Dr. Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso

By Uzair Adam Imam

A man diligently taking care of a house meant for Muslim converts in Gwale LGA, Kano State, has opened up on the tough times the people are going through.

Malam Hassan Tela described to The Daily Reality how the Kano State Government had abandoned the house located at Hauren Wanki, Gwale LGA, without food and basic necessities for over 11 years amidst the biting economic hardship in Nigeria.

Hassan Tela said that the forsaken converts are now under the care of a few individuals who shoulder their responsibilities since the government had turned its back on them.

He stated that the house is under the Kano State Shari’ah Commission, founded by the former governor of the state, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, in his first tenure in 2004.

The Daily Reality gathered that during the Shekarau administration, the converts were well taken care of and had their foodstuffs provided every month, including soaps and detergents to wash their clothes.

The end of Shekarau’s tenure throws converts into a dilemma

However, the end of Shekarau’s term opened the door of hardship and hunger for these abandoned converts for over a decade, leaving them stranded and, sometimes, starved.

Tela said, “During Shekarau administration, the governor provided foodstuffs such as rice, beans, maize, yam and other items to the converts, including the pocket money.

“The government also sponsored the children to continue their studies from primary to tertiary institutions. Books, shoes, bags, and uniforms were also provided for them. Life then was smooth. I also had my N15,000 allowance every month.”

However, when Engineer Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso was elected as Kano state governor in 2011, he stopped the feeding and the allowance. Likewise, Governor Ganduje, whose administration has marked its 7th year.

Our reporters gathered that despite all the pleas by Tela and his Da’awa preaching colleagues, the government turned a deaf ear to the plight of the converts and those taking care of them. This development has forced many of the converts to drop out of school.

‘We sell our preaching bus to feed converts’ – Tela

“Because we cannot keep human beings without food, and the converts numbering thirty-seven, we had to sell our bus we used to go for preaching to sustain this activity.

“Some people that came to our rescue purchased a tricycle (Adaidaita Sahu) for us. After spending some years and the machine was old enough to work, because it broke down almost every day and we didn’t save anything because we used the money for our daily shopping, we had to sell it too to buy foodstuffs.

“In those days, when goods and services were cheap, N2500 was enough for me to do all the shopping, but now, I spend N5000, and we are still managing.

“But Alhamdulillah, the founding fathers of Hanan and Abu Hanifa schools, including the current deputy governor of Kano State and a few others, have lent us their helping hands.”

It’s difficult for us – converts

Some of the converts that spoke to The Daily Reality have voiced a passionate plea to the government to come to their aid.

A convert, Aisha Hassan, pleaded with the government to come to their aid, saying, “Sometimes we would wake up, and we have no money to shop.”

A convert, Ummu-Salma Musa, said, “Some of us are in school, but we don’t have reading materials such as books and bags, and we also need some clothes to wear.”

Another convert who identified herself as Hafsat, and has completed her diploma programme, said, “We really face many challenges including lack of soaps, detergents, slippers and sandals for our younger ones going to primary and secondary schools. We also hope to further our education.”

Aisha Danjuma said, “We also need to learn some skills as some of us are not going to school.”

When contacted, the Director Public Enlightenment of Kano State Shari’ah Commission, Malam Aminu Musa, said he could not comment on the allegations.

He said, “I know of the issue. But as of now, honestly speaking, I cannot say anything about it. In addition, there have been changes and appointments in the commission, and I am one of those appointed that assumed duty on Monday.”

By Muhammad Aminu 

Former Kano State Governor and Senator representing Kano Central Zone, Ibrahim Shekarau, has said he only owns a single house in Kano.

Shekarau, who said he still rents a house in Abuja, added that he is yet to afford a personal home in the Federal Capital Territory.

He was reacting to an allegation that he was given $1 million in a bid to push him out of Kwankwaso’s New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) to another undisclosed party.

He made the statement while engaging his followers, the Shura council and committees on the brewing crisis in the NNPP.

He contended that in his over 40 years of public engagement, there is no money that could influence his decision.

“In my 42 years as a leader, I was a principal of GSS Hadejia with 500 students and 64 teachers. This hand has signed and approved whatever amount of money one can think of. My commissioners are alive; I have never dictated who should be given contracts in a council meeting.

“We have handled uncountable contracts with both foreign and local contractors. So I challenge any contractor to come out and say there was a time we negotiated on a particular contract.

“I challenge every political appointee or contractor who brought one Naira to me. If it happens and they keep quiet, I will not forgive him. 

Shekarau added that as precious as plots are in Kano, he has never allocated a foot-length of land to himself in his eight years reign as a governor.

He said: “It is not that we don’t like the money, but our dignity is more important than wealth. Therefore, whoever knows any house outside the one built for me based on pension agreement, I have given it to him.”

Shekarau further pointed out that he maintains a good relationship with high-profile politicians within and outside the party, and associating or visiting each other shouldn’t be an issue.

He argued that the recent comment credited to Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso necessitated him to brief his followers on the latest happening in the NNPP and the rumoured defection.

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 Uzair Adam Imam 

Another political crisis is rocking the Kano chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC) as the endorsed deputy governorship candidate, Murtala Sule Garo, is reportedly mulling over defection to the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP).

Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje endorsed Garo to pair with the current deputy governor, Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna, as governor in the 2023 gubernatorial election.

However, Garo was said to have felt slighted following a peace parley between Governor Ganduje and his political arch-enemy, Senator Barau Jibrin.

Recall that Ganduje had reconciled with Barau and agreed to step down for him for the Kano North senatorial ticket after the senator abandoned his gubernatorial ambition. 

According to a source who preferred not to be named, Garo plans to discuss the issue with his associates for a final decision.

He said, “he is planning to meet with his associates and make [a] concrete decision, but he is still very sad about the development (Barau back in the fold), but he has not defected or abandoned the ticket,” one source, who asked not to be named, said.

By Ibrahim Nasidi Saal

A Federal High Court sitting in Kano on Tuesday granted an order of interim injunction restraining the Shehu Sagagi-led executives of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Kano from exercising any power pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice.

Mr Sagagi is allegedly loyal to a former governor of Kano State and national leader of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, Rabiu Kwankwaso.

The case was filed before Justice A.M. Bichi by one Bello Bichi against INEC, PDP and 40 others.

The order is as follows:

 “That in order not to create a serious power vacuum In the party at the State level and to prevent any anarchy which could result from such a vacuum, an order of interim injunction is granted restraining the 3″‘ to 42nd Defendants from parading or continuing to parade themselves as the Party Executives of the PDP in Kano State, from exercising any power pursuant thereto, or doing anything in that purported capacity pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice herewith filed, which is fixed for hearing on the 24th day of May, 2022.

“That an order for leave is granted allowing the substituted service of the Court Order and the originating and other subsequent processes on the 3rd to 42nd Defendants by leaving same with or at the office of the 25th Defendant, Mr. I. Wangida, Esq.”

The daily Reality reports that on April 28, another court of concurrent jurisdiction, the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, had reinstated the Shehu Sagagi-led state and 44 local governments’ executives of PDP, pending the determination of the substantive case before it.

Ruling on the matter, Justice Taiwo O. Taiwo granted all the prayers of the Sagagi-led executives and warned the PDP national leadership against taking any action that would undermine them.

By Salisu Uba Kofar-Wambai

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