By Hannatu Suleiman Abba

During the review of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) blueprint at Babale Suite—organised by the AMG Foundation—I vividly recall a series of engagements on the party’s commitment to establish a Commission for Persons with Disabilities if elected. At the event, the Director General of Media, Malam Sanusi Bature, who represented the NNPP gubernatorial candidate, Engr. Abba Kabir Yusuf, spoke clearly about this intention.

Following the election victory, expectations among persons with disabilities and their advocates were understandably high. The proposed commission was widely seen as a critical step toward advancing inclusion, protecting rights, and ensuring coordinated support for persons with disabilities across Kano State.

On December 28, 2023, a press release issued by the Director General of Media, Malam Sanusi Bature, announced that the Kano State Government was set to establish the Commission for Persons with Disabilities in 2024. The statement, conveyed through the governor’s deputy, Comrade Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to improving the lives of persons with disabilities.

More than a year later, however, the commission is yet to be established.

In the meantime, the Commissioner for Women, Children and Special Needs, Hajiya Amina Abdullahi (HOD), has continued to carry persons with disabilities along in her ministry’s activities. Through the Director of Special Needs, Dr. Binta Bala, the ministry has promoted inclusivity and engagement. These efforts are commendable and reflect genuine goodwill.

Similarly, Governor Engr. Abba Kabir Yusuf has personally participated in several interventions supporting persons with disabilities—an effort I can attest to as a firsthand witness.

Yet, a critical question remains: can these interventions truly replace the role of a fully established Commission for Persons with Disabilities that serves all disability clusters?

The answer, quite clearly, is no.

A commission is not merely symbolic. It provides structure, continuity, accountability and institutional representation—elements that isolated interventions, no matter how well-intentioned, cannot sustainably guarantee. The absence of such a commission has left many persons with disabilities in Kano State facing persistent challenges, particularly in access to healthcare, education, entrepreneurship and broader social development.

The establishment of a Commission for Persons with Disabilities is essential to bridging existing gaps in government interventions and ensuring coordinated, equitable and inclusive support across all disability groups.

If Kano State successfully domesticates and operationalises this law, it would set a powerful precedent for other northern states—some of which are already making efforts, but lack a strong, unified model to emulate.

As an advocate for marginalised groups, I have held several discussions with key stakeholders, including Abdulrazak Ado Zango, on the transformative impact such a commission could have on the lives of persons with disabilities in Kano State. Beyond service delivery, a commission would serve as a formal platform for inclusion in policymaking and decision-making processes that directly affect persons with disabilities.

While the government’s efforts to give persons with disabilities a voice are sincerely appreciated, it must be emphasised that the establishment of the Commission for Persons with Disabilities remains the most effective, sustainable and institutional path toward meaningful change and full inclusion in Kano State.

Two years after the promise, the question still lingers: what is holding Kano back?

Hannatu Suleiman Abba is a humanitarian journalist and Founder of Beyond Inclusion Media. She can be reached via hannatusuleimanabba@gmail.com

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Aliyu Isa Aliyu, Ph.D

During my time as the financial secretary of NNPP in Kano state and other political engagements, I saw clearly how many of the so-called fake Kwankwasiyya loyalists behaved. They always came with sweet promises, showing deep respect for Kwankwaso’s leadership and pretending to be his strongest disciples. They claimed they would defend the party’s ideology even with their lives. But the moment they got what they wanted, whether it was an election victory, recognition, or political favour, they slowly pulled away. Their loyalty was never to the Kwankwasiyya movement, but only to their own ambitions. Personally, I never regarded their loyalty, never praised them, and never wasted my time writing about them.

What surprised me most was Kwankwaso’s ability to take all of this without holding any grudges. Time and again, he welcomed them back whenever they were politically stranded. Instead of shutting them out, he gave them another chance, teaching us that leadership is not about revenge but about building bridges, even with those who once betrayed you. Many of us in the party leadership found it hard to understand this level of patience, but over time, I came to see it as part of what makes him a rare politician in Nigeria.

This same cycle has repeated itself in every election season. Politicians who abandoned kwankwasiyya the most critical times would always return in desperation, and Kwankwaso would open the doors again. For him, the bigger picture has always been the growth of the movement and the empowerment of the masses, not the small politics of exclusion. But from my own experience, I have seen both the strength and weakness of this approach. The strength is Kwankwaso’s unmatched generosity and forgiveness, but the weakness is the opportunism of those who treat leadership as a shortcut to power. In 2024, some of them worked tirelessly with all kinds of deceit just to secure tickets for their boys as local government chairmen, but thankfully Madugu Kwankwaso was firm and did not fall into their trap.

Now the time has come for our leader, Senator Kwankwaso, to reflect on his political generosity and take the right stand. It is better to lose an election with true loyalists than to win with those sabbatical politicians who only come for their selfish gains. Nobody can deny that they contributed to NNPP’s growth in Kano, but the truth is that the sacrifices Kwankwaso made for them are far greater than what they have done for him or the movement. Before their defection to NNPP in 2022, there were committed people already vying for those positions, but they were pleaded to step down and hand over the tickets for free. You cannot build a political movement with people who carry two faces. In politics, you are either here or there; there is no middle ground. Kwankwasiyya is not only about winning elections, it is also about discipline and sacrifice. We won clearly in 2019 before the election was declared inconclusive, and we still won in 2023 despite the odds. If Almighty Allah has destined our victory in 2027, no betrayal can stop it, no matter who leaves Kwankwasiyya.

– Aliyu Isa Aliyu, Ph.D