What Need To Be Told; Abba And The Herculean Task Ahead, By Nura Ibrahim Hassan
Kano state has witnessed another turning point on its democratic landscape on 18th March, 2023 when the people decided on who will govern them in the next four years. Engr. Abba Kabiru Yusuf of NNPP was pronounced victorious as the Governor elect with over a million votes from the forty four Local Government Areas of the State. These votes exceeded the cumulative votes casted in states like Bayela, Delta, Adamawa, Bauchi, Jigawa states put together. This indeed, shows the state’s numerical strength in population and political standing in the country. It has been the norm in the country’s political terrain of bringing new entrants or redeeming the mandate of existing political office holders after every four years as enshrined in the constitution. This change is associated with the confidence or otherwise by the people governed to renew or reject the hitherto elected as observed in the last election. The renewal in some cases is satisfaction by the governed (unless otherwise imposed as in the case of 2019 Governorship election in Kano). While, the rejection is a clear magnitude of the dissatisfaction voiced by the electorate through their constitutional power of franchise.
The magnitude of the dissatisfaction makes the change of power in Kano unique in many aspects going by the level of rot and decay which have become conspicuous in many facets of the Gaduje led administration in the last near eight years of his stewardship in the state. The success of NPPP at the polls was the ventilation of the suffocated populace to usher in a new dawn for the restoration of the destroyed Kano cherished glory to its rightful position politically, socially and economically. But, this path to the restoration is indeed a herculean task, if examined, so as to enable the new elected Government appreciate the challenges before her and the level of expectation from the yearning and hungry result populace.
Kano state with its huge population of 9,401,288 in 2006 census and a projected population of 15,462,111 in 2022 and growing at 2.6% annually has been without any development master plan to direct its activities in both the urban and rural areas. Such plan encompasses the short, intermediate and long term terms government plans in all facets of its activities. The question here is what has been the development framework for Kano over the years? Was the State left at the mercy of ill informed development decisions for many years? Many similar related questions cannot be overruled. There are many negative signatures printed on the state’s landscape which were outcome of the lack of an existing plan culminating into the current Kano catastrophe. The intent of this writing is to paint to this new Government some salient issues (though, must have been in the know) but for emphasis and attention where applicable, and equally not an exhaustive.
One the issue is the Development Master Plan, One will wonder the guiding document that informed the various decisions executed by the last administration particularly in the urban Kano. Kano State needs to have vision and mission anchored on a well grounded policy. The last plan in the history of Kano (Kano and the Jigawa states) was the Travellion report of 1963-1983, a twenty year plan for the development of the state. The absence of this similar plan has hindered a well synchronised synergy of activities among the various government establishments which has resulted into a chaotic, uncontrolled and unregulated development. The conversion of many areas into commercial usage regardless of the consequences has been the order of the day. Green areas, cemetery, schools, praying ground, right of ways, playing ground and many available choice land were not spared by the present Government land grabbing axe as if there was no Kano of tomorrow. The Kano zoological garden established by Late Audu Bako, a man with vision whose name could hardly be forgotten whenever former Kano State was mentioned has narrowly missed the Government land axe, due to the sustained pressure from public and academia that forced the Government to rescind its selfish decision. The latest land move was the issue of Kano Golf Coast “ a crown land”, though the Government has swallowed its intent by painting a sketchy explanation. The Kano populace are of the belief that this land grabbing rot would never be left unattended. Your recent advise to the public to discontinue from further developing the affected land, attest your Government readiness to revisit this blatant and selfish anomalies.
In connection with issue of the development master plan, Kano City is now ranked first as the most polluted in Africa. There is the no doubt that livability of the city is in danger with the disappearance of the city green spaces. The recent massive destruction of the city wall replaced by commercial building has destroyed the long historical treasure of the state’s cultural monument calling for a revisit of circumstances surrounding this rapid conversion. Most of the adjacent ponds have disappeared through this selfish motive of land acquisition at all cost. The importance of this pond in recharging the city hand dug wells has for a long time provide an alternative source of water for domestic usage. The disappearance of these ponds coupled with water scarcity has hit Kano worst in the recent times with no explanation on the resources allocated for the provision of water supply. This water scarcity was not only severe in the urban but more in the rural Kano.
Kano is evolving into a megacity with about 40% of the state’s population living in the urban Kano (eight metropolitan LGAs) has been with no efficient, reliable and safe public transportation system. Adaidaita Sahu (tricycles) mode is the major public transportation system. The Governor elect, may wish to recall that when he was the Commissioner of Works, Housing and Transport, an effort was made to reorganise the state public transport system with the intervention of development partners. The plan was brought to a halt with no solution in sight with the expiration of Kwankwaso administration in 2013. The reorganization of tricycle operation is important through the introduction of an integrated transport system for maximum productivity is imperative, to put Kano on transportation map after Lagos State in the country. KAROTA, a traffic enforcement authority was your initiative to sanitize movement on the state corridors. The present KAROTA was not the KAROTA of yesterday as evidently manifested in the derailment of their laws and assumption into an all affairs driven authority.
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In the area of population and demographic characteristics, the urban Kano hosts about 35% of the state’s population, one can’t rule the issue of unemployment in the absence of any plan to absorb the teeming youths in the state, as those in the age group 15-24 years constitute about 20.7% of the population. The twenty vocational schools established by Kwankwaso administration, to provide skills and prepare the youths for gainful employment was a positive plan in the right direction. The abandonment of these schools by the present administration has paved way for the re-emergence of Yandaba and political thuggery in the recent times which can possibly be linked to the increase of unemployment among the youths. It is pertinent to note that there are many government establishments that rely on many of these youths for their operation, one of such establishment is the Refuse Management and Sanitation Board (REMASAB). Today, this organisation has been hurriedly surrendered to private firm Capegate Investment Company Ltd in 2021 in a shrouded agreement, rendering many of these casual youths jobless and above all the company has failed to live to its expectation of efficient waste disposal in the state because it has no proven track record in waste management.
In your various campaign outings, priority on health and education have been your campaign mantra. The Nigeria Demographic Health Survey (NDHS) 2019 and Nigeria Education Data Survey (NEDS) 2020 have revealed a gory picture of the current state of these two sectors. Kano has only 35% of children aged 4-16 that can read at least one or more words in English or any one of the three national languages and in terms of comprehension, only 22% can read and answer at least one sentence in English or one of the three national languages in the form of questions. The present pathetic teaching environment in most schools coupled with encroachment of their lands on daily basis have been issue of serious concern as well as quality of teachers and teaching materials. The NDHS report echoes similar findings in the under five mortality with 164 deaths in 1000 live births and 57% under five children are malnourished with stunted growth. There may be dearth in communication of such kind of findings, possibly, because, appointments of heads of these important institutions are no longer based on merit, hence their inability in effective administration. One may wonder, the appointment of health professionals as permanent secretaries in ministries not connected to their professional callings. This calls for an overhaul into state civil service as well as repositioning it for maximum productivity and merit driven. The demand on this new government needs effective and strong civil service machinery to catalyse the actualization of many of the campaign promises into reality.
This government is founded by Kwankwasiyya ideology of making the son of nobody to become somebody. There are many programmes that were started by Kwankwaso administration that went into oblivion in the Ganduje administration. The lack of continuity in our political space has been a serious impediment leading to the retardation of many productive programmes, which if sustained would make a meaningful impact on the lives of many. Some of these programmes include the overseas scholarship. This unique scheme has produced many professionals in the field of science, engineering, humanities and aviation. These professionals are now captains in many establishments in and outside the country with some teaching at many universities in the country. Also, the marriage facilitation among the unmarried, widowed and divorced (auren zawarawa) is worthy of resurrection because of the importance of this institutions, not only in Islamic teachings, but applicable in many religious and non religious societies. These are many of such programmes if examined and resurrected would continue to make a positive impact by channeling the human resources in the state for gainful employment and maximum productivity. Economically, Kano remains an agricultural state and is the most extensive irrigated state in Nigeria and most employment is within the agricultural sector, which contributes around 40% to the state economy. Outside, the agricultural sector, the commercial sector creates most of the employments where self employment is the predominant activity. The state has more than two hundred periodic markets confirming its trading standing. These markets are the first entry point of agricultural produce into the economy. Opening up the rural economy through provision of infrastructure and small scale industries reflecting the potentials of every zone in the state is timely.
The tasks before this Government is a herculean, the party which brought it, is a new, many of its key members were at APC holding key positions before dumping the party. They may or may not have the NNPP ideology but circumstances grouped themselves under one common front and they worked assiduously in dislodging the Ganduje’s administration from power. The next four years is going to be a litmus test and the most difficult time of this administration in registering itself positively in all its affairs and at the same time doing everything possible to unite its key players against any perceived polarisation within and externally induced. Many of the Kano state populace are waiting patiently for the democratic dividend, they casted their votes and stayed at the poling units to ensure their votes count and they also followed their results to collation centres, all to ensure NNPP’s victory. The way and manner the results of Dala Local Government Area, the straw that broke the camel back was brought to the INEC State office in Kano by the teeming youths (yandangwale) confirms the belief and confidence the youths have in the new coming Government. They rejected the sphagetti (taliya bata zabe) and neutralising (ko da tsiya ko da tsiya and ka da ma Allah ya kiyaye) for a prosperous ventilated Kano. As the country is going for another round of headcount after 17 years when the last census was conducted, this new administration will be the most important beneficiary of the next census in knowing what is where in terms of population resource to enable them plan well and will not hesitate to ensure the success of this exercise by giving it the maximum support needed. While, praying for the successful deliberation of the 65 member transition committee, I drop my pen not because I am exhausted but of the myriads issues that call for examination such as the revenue generation, civil service structure and appointments, periodic cut of workers salaries etc. but the happy news is that this new administration is going to be insulated from the family interference in the words of the Governor elect Engr Abba Kabir Yusuf.
Thank you and God Bless Kano State.
Nura Ibrahim Hassan is a Phd Doctorate Student at the Department of Geography Bayero University Kano
