Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim

The Kano State Government has alleged that the police attempted to obstruct an annual religious event.

KANO FOCUS reports that the state Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Ibrahim Waiya, refuted earlier claims made by the police that suspected terrorists were planning to target public gatherings in major locations across the state.

Speaking to journalists at the Emir’s Palace on Friday evening, Waiya criticised the police for what he described as an unjustified blockade of the venue for the National Tijjaniyya Maulud, a religious event that has been held annually for 39 years.

He stated, “Kano State, as a historical centre of Islamic scholarship and religious harmony, remains committed to upholding and supporting activities that promote peace, unity, and spiritual growth.”

“This action is not only unnecessary but also unjustified, as there has been no report of any security threat in Kano State that would warrant such an extreme measure. The presence of security operatives at the venue of this significant religious activity is unwarranted and unacceptable.”

He affirmed that, despite the police’s actions, the Maulud would go ahead as planned at Kofar Mata Stadium. He assured attendees that the state government was committed to ensuring the event proceeded without any disruptions.

He stated, “The National Tijjaniyya Maulud will be held as planned from 8:00 AM at Kofar Mata Stadium. This religious gathering is organized by a legitimately registered and recognized body, and any attempt to obstruct it would be a violation of the citizens’ right to lawful assembly and religious practice in Nigeria.”

He called on the federal government to withdraw its security agencies from the venue immediately, stressing that Kofar Mata Stadium belonged to the state.

“There is no justification for any external force to obstruct a legitimate religious gathering. “Kano State has always been a beacon of peace and religious tolerance, and we will not accept any form of intimidation or undue interference in our internal affairs,” he said.

Earlier on Friday, the police warn Kano residents of possible terrorist attacks in public gatherings in strategic locations within the state.

United Nations Children Education Find (UNICEF) has urged the Kano state government to increase appropriation release on education, adding that this would help in reducing out-of-school children bedeviling the state.

KANO FOCUS reports that Rahama Rihood Mohammed Farah, Chief of UNICEF Field Office Kano, made the appeal at a press conference marking this year’s International Day of Education in Kano on Friday.

UNICEF pointed out that the northwest region has the second-highest rates of children out of school, and the situation is worsened in Kano, Jigawa, and Katsina states, where even children who are enrolled in school are facing poor learning outcomes.

“There are currently about 10.2 million children at the primary level are out of school in Nigeria, 16 per cent of them are from Kano, Jigawa and Katsina states, according to MICS 2021.

“Close to one million children are out of school in Kano state( 989,234); a total of 337,861 out of school children are in Jigawa, while Katsina state has 536,112 out of school children,” Farah said, adding that 32% of primary school going age children were out of school in Kano state.

He said: “While the spectre of Out of School Children (OOSC) is a major concern, the challenge is that even those children who have the opportunity to be enrolled in school are not having quality education.

“Only 1 out of 4 children in Nigeria, aged 7-14 years can read and understand a simple sentence or solve basic arithmetic, according to the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS 2021) report.

“Across Kano, Jigawa and Katsina states, this challenge is staggering: Tests conducted by the Federal Ministry of Education in 2022 found that Foundational Learning rates stand at 11 per cent or lower in the three states of Kano, Jigawa and Katsina.

“Although Kano figures appear better at 9.6% for reading proficiency, and 11.2% for numeracy, these figures are way lower than the national averages of 26% per cent for Reading proficiency and 25% for Numeracy respectively.”

The theme for the 2025 International Day of Education was given as: “AI and Education: Preserving Human Agency in a World of Automation.”

UNICEF said the 2025 IDE conference was organised to leverage the advocacy moment of the IDE to highlight the significance of education and its role in fostering a well-informed, inclusive, and peaceful society.

Farah mentioned inadequate funding of the education sector, dissruptive impact of climate change on learning as other challenges confronting education in the country, particularly in the north.

He said UNICEF was supporting basic education in Kano, Jigawa and Katsina states through cash transfers, tree planting campaigns, enrollment drives, supply of learning materials, building of schools and improvement of teachers’ capacities among other interventions.

The Executive Governor of Kano State His Excellency Abba Kabir Yusuf has flagged off the second phase of women empowerment on livestock entrepreneurship.

A statement from the office of the Governor’s Spokesperson Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa revealed that the women beneficiaries were given three small ruminants (goats) across the 44 Local Government areas of the state.

The iniative was championed under the State’s Livestock Fattining Programme of Kano Agro-Pastoral Development (KSADP).

While flagging off the second phase of programme, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf said as part of his administration’s commitment to fighting abject poverty, it has been resolved to coordinate a multi-dimensional approach to supporting the plight of women and youth for self-reliance.

He said under this iniative, the state is distributing seven thousand one hundred and fifty eight (7, 158) goats to two thousand three hundred and eighty six women beneficisries.

The Governor further stated that the programme will include the distribution of one thousand three hundred and forty two (1, 342) cows to women and youth and also one thousand eight hundred and twenty two rams.

While distributing the empowerment, the Governor issued a stern warning on diversion of the animals other than the purpose it was meant for.