Headlines
INEC holds workshop on strategic communication in Kano
Nasiru Yusuf
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has on Monday kicked off a workshop on Strategic Communications and Operationalization of the Communication Policy in Kano.
KANO FOCUS reports that the workshop was attended by commission’s heads of voter education and publicity departments from 19 Northern states.
Speaking at the occasion, the INEC National Commissioner, Information and Voter Education, Festus Okoye called on heads of security agencies to address all forms of security threats bedeviling the country to avail Nigerians opportunity to exercise their civic responsibility in next year’s general election.
Okoye hinted that plan is underway by the commission to meet with the heads of security agencies to review security situations in the country ahead of 2023 election.
According to him, “As we move closer to the 2023 general election, all the critical stakeholders and the security agencies must resolve to degrade and or neutralize the security threats across the federation. Our people must be assured that they can vote in a peaceful atmosphere.
“The Chairman of the Commission has pointed out and consistently emphasized that the current level of insecurity in the country remains the greatest and most potent threat to the conduct of free, fair and transparent elections in the country. As some of you are aware, the CVR is taking place only in the 37 State and 774 Local Government Offices of the Commission.
“The Commission intends to devolve the CVR to 2, 673 locations as against the current 811 locations. Our inability to actualize this is on account of the security situation in most states of the Federation.
“Presently, there are two vacancies in the Zamfara State House of Assembly and one in the Kaduna State House of Assembly. The vacancy for Shinkafi State Constituency has been declared while that of Gusau 1 State Constituency of Zamfara State and Giwa State Constituency has not been declared.
“The Commission is reviewing the security situation in the constituencies where these vacancies occurred and will take appropriate decision at the appropriate time.
“The Chairman of the Commission and the Commission will meet with the heads of the nation’s security agencies and review the security situation in the country and determine further deployment and devolution of the CVR on a roll out, roll back procedure,” Okoye stated.
On party primaries, the National Commissioner warned the political parties against conducting the primaries not in conformity with the dictates of the Constitution, the Electoral Act and the Timetable and Schedule of Activities of the Commission.
“Political parties are reminded that they must conduct valid primaries, in the venue chosen by them and communicated to the Commission.
“The primaries must take place in the constituency where the election will take place and on the day indicated in their letter to the Commission and using the mode of primaries voluntarily chosen by them,” he said.
Okoye however urged the VEPs and POAs to embark on aggressive campaigns against multiple and double Continuous Voter Registration Exercise.
“As Heads of Department and Public Affairs Officers, you must assist in educating Nigerians on the importance of the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration Exercise. You must carry out aggressive and sustained campaign against multiple and double registration. As a Commission we must design measures and strategies to halt the dangerous descent to double and multiple registrations going on in most states of the Federation.
“Those that engage in “trucking”, “storage” of Permanent Voters Cards and corruption of the electoral process must realize that the Commission has a robust cleanup process that detects multiple and double registrants. Double or multiple registration whether innocently done or not is a violation of the law that attracts sanctions,” the National Commissioner,”Okoye said.
In his remarks, the Project Coordinator of ECES-Nigeria, Hamza Fassi-Fihri charged the INEC staff on the need to display commitment of high ethical standards and professionalism in the discharge of their duties.
Earlier, INEC Voter Education Director, Ayo Aluko said the workshop was part of the commission’s cardinal principle to ensure continous capacity building for it staff in order to keep them abreast of the task ahead during the 2023 general elections.
The two-day workshop was facilitated by the European Centre for Electoral Support (ECES-Nigeria).
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
The Kano State Government says it has executed 1,508 development projects worth more than N928 billion across the state’s 44 local government areas since Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf assumed office, with about 80 per cent of constituency projects awarded between 2023 and 2025 already completed.
KANO FOCUS reports that the Commissioner for Public Procurement, Projects Monitoring and Evaluation, Comrade Nura Iro Ma’aji Sumaila, disclosed this during an international press briefing on the administration’s infrastructure development programme.
According to Comrade Sumaila, the projects cover critical sectors including roads, urban renewal, education, healthcare, security and other social infrastructure.
He said 799 of the projects have been completed, while 709 are at various stages of execution. He added that the state is also implementing 619 constituency projects through members of the Kano State House of Assembly.
The commissioner noted that about 80 per cent of the constituency projects have been completed. However, he said some projects remain unfinished because of rising construction costs caused by inflation.
He said the government has submitted a request to Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf for an upward review of contract sums to enable contractors complete the affected projects.
Breakdown of projects
Comrade Sumaila said the administration spent over N169 billion on urban renewal projects, including road rehabilitation, drainage construction and other metropolitan infrastructure.
He said another N118 billion was committed to constructing five-kilometre roads in 38 local government areas to improve connectivity across the state.
According to him, the government also awarded contracts worth over N6.8 billion for the construction of Kano State Neighbourhood Watch security divisions in 36 local government areas.
He added that rural infrastructure projects covering education, healthcare and other social interventions across the 44 local government areas account for contracts valued at more than N397 billion, while other ongoing projects have a combined value of about N255 billion.
Commitment to transparency
The commissioner said the Ministry of Public Procurement, Projects Monitoring and Evaluation would continue to ensure compliance with due process and technical standards in the execution of government projects.
He said the ministry’s mandate includes monitoring projects to ensure value for money and prudent utilisation of public resources.
According to him, the administration’s investments in infrastructure are intended to improve mobility, strengthen security, expand access to education and healthcare, improve water supply and stimulate economic growth across the state.
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
Kano State has emerged as the highest-ranked sub-national government in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) for education spending, according to the latest Sub-National Education Spending Index developed by the University of Paris.
KANO FOCUS reports that the ranking places Kano State first among 209 first-level sub-national governments across 15 ECOWAS member countries, underscoring the state’s growing reputation for prioritising investment in education.
According to the published index, Kano topped the rankings with an overall S-WAESI score of 87.21, outperforming other leading regions, including Dakar and Saint-Louis in Senegal. Lagos State was the second Nigerian state on the list, ranking 16th overall.
The assessment evaluated states and regions using the S-WAESI (Sub-National Weighted Aggregate Education Spending Index) methodology, which measures government commitment to education through indicators such as actual education expenditure, spending per student, budget execution, education priority, transparency and evidence-based reporting.
The methodology assigns 35 points to actual education spending, 25 points to spending per student, 20 points to budget execution, 10 points to education priority and 10 points to transparency.
The report indicated that Kano excelled largely due to its strong actual education spending and budget execution, making it the best-performing sub-national government in the region.
The ranking covered states, regions, districts and municipalities across Nigeria, Senegal, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Togo, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau and Cabo Verde.
Kano State Accountability Forum on Education (K-SAFE) said the recognition reflects Kano State Government’s sustained investment in expanding access to education, improving school infrastructure and strengthening educational planning and budget implementation.
KANO FOCUS reports that the achievement is expected to further boost the state’s profile as a leader in education reform within West Africa and provide additional momentum for ongoing efforts to improve learning outcomes across the state.
The latest ranking comes amid renewed attention on education financing across ECOWAS, with experts increasingly emphasising transparent budgeting, efficient resource utilisation and sustained public investment as critical drivers of quality education.
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
Kano State has emerged as one of the biggest beneficiaries of the World Bank-supported HOPE Governance Programme after qualifying for a total of $3.5 million in performance-based incentives for implementing key governance, education and healthcare reforms.
KANO FOCUS reports that the World Bank, through the HOPE Governance Programme domiciled in the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, approved $27 million in incentives for states that successfully met the Year Zero Disbursement-Linked Results (DLRs).
The National Coordinator of the HOPE Governance Programme, Assad Hassan, announced the incentives on Tuesday in Abuja during a retreat attended by commissioners, permanent secretaries and directors of budget and planning from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
A statement issued by the programme’s Communications Officer, Joe Mutah, said the incentives were based on the recommendations of the Interim Independent Verification Agent, which assessed states’ performance against agreed reform indicators.
Kano ranked among the highest-performing states, qualifying for incentives under three separate reform indicators.
The state will receive $1.5 million under Disbursement-Linked Result (DLR) 2.1 for adopting comprehensive guidelines for the preparation and submission of consolidated work plans for the state basic education budget.
It also qualified for another $1.5 million under DLR 2.2, which recognises states that adopted comprehensive guidelines for consolidated work plans for state primary healthcare budgets.
In addition, Kano secured $500,000 under DLR 2.3 for adopting harmonised budget guidelines and a unified chart of accounts for local governments.
Altogether, the state is expected to receive $3.5 million, making it one of the top-performing states under the programme.
Only five states—Bayelsa, Borno, Kano, Kebbi and Yobe—qualified for both the education and healthcare planning incentives, earning $3 million each from the two indicators alone.
Kano further distinguished itself by qualifying under the local government budgeting reform indicator, increasing its total allocation to $3.5 million.
The state also featured among 15 states that met the requirements under DLR 4.1, which rewards states for publishing their 2025 Citizens Budget for basic education and primary healthcare by February 28, 2025. Each qualifying state under this indicator will receive $500,000.
Other states that qualified under DLR 4.1 are Abia, Bayelsa, Borno, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Imo, Jigawa, Kebbi, Kogi, Nasarawa, Ondo, Plateau and Yobe.
According to the programme, the performance-based incentives are designed to encourage states to strengthen governance systems, improve budget transparency and enhance planning in the education and primary healthcare sectors.
KANO FOCUS reports that the HOPE Governance Programme is a World Bank-supported initiative implemented through the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning to promote improved public financial management and better service delivery across Nigeria’s states.
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