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Kano refutes trending story on women driving ban

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Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje

Nasiru Yusuf

Kano state government has described as fallacious a trending story on social media platforms on a purported plan to officially disallow women regardless of any faith from getting behind the wheel.

KANO FOCUS reports that the state commissioner for Information, Muhammad Garba who made the clarification in a statement issued on Thursday, said government had at no time contemplate on the matter.

He said the story, which could not be traced to any credible source, was nothing but the imaginary thinking of the authors.

“The trending story lacks any credibility and that is why it is wholly attributed to a source that cannot be substantiated,’’ it added.

Mr Garba pointed out that if at all there was such plan, the state government does not have to be involved in any secretive meeting to decide on a critical issue that has to do its teeming populace.

The commissioner stated further that even Saudi Arabia which for decades had laws that sanctioned women from driving has, after all, lifted the ban in 2018.

He said it was interesting that some of the scholars quoted to have supported the alleged ban have already dissociated themselves from the story.

Clerics denied the story

Earlie on Wednesday, some clerics alleged to have floated the ban Salisu Shehu, Abdallah Gadonkaya and Sani Rijiyar Lemo have all refuted the story.

In a text message sent to KANO FOCUS Shehu described the story as ‘completely false and mischief.’

“It is completely false. It is a mischief. I think some wicked people are desperate about causing unnecessary confusion, controversies and disaffection among Kano Scholars,” he said.

Rijiyar Lemo alleged that the story was concocted by Shiites who were not happy with the outcome of clerics debate with controversial Kano preacher Abduljabbar Kabara.

“Our attention has been drawn to a fake news in circulation, claiming that some ulama in Kano, including my humble self, have tabled a plan to stop women from driving in the state.

“This story, in all certainty, was hatched and being peddled by some Shi’ite elements, who are not happy with the outcome of AbdulJabbar’s saga.

“You are urged to discard this false story. May the Almighty protect us from the evils of our enemies,” Rijiyar Lemo said.

Gadonkaya, on a Facebook post described the story as ‘fake news’.

“I, Abdullah Usman Umar Gadon Kaya strongly say that this is a fake news. I don’t have any hands in it. It’s the act of enemies who want to  crack peace in our dear state (Kano) and Nigeria at large,” Gadonkaya said.

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Ramadan: Dangote feeds 10,000 people daily in Kano

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Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim

The richest man in Africa, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, through Aliko Dangote Foundation, in his efforts to assist the populace, during Ramadan has launched the distribution of free meals to no fewer than 10,000 fasting Muslims in Kano.

KANO FOCUS reports that the spokesperson of the foundation, Samira Sanusi, revealed this in a statement made available to journalists on Monday in Kano.

She stated that the gesture was also extended by distributing one million bags of rice, worth over N13 billion across the 36 states of the federation and Abuja to alleviate hunger in the country.

Mrs Sanusi added that this was also aimed to ease hardship for millions of Nigerians amidst economic challenges in the country.

She further disclosed that in addition to the distribution of 20,000 loaves of bread daily to Kano residents and 15,000 daily to Lagos residents, a feeding gesture that started and sustained since 2020 during the COVID.

She explained that the Ramadan free cooked meal includes jollof rice, white rice and stew, jollof spaghetti, yam, beans with chicken and beef, packed with a bottle of water and drink for each person

According to her, the packed meals are distributed at Juma’at mosques, streets, prisons, orphanages, remand homes, and other places in Kano City and its environs.

The statement however disclosed that a beneficiary of the meal, Musa Maikatako, resident of Tarauni, expressed appreciation for the gesture, which he said had helped him break his fast with ease.

Maikatako hinted that the free meal would ameliorate the suffering of a lot of people who might break their fasts with only water, without food, considering the economic hardship faced by Nigerians.

“I cannot explain how happy I am. This meal will go a long way in assisting poor people like me to have something to at least break our fast with some solid food to eat.

“I know a lot of people in this state who could break their fast with water only. So this meal is a great relief,” he said.

While expressing happiness, Maikatako showed appreciation to Dangote Foundation for the gesture, praying to God to increase his wealth and continue to bless his business.

While another beneficiary, Hajiya Inna Tukur, expressed delight in the distribution of the meal, which, according to her, Aliko Dangote Foundation, has come to her aid.

She said; that she was elated to have been given such delicious food for free in the current hardship.

Hsjiya Tukur noted; “In this hardship, when we find it difficult to eat even two times a day, but out of the blue moon, somebody presented this delicious food to me, it is highly incredible.

“I have nothing to say but to say a big thank you to you and Aliko Dangote. I pray to God to bless you more and more”.

Meanwhile, Mrs Sanusi noted that apart from the 4-year-old free bread distribution, according to Mrs Sanusi, feeding of the needy in Kano has been quietly going on for over 30 years by Aliko Dangote.

Dangote has been doing this from his mother’s residence in Koki and from various cooking locations.

She then stated; ” This feeding program feeds 10,000 Kano residents daily with breakfast, lunch, and dinner, a unique feat that has been in existence for over 30 years”.

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Undersea cable cuts: services to be restored soon, says NCC

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Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has assured that Internet services will be restored soon, as operators of the damaged undersea cables have commenced repairs.

KANO FOCUS recalled that in the early hours of Thursday, there were reports of a combination of cable cuts, resulting in equipment faults on the major undersea cables along the West African Coast, which negatively impacted data and fixed telecom services in several countries of West Africa, including Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Cote de Ivoire, among others.

The cuts occurred somewhere in Cote de’Ivoire and Senegal, with an attendant disruption in Portugal.

Cable companies – West African Cable System (WACS) and African Coast to Europe (ACE) in the West Coast route from Europe have experienced faults while SAT3 and MainOne have downtime.

Similar undersea cables providing traffic from Europe to the East Coast of Africa, like Seacom, Europe India Gateway (EIG), Asia-Africa-Europe 1 (AAE1), are said to have been cut at some point around the Red Sea, resulting in degradation of services across on the routes.

Huge volumes of data are transported across continents by underwater cables, which are an essential component of internet connectivity infrastructure. They could, however, be harmed by things like unintentional cuts, natural disasters, or technological failures. The functioning of governments, corporations, and individual consumers can all be severely impacted by disruptions to these connections.

In Nigeria and other West African countries, Internet access and speed have experienced disruptions in the networks of service providers in the affected countries, of which banks and telecoms companies were mostly affected.

However, the NCC, in a press statement sent to KANO FOCUS, said operators of the cables have commenced repairs already, and services were gradually being restored.

They have promised to work round the clock to ensure that services are restored to the affected countries within the shortest possible time, the Commission assured.

 

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Women’s Day: BUK, CITAD celebrate with policy brief presentation, book launch

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Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim

 

The Center for Gender Studies (CGS), Bayero University Kano (BUK) and Center for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) Wednesday celebrated the 2024 International Women’s Day with public presentation of policy brief and book launch.

KANO FOCUS reports that the event was held at New Campus, Bayero University, Kano.

Speaking at the occasion, the Director Center for Gender Studies (CGS), Dr Suwaiba Sa’id Ahmad appealed to people to support women to attain their fullest potential.

According to her, supporting women in all aspects would go a long way in developing their life, family and society to achieve their desired objectives.

Dr Suwaiba Sa’id Ahmad

She pointed out that, the center is a knowledge based for the improvement of the situation of men, women and girls by analyzing their specific problems, needs and interest.

“It is a multidisciplinary in nature and the center works with other centers, various departments in the University for teaching, research and training of students and members of the society on issues related to gender,” she said.

Dr Ahmad hinted that, the 2024 International women’s day celebration was marked with a book launch on perspectives on gender digital marginality in Nigeria.

In her presentation titled: The imperative of mainstreaming gender for national development, a lecturer with the department of public law BUK, and a former Nigerian Ambassador to Romania, Ambassador Safiya Nuhu explained that, a research by world bank found out that only 47% of Nigerian women are represented in the work force.

She enumerated some of the benefits of empowering women to include economic, social, poverty reduction, improved health and education, peace and security, as well as achievement of sustainable development

In her keynote address,chairperson of the occasion who doubles as the executive director Adolescent health and information projects (AHIP), Hajiya Mairo Bello advised women to build their personal assets and skills.

She decried over lack of resilience by some women where they are often relegated to the back for being afraid to be labelled as educated.

The gender technical officer CITAD, Hajiya Zainab Aminu pointed out that the center trained 25 women on gender digital analysis.

She said the policy recommends that government ICT related agencies and civil society organisations should come up with digital inclusion agenda, develop and implement organisation gender policy as well as champion gender equality and collaborate with legislators to advance the five gender bills proposed to the 10th assembly.

Some of the participants who spoke to KANO FOCUS Professor Sulaiman Yar’adua, Dr. Auwal Halilu, Maryam Ibrahim and Fatima mahmud described the event as apt.

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