Headlines
UK’s FCDO spends £130 million on intervention projects in Kano
Nasiru Yusuf
The United Kingdom’s Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has spent £130 million in Kano state through various interventions between 2014-2021.
KANO FOCUS reports that FCDO is also spending £14.7 million, equivalent to N8.6 billion, in its 2020-21 financial year as intervention on development projects in Kano state.
The FCDO’s Development Director, Christopher Pycroft revealed this on Wednesday while speaking at the opening of the strategic dialogue between the FCDO Nigeria and the Kano state government.
Mr. Christopher Pycroft
He however explained that there is a 28% reduction in the aid budget of FCDO this year.
“As you are aware the impact of COVID-19 has been far reaching and created a huge downturn in the global economy and the UK is no exception. This has led to a reduction in the aid budget to 0.5% of gross National income from the original 0.7%.
“This means that we will not be able to carry out all the of the development interventions programs we originally identify here in Kano.
“However, even though the financial envelope has reduced this does not indicate a reduction in our commitment to development in Kano.
“We believe that through our mutual commitment, dialogue, transparency and accountability from all parties we can achieve great impact and support to Kano state government’s own effort through this mutual accountability framework” Pycroft declared.
He explained further that “over the last seven years, from 2014-2021, FCDO has spent a total in excess of £130 million in Kano state through our program interventions. In which £14.7 million is projected to be spent in financial year 2020-21.
“The details of our 2021-22 financial commitments will be finalised following our mutual accountability strategic dialogue meeting that will hold today and we will publish all of the information about all these allocations as part of our transparency pledge”.
Responding, the Kano state governor Abdullahi Ganduje, emphasized the need for institutional development in order to achieve better opportunities for development.
Abdullahi Umar Ganduje
“There is the need for strong institutions to support and sustain better opportunities for development.
“That is why we are we are establishing the institutions that will sustain the development including interventions from the FCDO” he stated.
“There is no doubt the relationship between FCDO and the state is helping us to strengthen our institutions. For any sustainable development there must be strong institutions. Stronger institutions provide better opportunities for sustainable development.”
“Our relationship has always been fruitful. As a result therefore, we increased our budgetary allocation to 25% in the education sector. All our policies on education and other sectors are formulated towards having strong institutions. We are partners in progress,” Ganduje said.
Participants
Head of Sub-National Team, FCDO, David Ukagwu, UNICEF Chief of Party, Maulid Warfa, TaRL Africa representative Inyang Omoren and Open Government Partnership (OGP), Civil Society Co-Chair, Abdulrazak Alkali gave some goodwill messages, acknowledging state government’s efforts in keeping faith to process of sustainable development.
As part of the agenda for the programme, the two parties, FCDO and the state government would sign an MoU on Thursday, at Science Secondary School, Dawakin Tofa, to seal the effort.
Aminu Abdullahi
The Kano State Governor-elect, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf, has urged his supporters and members of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) to embark on prayers for ingenuity and guidance for his leadership towards delivering the dividends of democracy.
KANO FOCUS reports that this is contained in a statement in Kano on Wednesday by Spokesperson of governor-elect Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa.
The prayers, Yusuf said, are sufficient as a show of solidarity and celebration of his victory at the polls on Saturday and not miles of trek by some of his enthusiasts in some quarters especially given the state of insecurity with banditry, kidnapping and terrorism threatening peaceful movement of people and goods across the length and breadth of the country.
Yusuf also pledged commitment to improved infrastructure and good welfare for the aged, civil servants and private sector among others in the state.
“The incoming Kano State Government will be committed to a greater future of the people with security, health, education, economic, infrastructure and good welfare for aged, civil servants and private sector among others”, he said.
Aminu Abdullahi
All Progressives Congress governorship candidate in the last Saturday gubernatorial election, Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna on Tuesday rejected the declaration of Abba Kabir Yusuf of the New Nigeria People’s Party NNPP as the winner of the poll in Kano state.
KANO FOCUS reports that Gawuna in his first public appearance after the poll, spoke during a press conference by the party in the state capital.
The Deputy Governor who admitted that power comes from Almighty Allah, however said he aligned with the positions of the party which among others gave INEC 7 days ultimatum to declared the governorship poll inconclusive.
Gawuna who was in the company of party leaders, said it was astonishing that with the same election, 16 of the House of Assembly elections held same day and same conditions were declared inconclusive by INEC.
Meanwhile, the APC in Kano has rejected the announcement of Abba Kabir Yusif of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) as winner of the just concluded governorship election in Kano calling for immediate review of the election result by the electoral umpire within seven days.
The APC chairman, who was represented by the party’s legal adviser, Abdul Adamu Fagge insists that the election should be declared inconclusive because the cancelled votes were greater than the margin between the first and the second parties of NNPP and APC respectively as provided by the Electoral Act.
Fagge said that there was no way the election could be declared conclusive with over 270,000 votes cancelled which a margin shows is bigger than the winner’s votes.
The party also drew attention to the cancellation of sixteen House of Assembly elections in the state, sighting violence as the reason, while the same votes were considered in collating the governorship election.
It expressed dismay saying the two elections took place same day, same time, same places and under the same circumstances.
Fagge said, “based on section 65 of the Electoral Laws 2022, we have written to INEC to revisit and cancel the hasty, wrong and selfish declaration of the NNPP as winner of the elections, and declared the conduct inconclusive”.
He said they have since written to INEC to within seven days revisit the elections based on the provisions of the Electoral laws and declare it Inconclusive.
The Legal Adviser explained that INEC Returning Officer, acted not on the only basis of the provisions of laws.
Mukhtar Yahaya Usman
The Kano State Government has lifted the dawn-to-dusk curfew imposed in the state.
KANO FOCUS reports that the state government on Monday imposed the curfew with a view to avoiding a breakdown of law and order.
The order followed tensions generated from the collation of results of the governorship and state Assembly elections.
The state Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Muhammad Garba, made the announcement lifting the curfew in a statement issued on Monday night.
He said the decision to lift the curfew followed a careful review of the situation and the relative calm throughout the state.
The commissioner called on commercial banks, public servants and the people in the state to continue their normal activities.
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[Friday Sermon] Let’s belief in predestination and support Jagaban for the good of our country!
