Headlines
NCC awards N336 million research grants to universities in 5 years – Danbatta
Nasiru Yusuf
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has awarded N336.4 million research grants to Nigerian universities from 2015 to date.
Kano Focus reports that the Executive Secretary of the commission Umar Garba Danbatta, disclosed this at an interactive session with journalists in Abuja.
Mr Danbatta said NCC had continued to collaborate with academics to support the development of the innovative services and life-changing solutions with the use of information and communications technologies to promote indigenous content.
“The Commission has so far released N336.4 million as research grants to the academia and has endowed professional chairs in two Nigerian universities.
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“More importantly, we have empowered the Nigerian youth by promoting their ingenuity and innovation in the development of locally-relevant technology solutions.
“The latest of such was the 2020 NCC Virtual Hackathon, where we gave N9 million in grant to three top promising tech startups for solutions, aimed at addressing the impact of COVID-19 and diseases in thematic areas of health, community, productivity, economy and transportation.’’
Mr Danbatta revealed that the commission has remitted N362.34 billion into the Federal Government Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF), from 2015 to date.
He said that the revenue was realised through spectrum fees and operating surplus, which he noted helped to boost the revenue generation drive of the present administration.
Mr Danbatta said that the broadband penetration in 2015, when he first assumed office as Executive Vice Chairman, was six per cent.
Kano Focus recalled that when Danbatta first tenure ended, he was re-appointed in June and confirmed by the Senate on July 21.
According to Danbatta, the broadband penetration as at July is 42 per cent.
“This achievement is as a result of key policy initiatives to improve broadband penetration embarked upon by the Commission.
“These include increasing the number of licenced infrastructure companies (InfraCo), to six across the geo-political zones,’’ among others.
Mr Danbatta said that the Commission was currently finalising six InfraCo counterpart funding agreements to ensure the full rollout of broadband infrastructure on an Open Access Model.
He said that this would ensure there was Point of Access in all the 774 local government areas in the country.
The executive vice chairman said that the drive to boost broadband penetration yielded fruit as the subscribers’ base stood at 199.31 million as at June.
Mr Danbatta also said that teledensity rose to 104.41 while the sector contributed 14.2 per cent to the GDP in the second quarter.
On his focus for the next five years, Danbatta said that he hoped to deepen the broadband penetration drive.
“We hope to take the broadband penetration to 70 per cent to at least 90 per cent of the population by 2025 in line with new target in the National Broadband Plan (NBBP), 2020-2025.
“We want to continue to protect consumers and ensure they have value for their money.
“We want to continue to support and fast-track the digital economy drive of the Federal Government and this has led to the creation of a Digital Economy Department in the Commission,’’ Danbatta added.
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
Nigeria’s Vice President, Kashim Shettima, on Tuesday received a delegation from the Association of Kano Business Community at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, during a thank-you visit to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
KANO FOCUS reports that the delegation expressed appreciation to the Federal Government for its support to traders and other victims affected by the recent fire incident that razed several sections of the popular Singer Market in Kano.
Speaking during the meeting, the Vice President reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to collaborating with the Kano State Government and relevant agencies to prevent a recurrence of fire outbreaks in markets across the state.
He assured the delegation that President Tinubu has the interests of Kano people at heart, noting that the N5 billion approved as immediate relief for victims was based on the findings of a preliminary assessment of the damage caused by the inferno.
Shettima reiterated that the Federal Government would continue to support efforts aimed at restoring commercial activities and strengthening safety measures in markets to protect lives and property.
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
The Kano State Government has inaugurated a 23-member committee to oversee the transparent and equitable distribution of financial assistance and relief materials to victims of the recent Singer Market fire disaster.
KANO FOCUS reports that the inauguration was carried out on behalf of the Secretary to the State Government, Umar Faruq Ibrahim, who chairs the committee. The event was presided over by the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Abdulkarim Kabiru Maude.
According to the Attorney-General, the committee comprises representatives from key government agencies, security services, the Kano Emirate Council, religious leaders, and affected traders.
He said the panel’s mandate includes assessing the extent of losses, verifying genuine victims, ensuring timely distribution of support, and recommending measures to prevent future fire incidents.
The intervention follows support approved by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as well as contributions from the APC Governors Forum. It also comes in addition to earlier assistance provided by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf and the Deputy Senate President, Barau I. Jibrin.
The state government reaffirmed its commitment to supporting victims of the disaster and restoring commercial activities at Singer Market.
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
The Kano State Government has announced Saturday, March 1, 2026, as the commencement date for the Eid-el-Fitr break for all public and private primary and post-primary schools in the state.
KANO FOCUS reports that the announcement, contained in the approved 2025/2026 academic calendar, applies to both day and boarding schools across the state.
According to a statement issued by the Director of Public Enlightenment, Musbahu Aminu Yakasai, parents and guardians of pupils and students in boarding schools are expected to convey their wards home by the early hours of Friday, February 28, 2026.
The statement further explained that boarding school students are to resume on Sunday, March 22, 2026, while day students are to resume on Monday, March 23, 2026.
It added that the second term will continue from Sunday, March 22, 2026, and end on Saturday, April 18, 2026.
The government directed all public and private schools in the state to comply strictly with the directive, warning that non-compliance would be treated as a breach of government instructions.
The Commissioner for Education, Ali Haruna Abubakar Makoda, urged parents and guardians to ensure full compliance with the approved resumption dates.
He appreciated parents and residents of the state for their continued cooperation and support to the ministry, and wished pupils and students a successful completion of the Ramadan fast and hitch-free Sallah celebrations.
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