Headlines
ACF rewards Youth Innovators with cash prizes at Conference In Kano
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) Kano state chapter has rewarded Youth innovators across the North who emerged as winners at a conference and exhibition held in Kano with cash prizes for their sterling ideas and inventions.
KANO FOCUS reports that the one-day conference was organized by the ACF Kano chapter in collaboration with Dangote Business School and Media Trust.
Announcing the winners at the end of the event the Chairman of the Kano State chapter of ACF, Dr Goni Umar, said the victors emerged after careful scrutiny of the innovation, creativity and novelty of products.
According to him, the aim of the conference was to ginger youths toward entrepreneurship development and draw support from leaders and investors to invest in their innovative ideas.
“The essence of this conference and exhibition is to ginger our youths in the North so that they can be more productive. Experts are going to discuss how our youths can be more productive.
“Secondly, the exhibitors normally when they exhibit their talents that is the end of it and nobody tries to assist them in developing the ideas in a factory for instance. So this conference aims to show our leaders how they can support the youths,” he said.
He urged the youths to be deliberate in learning and delay gratification while building business entities.
The state chairman told the youths to focus on learning and not spend their money on luxury while trying to build a business, stressing that they should learn to delay gratification and keep on learning new innovations to build on.
The chairman also stated that ACF is determined to contribute to addressing issues of poverty, economic deprivation and social exclusion that usually bred the insecurity bedevilling the North.
He said the programmes will empower the youths to be more productive in their lives, adding that youths must be employed or actively engaged in productive means, stressing that unemployment encouraged problems like the banditry currently afflicting the North.
The chairman also highlighted the need to have community police, as each community needs to defend itself and the government should approve of it.
During the event, experts from various walks of life observed that the North must address issues of unemployment and abject poverty through youth empowerment, innovation and improving their productive capacity.
In his remarks, the chairman of the occasion, Dr Ibrahim Ida, Wazirin Katsina, commended the organisers of the conference, noting that the North can explore the approach to address abject poverty and create job opportunities as well as other societal vices.
Dr Ida decried that a large chunk of the poverty in Nigeria is said to be domiciled in the Northern region.
He lamented that “foreign direct investment in Northern Nigeria between 2019 and 2021 amounted to less than 100 million dollars while in the South the amount is put at 32 billion dollars.”
In his contribution at the conference, Wazirin Dutse, Alh. Bashir Dalhatu, challenged the ACF to raise the bar by walking the talk with practical actions, stressing that it should not be business as usual.
He decried that poverty is more prevalent in the North and people must get up to the challenge by doing what is expected of them individually and collectively for the solution.
“So many exhibitions have been held in the North but nothing came out of them. We should ensure that this one should be different,” he urged.
He appealed to the government and individuals to invest in the products and ideas that the youths exhibited, calling on the northern political leaders, especially governors, to learn from their southern counterparts.
In their separate remarks, the emirs of Kano and Bichi, Alh, Aminu Ado Bayero and Alh. Nasiru Ado Bayero submitted that for the North to reclaim its glory and overcome multiple challenges, youths must be supported to realize their potential.
The conference was subtheme into two sessions where Alh. Tajuddeen Dantata chaired the first session on “The North in a Dynamic World: Creating New Generation of Productive and Innovative Youths”, while Alh. Adamu Aliyu Kiyawa chaired the second session on “Building Elite Consensus on Income Diversification, Financial Inclusion and Wealth Creation in the North’.
At the end of the conference, it was announced that the chairman of Union Bank Board of Directors, Faruk Gumel, donated N1 million to the winner; N500,000 to the runner-up, and the third position N250,000 while other participants were given N50,000 each.
It was also announced that retired Gen. Halliru Akilu donated the sum of N200,000 to the fourth position while the 5th, 6th and 7th positions were given N150,000; N100,000 and N50,000 respectively.
Some of the innovative products exhibited during the conference included drone, aeroplane, incubator, and locally fabricated DNA testing machine among others.
Ibrahim Khalil
Residents of Tsakuwa community in Dawakin Kudu Local Government Area of Kano State have honoured 11 individuals for their outstanding contributions to the development of the town.
KANO FOCUS reports that the awards were presented during the 6th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Tsakuwa Mufarka Sustainable Development Association, held on Sunday at Central Primary School, Tsakuwa.
Among those honoured were the traditional ruler of the community, Sarkin Tsakuwa, Alhaji Isma’ila Santali Tsakuwa; the Chairman of the Tsakuwa Mufarka Sustainable Development Association, Alhaji Tasiu Alhassan Tsakuwa; and a retired headmaster of Central Primary School, Tsakuwa, Alhaji Mahmuda Shehu, who continues to offer voluntary teaching services to pupils in the community.
Also recognised was Alhaji Umar Muhammad Banupe, a Nupe businessman who settled in Tsakuwa and has become an integral part of the community. He was honoured for his significant contributions to the town’s development.
Alhaji Umar Muhammad Banupe receiving a certificate
Other award recipients included the Chairman of the Northwest Development Commission, Professor Shehu Abdullahi Ma’aji (Garkuwan Tsakuwa); the Commander of the Gombe State Hisbah Command, Malam Rabiu Idris; media practitioner Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim of Abubakar Rimi Television Corporation (ARTV); the founder of Tsakuwa Mufarka Sustainable Development Association, Malam Ibrahim Almustapha Sani; and Sulaiman Salisu Babah, among others.
Alhaji Tasiu Alhassan presenting a certificate to Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
Speaking at the event, the Sarkin Tsakuwa, Alhaji Isma’ila Santali Tsakuwa, commended the leadership of the association for its commitment to community development and urged members to sustain their efforts toward improving the welfare of residents.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the association, Alhaji Tasiu Alhassan Tsakuwa, said the non-partisan organisation had prioritised interventions in education, security, and healthcare.
He appealed to members of the community to sustain their monthly financial contributions to enable the association to continue implementing development projects.
Earlier, a member of the association, Malam Abdullahi Wagadi, disclosed that the group generated ₦6.56 million through members’ monthly contributions over the past year.
According to him, the association spent ₦3.84 million on allowances for volunteer teachers and vigilantes, ₦564,000 on fencing the Eid prayer ground, and ₦1.255 million on the renovation of the community police outpost.
He further stated that ₦356,000 was spent on supporting Tsakuwa Model Primary School, ₦430,000 on scholarships for students, ₦700,000 on instructional materials, and ₦50,000 on health assistance for vulnerable residents.
Association Raises Over ₦2.1 Million at AGM
A major highlight of the AGM was the fundraising session, during which the association raised ₦2.143 million from philanthropists and community stakeholders.
Leading the donations was Alhaji Umar Muhammad Banupe, who contributed ₦500,000. He was followed by Hon. Mustapha Bala Dawaki, who also donated ₦500,000, while Hon. Abdulmumin Tijjani, popularly known as Mai POS, donated ₦200,000.
Other donors included the Sarkin Tsakuwa, Alhaji Isma’ila Santali Tsakuwa, who donated ₦100,000; the association’s chairman, Alhaji Tasiu Alhassan Tsakuwa, ₦200,000; Professor Shehu Abdullahi Ma’aji Garkuwan Tsakuwa), ₦100,000; and Malam Rabiu Idris, who also contributed ₦100,000.
The event attracted community leaders, stakeholders, and residents who commended the association for its contributions to grassroots development and pledged continued support for its programmes.
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
Health journalists in Kano State have inaugurated a new professional body, the Kano Health Journalists Network (KAHJON), aimed at strengthening media reporting and advocacy on Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH) and Primary Health Care (PHC).
KANO FOCUS reports that the network was launched during an Alignment, Coordination, Monitoring and Implementation meeting of media coalitions on gender-responsive RMNCAH and PHC, organised by the International Society of Media in Public Health (ISMPH) in Kano.
During the inauguration, journalists unanimously elected Khadijah Aliyu of Radio Nigeria as Chairperson of the newly established network.
Other members of the executive committee include Mustapha Hodi Adamu of People Daily Newspaper as Vice Chairperson, Abdullahi Hassan of ARTV as Secretary, and Mustapha Salisu of Prime Times as Public Relations Officer.
Speaking at the event, the Programme Director of ISMPH, Mr. Solomon Dogo, said the establishment of KAHJON would help unify existing health reporting groups and improve media coverage of critical public health issues, including polio eradication, nutrition, maternal health, and primary healthcare services.
He congratulated the newly elected executives and expressed confidence that the network would enhance collaboration among media practitioners while strengthening health advocacy efforts in the state.
Dogo noted that similar health journalists’ networks are already operating in Lagos and Kaduna states, adding that development partners remain committed to supporting initiatives that promote public health advocacy.
Also speaking, ISMPH Programme Officer in Kano, Hajiya Sabuwa Yahaya, said the platform would improve coordination among journalists, enhance access to health information, and strengthen evidence-based reporting on health issues.
According to her, the network will also provide a stronger platform for advocacy and engagement with government institutions, development partners, and local communities.
The inauguration ceremony attracted goodwill messages from several development partners, including the Integrated Budget and Policy (IBP), LISDEL, CCSI, SANDHEF, and the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI).
Representatives of the Kano State Ministry of Health, the Drug Management and Consumables Supply Agency, and the Kano State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency also attended the event.
A major highlight of the ceremony was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which formally established the Kano Health Journalists Network and marked the beginning of a new chapter in health journalism and advocacy in the state.
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
A House of Representatives aspirant for the Kura/Madobi/Garun Malam Federal Constituency under the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Alhaji Mahmud Tijjani Kura, has withdrawn his candidature and defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
KANO FOCUS reports that the development was disclosed on Saturday by a prominent APC chieftain, Alhaji Aliyu Lawan Dambatta, popularly known as Majidadin Dambatta.
According to Majidadin Dambatta, he led a delegation alongside the former aspirant to a meeting with Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, during which Kura formally announced his decision to join the APC.
Majidadin Dambatta described the defection as a significant boost to the ruling party, noting that it would further strengthen the APC’s unity and political structure ahead of future elections.
He said the party remained committed to working collectively for the progress and development of Kano State and the country.
The APC stalwart welcomed Kura back into the party and expressed confidence that he would make meaningful contributions to its growth and the welfare of the people.
The defection is expected to add a new dimension to the political landscape in Kano State as parties continue to realign ahead of future electoral contests.
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