Headlines
NMA Kano organises gubernatorial debate on health matters

Nasiru Yusuf

Kano state branch of Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has gubernatorial debate on health matters.
KANO FOCUS reports that the state chairman of NMA Dr. Abdullahi Kabir Sulaiman announced this on Monday while briefing journalists on the line of activities designated to mark this year’s physician week.
He said the debate will be conducted on Thursday October 27th, at Bristol Palace Hotel, Kano.
“In line with this year’s physician week, we felt, it is an opportunity to reach out to gubernatorial candidates and briefed them on health matters in Kano state. And for them to showcase their plan to electorates as we are on the verge of 2023 general election.
“The proceedings of the debate will assist us to draft an agenda for the people of Kano. We will conclude the meeting with extraordinary meeting and young doctors day on Saturday,” Mr Sulaiman said.
According to him the governorship candidates invited are Malam Ibrahim Khalil (ADC); Ishak Bashir Ishak (LP); Salihu Tanko Yakasai (PRP); Sha’aban Ibrahim Sharada and Abba Kabir Yusuf (NNPP); Dr Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna (APC) and Sadiq Wali (PDP).
Kano state government has 533 doctors in its payroll
Dr Sulaiman lamented the brain drain of medical doctors working under Kano state government due to poor condition of service and renumeration.
According to him Kano state government has only 533 medical doctors in its payroll spread across state owned health institutions.
“From the break down available to me now. We have 1,063 doctors in Kano state. Out of this number 533 are working under Kano state government (even though most of them are house officers or undergoing internship), we have 400 in Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, 96 in National Orthopedic Hospital Dala and 84 doctors working in other private and specialised hospitals,” Dr. Sulaiman.
He said many doctors are leaving Kano state government’s employment to federal government hospitals and other states with better package.
He appealed to federal government to improve welfare of medical doctors to check the mass exodus of doctors abroad.
He said data available has indicated that about 10,296 doctors that are trained in Nigeria are currently working on United Kingdom.
Dr Sulaiman said if the government would address that pay disparity between state and federal, it would mitigate the problem of internal and external brain drain.
“If government would address pay disparity between state and federal government, that would stop doctors from going to Ghana, Uganda, South Africa, among others.
“You know, Nigerian doctors go to even African countries, not only UK or Europe. This is to show you how bad the situation is.
“People would want to work with state government than federal if the salary doesn’t have disparity,” he said.
Dr Suleiman also advised the government to improve working condition of doctors at medical institutions.
He noted that poor working condition, not only good salary, but poor equipment and other logistics would make doctors leave for better.
The chairman noted that people are accusing doctors of being unpatriotic by leaving for foreign countries, saying” doctors are one of the most patriotic in Nigeria in view of the salary they are earning, compared to other countries.
“In some countries, the pay of one doctor, can pay the salaries of all of us sitting on this table monthly and still have change, you can imagine the disparity,” he said.

Headlines
Demolition: Kano govt appeals N30bn compensation judgement

Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
The Kano State Government has appealed a Federal High Court judgement that ordered it to pay N30 billion as compensation to some traders for the demolition of their shops.
KANO FOCUS reports that a Federal High Court sitting in Kano and presided over by Justice Simon Anogede, had, while delivering judgement in the case filed by the Traders Association, said what the government did was barbaric and unconstitutional.

The court however awarded N30 billion as compensation to the traders, instead of the N250 billion they demanded from the government.
However, the Kano State government says it has appealed the judgement, which it described as miscarriage of justice.
Barrister Haruna Isa Dederi, the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, explained that the court was not right in awarding judgement to the Traders Association because the Land Use Act is clear on the position of lands in every state.
He insisted that the court lacked the jurisdiction to even listen to the case because government is the sole owner of land, according to the Land Use Act.

Headlines
ACReSAL plans to increase city parks to 50 in Kano, laments indiscriminate felling of trees

Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim

The Kano Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL), has said that it will increase city parks to 50 in Kano.
KANO FOCUS reports that the Project Coordinator Dr Dahiru Muhammad Hashim made this known while addressing newsmen on Thursday in Kano.
He said the project is planning to recover and restore lost landscapes arising from natural causes and human activities.
”We are committed to addressing the environmental challenges that affect the state such as climate change, drylands, erosion and flooding, land degradation, and issues that affect the livelihood of communities which is mainly agriculture.
”The ACReSAL project is anchored on four broad components that speak essentially to the demand of the poor whose livelihoods have been distressed,” he said.
Hashim also said that the ACReSAL project has drilled solar-powered boreholes and established tree nurseries in some local government areas of the state.
He said that the intervention would boost agriculture and improve the standard of living of the people while the tree nurseries would help to combat desertification and soil erosion.
He expressed the commitment of the state in improving and protecting the Kano environment with priority and attention to the sector on issues of biodiversity conservation and restoration of degraded lands.
“ACReSAL plans to undertake Erosion control work in Rarin, Dawakin Tofa and Bulbula/Gayawa, Nassarawa, and Ungogo Local government areas.
“Construction of water conservation structure and provision of minor irrigation facilities in ‘Yartiti, Shanono, and construction of water conservation structure and provision of minor irrigation facilities in Fajewa, Takai Local government area.
“Establishment of 100ha individual farmer orchards and Woodlot plantations, 200ha of woodlot in communal forests and institutional plantings.
“440ha farmer-managed natural regeneration of indigenous tree species on individual farmlands and communal forests and promotion of climate-smart agriculture through FLID and CRF among others,” he said
KANO FOCUS reports that the World Bank’s 700 million dollar ACReSAL project is being implemented in collaboration with the federal government and the 19 northern states and the FCT was recently officially launched in Bauchi by Gov. Bala Mohammed, thus becoming the first among the participating states to unveil the project implementation.
The ACreSAL project is embarked on by the Federal Government to build community resilience as well as improve the sustainable productivity of its natural resources in Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Yobe, Zamfara, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi, Plateau, Adamawa, Taraba, Niger, Kwara, and Kaduna.
These northern states including the FCT, the federal government said are faced by rapid desert encroachment ranging from severe to moderate and marginal.
Other incentives of the project are the strengthening of the environment for integrated climate-resilient landscape management, fighting issues surrounding desertification, drought, landscape degradation, and deprivation at community levels as well as resuscitating the sectors of agriculture, environment, and water resources.

Headlines
Kano NIPR conducts AGM, Public Lecture

The Nigerian Institute of Public Relations NIPR Kano Chapter has set to elect new leadership of the institution in Kano during its annual general meeting
KANO FOCUS reports that this was contained in a statement issued by Mahmud Ibrahim Kwari the instituted’s Kano branch chairman publicity sub-committee on Friday.
Mr Kwari said during the AGM a public lecture will be presented on the importance of Artificial intelligence (AI)
The event will be held today (Friday) the 29th of September, 2023 at the Tahir Guest Palace Kano.
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The theme of the event is “Artificial Intelligence and Spin-Doctoring in Public Relations Practice in Nigeria: Prospects and Challenges”
The lecture will be presented by Professor Abdalla Uba Adamu of the Faculty of Communications, Bayero University.

Also, the l public relations expert and the publisher of PRNigeria Malam Yushau Shuaibu will discuss the paper.
The Emir of Kano Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero who chaired the contact and mobilization sub-committee of the event will be the royal father at the occasion.
Similarly, Former Kano state Governor, Senator Ibrahim Shekarau will chair the Occasion while the president of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations Mr. Ike Neliaku, and the immediate past president of the Institute, Malam Mukhtar Zubair Siraj are expected to be in attendance.
