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Kano releases N1 billion for girls’ education related projects – GEP
The Kano State Government has so far released more than N1.02 billion for girls’ education related projects in its 2022 budget.
KANO FOCUS reports that Hajiya Mairo Bello, the Co-chair, Girl Education Partnership, an NGO, made this known in Kano on Saturday, at the dissemination of the Kano State 2022 girl education budget performance with citizens and relevant stakeholders.
The dissemination was supported by Partnership to Engage, Reform and Learn (PERL), a governance programme of the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
Bello explained that while N868.6 million was released for girls’ specific budget lines, N155.5 million were released for both boys and girls related education projects.
Cross section of participants
She said that of the N868.6 million, N32.9 million was for feeding, N116.6 million for transitional examination, N177.6 million for National Examination Council, and N90 million for National Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies examination.
Others, she said, included N12 million for the State Agency for Mass Education, while N132 million was released for renovations of girls’ secondary schools.
She added that N12.5 million was also released for repairs of shuttle buses for transportation of girls to school, under the state’s Girl Education Project.
She particularly commended the state government for the release of 12.5 million for the repair of 20 shuttle buses for the transportation of girls to schools within the metropolitan towns of the state.
She explained that the development was the result of consistent advocacy to government agencies by citizens groups to push for increased investment on girls’ education.
Cross section of participants
“This is a milestone for us, because the shuttle buses will support in transporting girls from poor households to school at no cost.
“This will significantly increase girls’ access to education by removing transportation and distance barriers.
“It also provides security as a safety measure by taking the girls from their homes to school and returning them back to their houses safely.
“This, in the long run, will increase girls’ school enrolment, retention, transition, and completion,” she said.
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She said that an analysis of the 2021 budget supported by PERL, shows that only three per cent of the total state budget was specific to girls’ interventions.
This, she said, prompted the citizens group to conduct series of advocacies to relevant government agencies to increase budgetary allocation for specific girls’ education interventions.
Cross section of participants
According to her, the advocacy yielded significant results with the creation of budget lines for girls’ education projects in the state.
Bello said that one of the budget lines was N20 million for the purchase of 10 shuttle buses for Girl Education within eight metropolitan local government areas and repair of 20 grounded vehicles for the girl education pppproject.
“Another budget line was N20 million for the construction of and rehabilitation of toilets for children and students with special needs in girls’ schools across the three Senatorial Zones in the state.
“A total of N50 million was also allocated to enhance inclusive education for girls with disabilities across the state and N120 million for the recruitment of female teachers for basic and secondary schools.
“Similarly, N15 million was allocated for the construction of blocks of classrooms, provision of furniture, instructional materials, and supply of buses for girls in primary and secondary schools,” she said.
She explained that of all the allocations amounting to N225 million, N12.5 million had been released for repair of shuttle buses.
She also said that a memo for the release of N100 million for the recruitment of female teachers and N19.6 million for the renovation of toilet facilities in girls’ schools were being processed for releases.
Cross section of participants
Earlier, Hajiya Hajara Suleiman, PERL State Partnership Facilitator in the state, said that the objective of the meeting was to provide an overview and update on the girl education budget.
She added that the meeting was also organised to disseminate findings from the relevant ministries, departments and agencies with girl specific education projects.
“The meeting was also organised to identify possible ways for further engagement with stakeholders that will facilitate budget releases and implementation of girls’ education projects,” Suleiman said.
In his remarks, Special Adviser to Kano state governor on free and compulsory education and co-chair girls education partnership (GEP), Dr. Kabiru Shehu commended the effort of citizens on the consistent advocacies they embarked on to ensure funds allocated in the MDAs responsible for the implementation of Girl Education are released.
He noted that, over one hundred and ninety million naira additional support funds were provided by the state to sponsor female students SSCE examination.
Also speaking the state chairman of State Based Management Committee (SBMC) Tijjani Haladu Baraya, pointed out that as part of efforts to uplift the standard of education, Kano state government had set up a committee to oversee the renovation of 22 schools across the state.
He pointed out that, the ongoing project, under Kano state urban planning development authority (KNUPDA) gave special consideration to four girls secondary schools.
A member of GEP and Kano state Coodinator CSACEFA, Dr. Auwal Halilu said citizens analysed the releases of the 2022 budget.
He highlighted that, findings revealed more insights on how to improve girls education in Kano.
In his presentation titled ‘Girls education and releases for 2022 budget’ Comrade Safiyanu Lawan Bichi of Kano budget working group and member GEP, brought to light that ministry for local government, SUBEB and Agency for Mass Education have releases on girls education.
He also urged the partnership to use the session to set out committees that will follow up releases and track implementation from other MDAs that are responsible for the delivery of Girl Education projects.
The event tagged: Dissemination of 2022 budget performance with citizens and relevant stakeholders, supported by PERL- ECP brought together traditional rulers, government officials, civil society organizations, journalists, women groups, PWD, members of GEP and other relevant stakeholders in the Educational Sector.
Headlines
Abdulaziz unveils project inspection initiative, trains APC social media inflluencers at Arewa media summit
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
The Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Media and Public Enlightenment, Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, has unveiled a regional project inspection initiative aimed at showcasing key development projects in Northern Nigeria, while urging journalists and social media influencers to uphold ethical communication and combat misinformation.
Speaking on Monday at the maiden Arewa Media Summit in Kano, organised by his office, Abdulaziz said the gathering was conceived to strengthen dialogue between government, citizens and the media through accountability, responsibility and ethical communication.
He said effective governance depends on transparency, responsible civic engagement and a professional media that serves as a bridge between leaders and the people through factual and balanced reporting.
The presidential aide also cautioned social media influencers, who command large online audiences, to verify information before publication and avoid content capable of creating division, particularly as the country approaches the 2027 general elections.
According to him, more than 100 All Progressives Congress (APC) social media communicators were trained ahead of the summit to enhance their capacity to communicate government policies, programmes and achievements effectively.
Abdulaziz also unveiled the Gani Ya Kori initiative, a regional project inspection tour designed to spotlight landmark projects executed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Northern state governors that have received limited public attention.
“The initiative will help ensure that citizens are adequately informed about development projects and government interventions across the region,” he said.
The summit also featured a keynote address by the Minister of Information and National Reorientation, Mohammed Idris, who urged journalists and social media influencers to deny bandits and terrorists the publicity they seek.
“The media has an indispensable role in denying violent extremists the publicity they seek while promoting unity, resilience and hope,” the minister said.
He stressed that democracy flourishes when government remains transparent, citizens participate responsibly and the media performs its constitutional role with professionalism, fairness and integrity.
Idris observed that while the digital revolution has transformed communication by making every smartphone a broadcasting platform, it has also accelerated the spread of fake news and disinformation capable of undermining national unity and public confidence.
Declaring the summit open, Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf called on other states to emulate Kano’s Special Reporters Initiative, through which more than 150 young people have been deployed to ministries, departments, agencies and the state’s 44 local government areas to strengthen government communication and public enlightenment.
KANO FOCUS reports that the summit attracted journalists, broadcasters, filmmakers, digital content creators, academics, policymakers and communication professionals from across Northern Nigeria to deliberate on the theme, “Government, Citizens: Accountability, Responsibility and Ethical Media Practice.”
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.
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