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.
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
The Kano State Chapter of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has inaugurated a security committee aimed at strengthening community-based responses to insecurity in the state and wider northern region.
KANO FOCUS reports that the committee was inaugurated on Tuesday at the ACF Secretariat by the Chairman of the ACF Board of Trustees in Kano State, Brigadier General Haliru Akilu (Rtd), who said the initiative was a strategic response to Nigeria’s growing security challenges.
Gen. Halliru Akilu inaugurating Gen. Idris Bello Dambazau while Dr Goni Faruk Umar is watching
Akilu described the committee as a platform for strategic engagement, grassroots intervention, and policy articulation to support formal security institutions.
“This committee is envisioned to serve as a fulcrum of strategic engagement and community-driven security intervention. It symbolizes our collective resolve to restore order and peace to our communities,” he said.
He noted that the committee draws membership from various security and paramilitary agencies including the NDLEA, Police, Hisbah, Civil Defence, FRSC, NAPTIP, and vigilante groups.
Gen. Halliru Akilu delivering his address
According to him, the committee is tasked with assessing the evolving security landscape in Kano and beyond, acting as a bridge between citizens and security agencies, and developing actionable, data-driven recommendations to promote peace, vigilance and resilience across ethnic, religious, and political divides.
General Akilu stressed that the committee must operate beyond bureaucratic routines and ensure its insights influence national policy. He also urged members to demonstrate integrity, confidentiality, and dedication.
Chairman of the committee, General Idris Bello Dambazau (Rtd), pledged to uphold the mandate of the committee with seriousness and discipline.
Gen. Idris Bello Dambazau (Rtd) granting interview to journalists
“We’re bringing the seriousness of military service into this assignment. Time in service is life. One minute can cost lives. That’s how seriously we’re taking this task,” he said, adding that the committee was set to begin work immediately.
On his part, the NDLEA Commander in Kano, Ahmed Idris, commended the synergy among security agencies in the state and expressed optimism that the ACF’s initiative would serve as a model for other states.
Cross section of members of the security committee
“In Kano, we’ve built a strong culture of collaboration. This committee reflects that spirit and the quality of its membership shows the seriousness of the ACF,” he said.
KANO FOCUS reports that the initiative comes as Kano and other northern states are facing security threats such as banditry, kidnapping, drug abuse, and youth radicalization. Observers say the ACF’s grassroots-focused approach could offer a much-needed complement to conventional security responses.
Gen. Halliru Akilu (rtd) inaugurating Gen. Idris Bello Dambazau (rtd)
Speakers at the event called for similar committees to be replicated across other states in the region, with hopes that the Kano model would become a blueprint for wider regional intervention.
Members of the security committee and ACF officials
General Akilu closed the event with a call for the committee to chart a new course for peace and security in the region, describing the inauguration as “a bold first step.”
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has urged the Kano State Government to declare a state of emergency on polio and routine immunisation due to the resurgence of circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses (cVDPVs) in the state.
KANO FOCUS reports that with18 polio cases recorded across nine states, including three in Kano, UNICEF Acting Chief of Field Office, Michael Banda, emphasized the need for urgent action. “Polio knows no boundaries. An outbreak anywhere threatens children everywhere,” he said.
Senior Education Manager and Officer-in-Charge, UNICEF Field Office, Kano, Michael Banda, made the revelation during a media dialogue on polio and routine immunization in Kano.
Mr Michael Banda
According to Banda, Kano accounted for three cases uncovered in Warawa, Nasarawa, and Bunkure local government areas of the state, amid zero immunization and misconceptions against the deadly infection.
cVDPV refers to a type of poliovirus that arises from the oral polio vaccine (OPV), used in the prevention of polio.
According to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), on rare occasions, the weakened virus in the OPV can mutate and begin to circulate within a community, causing infections and potentially paralysis, similar to wild poliovirus.
Although Banda reminded that polio has been the leading cause of paralysis and death among children, he affirmed the disease is on the brink of eradication with vaccination of 3 billion children globally in the last 37 years.
The UNICEF boss, however, worried that the fight against polio is not over in some countries, including in Nigeria, because of low vaccination rates, thereby paving the way for polio outbreaks.
Banda explained that there is a collaboration with the Kano State Government through the Primary Health Care Management Board to broaden public knowledge on the potency of the vaccination.
He added that the media dialogue was targeted to solicit media support in raising awareness and mobilizing parents on the polio vaccination campaign in Kano ahead of World Immunization Week, beginning from 24th and 30th April 2025.
On her part, representative of Kano state Primary Healthcare Management Board, Hajiya Saadatu Ibrahim, identified challenges of hard-to-reach settlements, missing houses, zero-dose vaccination, and poor healthcare workers as major setbacks.
Hajiya Saadatu Ibrahim,
She reassured that the government has a renewed strategy to overcome the challenges, including a new method of recruiting immunization workers and the involvement of external supervisors
She said Kano State Government will immunize 4.1 million under five children.
A polio vaccination campaign is scheduled for April 24-30, 2025, coinciding with World Immunization Week. UNICEF is collaborating with the state government to raise awareness and mobilise parents.
Aminu Abdullahi
The ICEADA AGILE partnership, aimed at promoting girls’ education at the grassroots level, has organized an Activity Feedback Workshop and Quarterly Meeting to assess the successes and challenges of the project across six local government areas in Kano State.
KANO FOCUS reports that the local governments areas include: Bebeji, Kiru, Karaye, Madobi, Rogo, and Warawa.
Prof M. B Shittu presenting IEC materials to Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
Speaking at the event, Prof. M.B. Shitu, Team Leader and Project Manager, explained that the project was designed to engage key stakeholders in the selected local government areas to sensitize communities on the importance of enrolling girls in school.
Cross section of ICEADA/AGILE mentors
He noted that participants of the workshop are Community Engagement Mentors selected from the six local governments.
“Their role is to engage directly with community members to promote girls’ enrollment in schools,” he said.
“Part of their responsibility is to carry out sensitization and mobilization campaigns within their communities. Our main concern is increasing the enrollment and retention of girls in secondary education. That’s why we introduced the Community Engagement Mentors—to collaborate with parents and local organizations in support of girls’ education,” Prof. Shitu added.
Cross section of ICEADA/AGILE mentors
He also revealed that the project has recorded significant progress across the six LGAs, although a few challenges still persist and are currently being addressed.
“One of the aims of this workshop is to review the activities carried out in the last quarter and set new community goals to strengthen our campaign. We’ve also launched house-to-house awareness campaigns to tackle the issues affecting girls’ education in these communities,” he stated.
Participants expressed satisfaction with the project’s progress. Lami Idris, a Community Mentor from Karaye LGA, shared her experience.
“We are going from house to house to educate people on the benefits of girls’ education. One of the major challenges we face is the lack of schools in some villages. Some girls have to walk long distances to reach school,” she said.
Review meeting in session
Abdullahi Balarabe Kiru, Secretary of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in Kiru LGA, reported that data collected from the area showed over 40 girls are currently out of school. He affirmed that efforts are ongoing to address the issue.
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim presenting IEC materials to community mentors
In his remarks, Malam Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim, Communication Officer of the AGILE Project, disclosed that 130 new schools will be constructed in Kano State to tackle the problem of out-of-school children.
He also highlighted insecurity and the destruction of school infrastructure as major challenges facing the education sector.
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