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I will not involve my family in running Kano State govt- Abba Kabir Yusuf
Aminu Abdullahi
The Governor-Elect in Kano State, Abba Kabir Yusuf, has assured that he will not allow his family interfere with the running of the state.
KANO FOCUS reports that Yusuf made this known to journalists shortly after collecting his Certificate of Return (CoR) along with 26 members-elect of the House of Assembly from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Kano on Wednesday.
He assured that there is no way his family would feature in the running of the government as that will be tantamount to a family affair.
“There is no way I will allow my family be involved in my government because the Oath of Office I took, I did it alone without them, meaning they are not part of the government”, Yusuf said.
The Governor-elect, who emerged from the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP promised the residents of Kano that he will pay total attention to the state and submit his time to the upliftment of the standard of living of the people.
He said he will boost water production and that education will receive attention, assuring that there will be a total overhaul of governance in Kano State.
He said, we have what it takes to move Kano state to the next level through massive infrastructural development.
The Governor-elect, has pledged to adopt a people-oriented democracy with focus on peace and prosperity of the state.
He appreciated the people of the state for giving him and his running mate the mandate to lead the state.
“We accept this privilege with heavy responsibility; we shall carry out the people democratic directives with focus and unrelenting dedication, we shall govern for all for peace and prosperity of the state,” the governor-elect declared.
He expressed indebtedness to traditional, community and religious leaders who fostered an atmosphere of peace, while appreciating the efforts of NNPP leaders at all levels for their tireless efforts and commitment.
Yusuf also pledged sound programmes to reinvigorate the education sector through the provision of modern learning facilities and conducive atmosphere.
Besides, he promised to prioritise water supply, health, agriculture, security, youth and women empowerment.
He said that already a blueprint had been worked out to end perennial water scarcity in Kano metropolis and other major towns across the state.
“We will expand water supply to all nook and crannies of the Kano city to enable people have access to portable drinking water for human and animal consumption.
“We will utilise dams and provide assorted farming implements at subsidised rate to enhance massive food production for all year farming.
“The NNPP administration will accord priority to the health sector through provision of modern facilities to enhance quality healthcare delivery at the grassroots,” he said.
According to him, a robust economic package geared at driving exponential growth across the state had been designed for implementation.
He said: “We have what it takes to move Kano state to the next level through massive infrastructural development.
”We have development programmes that will scale up production. The time for the industrialisation of our state is now. There is no more time to waste.”
The governor-elect reiterated his commitment to attract new infrastructure development through a blueprint that would concentrate on agro-allied industrialisation, new energy and mineral resources sectors.
He restated his commitment to restore the fortune of the state to the path of progress and prosperity.
Yusuf lauded INEC and security agencies for providing a level playing ground that paved way for the conduct of free, fair and credible election in the state.
“As Governor-elect, I call on all contestants to join hands with me to develop the Kano state of our dreams,” he urged.
He also appealed to residents and friends to team up with the incoming administration to move Kano state dream to the promised land.
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.
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
Kano State has emerged as one of the biggest beneficiaries of the World Bank-supported HOPE Governance Programme after qualifying for a total of $3.5 million in performance-based incentives for implementing key governance, education and healthcare reforms.
KANO FOCUS reports that the World Bank, through the HOPE Governance Programme domiciled in the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, approved $27 million in incentives for states that successfully met the Year Zero Disbursement-Linked Results (DLRs).
The National Coordinator of the HOPE Governance Programme, Assad Hassan, announced the incentives on Tuesday in Abuja during a retreat attended by commissioners, permanent secretaries and directors of budget and planning from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
A statement issued by the programme’s Communications Officer, Joe Mutah, said the incentives were based on the recommendations of the Interim Independent Verification Agent, which assessed states’ performance against agreed reform indicators.
Kano ranked among the highest-performing states, qualifying for incentives under three separate reform indicators.
The state will receive $1.5 million under Disbursement-Linked Result (DLR) 2.1 for adopting comprehensive guidelines for the preparation and submission of consolidated work plans for the state basic education budget.
It also qualified for another $1.5 million under DLR 2.2, which recognises states that adopted comprehensive guidelines for consolidated work plans for state primary healthcare budgets.
In addition, Kano secured $500,000 under DLR 2.3 for adopting harmonised budget guidelines and a unified chart of accounts for local governments.
Altogether, the state is expected to receive $3.5 million, making it one of the top-performing states under the programme.
Only five states—Bayelsa, Borno, Kano, Kebbi and Yobe—qualified for both the education and healthcare planning incentives, earning $3 million each from the two indicators alone.
Kano further distinguished itself by qualifying under the local government budgeting reform indicator, increasing its total allocation to $3.5 million.
The state also featured among 15 states that met the requirements under DLR 4.1, which rewards states for publishing their 2025 Citizens Budget for basic education and primary healthcare by February 28, 2025. Each qualifying state under this indicator will receive $500,000.
Other states that qualified under DLR 4.1 are Abia, Bayelsa, Borno, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Imo, Jigawa, Kebbi, Kogi, Nasarawa, Ondo, Plateau and Yobe.
According to the programme, the performance-based incentives are designed to encourage states to strengthen governance systems, improve budget transparency and enhance planning in the education and primary healthcare sectors.
KANO FOCUS reports that the HOPE Governance Programme is a World Bank-supported initiative implemented through the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning to promote improved public financial management and better service delivery across Nigeria’s states.
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