Headlines
Controversy trails killing of Kano teenager
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
Controversies have continued to trail the alleged killing of a young man by a police officer during protest in Kurna Quarters area of Kano.
KANO FOCUS reports that the police however said the man lost his life as a result of groups of rival restive youths engaged in fighting.
It was gathered that residents of Kurna-Asabe in Fagge local group came out to express their displeasure over the sacking of Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf, the state governor when the incident occurred and a police officer allegedly shot him down while some other people sustained injury.
The acting National Chairman of the New Nigeria People Party ( NNPP), Hon. Abba Kawu Ali in a statement signed and made available on Wednesday to the press said that “the NNPP, hereby brings to the attention of Nigerians and the world at large that the Nigeria Police have shot dead a young man, Salisu Player, somewhere around Kurna in Dala local government of Kano”.
However, a statement signed by the Police Public Relation Officer (PPRO) SP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, on Wednesday said the Police Command is following up on the unfortunate development that occurred in Kurna Quarters, Fagge LGA Kano on 28th November 2023 where groups of rival restive youths engaged in fighting and a Police Inspector who did not receive any command from the existing chain of Command fired a shot and unfortunately wounded two persons and one other person died while receiving treatment at the hospital.
He said that the State Police Commissioner, Usaini Gumel has ordered the arrest of an Inspector over unprofessional conduct leading to the alleged death of one person and injury of two others
He said that it is in the forgoing development that the Commissioner of Police, CP Mohammed Usaini Gumel, directed the Area Commander Dala, ACP Nuhu Mohammed Digi to fish out the erring Police Inspector to constitute a board of inquiry into the cause of the incident of which the outcome will be communicated to the public.
‘’This action of the Police Inspector is quite regrettable. This is because, since the assumption of office of the CP, the Police have never entered into confrontation with the members of the public talk less of firing gunshots,’ SP Kiyawa said.
“It is a known fact that the Police Command is fully committed to the respect of rights and freedom of all people.
“Therefore, the Command is calling on members of the public to be rest assured that justice will be served in handling the situation which is quite strange when compared with the cordial relationship existing between the Police and the Public,’’ the statement further added.
‘’The Commissioner of Police while commiserating with the family of the deceased and praying for the departed soul, urged members of the public to maintain calmness as the Command is taking the incident with utmost seriousness and is committed to upholding the principle of justice and transparency.
‘’Please let us all recognize that this is a trying period for the Police Command alongside all the peace-loving people of the State as “hijackers” are all over the place to turn the protest political and instigate the escalation of violence which will not be in the interest of the State.’’
The acting national chairman of NNPP, Hon Abba Kawu Ali said that the party condemned the police brutality on the young man shot dead in Kano, calling for immediate investigation and respect for human rights.
According to him, “Salisu Player is one of the three people shot while the others are in critical condition. The incident occurred yesterday evening during a peaceful protest.
“The NNPP has always asked the citizens to do their protest in a peaceful manner and the protest around Kurna where Salisu Player was shot, though spontaneous, was not different.
“It would appear that men of the Nigeria Police are ill-trained for handling even peaceful protests as we regret the recorded death which is painful and unfortunate.
“We commiserate with friends and family of the deceased as we urge all the people of Kano to remain calm and restrained from acting outside the rule of law.”
KANO FOCUS further gathered the police inspector in question has been taken into custody for further investigation.
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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