecurity and Spectrum Management from the United States Telecommunication Training Institute, Washington DC, United States.

He is also an alumnus of the FBI National Academy, Quantico; European Center of Security Studies, Germany and a Fellow of the War College, Nigeria.

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

A yet-to-be-identified young man has died while tampering with a transformer and feeder pillar in Lokoja.

The lifeless body of the deceased was found in the early hours of Thursday beside a transformer at Paparanda Square, Lokoja.

Pictures of the deceased circulated and seen on social media showed the deceased clutching to the cables believed to be taken from the equipment. 

Residents who spoke to The Daily Reality narrated that the man set out at dawn to steal cables believed to be expensive from the transformer.

The Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) removed the deceased corpse and handed it to the police for further investigation.

However, as of the time of writing this report, the police is yet to comment on the tragedy.

By Aisar Fagge and Uzair Adam Imam

Sheikh Aminu Ibrahim Daurawa, a renowned Kano-based Islamic cleric, has challenged people to establish a dispute resolution committee as the “only solution” to the menace of phone robbery rocking our states.

The sheikh stated this in a symposium Saturday organized by The Muslim Forum of Nigeria in collaboration with Al-Istiqama University Sumaila, Kano and the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN) Kano chapter to discuss the way forward to put to an end the menace of phone snatching in Kano state.

The Islamic cleric stated, “We must come together and analyze how and why these thugs are into this kind of business before we can address it. Any ward should establish a dispute resolution committee that would include parents, traditional leaders, Islamic clerics, teachers, security personnel, retired civil servants and lawyers to ensure discipline and exemplary character among the youth in the area.

“The committee will help provide jobs for the unemployed youth, enrol them into schools, empower orphans and widows, and form vigilante committees, among others.

“This committee will also assist the security personnel with an intelligent report on any unknown persons or suspicious act,” Daurawa stated.

The speaker reiterated his stance on parents who give birth to kids they cannot care for or moralize.

Daurawa said although Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) encouraged marriage and giving birth, he would never be proud of a useless crowd of spoiled kids and thugs.

He also called on the government’s intervention through empowerment and provision of skills acquisition centres for the youth.

In the symposium that hosted security personnel, traditional rulers, analysts, journalists, Islamic clerics and university dons, Daurawa empowered two phone snatchers with N100,000.