Headlines
Kano tricycles: A boomerang of government’s bad policies.
Abbas Yushau Yusuf
Governments in Nigeria are synonymous with lack of consistency in implementing policies for the welfare and wellbeing of the people, be they local, state, or federal these governments. When it comes to policy formulation and implementation governments are very passionate in organizing conferences and talk shows for the purpose of impressing the public that they are very serious in solving problems.
One of the sectors Kano is grappling with apart from healthcare and education is transportation. Kano is one of the fastest growing cities in Africa. According to the 2006 population census, the state is the most populous with 9.5 million people. Instead of the city to boast of one of the best transportation systems in Nigeria, the transportation system in the state is one of the worst considering the nature and the population the state is blessed with.
The state has not prepared for a robust transportation system when new settlements are springing with ever increasing population. When Nigeria returned to democracy successive governments did not organize how the transportation system of the state will look like. Government should not shoulder all the responsibilities of how Kano people will be transported to their places of daily routine but it must be responsible for how the people will feel the best when going out from their houses in search of greener pastures every day.
In the late and early nineties the best transportation system for the state then consisted of buses popularly known in local parlance as KIYAKIYA. These are set of ruptured buses carrying passengers in Kano from nooks and crannies of the state emanating from the central nexus at BATA.
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Taxis which were plying some roads in the state were then not enough to transport people to their destination. The taxi business started dying with the abandonment of the business by a particular ethnic group in the state, and it has not been revived by indigenous business men of the state. That made the people of Kano to only survive with KIYAKIYA absorbing the heat of the dying vehicle which may have led to the passengers developing hypertension. Moreover the bus conductors were rude youths who had not attended any school and were not trained to respect anybody.
Ban on Achaba
Later came the Okada riders who were riding motorcycles in the state. These folks known as Yan Achaba littered the streets of Kano in less than two decades. Instead of Okada riders to become solution to the state’s transportation crises, they became daily causes of fractured limbs; most accident and emergency units of state hospitals became hosts to Achaba crash victims. As the days go by motorcycle riders became a nuisance to Kano metropolis before they became a total abomination due to insurgency in the year 2012.
Motorcycles were used by insurgents to attack soft targets in the state. That forced Governor Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso’s administration in January 2013 to offer cogent reasons for abandoning the trade and that led youths who are mostly jobless within the state to resort to another transportation business, which is tricycle known as Adaidaita Sahu.
People welcomed the ban on Achaba but government’s abrupt ending of the business did not provide a plan for the restoration of robust transportation business which all and sundry can patronize in Kano. Instead of graduating to the 21st century transportation business in the state, Kano graduated to another nuisance, leaving the whole lot of masses to suffer with the alternatives of Adaidaita Sahu even though it has led to the provision of Job to teeming youth, some aged men in the state who cannot have a means of living.
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In the next few years Kano roads will be hard to occupy with the resurgence of Adaidaita Sahu every day. The government is not serious in regulating their activities not banning them, as there are sources that say the government of Kano is even mulling the idea of banning Tricycle operators, despite the fact that some are using it to perpetrate crime.
Now Adaidata Sahu are plying the metropolitan roads without government knowing their exact number making it easy to carry out crimes with them.
Adaidaita Sahu what is it? Is it not government negligence and failure to checkmate their activities?
Abbas Yushau’u Yusuf, a Kano-based journalist and public affairs commentator can be reached at abyushau2@gmail.com
Headlines
Abdulaziz unveils project inspection initiative, trains APC social media inflluencers at Arewa media summit
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
The Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Media and Public Enlightenment, Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, has unveiled a regional project inspection initiative aimed at showcasing key development projects in Northern Nigeria, while urging journalists and social media influencers to uphold ethical communication and combat misinformation.
Speaking on Monday at the maiden Arewa Media Summit in Kano, organised by his office, Abdulaziz said the gathering was conceived to strengthen dialogue between government, citizens and the media through accountability, responsibility and ethical communication.
He said effective governance depends on transparency, responsible civic engagement and a professional media that serves as a bridge between leaders and the people through factual and balanced reporting.
The presidential aide also cautioned social media influencers, who command large online audiences, to verify information before publication and avoid content capable of creating division, particularly as the country approaches the 2027 general elections.
According to him, more than 100 All Progressives Congress (APC) social media communicators were trained ahead of the summit to enhance their capacity to communicate government policies, programmes and achievements effectively.
Abdulaziz also unveiled the Gani Ya Kori initiative, a regional project inspection tour designed to spotlight landmark projects executed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Northern state governors that have received limited public attention.
“The initiative will help ensure that citizens are adequately informed about development projects and government interventions across the region,” he said.
The summit also featured a keynote address by the Minister of Information and National Reorientation, Mohammed Idris, who urged journalists and social media influencers to deny bandits and terrorists the publicity they seek.
“The media has an indispensable role in denying violent extremists the publicity they seek while promoting unity, resilience and hope,” the minister said.
He stressed that democracy flourishes when government remains transparent, citizens participate responsibly and the media performs its constitutional role with professionalism, fairness and integrity.
Idris observed that while the digital revolution has transformed communication by making every smartphone a broadcasting platform, it has also accelerated the spread of fake news and disinformation capable of undermining national unity and public confidence.
Declaring the summit open, Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf called on other states to emulate Kano’s Special Reporters Initiative, through which more than 150 young people have been deployed to ministries, departments, agencies and the state’s 44 local government areas to strengthen government communication and public enlightenment.
KANO FOCUS reports that the summit attracted journalists, broadcasters, filmmakers, digital content creators, academics, policymakers and communication professionals from across Northern Nigeria to deliberate on the theme, “Government, Citizens: Accountability, Responsibility and Ethical Media Practice.”
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
The Kano State Government says it has executed 1,508 development projects worth more than N928 billion across the state’s 44 local government areas since Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf assumed office, with about 80 per cent of constituency projects awarded between 2023 and 2025 already completed.
KANO FOCUS reports that the Commissioner for Public Procurement, Projects Monitoring and Evaluation, Comrade Nura Iro Ma’aji Sumaila, disclosed this during an international press briefing on the administration’s infrastructure development programme.
According to Comrade Sumaila, the projects cover critical sectors including roads, urban renewal, education, healthcare, security and other social infrastructure.
He said 799 of the projects have been completed, while 709 are at various stages of execution. He added that the state is also implementing 619 constituency projects through members of the Kano State House of Assembly.
The commissioner noted that about 80 per cent of the constituency projects have been completed. However, he said some projects remain unfinished because of rising construction costs caused by inflation.
He said the government has submitted a request to Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf for an upward review of contract sums to enable contractors complete the affected projects.
Breakdown of projects
Comrade Sumaila said the administration spent over N169 billion on urban renewal projects, including road rehabilitation, drainage construction and other metropolitan infrastructure.
He said another N118 billion was committed to constructing five-kilometre roads in 38 local government areas to improve connectivity across the state.
According to him, the government also awarded contracts worth over N6.8 billion for the construction of Kano State Neighbourhood Watch security divisions in 36 local government areas.
He added that rural infrastructure projects covering education, healthcare and other social interventions across the 44 local government areas account for contracts valued at more than N397 billion, while other ongoing projects have a combined value of about N255 billion.
Commitment to transparency
The commissioner said the Ministry of Public Procurement, Projects Monitoring and Evaluation would continue to ensure compliance with due process and technical standards in the execution of government projects.
He said the ministry’s mandate includes monitoring projects to ensure value for money and prudent utilisation of public resources.
According to him, the administration’s investments in infrastructure are intended to improve mobility, strengthen security, expand access to education and healthcare, improve water supply and stimulate economic growth across the state.
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
Kano State has emerged as the highest-ranked sub-national government in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) for education spending, according to the latest Sub-National Education Spending Index developed by the University of Paris.
KANO FOCUS reports that the ranking places Kano State first among 209 first-level sub-national governments across 15 ECOWAS member countries, underscoring the state’s growing reputation for prioritising investment in education.
According to the published index, Kano topped the rankings with an overall S-WAESI score of 87.21, outperforming other leading regions, including Dakar and Saint-Louis in Senegal. Lagos State was the second Nigerian state on the list, ranking 16th overall.
The assessment evaluated states and regions using the S-WAESI (Sub-National Weighted Aggregate Education Spending Index) methodology, which measures government commitment to education through indicators such as actual education expenditure, spending per student, budget execution, education priority, transparency and evidence-based reporting.
The methodology assigns 35 points to actual education spending, 25 points to spending per student, 20 points to budget execution, 10 points to education priority and 10 points to transparency.
The report indicated that Kano excelled largely due to its strong actual education spending and budget execution, making it the best-performing sub-national government in the region.
The ranking covered states, regions, districts and municipalities across Nigeria, Senegal, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Togo, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau and Cabo Verde.
Kano State Accountability Forum on Education (K-SAFE) said the recognition reflects Kano State Government’s sustained investment in expanding access to education, improving school infrastructure and strengthening educational planning and budget implementation.
KANO FOCUS reports that the achievement is expected to further boost the state’s profile as a leader in education reform within West Africa and provide additional momentum for ongoing efforts to improve learning outcomes across the state.
The latest ranking comes amid renewed attention on education financing across ECOWAS, with experts increasingly emphasising transparent budgeting, efficient resource utilisation and sustained public investment as critical drivers of quality education.
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