Kano State

By Uzair Adam Imam 

The Kano State Government is set to provide equipment and other relevant working materials to Hisbah offices to enhance operational capabilities.

Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, represented by the Kano State Commissioner for Religious Affairs, Dr Muhammad Tahir Adam, made the disclosure at the passing out parade of five hundred Hisbah corps.

Ganduje commended the efforts and commitments of the staff and management of the Hisbah Board in discharging their responsibilities.

He also called on the Kano residents to complement the government’s efforts by abiding by rules and regulations to maintain a crime-free society.

Speaking at the event, the commander general of the board, Sheikh Harun Muhammad Sani Ibn Sina, urged parents and guardians to be more vigilant. 

He said, “I call on the parents and guardians to be more vigilant and report any suspected person or character to relevant authorities to move the state forward.”

By Uzair Adam Imam

Kano State Governor, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has commiserated the death of a renowned Kano businessman and industrialist, Alhaji Uba Leader.

Leader was a famous businessman. He died Saturday in Abuja at 77, leaving several children and grandchildren behind.

While commiserating with the family, Ganduje, represented by his Deputy, Dr Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna, said Leader’s death was a significant loss to the entire nation, a statement Saturday by the Chief Press Secretary to the Deputy Governor of Kano State, Hassan Musa Fagge, disclosed.

In part, the statement read, “Alh. Uba Leader was among the businessmen who contributed to the development of the economy and making Kano the commercial nerve centre of Northern Nigeria.

“He had lived a life of selfless service contributing to humanity through his philanthropic activities creating jobs for the less privileged.”

The Governor prayed to Almighty Allah to forgive his deeds, grant him Jannatul Firdaus and give his family the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.

By Uzair Adam Imam

Hundreds of job seekers from different parts of Nigeria trooped into Kano State Thursday to jostle for the West African Examinations Council (WEAC) jobs.

The examination body was hiring assistant registrar, accountant, quantity surveyor, registered builder and network administrator, among other posts.

The job seekers sat for a computer-based aptitude test organized by the examination body at a CBT centre along Gwarzo Raod in Kano.

Unemployment is one of the lingering issues currently flogging the Nigerian graduates, making it a serious challenge, especially to the government.

A recent Bloomberg report shows that unemployment in Nigeria has surged to the second-highest on the global list, jumping to 33.3%.

Unemployment alarming

Musa Musa Dangwangwani, surprised by the number of applicants who trooped into the state to sit for the CBT, said the unemployment rate in the country is alarming.

Dangwangwani, an applicant from Katsina State, said, “Despite the high unemployment rate, job opportunities are very scarce. I’m therefore pleading with the government to provide job opportunities in the country.

Another applicant from Kogi State told our reporter that the issue of unemployment in Nigeria is seriously killing graduates, urging the government to do the needful to mitigate the problem.

‘The future is bleak’

“We have a lot of graduates out there that already lost hope. If you speak to them about any job opportunity, they will tell you they don’t want to apply for any because they are rigged out.

“One has to have a godfather before he secures a job now. But I have been trying my best. Wherever I heard of any opportunity, I apply, believing that one day I will succeed,” Dangwangwani said.

A female applicant from Kaduna State, who did not want her name in print, said the gathering was suggestive of the country’s high unemployment rate.

She said, “The way people gathered here tells me about the high rate of unemployment in the country. The government needs to do something to end this issue.

“Government should revive the number of factories shut down over the years. I think that will really help.

I lost my job due to insecurity – Applicant

An applicant from Bauchi State told The Daily Reality how he lost his job to the security challenge in Nigeria.

He said that was the reason he was now seeking another job.

He said, “I had my business. I’m a network engineer. My job was to provide internet service to the people mining in the bushes, but because of the current insecurity in the country, we can’t risk our lives; thus, I am jobless now.”

The Daily Reality recalls that professionals have argued that there is a need for urgent intervention to save the country from an impending danger posed by the exponential increase in unemployment.

By Uzair Adam Imam 

Associate Professor Mainasara Yakubu Kurfi, and other journalism educators, urged Kano State Polytechnic journalism students to imbibe critical thinking in reporting their beats as journalists of the 21st century. 

Kurfi, who is the Head of Department, Mass Communication, Bayero University, Kano, tasked the journalists in the making, reiterating that the students should be jack of all trades and masters of none.

Kurfi stated this Thursday at a One-Day Lecture Series organised by the Department of Mass Communication, Kano State Polytechnic.

Speaking on the topic, The 21st Century Mass Communication Student, the university don added that there were numerous opportunities in the field and that the students should read a lot to upgrade their learning and skills.

In his words, Kurfi stated, “there are numerous opportunities in mass communication because the world is no longer a global village but rather a global room.

“For this reason, you only need to read hard and acquire the necessary skills. If you do that, you’ll be getting money from the comfort of your room.

“Some of the career opportunities for a 21-century mass communication student include; film production, photography, advertising, development communication, public relations, broadcasting, strategic communication, among others.”

Also speaking, the event convener, Malam Aisar Salihu Fagge, stated that the essence of the lectures was to prepare students for the basic need of 21st-century journalism.

He added that the event would also develop help the students develop entrepreneurial mind to enable them to learn the modern skills of the journalism profession. 

Academics from sister institutions, directors from various units, heads of departments, and alumni of the Mass Communication department graced the event.

The Head of Department, Mass Communication, Kano State Polytechnic, Malama Binta Muhammad Lawal, ably represented by one of the department’s lecturers, Malam Salihu Sule Khalid, commended the event.

By Nusaiba Ibrahim Na’abba

The recent court ruling in Kano was a relieving moment for the parents of young Hanifa, who one Abdulmalik Tanko and his miserable conspirators brutally murdered. The general public also welcomed the verdict. It encourages all to be hopeful that, once again, our legal system can be reliable. The feeling that justice was served is just so extraordinary.

Although, to her parents, this moment will refresh their pain as they step into another chapter of their life. Yet, the relaxed atmosphere discharging fairness after moments of terror enveloped by uncertainty is ecstatic. I see people from neighbouring states expressing satisfaction and endorsing the court proceedings that led to the sentencing of Hanifa’s murderers, Abdulmalik Tanko and his accomplice, to death.

Many of us are neither conversant with the legal system nor its proc. Still, from the onset, we have roared the eye for an eye maxim as the only punishment to cushion the enormous pain inflicted on the deceased’s parents. The unimaginable trauma surely deserves strong retribution, and that is what it gets, finally. It is a scar that will never fade away from their hearts, one they will live with forever.

The cruelty in our world is truly unimaginable and beyond one’s comprehension. We are indeed living through the worst of times. For the seven years of Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje’s reign, Kano State has witnessed the interplay between politics and the legal system through vehement exchanges within the sphere of the people, democracy and the economy. The government has allegedly consolidated all powers to pursue its interests at the expense of the people, thereby depriving them of their freedoms in many ways.

In politics particularly, the opposition has been at the receiving end as almost every court case favours the ruling party. And there are countless court cases on alleged confiscation of plots of land by the government. Evident cases of Muhyi Magaji’s arrest lately and the prompt dethroning of Emir Muhammadu Sanusi II are few out of the multitude of examples depicting the potency of Ganduje’s government in view of power consolidation. Clearly, there is a demonstration of the dominion of government on the legal system, unlike what we witnessed in the past administrations.

Thuggery and phone snatching have earned top spots on the chart of major problems challenging security settings in the state leading to killings of innocent lives and loss of properties. Allegations have been piling up over the manipulation of security personnel’s surrendering to the interests of the government while offenders move freely without fear of being apprehended. Thus, Kano has become increasingly vulnerable to more violence than it used to.

On the arrest of Abdulmalik Tanko and his conspirators, he admitted how they connived to kidnap and murder Hanifa after demanding ransom. Then, Governor Ganduje assured the outrageous public that he would not waste a minute in endorsing the death penalty punishment for Abdulmalik and his partners should they be found guilty. His statement eased tensions and brought succour to her parents, who were certain that the act would not bring back their beloved child.

Surprisingly, however, the governor’s prerogative of mercy this year was a shocker to the people of Kano. Governor Ganduje released prisoners who had been found guilty of murder and were awaiting death penalties! It’s definitely a digression from what is expected of him as the court ruling of Abdulmalik Tanko has not been executed yet. How inconsiderate can the government be to release murderers back to communities that are overly plagued by violence and killings? By extension, they could be back to kill more people because certainly, their communities wouldn’t be willing to embrace them.

After all, what do you think would become of criminals as such who have committed the worst of crimes? Releasing to the larger community, people who have committed crimes and are charged with the highest level of a criminal offence are threatening the peace and security in the state. Most of them have even admitted to killing more than one person. Yet, they end up roaming the streets and continuing their day-to-day activities. Meanwhile, several people have been arraigned and even convicted on charges lesser than murder.

Women and men have severally been imprisoned because they unknowingly get linked to offences they know nothing about or simply because a plaintiff is more powerful than they are. Especially, women have fallen victims due to crashed business interactions – monetary cases are quite prevalent in courts these days. The revelations, in the parting words of CP Sama’ila Shu’aibu Dikko, the outgoing Commissioner of police, leave me perplexed.

The Police Commissioner lamented why criminals are indiscriminately released on bail after they’ve been charged to court. For a person of his calibre to admit this tells one the uncertainty our future holds. He might not be too explicit about it, but he sure gave us a hint on what to expect if things keep going as they are. And these are not mere claims to be ignored.

Discussions and debates have always explicitly circled “murder for murder” against criminals found guilty of such an offence. Over the years, we’ve witnessed more murders within Kano and even on the outskirts. For some, though, psychological and mental ill health have been attributed to the accused. Others got released on bail based on the powers vested on judges with reasons within the scope of the law. Repeating that we are living in trying times can never be underscored.

It is time we seek to reinstate the ‘mantra’ of offering justice as it is to serve as deterrence. Our minds are so overwhelmed with killings and terror that we easily forget how hard violent activities hit us when they pass. Many victims are forced to leave judgments to the Lord of the worlds against their better choices – lest they are sure how impossible judgments can be in their favour.

The ongoing uncertainties make the fear of the upcoming general elections immeasurable. Unfortunately, we don’t have that might to counter much of what could be coming with it, as the 2019 general elections left us with huge losses of lives and properties. So while we prepare for that, we await Governor Ganduje, who is so submerged with politicking, to fulfil his promise.

Nusaiba Ibrahim Na’abba is a master’s student from the Department of Mass Communication, BUK. She is a freelance writer and researcher. She can be reached via nusaibaibrahim66@gmail.com.

By Muhammad Sabiu 

Malam Bala, 60-year-old, and his 35-year-old son, Sunusi Bala, drowned in a well in Kano.

The unfortunate incident occurred while they were drawing water from the well in Sabon Garin Bauchi, Wudil Local Government Area.

According to Saminu Abdullahi, spokeswoman for the State Fire Service, the incident happened on Tuesday morning.

A statement from Abdullahi noted that one Isma’ila Idris called the Wudil fire station in an emergency at around 11:30 a.m.

“A father and his son were called to drain a well, they had successfully drained it.

”But, the son went back into the well to clear it when he was trapped and suffocated.

“His father went after him to rescue him when he also got trapped and suffocated due to the lack of oxygen inside the well”, Abdullahi said.

The victims were brought out of the well in a coma and were eventually confirmed dead.

Their bodies have been handed over to Insp. Felix Gowok of Wudil model police station.

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

A Kano State pilgrim in Mecca has passed on in the holy city of Mecca. 

The Executive Secretary of the Kano State Pilgrims Welfare Board, Alhaji Muhammed Abba-Muhammad, disclosed this to the press on Saturday, August 6, 2022. 

The Executive Secretary said Idris Muhammad, who hailed from Madobi Local Government Area, passed on after a brief illness in a Hospital in Mecca. 

“The deceased has been buried according to Islamic rites at Grand mosque at Masjid Haram Shira yard in Mecca,” He said

He also prayed for the deceased and extended his condolence to his family.

By Prof. Abdalla Uba Adamu

S01EP03: Betelgeuse Star System Touchdown

On my return in April 2012, I reported to my Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Abubakar Adamu Rasheed. In a moment of radical inspiration, he asked me to submit every publication and activity in communication to the HoD of Mass Communication, the late Dr Balarabe Maikaba, for possible recommendation as a professor of Media and Cultural communication. In the meantime, a position for a professor was created in the Department of Mass Communication to accommodate my presence.

I was surprised at this as I thought once you are a professor, you stay that way without any addition! The then Dean of the Faculty of Social and Management Sciences, Prof. Adamu Idris Tanko, also welcomed the idea. Dr Balarabe Maikaba wrote a supporting letter. I put in the application and submitted all the papers I had in the new area for external assessment.

In January 2013, I received a phone call from my Vice-Chancellor informing me that assessments of my publications sent out months earlier had returned positive. Therefore, I have been appointed Information and Media Studies professor with effect from October 2012. There was only one wonderful caveat: I was to relocate to the Department of Mass Communication from the Department of Science and Technology Education, where I was then the Head of the Department. This relocation was the most significant move in my academic career. The day I received that letter counted as one of the happiest of my entire life.

I suddenly realized that my earlier desire to be in the Faculty of Science was to become a research scientist. Now, 32 years later, I have become a research social scientist while retaining my scientific focus. Allah truly blessed me. The journey to the first professorship took 17 years (1980-1997), while the second took 15 years (1997 to 2012).

I handed over the Department of Science and Technology Education on April 25 2013, symbolic of my birthday. My new Department and the Faculty overwhelmingly welcomed me when I formally reported on April 26 2013. Even more remarkable, the Communication Studies fraternity also welcomed me – apparently, they have been keenly following my what one calls ‘revolutionary forays’ in media studies.

It was thus an honour to be made a member of the Governing Council of the Association of Media and Communication Researchers of Nigeria (AMCRON) and a member of the Association of Communication Scholars & Professionals of Nigeria (ACSPN). It was humbling to be in the company of communication giants such as Idowu Akanbi Sobowale, Ralph Akinfeleye, Lai Oso, Umaru Pate, Nosa Owens-Ibie, Hyginus Ekwuazi, Victor Ayedun-Aluma, Eserinune McCarty Mojaye, Abiodun Adeniyi and many wonderful others. It was always a pleasure to meet at various conferences and workshops and appreciate each other.

I was given a huge sparkling brand-new office with all the frills! I have already been teaching Management Information Systems (MIS) in the Department of Business Administration of the Faculty for almost ten years. Additionally, I had been a ‘part-time’ staff of the Mass Communication Department for seven years, teaching and supervising students. So, I was not new to the faculty. For me, being in the Department of Mass Communication was the absolute way to chill out my career to retirement in 2026, in shaa Allah.

So, am I the only ‘double’ professor in Nigeria? It depends on the context. If you are referring to two professorships in two different disciplines (which is the actual context of a double professor), then yes, according to the NUC’s Directory of Full Professors in the Nigerian University System (2017), I am. However, being a professor at two different universities does not count. The second professorship has to be qualified through an external assessment of scientific works in the discipline, a process my Vice-Chancellor at the time and Chairman of the Appointment and Promotions Committee of the University rigorously followed.

Is this the same as Emeritus Professor (some have referred to me as such)? No. An Emeritus Professor is an honorary title given to a professor to show respect for a distinguished career and who has retired (critical qualifier) from the university successfully and honourably. It is neither a right nor automatic. It is a privilege (just like the professorship itself), given at the discretion of the university to an outstanding professor (mostly the university one is retiring from, although an appointment to such position could also be made to the retiring professor in a different university).

One cannot be appointed an Emeritus until they have retired (whether before or at the age of retirement). It is usually conferred (at a ceremony) to those the university feel that despite retiring, they can still add value to the academic programs of the university, either through teaching, research, supervision or other leadership functions. It often attracts a token stipend (not salary), and the office the professor retired from. It is also for life – meaning he stops being an Emeritus when he shifts to the other side of the universe the James Webb Space Telescope would not be able to locate! Here is a list of Emeritus Professors in Nigeria (updating).

How common is double professorship generally? Rare. A limited discussion was held on Quora, where a few examples from some American universities were cited. For instance, Andrew Gelman is a professor of statistics and political science at Columbia and a professor of statistics at Harvard. He has no political science degree at all. His first degree was in physics, and his graduate work was in statistics. He has received the Outstanding Statistical Application award three times from the American Statistical Association, the award for the best article published in the American Political Science Review, the Mitchell and DeGroot prizes from the International Society of Bayesian Analysis, and the Council of Presidents of Statistical Societies award. Have a look at this blog to know how he came to be occupying those two chairs.

This answers the question of whether I should be a professor in Mass Communication without a degree in Mass Communication. At the professorial level, it is your output that matters. My own site might satisfy one’s curiosity about what the fuss is all about. As my Vice-Chancellor at the time, Prof. Abubakar Adamu Rasheed, pointed out when my case was presented in 2012, if anyone is a professor of History and made enough contributions to the field of Physics, they can also apply and be assessed as a professor of Physics.

Oh, I almost forgot. Two professorships? Yes. Two salaries? Unfortunately, no! You get only one salary.

Prof. Abdalla Uba Adamu wrote from the Department of Information and Media Studies, Bayero University Kano, Nigeria. He is, among many other things, the former Vice-Chancellor of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN). He can be reached via auadamu@yahoo.com.

By Muhammad Aminu

The Kano state Road and Traffic Agency (KAROTA) has arrested an impersonator defrauding drivers at night.

The 27-year-old young man impersonated the agency staff on duty around 12 midnight on Monday.

The suspect, identified as Lukman Abdullahi, appeared on night duty on Monday when he was apprehended.

According to the Agency Public Relations Officer, Nabulusi Kofar Na’isa, the suspect was apprehended wearing KAROTA uniform, disguising as their Staff.

Kofar Na’isa added that the agency got the report of the suspect using its name, manhandling commuters but did not get to meet him until now.

The Managing Director of the agency, Baffa Babba Danagundi, called on the general public to report officials who engage in misconduct, bribery and corruption as they will be charged accordingly to court.

He added that once investigation is completed, the suspect will be handed over to the police for onward investigation before the law.

By Muhammad Aminu

A 17-year-old girl, simply identified as Safiya from Garin Dau village in Warawa Local Government Area of Kano State, has been found lifelessly hanged.

Residents of the village who spoke to BBC Hausa Service said they were shocked by the incident because the late teenage girl was a calm and responsible girl.

According to some villagers, the girl might have killed herself because of the forced marriage her parents planned to do for her.

However, the parents and other sources in the family countered the allegation, adding that she was not through with her secondary education yet not to talk of marrying her off.

Kano State Police Command confirmed that the young lady had been found dead, but an investigation has commenced to ascertain why she hanged herself.

Police Public Relations Officer, SP Abdullahi Kiyawa, added that it is the investigation that they can confirm whether she committed suicide by hanging herself or not.

Late Safiya was a class 2 junior secondary school student before her sudden death.