Headlines
Alive and Thrive launches nutrition campaign in Kano
Mukhtar Yahya Usman
The Maternal, Infant, and Young Child Nutrition (MIYCIN) sponsored by Alive and Thrive is thriving in Kano despite the sociocultural and religious challenges involved.
KANO FOCUS reports that the MIYCIN campaign aims to promote new norms around feeding practices among mothers and families, cultivate a better understanding of nutrition-related behavior, and improve nutrition outcomes in children within the first 1000 days of birth.
As a community-based project aimed at preventing undernutrition and malnutrition among pregnant women, infants, and children, the focus of the activities is preventive and not treatment. This involves mobilization, advocacy, enlightenment, training, and capacity building.
Some of the CBOs involved in the project in Kano, include, Grassroot Health and Empowerment Foundation (GHEF), Society for Women and Teenage Children (SWATCH), and Africa Institute for Development Professionals (iDevPro Africa), which are funded by Alive and Thrive Foundation describe the progress of the project despite the challenges involved.
The Alive and Thrive project is a global initiative, that is targeted at saving lives, preventing illness, and ensuring the healthy growth of mothers and children now has an expanded scope to include maternal and adolescent nutrition, and using agriculture and social protection programs as delivery mechanisms for maternal, infant, and young child nutrition (MIYCN) by engaging three CBOs in Kano to spread the program ideas across some selected local communities.
Speaking with newsmen on Wednesday the Chief Executive Officer of GHEF, Audu Tela said they Counsel pregnant women to change their attitude towards nutrition with sponsorship and grants from Alive and Thrive. Alive and Thrive are working to scale programs that improve maternal, infant, young child, and adolescent nutrition.
Rahmat Shehu Garba, Executive Director of SWATCH, said they signed an MoU with the sponsors last November to work in four Local Government Areas of Wudil, Takai Ajingi, and the Municipal where we introduce the MIYCIN project to the communities.
“We are so far into advocacy visits to the selected LGAs in Kano south, where we are enlightening women, community leaders, and health workers on exclusive breastfeeding and other nutritional values.”
She said although they are facing challenges with some of the target participants, through the project they are enlightening people to accept and practice the process and that they are gradually gaining acceptance.
For IDev-Pro-African Institute (African Institute of International Development Professionals), another partnering CBO, the call is for government and community leaders to support Alive and Thrive for the sustainable achievement of the project.
Speaking through the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer of the MIYCN project, Abdulmajid Auwal, said they are currently raising awareness among the target communities to embrace locally available resources that will enhance nutritional values.
“In this hardship moment, meat is expensive, so part of our work is to raise awareness among people that there are other locally available foods that will enhance nutrition. Like beans, moringa, and so on,” he said.
Some of the challenges they identified include getting access to members of the communities due to sociocultural barriers.
Where such occurs, the groups pay advocacy visits to community and religious leaders, to enlighten them on the need for women to breastfeed their children intermittently especially in the first six months after birth.
Breastfeeding the child during this period enhances better growth of the child’s brain and body. It provides the needed cholesterol for the development of the child.
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
Nafisah Yusuf Hassan, a magistrate in Kano State, has been recommended for appointment as a judge of the Kano State High Court by the National Judicial Council (NJC).
KANO FOCUS reports that Hassan is among four judicial officers from Kano State recommended for elevation to the High Court bench out of 28 candidates selected nationwide.
The other nominees are Halima Yahuza Ahmad, Abdullahi Abdulsalam Bature and Musa Ibrahim Umar.
The NJC disclosed the recommendations in a statement issued by its Deputy Director of Information, Kemi Babalola-Ogedengbe, following its consideration of candidates for judicial appointments across the country.
The council said all recommended candidates were expected to be sworn in by their respective state governors without delay.
Hassan’s recommendation follows her years of service in the Kano State judiciary, where she has reportedly distinguished herself through diligence, professionalism and careful handling of cases.
She has been commended for her commitment to judicial ethics, diligence and fairness in the discharge of her responsibilities, achievements that contributed to her career progression within the judiciary.
Her elevation is part of a broader development in the Kano State judiciary, with four magistrates from the state successfully scaling the selection process for appointment to the High Court.
The four nominees were reportedly assessed during the selection exercise and demonstrated strong professional competence, while their service records were found to be free of adverse remarks.
Their recommendation marks a significant step in their judicial careers and is expected to strengthen the judicial workforce in Kano State upon their formal appointment.
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
The Kano State Accountability Forum on Education (K-SAFE) says it has tracked nearly 1,000 education projects across the state as part of efforts to promote transparency, accountability and effective service delivery in the education sector.
KANO FOCUS the coalition’s Co-Chair, Dr Auwalu Halilu, disclosed this on Wednesday during an advocacy visit to the Kano State Ministry of Public Procurement and Project Monitoring.
Dr Halilu said K-SAFE had monitored projects in more than six local government areas, covering interventions implemented by the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Kano State Senior Secondary Education Management Board and Local Education Authorities (LEAs).
He explained that the monitoring exercise involved physical inspections and documentation of projects through photographs, videos and geographical locations.
According to him, reports of the findings had been submitted to relevant ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), highlighting projects that met required standards and those requiring further attention.
He cited Rimin Gado Local Government Area, where the coalition tracked more than 80 education projects, adding that it planned to extend the exercise to all 44 local government areas of the state.
The K-SAFE Co-Chair said the visit was aimed at presenting the coalition’s activities to the ministry and exploring areas of collaboration in procurement and project monitoring.
He called for the inclusion of civil society organisations in procurement and monitoring processes, particularly tender board activities and field inspections, to strengthen independent oversight and provide them with firsthand information on government projects.
Dr Halilu also requested the ministry’s support in organising capacity-building programmes for civil society organisations on procurement procedures, due process, project standardisation, monitoring and evaluation.
He said such training would enhance civil society organisations’ understanding of procurement regulations and the technical requirements guiding project implementation.
Responding, the Commissioner for Public Procurement and Project Monitoring, Dr Nura Iro Ma’aji, welcomed the delegation and acknowledged the coalition’s contributions to supporting the state government’s efforts in the education sector.
He expressed the ministry’s readiness to collaborate with K-SAFE through information sharing and other relevant engagements to strengthen accountability and ensure compliance with due process.
“From our side, we are ready to work together because we know what they have been doing to support Kano State Government in the education sector,” he said.
Dr Halilu further disclosed that the coalition and its partner organisations had carried out the monitoring exercise without financial sponsorship, describing it as a demonstration of their commitment to transparency and accountability.
He reaffirmed K-SAFE’s commitment to sustaining engagement with relevant government agencies, civil society organisations and the media to strengthen oversight of education projects across Kano State.
Ibrahim Khalil
Government Secondary School (GSS) Army Day Bukavu has emerged champion in both the male and female categories of the maiden Kano State Secondary Schools Tug of War Competition.
KANO FOCUS reports that the school clinched the double victory at the competition, which ended on Wednesday at the Kano Pillars Stadium, Sabon Gari, Kano.
Governors College finished as runners-up in the male category, while Government Girls College (GGC) Kano secured second position in the female category.
The competition was organised by the Kano State Tug of War Association in collaboration with the state Ministry of Education, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the Kano State Sports Commission.
The maiden championship brought together secondary school students to promote teamwork, discipline, unity and sportsmanship, while raising awareness about the dangers of drug abuse.
Speaking at the closing ceremony, the Vice Chairman of the Kano State Tug of War Association, Jamilu Uba Adamu, described the competition as a successful initiative that had achieved its objectives.
He commended the Ministry of Education, Sports Commission, NDLEA, Gongoni Company Limited and MAGZO Pharmaceutical for supporting the event, particularly through the provision of T-shirts and Pocari Sweat drinks.
Also speaking, the Secretary of the Kano State Tug of War Association, Bashir Muhammad Sulaiman, who represented the Executive Chairman of the Sports Commission, Muhammad Tukur Babangida, reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to developing grassroots and school sports.
He said the initiative would help identify and nurture young sporting talents across the state.
The closing ceremony was attended by a member of the Kano State Football Association Board, Rilwanu Idris Malikawa Garu, representatives of the Ministry of Education, NDLEA, the Sports Commission and other stakeholders in the sports sector.
The organisers congratulated the winning schools and commended all participating institutions and partners for contributing to the success of the maiden edition.
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