Headlines
Kano COVID-19: Ganduje’s N15bn request and the question of reputation management
By Hon. Umar Haruna Doguwa
Reputation management does not start and end at making someone popular, but protecting his or her personal integrity in the eyes of the public.
Many scholars in the field of sociology and communication have taken their time to explain the complexity of human perception as it relates to how people develop and maintain a mindset of other fellow human beings.
I have decided to take this bold step to publish this write-up on the ongoing fight against the global pandemic disease of corona virus also known as covid-19 with a sole aim of explaining the shallow approach given by Kano state governor Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.
I am eminently qualified to speak on the governor as his former colleague when both of us served as commissioners during Kwankwaso’s administration and I am one of the key figures that brought in his administration in 2015 under the platform of All Progressive People’s Congress being the pioneer elected chairman of the party in Kano state between 2014 and 2017.
So I have worked closely with Governor Ganduje more than many politicians within the state.
Let me begin by extending my heartfelt condolences to the good people of Kano who lost their loved ones due to the corona virus pandemic in the state.
I have decided to put down this piece of write up as Kano has became the epicenter of covid-19 disease in northern Nigeria, unlike other state governors who have been up and running, providing the preliminary tools/equipment in preparation of the arrival of the pandemic into their states, Governor Ganduje has shown a deliberate nonchalant attitude towards fighting the disease at the state level.
The governor rather, saw the pandemic as a window of opportunity to garner resources for a reason best known to him, strategically, Ganduje set up a shadow structure, looking beautifully upright and ahead of the arrival of the pandemic, appointing his deputy as the head of Covid-19 State Response Team with his first daughter Dr. Amina Ganduje as the defector technical lead of the team.
I have been reliably informed that the activities of the committee depend largely on what the governor’s daughter consented upon, the meeting proceedings were nothing other than observing what Dr. Amina Ganduje has interest on, sometimes, meetings cannot hold if she is not available and she is the one briefing the governor on every activity of the committee.
Probably, because of this nepotism and self-centredness, scores of frontline health workers are currently infected by the covid-19 disease in Kano.
One can easily perceive an agenda, knowing well who Governor Ganduje is, it is predictable that it’s the business as usual but not doing the needful for the fight against covid-19 in the state.
As an administrator, Governor Ganduje knows the constitutional ways to harness resources internally through budget virement that is as simply done through a letter to the state assembly requesting change of some line items in the fiscal document to allow insertion of new items that can cater for the activities of corona virus.
Instead, the governor decided to pursue the federal government to give him N15b.
Unfortunately, his reputation has kicked the bucket in the public glare, the federal mercy he enjoyed to rig election and manipulate the judiciary to scale through the daylight robbery of the 2019 elections is no longer of help to him this season.
He constituted a fundraising committee, in good time, but the potential donors prefer to contribute in kind because of the governor’s previous records and bad reputation of handling state resources.
There is a popular Hausa proverb that says “Ba a bawa Kura ajiyar nama” meaning “meat is not safe at the hand of a carnivore”.
It is not a surprise that the fund raising committee could not yet announce the total amount realized, because potential donors were afraid to give in cash.
Umar Doguwa writes from Kano, Nigeria
Nasiru Yusuf
President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the reappointment of Umar Garba Danbatta as the Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
A statement issued by Uwa Suleiman, spokesperson to the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy Isa Ali Pantami , on Friday said Danbatta’s reappointment was based on the minister’s recommendation in line with the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003.
Mr Pantami directed Dambatta to improve on the overall performance of the NCC.
He urged to ensure the full implementation of all Federal Government policies regarding the Commission.
The Minister also enjoined him to ensure that the interests of telecommunication consumers, Nigerians and investors are adequately protected.
Who is Professor Umar Garba Dambatta?
Born in Danbatta Local Government Council of Kano State, Prof. Danbatta obtained his BEng, MSc degrees from the Technical University of Wroclaw in Poland and his PhD from the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST) UK.
He has served as a lecturer in the Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Technology, Bayero University Kano (BUK) for 28 years, where he taught courses in telecommunications engineering and electronics and held academic positions of Dean and Head of Department at different times.
His main administrative responsibilities, in the university, included Deputy and Acting Dean of Students’ Affairs, Administrator of the Works Department and later, Director of the Centre for Information Technology (CIT).
He was also a member of over 60 University committees and task forces, including numerous stints as Chairman.
Outside the university, he has served on over 20 committees, prominent among which was his Chairmanship of the Implementation Committee of Kano State University of Science & Technology, after which he became its pioneer Deputy and Acting Vice-Chancellor when it took off in 2001.
Prof. Danbatta has supervised more than 60 PhD, MEng and BEng projects in diverse areas of telecommunications and has also served as external examiner to seven universities and polytechnics and is an assessor, technical reviewer and editorial member to eight research journals.
He has to his credit more than 50 articles in journals, conference proceedings and technical reports.
He is also the author of a six-chapter, 167-page book titled Elements of Static Engineering Electromagnetics.
He is a recipient of 18 distinguished awards and certificates of honor.
Prof. Danbatta has served two terms of five years as a member of Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), and is also a COREN registered engineer and member of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE).
He was the Vice President of the Digital Bridge Institute (DBI),International Centre for Advanced Communications Studies, which was established in the year 2004 by the NCC to build capacity for the Nigerian/African telecom industry in the diverse areas of Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
While at DBI he has developed expertise in the following major areas of ICT implementation, policy and regulation:
Regulation of the telecommunications sector of the Nigerian economy;
Competition, interconnection and price regulations in a developing economy;
Issues concerning authorization of telecommunications services in a developing economy;
Strategies for ensuring universal access and service to telecommunications services;
Strategies towards effective spectrum management in a developing economy;
Issues on institutional and legal framework for effective regulation of telecommunications services; and
New and emerging technologies and impact on regulation of the telecommunications sector of a developing economy.
Until his first appointment as the EVC, Prof. Danbatta, served as a member of the Implementation Committee of the Northwest University Kano, as well as Acting Vice-Chancellor of the Kano University of Science & Technology, Wudil.
Mukhtar Yahya Usman
The Kano state governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has apologized to Kano residents over the difficulties they face due to the COVID-19 lockdown.
Kano Focus reports that Mr Ganduje made the apology on Friday at a special prayer organized by the Kano Emirate Council to mark the sixth anniversary of the death of late emir Ado Bayero.
Mr Bayero, the 13th Fulani Emir of Kano died on June 06, 2014 having spent 51 years on the throne.
Mr Ganduje urged Kano residents to bear with the lockdown imposed to check the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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“This pandemic affects our religion, culture and even our economic and social development.
“We pray to Almighty Allah to wipe away this pandemic and see us through”. He said.
In his speech, the emir of Kano Aminu Ado Bayero urged his subjects to comply with the directives issued by the government and medical experts to stop the spread of the Coronavirus.
Mr Bayero thanked the state government for easing the lockdown and permitting the performance of congregational prayers.
The emir prayed for the soul of his late father and asked the Almighty Allah to grant the deceased residence in Paradise
Nasiru Yusuf
The supreme court has on Friday affirmed Emir Ado Bayero’s decision of sacking Aminu Babba Dan’agundi as Sarkin Dawaki Maituta and District head of Gabasawa.
The judgment came six years after the death of the late monarch.
Kano Focus reports that Justice Mary Odili delivered the lead judgment based on the unanimous decision of the five justices of the Supreme Court.
It could be recalled that, Emir Bayero had in 2003 dethroned Dan’agundi as District Head of Gabasawa and Sarkin Dawaki Maituta over alleged insubordination.
Mr Dan’agundi was accused of disobeying an order from the late emir, who invited him to appear before him.
However, Dan’agundi dragged the late emir and Kano emirate council to a state high court for redress.
The high court judge, Sadi Mato ruled that Dan’agundi be reinstated and be paid all his entitlements.
However, the Kano Emirate Council appealed the judgment to the Court of Appeal, but the court also affirmed the verdict of the lower court.
The emirate council, again, filed an appeal at the Supreme Court challenging the judgment of the two lower courts.
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10 mourners killed in Dambatta traffic collision
Court grants bail to council chairman accused of diverting lockdown palliatives
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