News
Action Aid Nigeria holds Interfaith Dialogue to fight violent extremism in Kano
Nasiru Yusuf
ActionAid Nigeria, in collaboration with Dispute Resolution and Development Initiative (DRDI) have organized an interfaith dialogue with religious leaders in a bid to fight violent extremism in Kano State.
KANO FOCUS reports that interfaith dialogue has sparked controversy, especially on social media, a situation that prompted religious leaders to come and clarify the issue for peace to reign.
Speaking at the event, held in Kano on Tuesday The Executive Director of Dispute Resolution and Development Initiative (DRDI) Mustapha Muhammad, said the organisation has been organising interfaith dialogue about 20 years ago.
According to him, the aim of the dialogue was to complement the government’s effort towards achieving unity, peace and harmony among diversed population of the country.
Muhammad noted that the interfaith dialogue is an avenue that gives room for unity and sustained cordial relationship between Muslims and Christians in the country.
He said “when the religious groups understand one another. There will be unity and love among them. If unity and love are achieved between religious groups, there will then be peace in the society.
“That is why we have organized this interfaith dialogue as a way to interface between Muslim and Christian clerics for better understanding of one another and for fighting violence extremism.
“Religious leaders have remained the only voice of the masses to the powers that be. So, i appeal to you, to use your places of worships to preach peace through modernized sermons and interfaith dialogue to achieve peace,” said Muhammad.
In his remarks, Taofik Abubakar Hussain from Centre for Islamic Civilization and Interfaith Dialogue, Bayero University Kano, Said interfaith dialogue has historical background in Islam.
According to him, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) once invited Christians for dialogue, who accepted his invitation and engaged him in dialogue in his holy mosque in Madinah.
Hussain noted that the event organized by ActionAid Nigeria was timely in view of the divergent view of interfaith dialogue recently.
He said peace is enshrined in both Quran and Bible, noting that all religious leaders must embrace it in order to achieve developed society.
On his part, Murtala Mati Dangora described the dialogue as timely, calling on both Islamic and Christian clerics to change styles of their preaching towards achieving peace in the state and beyond.
Dangora, a Christian Reverend said it is through preaching that peace could be achieved , adding that religious leaders have a great role to play to achieve peace.
“When followers see Imam and pastor together, they don’t need to be explained, they just see peace nakedly. So, that is how it is supposed to be,” 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.
Aminu Abdullahi
The New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, has defeated the All Progressive Party to win Saturday’s governorship election in Kano State.
KANO FOCUS reports that Abba Kabir Yusuf of the NNPP was declared the winner with 1,019,602 votes against his closest rival, APC’s candidate, Nasir Gawuna, who polled 890,705 votes.
The Independent National Electoral Commission Returning officer, Prof Ahmad Doko Ibrahim, announced Yusuf as the winner of the Kano gubernatorial election on Monday morning.
The declaration brought intense electioneering and Saturday election in Kano to an end as two ‘king makers’ – former Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and incumbent Governor Abdullahi Ganduje – in the state tested their might. While Kwankwaso backed Yusuf, Ganduje routed for Gawuna, his deputy, to succeed him.
Yusuf’s profile
Born to the family of Malam Kabiru Yusuf and Malama Khadijatul-Naja’atu in Gaya Local Government Area of Kano State on 5th January 1963, Abba attended Sumaila primary school between 1968 and 1975.
He then proceeded to Government Secondary School Dawakin Tofa and later moved to Government Secondary school Lautai in Gumel where he completed his secondary education in 1980.
Abba Kabir Yusuf bagged a National Diploma (ND) from the Federal Polytechnic Mubi in 1985 and a Higher National Diploma (HND) in Civil Engineering from Kaduna Polytechnic in 1989.
He later obtained a postgraduate diploma in management and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Bayero University, Kano.
Gida-Gida’s grandfather, Alhaji Yusuf Bashari, under whom the NNPP governorship candidate started his Islamic education, was Danmakwaiyon Kano and a former District Head of Gaya.
Abba Gida-Gida began his career with the Kano State Water Resources Engineering and Construction Agency (WRECA), Kano State Water Board and later moved to the state Ministry of Water Resources where he held various positions.
He was appointed as Personal Assistant to the then Kano State Governor, Senator Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso and later Special Assistant (Administration) between 1999 – 2003.
Abba worked again with Kwankwaso from 2003 to 2006 when the former governor of Kano State was appointed Minister of Defence.
He served as the Special Assistant to the Special Adviser to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on Darfur/Somalia until 2007.
Abba was also appointed by the late President Umaru Musa Yar’adua as the chairman, Governing Board of the National Institute for Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA), Ondo State from 2009 to 2011.
During Kwankwaso’s second tenure in office, Abba was appointed as the First Principal Private Secretary (PPS) to the governor; and subsequently the state’s Commissioner for Works, Housing and Transport.
The closely contested 2019 governorship election in Kano between the PDP and the ruling APC brought Abba Gida-Gida to the limelight.
Kwankwaso’s anointed candidate contested against the incumbent Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje in an election that was declared inconclusive; but lost after a rerun.
Gawuna, APC reject Kano governorship election, ask INEC to declare exercise inconclusive
Kano govt lifts dawn to dusk curfew
2023: Abba Kabir Yusuf wins Kano governorship election
2023 Consumer Day: NCC unveils TELCARE desk at Abuja Airport
Emir Bayero turbans Professors Salihi Lawan, Salisu Shehu, as Imams of SCE Juma’a Mosque BUK
Kano gets new commissioner of police
Young entrepreneur fights political thuggery with skills acquisition
Kano ADP guber candidate unveils blueprint, promises inclusive governance
[Friday Sermon] Let’s belief in predestination and support Jagaban for the good of our country!
