News
On the Controversy in Kano and the Planned Public Debate
Muhammad Shakir Balogun
Hausa-speaking Muslims are looking forward to a debate coming up in Kano later this month. This ‘debate’ appears to be the latest iteration of the historical encounter that has pitched those who have raised objections to the validity of Sunni Prophetic traditions and the narrative integrity of the Companions of the Prophet against those who have upheld same.
The former includes orientalists, Shi’ites, Mu’tazilites and reformist/modernist Sunni Muslims while the latter are Orthodox Sunni scholars from both Salafi/Athari/Izala and Ash’ari/Sufi persuasions.
The trustworthiness of the ultimate transmitters of hadiths and the validity of the recorded traditions of the Prophet constitute the bone of contention. In Sunni Islam, since al-Shafi’i, authentic hadiths have been regarded as revealed truth just like the Qur’an, and with similar legislative powers. They are unimpeachable.
“There is absolutely nothing new about what Shaikh AbdulJabaar Nasir Kabara, the outspoken scion of the famous Kabara scholarly and Sufi dynasty of Kano, has been saying. He has articulated them in his books to which rebuttals have been penned by local scholars.”
The same arguments have been more eloquently articulated by orientalists like David Samuel Margoliouth, Ignaz Goldziher, Joseph Schacht, and GHA Joynboll; the Egyptians like Muhammad Taufiq Sidqi (of the ‘Qur’an only’ school), Mahmud Abu Rayyah, Ahmed Subhy Mansour, and Muhammad Abu Zayd; the Indians like Chiragh Ali, Aslam Jairajpuri, Abdullah Chakralawi who were mostly of the ‘Qur’an only’ school, and numerous scholars from the Shi’ite camp.
Muhammad Tawfiq Sidqi was engaged by Taha al-Bishri and Salih al-Yafi’i in a series of exchanges on the pages of al-Manar which culminated with his recanting. Prominent among those who have passionately written to defend the Sunnah, as enshrined in recorded hadiths, in modern times are the Syrian Mustafa Siba’i (he specifically incorporated a rebuttal to Abu Rayyah in his book) and Muhammad Ali Sabuni, and the Indian Muhammad Mustafa Azmi. These books are there for those who want to independently follow the arguments.
But can arguments, rebuttals and counter-rebuttals extensively articulated in numerous books be satisfactorily covered in public debates? How many hours or days have been earmarked for the debate? What is the possible outcome of an exchange in which the interlocutors differ fundamentally in methodology and hate each other’s guts?
Can a debate already poisoned by hot polemics and ad hominem attacks really lead anywhere?
Shaikh AbdulJabbaar has impugned the characters of people considered by Sunnis to be beyond reproach like the Companions of the Prophet such as Umar (the second caliph), Anas (the personal attendant of the Prophet), Abu Hurairah (the most prolific transmitter of Prophetic traditions). He has also attacked hadith luminaries like az-Zuhri, al-Bukhari, and Muslim.
He has pummeled Mu’awiyah, the first Omayyad caliph, whose historical legacy is mixed even by Orthodox Sunni accounts, but who is nonetheless counted among the Companions and given a pass.
These are people held in high regard by Sunni Muslims. He has described them as deceivers, hypocrites, and liars. He has also castigated the illustrious exponents of the Salafi methodology such as ibn Taimiyyah, ibnul Qayyim, adh-Dhahabi, ibn Kathir. This is a frontal attack. Ibn Hajar, the great exegete of al-Bukhari’s collection has also not been spared.
AbdulJabbaar has thrown spears at the very heart of Orthodox Islam. He has been boastful and confrontational, and frequently accuses his contemporary adversaries of insincerity, mendacity and ignorance.
“I have personally observed that his translations from Arabic texts are sometimes tendentious, less than faithful to the original. He even interpolates words in translation in order to make his point. This is probably part of what has infuriated the other scholars and made them to impugn his motives.”
Meanwhile, the other scholars have also gratuitously labelled AbdulJabbaar with negative terms like zindiqi (unbelieving heretic), mulhidi (atheist), kafiri (unbeliever), jahili (ignorant), mahaukaci (lunatic), wawa (stupid, foolish), dan iska (worthless), la’ananne/tsinanne (accursed). He has been discursively kicked out of the fold of Islam.
He has also been accused of plagiarizing the work of Mahmud Abu Rayyah in writing his own book while deceptively letting on that he has been conducting independent research. I have Abu Rayyah’s book, but alas I don’t have AbdulJabbaar’s text to compare.
He has been charged with insulting the Prophet, which to me seems a stretch, a long stretch, a part of the polemics borne out of mutual suspicion of evil motives. And he has stated several times that his object is to defend the sanctity of the Prophet that has, in his understanding, been subverted by some narrations. There seems to be an impasse here. They have indirectly instigated Muslims to attack him – many preachers and scholars have said that they would not stop the people from taking action against him.
Pious sentiments got whipped up. Some people even say that Kano was on the verge of exploding. They finally got the State Government to ban him from further public preaching and close his centre.
Because of his actual attack on some revered Companions and the perceived attack on the inviolate personality of the Prophet himself, his condemnation has been near universal. Even the former Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II has lent his voice to the condemnation. I recall that he also chastised the Shi’ites in the aftermath of the 2015 Zaria Massacre.
Notably, it has been mainly, but by no means solely, Shi’ite preachers and scholars who have been bold enough to speak in his support. Many sympathisers have self-censured and kept mum.
AbdulJabbaar and his supporters feel that he has been unjustly treated and has not been given a fair hearing. I also think that he shouldn’t have been gagged. I think this public debate being organized by the government is an attempt to address this perception of unfairness.
So far, this exchange between AbdulJabbaar and his interlocutors, as seen in countless videos on Facebook and YouTube, has been acrimonious, polemical, and full of invectives in which the substantial arguments are often difficult to extricate.
Will this public debate change anything? Will he even cooperate to have a real debate? Who will be the judge? How will the ‘winner’ be decided? Will it matter to the followers of the two sides?
“AbdulJabbaar’s frequently expressed desire for a debate comes across as half-hearted. If his ‘debate’ with Alkassim Hotoro is anything to go by, I doubt if anything will come out of this one.”
In that much publicized debate, he surprisingly kept hedging and putting up caveats. He shirked from defending a book written with his own hand. He was less than brave. However, after the ban, he has reiterated his readiness for his views to be challenged and even disproved.
So, let’s wait and see.
This piece was first published on Mr Balogun Facebook timeline
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
The Kano State Government has directed all civil servants who have attained their statutory retirement age or completed the required length of service to immediately vacate their offices and hand over government property in their possession.
KANO FOCUS reports that the directive was contained in Circular issued on Tuesday by the Establishment Directorate, Office of the Head of Civil Service, Kano State.
The circular, signed by the Permanent Secretary, Establishment, Abba A. Danguguwa, on behalf of the Head of Civil Service, was titled: “Unauthorized Continuance in Service After Statutory Retirement by Civil Servants in Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of Government – Call for Immediate Handing Over of Official Documents, Properties.”
The government said it had observed that some civil servants continued to remain in office and operate in official capacities after reaching their statutory retirement period.
According to the circular, such conduct was a “negation to the reputation of the Civil Service of Kano State,” noting that the service had a long-standing tradition of ensuring seamless transition by retiring civil servants.
It described the continued stay in service after retirement as a direct infraction and aberration of relevant provisions of the State Civil Service Rules and other applicable service regulations.
The government stressed that it was legally and administratively untenable for any officer to remain in service or perform official functions beyond the statutory limit.
Consequently, all civil servants who had retired either by age or length of service were directed to immediately exit and hand over all official documents, government property and duties to their immediate subordinates in their respective ministries, departments and agencies.
The circular also directed all Accounting Officers, including Permanent Secretaries and Chief Executives, as well as Directors of Administration and Personnel Management, to ensure strict and immediate compliance with the directive.
It warned that any officer found aiding, abetting or condoning the continued stay of a retired officer in service would face appropriate disciplinary action in accordance with the Civil Service Rules.
The directive takes immediate effect, the circular stated.
News
Nigeria’s Data Demand Surges 47% as Stakeholders Seek Fresh Investment in Digital Infrastructure
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
Nigeria’s data consumption rose by almost 47 per cent year-on-year to about 1.6 million terabytes in July 2026, highlighting growing pressure on the country’s digital infrastructure, stakeholders have said.
KANO FOCUS reports that the development was disclosed in a communiqué issued at the end of the Nigeria Digital Connectivity Investment Forum 2026, organised by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in partnership with Swedfund and Ookla in Abuja.
The forum, held from September 29 to 30 under the theme, “Unlocking Infrastructure Investment through Data, Transparency and Partnerships,” brought together government officials, regulators, investors, development finance institutions, mobile network operators, infrastructure companies and other stakeholders.
The participants said subscriptions were projected to increase from about 195 million currently to 350 million within the next 10 to 15 years, while growing demand from cloud computing and artificial intelligence would put additional pressure on telecommunications networks, data centres and power supply.
According to the communiqué signed by Nnenna Ukoha, Director, Public Affairs Department, NCC, on Sunday, telecommunications and information services contributed 9.72 per cent of Nigeria’s real Gross Domestic Product in the second quarter of 2026.
The participants consequently described digital connectivity as economic infrastructure, stressing its growing importance to trade, productivity and economic growth.
They, however, noted that while mobile broadband coverage had reached about 90 per cent of Nigerians, smartphone ownership remained at about 27 per cent, while broadband penetration stood at 57.4 per cent against a national target of 70 per cent.
The forum identified device affordability, digital skills and trust as major constraints to meaningful connectivity, saying expanding network coverage alone would not be sufficient to close the digital divide.
Participants also identified inadequate power supply and limited middle-mile connectivity as major constraints to further digital infrastructure deployment.
They noted that the high cost of inland connectivity had restricted data-centre and internet service investments largely to major metropolitan areas, calling for energy and connectivity investments to be planned together.
The forum further stressed the need for long-term financing for digital infrastructure, noting that such assets typically have a lifespan of 20 to 30 years and therefore require financing arrangements longer than the conventional five-year bank tenors.
Participants said infrastructure financing in Nigeria had grown from less than N70 billion in 2004 to N19.4 trillion in 2025, but stressed that access to long-term capital would depend on good governance, management capacity and policy predictability.
They also highlighted the impact of state-level policies on telecommunications investment, particularly Right of Way charges and permitting requirements.
According to the communiqué, a pilot of the Nigeria Digital Connectivity Index across 12 states showed that Right of Way reforms translated into fibre growth of between 22 per cent and 95 per cent in states that implemented reforms.
It added that the number of states charging zero Right of Way fees had increased to 12, from seven in December 2024.
The forum called on the Federal Government to accelerate the delivery of Project BRIDGE, the planned 90,000-kilometre national fibre backbone, as part of efforts to address the middle-mile connectivity gap.
It also urged the government to improve the availability and reliability of electricity for digital infrastructure and support financing mechanisms capable of reducing the cost of capital in the sector.
The NCC was urged to sustain reforms aimed at improving investment conditions, including tariff realignment, designation of critical national information infrastructure and engagement with states on Right of Way reforms.
The commission was also asked to publish the first national Nigeria Digital Connectivity Index report, advance open-access and wholesale regulation, and finalise the direct-to-device framework.
State governments were urged to reduce and harmonise Right of Way and site permit charges, adopt the federal model under which fibre operators are responsible for road reinstatement, and reduce permitting timelines.
The stakeholders also called on operators and technology companies to expand shared-infrastructure and neutral-host models to reduce the cost of rural and indoor coverage.
They recommended that investors and development finance institutions provide long-term naira financing for digital infrastructure and link funding to independently verified network performance.
The forum identified several priority actions, including securing funding within six months for community-owned rural networks powered by renewable energy in communities without connectivity.
Other actions include issuing open-access and wholesale regulations, publishing a wholesale rate card, completing broadband mapping, strengthening the Universal Service Fund framework and developing business cases for indoor coverage.
Within 18 to 24 months, participants recommended establishing a financing framework for telecommunications power and developing metro and access fibre through concessions, mapped against existing assets and integrated with Project BRIDGE.
The NCC said it would continue engaging participants and other stakeholders to advance the agreed actions and investment pathways.
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf says his administration has settled approximately N32 billion out of the N48 billion inherited backlog of gratuities and related liabilities owed to retirees in the state.
KANO FOCUS reports that Gov Yusuf disclosed this on Thursday while addressing residents at the 66th Independence Anniversary celebration held at the Sani Abacha Indoor Stadium in Kano.
The governor said the government had also sustained the regular payment of monthly pensions while increasing the minimum monthly pension from N5,000 to N20,000.
He said the welfare of workers and pensioners remained a priority of his administration, citing timely payment of salaries, improved remuneration and measures aimed at strengthening the public service.
According to him, the state has maintained the practice of paying workers’ salaries on or before the 25th of every month while implementing the N71,000 minimum wage for civil servants.
Gov Yusuf also said his administration was sponsoring public servants for professional training, including programmes at the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON), to strengthen their administrative and leadership capacity.
He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to building a professional and motivated workforce, while ensuring that the contributions and sacrifices of serving workers and retirees were recognised and treated with dignity.
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Nigeria’s Data Demand Surges 47% as Stakeholders Seek Fresh Investment in Digital Infrastructure
Kano must make government procurement work for made-in-Kano
Kano Settles N32bn Pension, Gratuity Liabilities, Says Gov Yusuf
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