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Kano legislators and the need for social protection
By Abbas Yushau Yusuf
Social protection is defined by the united nations as a way of designing programs that address inequality, extreme poverty, malnutrition, disease and other social problems that retard human progress.
Some northwestern states of Nigeria have been rated by international agencies among states that are ravaged by extreme poverty and malnutrition, those suffering from extreme poverty include women and children that nurse from infancy to weaning stage.
States like Zamfara, Kano, Jigawa and Katsina are among the Northwestern states that need serious intervention on social protection.
How will social protection work in these three key states of the North-Western part of Nigeria? Policy makers are the most important component in ensuring social protection in Kano, Jigawa, Zamfara and the rest of the northwestern states for the purpose of reducing extreme poverty and malnutrition.
Around September 2019 Action Against Hunger (AAH) had in conjunction with Save the Children inaugurated the child grant development program with the sole aim of addressing acute malnutrition in Kano and Jigawa states.
It has been observed that the first one thousand days of a child is very important in making a child well nourished as he starts growing into a complete human being.
Poverty is in most instances worsened by deliberate neglect or the difficulty men face in providing good food that will help nursing mothers to breastfeed their infant children with nutritious milk.
Question of sustainability
Since social protection programs are meant to impact on the people at the grassroots, particularly those suffering from extreme poverty, Kano state policy makers and the rest of the states including Jigawa and Katsina have key roles to play.
The question is: can our policymakers sustain the efforts of Save the Children and Action Against Hunger in implementing social protection?
Section 14 of the 1999 constitution said security and welfare of the people are the primary responsibilities of government. The above quoted section is under fundamental objectives and directive principles of states policy.
One of the main pillars of democracy is the legislature. That was why during the military intervention in Nigerian politics, the first thing the military men did after carrying out a coup was to suspend the Nigerian constitution and issued a decree that effectively scrapped the Nigerian legislature.
With uninterrupted 20 years of Nigerian democracy the legislative arm of government is expected to be significant in providing good governance.
The national and state assemblies can make state and federal executives execute policies for the electorate to feel the impact of governance including social protection.
State assemblies are the legislators that are very close to the people and in good positions to understand the needs of the society.
Sometimes governors bring their bills to state assemblies and those bills are passed in a haste to please the governors.
There are tons of bills state legislators are supposed to pass in order to fulfill campaign promises to the electorate.
Kano is the most populous state in Nigeria and to address malnutrition and extreme poverty among women folk, there is great need for the state’s legislators to pass a bill for social protection where large chunk of funds will be allocated to the sector in a yearly budget to mitigate extreme poverty and malnutrition in the swing state.
The media and the civil society must contribute in making Kano legislators initiate a bill on social protection and pass it to the state governor for assent.
The state legislators should not serve as rubber stamps that are there to do the biddings of the executive instead of satisfying the need of the electorate through social protection.
If the time of the donor agencies elapsed those responsible will continue with social protection in addressing extreme poverty.
How other nations are fighting extreme poverty
Nigerians appreciate everything foreign more especially in developing and developed nations of the world like India, America ,Germany , England and these countries arrest extreme poverty through social protection. It is not because there are no poor people in these countries or because there are no people ridden with poverty but they fight it through social protection.
If advanced countries should remove social protection strategies from their policies, extreme poverty will abound. Since government can not cater for the whole population on employment, social protection becomes necessary.
The taxes they collect from their populace are used to implement poverty-fighting strategies like social protection.
What Kano legislators should do
For Kano legislators to write their name in gold, social protection bill should come in so that huge financial resources that are being diverted can be used to ensure social protection in Kano, whose population is growing without control.
If a relatively smaller state like Jigawa, with far less financial resources than Kano, can allocate N1.2 billion in its annual budget for social protection why not Kano, the commercial nerve center of Northern Nigeria?
Abbas Yushau Yusuf, a journalist based in Kano can be reached at abyushau2@gmail.com
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf has sacked the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Abdullahi Baffa Bichi, along with five commissioners, and scrapped the office of the Chief of Staff.
KANO FOCUS reports that those removed include the Commissioner for Information, Halilu Baba Dantiye; Ibrahim Jibril Fagge of the Finance Ministry; Ladidi Ibrahim Garko of Culture and Tourism; Shehu Aliyu Karaye of Special Duties; and Abbas Sani Abbas of Rural and Community Development.
In a major cabinet reshuffle announced in a statement by the Governor’s Spokesperson, Sanusi Bature Dawakin-Tofa, Governor Yusuf reassigned the portfolios of seven commissioners, including the Deputy Governor, Comrade Aminu Abdussalam, who was moved from Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs to the Ministry of Higher Education.
According to the statement, Governor Yusuf said the reshuffle of the state executive council is meant to effect a pragmatic political realignment of his administration.
Those who retained their positions include the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Barr. Haruna Isa Dederi; Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr Danjuma Mahmoud; Commissioner for Health, Dr Abubakar Labaran; Commissioner for Land and Physical Planning, Hon. Abduljabbar Mohammed Umar; Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Hon. Musa Suleiman Shannon; and Commissioner for Works and Housing, Engr. Marwan Ahmad.
Also retained are the Commissioner for Solid and Mineral Resources, Sefianu Hamza; Commissioner for Religious Affairs, Sheikh Ahmad Tijani Auwal; Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Hon. Mustapha Rabiu Kwankwaso; Commissioner for Investment and Commerce, Adamu Aliyu Kibiya; and Commissioner for Internal Security and Special Services, Major General Mohammad Inuwa Idris (Rtd).
According to the statement, those reassigned include Deputy Governor Comrade Aminu Abdussalam, who is moved from the Ministry of Local Government to Higher Education; Hon. Mohammad Tajo Usman, who moved from Science and Technology to the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs; and Dr. Yusuf Ibrahim K/Mata, from Higher Education to Science, Technology, and Innovation.
Others reassigned include Hon. Amina Abdullahi, who moved from Humanitarian and Poverty Alleviation to the Ministry for Women, Children, and Disabled; Hon. Nasiru Sule Garo, from the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change to the Ministry of Special Duties.
Hon. Ibrahim Namadi, Commissioner for Project Monitoring and Evaluation, is now moved to the Ministry of Transport, while Hon. Haruna Doguwa of the Ministry of Education is moved to the Ministry of Water Resources. On the reassigned list are Hon. Ali Haruna Makoda, moved from Water Resources to the Ministry of Education; Hon. Aisha Lawal Saji, from the Ministry of Women, Children, and Disabled to Tourism; and Hon. Muhammad Diggol, from Transport to the Ministry of Project Monitoring and Evaluation.
Meanwhile, Governor Yusuf has dropped five members of his cabinet, including Ibrahim Jibril Fagge of the Finance Ministry; Ladidi Ibrahim Garko of Culture and Tourism; Baba Halilu Dantiye of Information; Shehu Aliyu Karaye of Special Duties; and Abbas Sani Abbas of Rural and Community Development.
Additionally, the Governor has directed the Chief of Staff and the five commissioners who have been dropped to report to the Governor’s office for possible reassignment.
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
The Vice Chancellor of Bayero University, Kano (BUK), Professor Sagir Adamu Abbas, formally received the accreditation report for the Early Childhood Education and Primary Education programs on Wednesday.
KANO FOCUS reports that the report was presented by the accreditation team from the National Universities Commission (NUC).
The team, led by Professor Bashir Maina of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, commended BUK for its substantial investment in e-library resources, which significantly enhance learning and research for both staff and students.
Professor Maina also praised the university’s impressive achievements in the development of physical infrastructure.
In his remarks, Professor Abbas expressed appreciation for the accreditation team’s visit, emphasizing the importance of such evaluations in fostering continuous improvement across all aspects of the university’s operations.
He reaffirmed BUK’s commitment to upholding quality and standards in all its programs, aligning them with global best practices.
The Vice Chancellor assured the team that their recommendations would be addressed promptly.
Other members of the accreditation team included Professor Amos Isiaka Gambari from Federal University, Minna; Professor Markus Zira Kamkwis from Adamawa State University, Mubi; and NUC representative, Nuruddeen Musa Umar.
Headlines
Post Harvest Loss: Kano Partners Aviation Industry to Advance Export of Agricultural Produces
Kano state government has expressed readiness to partner with aviation companies under the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to boost agribusiness through cargo export of perishable produces from Kano to neighboring states, African countries and europe.
Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf gave the commitment when he hosted delegation of cargo management services from Federal Airpoet Authority (FAAN) at the government on Wednesday.
A statement by Governor’s spokesperson Sanusi Bature Dawakin-Tofa disclosed that Governor Yusuf who was delighted to collaborate with the cargo transportation of farm produces from Kano believed the initiative would encourage production level.
Yusuf, represented by the chief of staff, Alhaji Shehu Wada Sagagi, said the new development scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2025 will reduce post harvest loss which accounted for over 35 per cent of total proceed of produce.
The Governor assured the aviation industry players that his administration was prepared to advance the new mode of transporting agro-products to neighboring southern states and outside the country which would drastically reduce security and other risk on movement of produce through road transport.
Earlier, General Manager, General Cargo Service, FAAN, Mrs Alao Mamman Rekiya said the visit to the government intended to seek areas of corporation and synergy in the introduction of cargo export of farm produces from Kano to states in Nigeria and beyond.
Rekiya added that the Federal government’s initiative in the aviation sector was part of overall renewed agenda on diversification of revenue generation through cargo export.
She emphasized that with provision of cargo export of vegetables and other perishable produces from Kano, the Federal government is encouraging the farmers to improve on quality production and open up the state for economic viability.
She urged the state government to take advantage of the new down to create job opportunities in aviation ecosystem and reduce annual wastage on postharvest lose in the sector.
The team agreed to form an inter-agency committee on the project to explore its potentials for the economic prosperity of the commercial state.
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