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Retired judiciary officers ask Supreme Court to affirm Abba’s victory

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Express Confidence in Supreme Court

Ahead the supreme court hearing and verdict of the controversial Kano Governorship election case, Group of retired judicial personnel under aegis of Transparent Justice Initiative has urged Supreme Court to affirm what it termed ‘popular victory’ of Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf (Abba Gida Gida) and safe judiciary from further embarrassment.

According to the group, the judiciary remains the last hope of common man and it should reflect so in its verdicts , especially on election matters.

“Worried by the Appeal Court verdicts and subsequent erroneous impressions in the public domain, as a group of retired personnel,we want to reassure Nigerians that the Supreme Court as the final arbiter and the last resort for dispute resolution will ensure justice prevailed.” It stated .

Recalled that the appeal court sitting in Abuja upheld the ruling of the tribunal that sacked Governor Yusuf and declared Nasiru Gawuna of the All Progressives Congress (APC) the winner of the March 18 election.

In a press statement signed by the Coordinator of Transparent Justice Initiative, Mr. Stanley Kingsley and made available to journalists today in Kaduna,the group which expressed confidence in the supreme court said, “Over the years it has demonstrated ability to protects rule of law; ensure supremacy of law and safeguards rights of individuals.”

” And we have no doubts in our minds that the Supreme Court will critical study the tribunal and appeal Court judgement in order to ensure that voices and rights of the people which are of utmost importance and are guaranteed as stipulated in our constitution electoral act .”

While noting that it will amount to a case of “Miscarriage of Justice” for the court to remove a popularly elected candidate. We saw how on March 18, 2023, people came out en masse and voted for Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf with a total of 1,019,602 votes and a margin of 128,897 votes between him and second place, APC candidate.

The panel upheld the verdict of the tribunal led by Justice Oluyemi Akintan Osadebay that sacked Yusuf on September 20, 2023. The lower court had declared 165,663 votes of Yusuf, who contested under the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP), invalid on the grounds that they were not signed or stamped by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

” We have carefully read the judgement and discovered that this is the first time in the history that a tribunal would annul an election over non-signing of the back of ballot papers and this must be avoided in future.

The group which ask the court to shun pressure from the judiciary however said, “We believe and have full confidence that the Supreme Court will do the needful and ensure the mandate of the Kano people who voted.

“Everywhere in the world , the judiciary is widely respected and relied upon for justice and we strongly believe it be same afterwards.

It therefore urged Nigerians not lost confidence in the judiciary as it remains a dependable institution that strengthens democracy .

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Kano Focus reporter bags West Africa DPI Fellowship

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KANO FOCUS reporter Ms Zulaiha Danjuma has been selected alongside 44 other journalists from Benin, Togo, Nigeria and Ghana for the second edition of the Digital Public Infrastructure (DIP) fellowship.

KANO FOCUS reports the DPI fellowship is an initiative by the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) in partnership with Co-develop.

A total of 45 journalists from Nigeria, Togo, Benin and Ghana were selected from 45 News organizations after months of rigorous selection processes.

The fellowship is a three-month programme running from November to January 2025, followed by a three-month post-fellowship period for the production of special reports on Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and Digital Public Goods (DPGs).

MFWA’s fellowship seeks to equip participants with skills to create impactful reports on topics such as national digital identification systems, online data security, and digital governance; through specialized workshops, mentorship, and hands-on story production.

Ms Danjuma’s selection for the Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) fellowship recalibrates *Kano Focus* commitment to growth and knowledge gathering of staffs.

 

About the Reporter

Ms Zulaiha Danjuma is a dedicated journalist who has produced impactful Investigative stories on government accountability, health and gender based violence.

In 2023, she carried out a groundbreaking investigation on multifaceted illegal tax extortion, forgery and corruption. In 2024, her report of poor budgetary allocation to Hepatitis B successfully brought the attention of the state government, resulting in commitment to provide additional resources for addressing the issue.

 

Other DPI fellows

Ten fellows were selected from Ghana and Benin, and five fellows from Togo respectively. Nigeria had a total of twenty journalists selected to be part of the second Phase II of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) Fellowship.

Pictures of all fellows:

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Stakeholders meet to validate Kano climate change policy

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Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim

Kano State Watershed, Erosion and Climate Change Management Agency in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Partnership for Agile Governance and Climate Engagement (PACE) has conducted a one day meeting to validate Kano State’s Climate Change Policy.

KANO FOCUS reports that the exercise held on Thursday in Kano was attended by several stakeholders from different sectors including Government ministries, departments, and agencies as well as academics, Non Governmental Organisations NGOs, Civil Society and media.

Cross section of participants

Speaking at the occasion, the Commissioner of Environment, Alhaji Nasiru Sule Garo, highlighted the efforts of the Kano state government to address the challenges of climate change in the state.

He commended development partners, academics, civil society organisations and all relevant stakeholders for their contributions, pledging that their inputs will not be taken for granted.

On his part, the Executive Secretary of Kano State Watershed, Erosion and Climate Change Management Agency Dr Muhammad S. Khalid, recalled that the engagement was started in February 2024, where various inputs were collected from different stakeholders on climate change policy.

Dr Muhammad S. Khalid

He said “We started in February 2024, when we had our first stakeholder engagement. We invited various sectors, both government and non-governmental-organisations as well as civil society and academics to develop climate change policy for Kano state.

“In July 2024, we gathered again at Tahir Guests Palace, where we reviewed the first draft and added more inputs. It was a technical session, and we reviewed the document.

“Last week, we gathered at Dutse, Jigawa state, to review the second draft of the climate change policy and today, 7th of November, 2024, to validate the policy and later, present it to the executive governor of Kano state, Engr Abba Kabir Yusuf.

Also speaking the state team of Partnership for Agile Governance and Climate Engagement (PACE), a UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office funded programme Malam Auwalu Hamza, suggested that the validation stage would collect information, advice and other various components of data that would strengthen the policy document.

Malam Auwalu Hamza

In her remarks Stella Terver, UNICEF WASH Programme Officer, Kano Field Office, reiterated the commitment of the UN agency to partner with the Kano government in tackling the impact of climate change in Kano.

Stella Terver

She said, “A few weeks ago, we supported the Kano State Government in the finalization of climate change policy, and one of the outcomes during the finalization is that there should be a validation of the reviewed version.

“All the inputs made by general experts during the finalization would be incorporated so that the state will have a global and standardised policy in place that will help them in assessing global climate change,” she added.

Cross section of participants

She assured the general public and good people of Kano State that the validation and issues of tackling climate change would bring a lot of positive impact to the people of Kano.

KANO FOCUS recalled that the initial stakeholders’ engagement was conducted on February 2024 with support from Partnership to Engage, Reform and Learn (PERL).

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Gully erosion in Kano: Gov. Yusuf partners World Bank, FG to implement mega project at Gayawa

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Mukhtar Yahya Usman

Governor Abba Kabir has visited Gayawa Gully Erosion site and promised to address the environmental challenges and improve the lives of the people in the area.

In a statement issued by the Governor’s Spokesperson Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, the Governor made this promise during a visit to the site on Friday.

Governor Yusuf said that, the visit marked the new chapter in the journey towards addressing the persistent environmental challenges that have plagues the community of Bulbula- Gayawa for in Ungoggo Local Government which also affects parts of Nasarawa and Fagge local government areas for decades.

He added that, the urgent concerns raised by the devastating gully erosion necessitated immediate and decisive action to protect the lives and properties of the people in the community.

“The destructive effects of the gully erosion has not only claimed the lives but has inflicted untold hardship from the tragic loss of farmlands to the dangers faced by the children as they travel to school.” Gov. Yusuf emphasised

“The site has regrettably became a place where criminal activities flourished and the loss of children due to flooding during the rainy season, it is heartbreaking,” the governor lamented.

He added that, his administration is firmly committed to tackling the erosion challenges in Bulbula- Gayawa as part of the larger mission to address land degradation, environmental risks and impacts of climate change throughout the state.

Governor Yusuf revealed that the work would be done through the Agro-climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscape (ACReSAL) under the supervision of state ministry of environment which enjoys strategic partnership with World Bank and the Federal Government of Nigeria.

The governor also informed the members of the community that, the ground work for the erosion control has been completed and it would require billions of naira to execute.

“The significant steps taken by the state government to halt indiscriminate and illegal sand mining activities in several areas and embarked on extensive land restoration projects including the rehabilitation of shelterbelt at Yanbawa and Sabongarin Ginzo.

“The restoration of over 21,261hectares of degraded land and the establishment of wood lot plantation, this initiative have been instrumental in mitigating desertification restoring land fertility and promoting sustainable livelihood for our people.

“Beyond controlling erosion, we are implementing community support programmes to revive livelihoods and rebuild what has been lost. Our livelihood support includes agricultural inputs and skill-building initiatives that will empower families and foster productivity in a secure and peaceful environment.

“The current administration is committed to ensuring that no community is left behind. Today, we are here to affirm that your voices have been heard, and we will tirelessly work to restore safety, security, and prosperity to Bulbula-Gayawa and its surrounding areas,” the governor assured.

In his response on behalf of the community, Village Head of Zango, Malam Hamza Jibrin Nuhu appreciated the concern shown by the governor, disclosing that Governor Yusuf was the first and only governor that visited the Gully Erosion site.

He also prayed for governor and wished him success in all the good policies planned for the development of Kano.

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