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My relationship with President Muhammadu Buhari – Salihu Tanko Yakasai
In light of recent events that transpired over my recent comments about the government of President Buhari, I think it is absolutely necessary to shed more light on my decades of relationship with the President, and how I am not doing anybody’s bidding with my remarks but simply reacting to issues that are happening in my country.
What is more, my comments were not aimed at casting aspersion against the person or government of Mr. President.
Far from that!
I joined partisan politics in December 2000 at the age of 24, when I officially became a member of the defunct APP at my ward, Kawaji in Nasarawa Local Government Area of Kano State.
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At that time, Kano State was PDP-controlled under the then governor, Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso.
So, I entered politics as an opposition member in my state. As at that time, I was contesting for the position of a councilor at my ward, which ended with my losing the primary election in 2004.
Pioneer Buharist
In 2002, I was in All Progressives Party (APP) when President Buhari picked the membership card of the party and officially joined politics to run for the presidency in the 2003 elections. At that time, I and millions of people particularly from the north welcomed this decision by the President with enthusiasm and zeal and we supported him 100%.
We were basically the 1st set of the so-called ‘cult-like followership ‘ of the President, simply because we believed in him to deliver and lead this country to prosperity.
He came into politics as someone people trusted and whom they see as an upright person that they can vouch for, earning him the nickname ‘Mai Gaskiya’.
We campaigned for him through thick and thin, street to street, the young and the old, and when it was election time, I was assigned by my party leaders at my ward to be the returning officer of our party, APP, for the presidential election which Buhari was contesting for.
We fought PDP hard at my ward to ensure that we delivered the ward to him in the election.
I did not sleep for almost 48 hours then, because I had to accompany the results to the local government collation centre to ensure that the results were not altered.
President Buhari did not win the 2003 general elections, but our party, the defunct APP won the governorship election in Kano State, which ushered in Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau as the new governor of the state.
But soon after that, there was friction between his camp and that of President Buhari, which later on after the 2007 elections led to the creation of a new political party formed by Buhari, that is Congress for Progressive Change, (CPC).
First meeting with Buhari
I, and my political leader at that time, Hon. Balarabe Wakili, a former member representing Nasarawa Local Government in the House of Reps (2003 to 2007) decided to pitch our camp with the President and not with Mallam Shekarau, and it was through Hon. Wakili that I first visited the President on a solidarity visit back in the early stages.
It is still in CPC that I contested for the State Assembly, which we suffered a lot because of the factionalization of the party that led to a lot of bickerings.
Ultimately, I neither got the ticket nor did our party win the election.
May I use this medium to thank the current Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Hajia Sadiya for the role she played in my election back then when she was the National Treasurer of CPC.
My surrogate father-in-law
The President, also served as my wife’s guardian during our wedding in 2006 on behalf of her late uncle, AVM Mukhtar Mohammed who was a very close associate of the President.
May I use this opportunity to tell my wife’s guardian that 14 years after he gave her hand in marriage to me, we are still living peacefully and blessed with 3 children.
We thank him for his fatherly role during the nuptial rites.
Back to politics, at the presidential level, I served as a member of the Welfare Committee of the Presidential Election of Muhammadu Buhari, with the current Minister of Water Resources, Hon. Sulaiman Adamu Kazaure as the chairman of the committee, during the 2011 presidential election.
After the formation of APC, I also served as a member of the Youth Committee during the 2015 elections, crisscrossing this country to campaign for the President which we eventually won and Buhari was ushered into government with popular national support.
Now having given the background of the long-term relationship between me and the President spanning 18 years to be precise, I have never known a political leader throughout my political career other than Buhari, even though I can count the number of times I’ve met him.
NEPU blood
I did not only wish for his success but I equally worked hard with everything that I’ve got for almost two decades to see his dream become a reality, and I will continue to stand by him.
When I see things that are going not the way they are supposed to, I naturally have that urge to try and express my concern about them, because I want things to work right.
I can understand, if by virtue of my position as an aide to a governor in the same party as the President’s that I have limitations and somehow the spotlight is always on me.
But occasionally, despite suppressing my opinions,
I find the NEPU blood in me triggering me to react.
This is in no way, meant to undermine the President or my dear party, APC.
Apologies to Ganduje
To my boss, His Excellency, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, OFR, I want to use this opportunity to apologise for putting Your Excellency in an uncomfortable position due to my personal opinions.
It is indeed something that I never intended to happen, and I am not happy about it a bit. I do not have a boss-and-aide relationship with Your Excellency; I rather have a father-and-son relationship with Your Excellency.
Indeed, I appreciate the support Your Excellency has been according me in the last five years, and I will continue to remain loyal to you and serve my state and my country through your government and in whatever other capacity.
At the end of the day, our prayer is for Nigeria to be great.
In the words of Barack Obama “Do we participate in a politics of cynicism, or in a politics of hope?”
I am an optimist, and it’s our ardent HOPE that we will have the Nigeria of our dreams in which development and prosperity will be the norm rather than the exception; a country we can build a secured future for our children and generations yet unborn.
May we continue to do our best in ensuring this is the Nigeria that our forefathers sacrificed their lives for to lay a solid foundation.
Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Salihu Tanko Yakasai, Governor Ganduje’s suspended media aide writes from Kano.
Ibrahim Khalil
The Kano State Police Command has arrested eight suspects in separate operations targeting drug peddling and thuggery in Panshekara and Kunchi/Ghari Local Government Area.
KANO FOCUS reports that the command disclosed this in a statement issued on Thursday by its spokesperson, CSP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, on behalf of the Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Adamu Bakori.
According to the statement, the operations, conducted on September 9, 2026, were part of the command’s intelligence-driven efforts to tackle drug abuse, thuggery and violent crimes across the state.
It said operatives of the Surveillance Team attached to Panshekara Police Division, acting on credible intelligence at about 2:30 p.m., intercepted eight suspects, including a 21-year-old man identified as Samson Yakubu of Samegu Quarters, at a suspected criminal hotspot.
A search of the suspects reportedly led to the recovery of 15 Pregabalin capsules, five Diazepam tablets, 10 Exol tablets and some quantity of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp.
The police said the suspects were in custody and undergoing interrogation, while investigations were ongoing to establish the source of the suspected illicit drugs and identify other members of the alleged syndicate.
In a related operation conducted between 1 p.m. and 9 p.m. the same day, operatives of the Kunchi/Ghari Division carried out a coordinated market patrol and raid at Matanfada Market.
The command said the area had been identified as a place where youths allegedly intimidate traders and residents during market sessions.
Five suspects were arrested during the operation. They were identified as Abdullahi Isah of Dustin; Haruna Isah of Daqarawa Village; Habu Badamasi of Dan Taimu Village; Gambo Ya’u of Kura Village; and Abubakar Dahiru of Farau Village.
The police said investigation was ongoing to identify and arrest other suspected accomplices, while exhibits recovered during the operation had been taken into custody as evidence.
CP Bakori commended the operatives for what he described as their professionalism and swift response, assuring residents that the command would sustain its operations against drug abuse, thuggery and other violent crimes.
“In line with the IGP’s policing vision and our mandate to ensure a safe and secure Kano, we will continue to be proactive,” the commissioner said.
“We are sending a clear message to criminal elements that Kano State will not be a breeding ground for their activities.”
The command also appreciated members of the public, community leaders and vigilante groups for providing information that aided the operations.
It urged residents to remain vigilant and report suspicious movements or activities to the nearest police station.
The command said all suspects would be charged to court after the conclusion of investigations.
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
The funeral prayer for the late Shehu Kabir Bayero, Barde Kerarriya of Kano and District Head of Dorayi, was held on Thursday evening at Kofar Kudu, Kano Emir’s Palace.
KANO FOCUS reports that the prayer was led by the Chief Imam of Khamsus Salawati Mosque, Kofar Kudu, Malam Bello, and attended by hundreds of people from different parts of Kano State.
Among those who attended were the Secretary to the Kano State Government, Alhaji Umar Faruk; representative of the Emir of Kano, Matawallen Kano, Alhaji Aliyu Ibrahim Matawalle; Chief of Staff to the Kano State Government House, Dr Sani Wali; as well as district heads and members of the Muslim community.
Shehu Kabir Bayero died in a hospital in Egypt following a period of illness. He is survived by his wives, children and other relatives.
Until his death, the late Bayero served as Commissioner of Police in Gombe and Osun states before retiring from the Nigeria Police Force.
Following his retirement, the late Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero, appointed him as the Barde Kerarriya of Kano and District Head of Takai Local Government Area after the death of his father, the late Kabir Bayero, an elder brother of the former emir.
He later served as District Head of Gwarzo.
Due to his wealth of experience in security matters, the current Emir of Kano, Khalifa Muhammadu Sanusi II, subsequently reassigned him as District Head of Dorayi, where he was expected to contribute to the sustenance of peace and security in the area.
The late district head was remembered for his service to the state and his experience in security and traditional administration.
May Allah forgive his shortcomings, have mercy on his soul and grant him Jannatul Firdaus. Ameen.
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
The Kano State Ministry of Education, with support from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has held a planning meeting on the implementation and effective utilisation of the Nigeria Learning Passport (NLP) in the state.
KANO FOCUS reports that the meeting brought together relevant stakeholders from various ministries, agencies and development partners working in the education sector.
According to Malam Naziru Sirajo, deputy director EMIS and statistics in the Ministry of Education, the meeting was aimed at reviewing the current status of the Nigeria Learning Passport in Kano and developing a coordinated plan to strengthen its implementation, content utilisation, course completion, monitoring of learners’ progress and certification.
The Nigeria Learning Passport is a digital learning platform designed to provide Nigerian children and young people with access to curriculum-aligned educational content, including lessons, learning materials and assessments.
The platform is also designed to support learning continuity, including for learners facing limited or intermittent internet connectivity, while providing teachers and education stakeholders with digital resources to complement classroom instruction.
In Kano, the initiative is expected to strengthen awareness and utilisation of digital learning, while building the capacity of master trainers and technical teams to support schools, teachers and learners in using the platform effectively.
The effective utilisation of the Nigeria Learning Passport is expected to expand access to quality digital learning resources, promote independent learning, strengthen digital literacy and support improved learning outcomes and greater equity in access to educational opportunities.
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