Kano State

By Muhammad Aminu

The presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has donated N50 million to Kantin Kwari textile market in Kano following a flood that affected the market.

The Star earlier reported that Kano has been witnessing torrential rainfall in the last few days that has led to floods in many parts of the metropolis, including the Kwari textile market.

The presidential candidate announced the donation Monday while welcoming former Kano State Governor Ibrahim Shekarau to the PDP.

He sympathized with the businessmen and women who were already suffering from an unfriendly business environment with economic hardship.

According to him, Shekarau’s defection is a win for the people of Kano State, the PDP and the country.

The former Kano State governor argued that Atiku was the most qualified candidate to get Nigeria working again come 2023.

Atiku was in Kano since Sunday alongside his running mate Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto State, former Governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, former Minister of Transportation, Senator Abdullahi Umar Idris, among other party chieftains.

By Uzair Adam Imam

At least three people reportedly died while 15 others sustained injuries in an auto car accident that occurred in Takai Local Government Area of Kano State.

The Kano State Fire Service Spokesman, Yusuf Abdullahi, confirmed the development Sunday, saying the accident involved a Toyota Hilux conveying three people from Jigawa State and a commercial hummer bus conveying 15 others from Kano.

Abdullahi, who identified the dead victims as Sani Isah 28, Shamawilu Isah 30 and Musa Yusuf, 32, stated, “On receiving the information, we quickly sent out our rescue team to the scene of the accident for rescue.

“On arrival, we found out that it was a commercial bus (hummer bus) without registration number and conveying 15 people from Kano that had a head-on collision with a Toyota Hilux conveying three persons coming from Jigawa with registration number JMK 142 XA. The hummer bus was engulfed by fire.

“Out of the 18 people involved, 15 people were rescued alive while three out of the passengers from the hummer bus were rescued unconscious. We immediately conveyed them to Takai General Hospital where doctors on duty confirmed the three unconscious, dead,” he said.

By Muhammadu Sabiu

Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, a former governor of Kano State, has formally rejoined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Shekarau joined the PDP on Monday in Kano after leaving the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).

The PDP’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, Iyorchia Ayu, the party’s national chairman, and other PDP members met with the former governor.

Shekarau joined the NNPP from the All Progressives Congress (APC) and left it two months later.

Shekarau, a senator for Kano Central, previously served as Kano’s governor for two terms and as Nigeria’s minister of education.

He also contested for president of Nigeria in the 2011 general elections.

By Uzair Adam Imam 

The Kano State newly deployed Commissioner, Abubakar Lawal, has resumed duty on Friday at the command’s headquarters in Bompai, a statement Friday by the Police Public Relations Officer of the command, SP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, disclosed. 

The Daily Reality gathered that the new CP was deployed to Kano on Wednesday, following the retirement of CP Sama’ila Shuaibu Dikko.

It was learned that, before his deployment to Kano, Lawal was a commissioner of police in Enugu State Police Command. 

Lawal is a native of Daura in Katsina, and he holds a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and has served in various capacities.

By Muhammad Aminu

Kano state ministry of health, through the Drugs and Medical Consumables Supply Agency (DMCSA), has disbursed remnant of the CACOVID medical supplies to 175 health facilities across 44 local government areas of the state.

Primary Health Care facilities, general hospitals and specialist hospitals are the beneficiaries of the equipment.

Speaking at the flagging up, the Director General, DMCSA, Hisham Imamuddeen, said the exercise is part of the state government’s effort to improve the quality of healthcare across the 44 Local Government areas of Kano state.

He said: “Facilities need to improve to cater for the increasing population, and this is why we felt the need to distribute these equipment for the betterment of the people.”

“These are equipment from Sani Abacha Isolation Centre; they were brought here due to the decline of Covid-19.”

On his part, Kano state commissioner for health, Aminu Ibrahim Tsanyawa, represented by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Amina A. Musa, urged the beneficiaries to make good use of the commodities.

“The CACOVID provided additional support of these items when we were in the midst of the pandemic, which was used to provide an additional isolation centre built at Sani Abacha stadium.

“The centre was then equipped with equipment to include beds, air conditioners, television sets and gym centre among others. We thank God it has all come to pass.”

Some of the beneficiaries who started receiving the equipment commended the effort while promising to make judicious utilisation of the commodities.

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 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.