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Kano Polytechnic land encroachment: Murdering the giant asleep
Kabir Dalha Kabir and Salihu Sule Khalid
It is no longer news that the Kano State government is hell bent on confiscating the Kano State Polytechnic land that is meant for extension of the numerous programs that the Institution is accredited for as well as new ones.
The land in question is a fenced bounded land within the polytechnic boundary and is now the only available land for extension for the institution that lacks various infrastructure like staff offices, students classrooms, lecture theatres, laboratories, workshops, sport complex, etc.
The land is bounded by the School of General Studies from the West, by KSP staff houses and Central Administration from the North, by AKSCIL and School of Management Studies from the East and by the fence erected by KSP from the South, showing that the land is fully bounded by institutional facilities, so I wonder how can residential buildings survive?
It is really sad to also understand that some people within us are involved in this dastardly act.
Residential Plots
It is also rumored that the land is believed to be already allocated to some few important personalities within and outside the state for personal use or political patronage.
The plan of the land according to some reports is containing 108 of plots of GRA sizes.
It is also rumored that the plots are already on sale, ranging from N8,000,000.00-N13,000,000.00 per plot.
Even though there are some strong evidences of the existence of this unfortunate encroachment we will still call it a rumor for now.
I am of the opinion that those people behind this evil plan are not lovers of the people and the government of Kano State.
I am saying this because anybody that will promote the encroachment of such a land in a time when the Kano state government is giving free education at the Primary and Secondary school levels is not a patriotic citizen of our state.
Public versus Personal Interests
Why should the only available KSP land for expansion be grabbed for residential or personal interest?
There is nowhere in the world were personal interest overrides a public interest.
Whenever these two interests collided, the public interest is always considered above the personal one.
This is so anywhere.
The encroached KSP land is of utmost public interest that is reserved for extension and expansion of the institution.
If for any reason it is to be utilized, then it should never be for personal conversion as it is being speculated now.
Since the policy of free education of this government stopped at the secondary school level, then what the tertiary institutions need is infrastructural development through building more classrooms, lecture theatres, staff offices, recreational facilities and so on for their reserved lands, but not conversion to personal use by the few.
Construction not Compensation
I think Kano State Polytechnic being one of the oldest in the country needs more land for expansion not compensation.
The information I received on Friday is that the Kano State government has proposed a compensation for the possible confiscated land.
That 65.73 hectares of virgin land in Bagadawa (a place after Dawanau, along Bichi road) is being dangled to the Kano State Polytechnic community as a compensation.
But the problem is what Kano State Polytechnic need now is not compensation for an already reserved fenced land, but rather infrastructural development on that same land.
If for all these years, Kano State government could not be able to build a single classroom for the institution, even though there is available land to do that, and also the Management of KSP could not do that because they don’t have the funds to, then how does the government thinks a virgin 65-hectare land can be developed in even 10 year period for a conducive learning atmosphere?
Is the government saying residential houses will now be built in the midst of these institutions that bounded the contentious KSP land? Is that arrangement right?
What Legacy?
Are we now saying the only legacy that the Kano State government will leave to KSP community is the allocation of their reserved land to private individuals?
I believe Kano State Polytechnic has great potential if well harnessed.
The Kano State Polytechnic has five schools under its watch.
It is running more than 60 accredited programs with more than 20 now in their final assessment stage.
If this institution is not helped with infrastructure and more land, then I think the little it has must be left to it.
This is the third or fourth time that KSP land is being forcefully confiscated.
While some states are busy giving more land to their public institutions, ours is here confiscating the little that is left.
This is so sad indeed.
We must tell ourselves the home truth that no matter what anybody thinks, this government’s decision is fatally wrong; as such it must be looked at with open hearts.
It is not in the best interest of the people of Kano state and it will fatally injure the educational system of the state.
It will also make nonsense of the free educational policy of the Government.
You are murdering the polytechnic in particular and education in general.
May almighty Allah save us from us, amin ya rabbi.
Kabir Dalha Kabir and Salihu Sule Khalid are staff members of the Kano State Polytechnic.
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.
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
Kano State has emerged as one of the biggest beneficiaries of the World Bank-supported HOPE Governance Programme after qualifying for a total of $3.5 million in performance-based incentives for implementing key governance, education and healthcare reforms.
KANO FOCUS reports that the World Bank, through the HOPE Governance Programme domiciled in the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, approved $27 million in incentives for states that successfully met the Year Zero Disbursement-Linked Results (DLRs).
The National Coordinator of the HOPE Governance Programme, Assad Hassan, announced the incentives on Tuesday in Abuja during a retreat attended by commissioners, permanent secretaries and directors of budget and planning from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
A statement issued by the programme’s Communications Officer, Joe Mutah, said the incentives were based on the recommendations of the Interim Independent Verification Agent, which assessed states’ performance against agreed reform indicators.
Kano ranked among the highest-performing states, qualifying for incentives under three separate reform indicators.
The state will receive $1.5 million under Disbursement-Linked Result (DLR) 2.1 for adopting comprehensive guidelines for the preparation and submission of consolidated work plans for the state basic education budget.
It also qualified for another $1.5 million under DLR 2.2, which recognises states that adopted comprehensive guidelines for consolidated work plans for state primary healthcare budgets.
In addition, Kano secured $500,000 under DLR 2.3 for adopting harmonised budget guidelines and a unified chart of accounts for local governments.
Altogether, the state is expected to receive $3.5 million, making it one of the top-performing states under the programme.
Only five states—Bayelsa, Borno, Kano, Kebbi and Yobe—qualified for both the education and healthcare planning incentives, earning $3 million each from the two indicators alone.
Kano further distinguished itself by qualifying under the local government budgeting reform indicator, increasing its total allocation to $3.5 million.
The state also featured among 15 states that met the requirements under DLR 4.1, which rewards states for publishing their 2025 Citizens Budget for basic education and primary healthcare by February 28, 2025. Each qualifying state under this indicator will receive $500,000.
Other states that qualified under DLR 4.1 are Abia, Bayelsa, Borno, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Imo, Jigawa, Kebbi, Kogi, Nasarawa, Ondo, Plateau and Yobe.
According to the programme, the performance-based incentives are designed to encourage states to strengthen governance systems, improve budget transparency and enhance planning in the education and primary healthcare sectors.
KANO FOCUS reports that the HOPE Governance Programme is a World Bank-supported initiative implemented through the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning to promote improved public financial management and better service delivery across Nigeria’s states.
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