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Bichi Emirate’s kingmaker, Wada Waziri, dies at 89
Nasiru Yusuf
One of the kingmakers of newly created Bichi Emirate, Alhaji Wada Waziri has died at the age of 89.
KANO FOCUS reports that Mr Waziri, who was the Sarkin Bai of Bichi, died on Wednesday reportedly due to age-related ailments.
The deceased was the district head of Makoda before he was moved to Dambatta as district head and also elevated to as one of the Kingmakers of Bichi Emirate, one of the four emirates created by governor Abdullahi Ganduje in 2019.
A seasoned bureaucrat and labour unionist, the deceased came into limelight during the military administration of late Hamza Abdullahi in Kano, when he led a task force on environmental sanitation popularly known as ‘ruwa-ruwa’.
The late monarch was survived by wives, many children and grand children.
Among his children is Abba Wada, a permanent secretary in the Kano state civil service.
In a condolence message on Wednesday, Mr Ganduje sympathized with members of the Bichi Emirate Council, family of the deceased and the people of Kano state over the death of Mr Waziri.
“It is with great shock and heartfelt feeling, that I am, on behalf of the government and good people of Kano state, commiserating with Bichi Emirate and the families of the late Sarkin Ban Bichi, Alhaji Wada Waziri, over his demise.
“May Allah give his families, the Emirate and the state, the fortitude to bear the great loss, his death was striking to the government, traditional and political leadership in the state,” governor Ganduje said.
He described the deceased as one of the pillars of traditional institution even before his appointment as Sa’in Kano in the old Kano Emirate.
The governor prayed for Allah’s forgiveness and blessings to the soul of the late traditional leader.
“Kano would forever remain appreciative of the contributions late Wada Waziri Ibrahim made to the development of the state and the nation in general.
“He was a great treasure as an elder, whose exemplary leadership qualities earned him all respect from his generation and the generation that follows,” he added.
“Throughout his lifetime, our beloved late Sarkin Ban Bichi, Wada Waziri Ibrahim, was loved by both the ruled and the rulers,” he said.
According to Mr Ganduje late Sarkin Bai’s peaceful posture in ameliorating any confused and frightening moments, as a renowned freedom fighter, was superb and exemplary.
He added that, when it comes to fight for social justice and equality before the law, late Sarkin Bai, was a turning point and a strong pillar to fall back on.
He urged his family members to continue following his footsteps of confidence, discipline, commitment, justice, logical thinking and reasoning, pragmatism, humility and above all, the fear and love of Allah in all their dealings.
The first monarch to die in this order is Emir of Rano, Tafida Abubakar Illa, who died at the age of 74.
The Emir died on Saturday May 2nd at Nassarawa Specialist Hospital, of an undisclosed ailment.
He was followed by Isa Hashim, a retired professor who held the title of Jarman Kano in the Kano emirate council.
Mr Hashim, 86, died on Sunday May 3 2020 at his home, following a brief illness.
Another monarch who died recently was Yusuf Bayero (Dan’iyan Kano), an uncle to the Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado-Bayero.
The 78 year monarch died in the early hours of Sunday May 10th after a protracted illness.
He is survived by a wife, nine children and many relatives.
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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