Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim

National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Kano Strategic Command Partners with Mazaje Traditional Sport Promotion Limited (Kungiyar Dambe) to combat drug abuse ahead of UNODC International Day.

KANO FOCUS reports that the collaboration was sealed when Bashir Muhammad Danliti (Sarkin Damben Nigeria) paid a courtesy visit to NDLEA office in Kano.

A statement issued by NDLEA spokesperson Sadiq Muhammad Maigatari on Saturday said the visit was part of initiative to raise awareness about drug abuse ahead of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

The NDLEA Strategic Commander, CN AI Ahmad, represented by the Head of the Drug Demand Reduction Unit, ACN Maimuna Garba, expressed gratitude for the commitment demonstrated by Mazaje Traditional Sport Promotion Limited in the fight against drug abuse.

He said the partnership is designed to harness the power of traditional sports, particularly Dambe, to engage the youth and promote a drug-free lifestyle.

Ahmad commended the Officer in Charge of sports, DSN Jamilu Uba Adamu, for his innovative approach in leveraging sports as a platform to disseminate crucial messages about drug awareness and prevention to reach the hearts and minds of youth, instilling values of discipline, respect, and healthy living.

According to the Commander the collaboration will involve an event and activities designed to educate the community about the dangers of drug abuse and the importance of seeking help and support.

“The NDLEA and Mazaje Traditional Sport Promotion Limited are committed to fostering a safer, healthier environment for all citizens.

“As we approach the UNODC International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, the NDLEA Kano Strategic Command encourages all stakeholders to join in this vital initiative. Together, we can create a lasting impact in the fight against drug abuse and promote a culture of wellness and resilience in our communities,” the Commander added.

Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has advised Kano state government to declare a state of emergency on polio eradication.

KANO FOCUS reports that the Chief of UNICEF Field Office, Kano, Mr. Rahama Rihood Mohammed Farah, gave the advise during the June Media Dialogue on Polio and Routine Immunization, held on Thursday.

According to him, disseminating accurate information on polio is crucial to addressing disinformation, misinformation, rumors and myths, which are all preventing families from accepting the vaccine.

Farah maintained that there was need to tell families in Kano that vaccines are available, safe and effective.

He added that: “By doing so, the media will be helping to ensure that every child under five is vaccinated and protected against polio and other killing diseases.

“The June Polio Vaccination campaign coincides with the Day of the African Child, whose theme is focusing on Child-friendly budgeting.

“It is therefore very important to highlight the issue of the significance of adequate resources allocation to the fight against polio.

“So, while media deployment of its various channels to share accurate information about the polio and mobilize families to take the vaccine are important.”

UNICEF urged the media to focus attention on the challenge of non-release, delayed release or lack of utilization of Government Counterpart funding for polio vaccination campaigns and Routine Immunization programme.

Farah insisted that, “timely release of counterpart funding for polio vaccination campaign is important to reach every eligible child with the polio vaccine.

Polio remains a highly infectious disease with very deadly consequences for young children.

“One case of polio anywhere in Nigeria is a threat to children everywhere in Nigeria! We must all work together to eradicate polio in Kano state, with special focus on high risk LGAs including Warawa, Bunkure, Kano Municipal and Nassarawa LGAs.

“These are the LGAs where incidence of a variant of the polio virus has been noticed in 2025. This is unacceptable and must be halted!”

Farah urged Kano residents to remember that polio knows no boundaries, knows no borders Polio spreads fast – and an outbreak in any country puts children in every country at risk.

According to him, the outbreak of plio can be stopped and eradicated if every child is vaccinated.

He added that, “ending polio and improving children’s survival starts with making sure all children have access to vaccines.

“UNICEF reiterates its request to the Kano State government to take actions: to declare a State of Emergency on Polio and Routine Immunization including a commitment to take the leadership to resolve noncompliance issues, provide adequate supervision and timely release of adequate State Counterpart funding for Routine Immunization and polio vaccination campaigns. ”

In his remarks Dr Nasir Mahmoud, Director-General of the Kano State Primary Healthcare Management Board, said Kano State Government has launched plans to vaccinate 3.9 million children under five years old.

He said the targeted vaccination is part of efforts to eradicate polio through the June 2025 Outbreak Response (OBR) vaccination campaign across the state.

Dr Mahmoud said the campaign aligns with the national strategy.

He explained that the aim was to stop polio transmission and uphold Nigeria’s polio-free status through coordinated immunisation efforts.

He also stressed the resurgence of the type 2 poliovirus in some areas of Kano.

According to him, factors responsible for the resurgence include community resistance, poor data reporting, and insecurity, which affected previous immunization rounds.

Ungogo LGA recorded the highest non-compliance in May 2025.

Dr Mahmoud appreciated Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s consistent support, especially the prompt release of counterpart funding.

He said LGAs were now being ranked monthly to track performance and motivate improved results in vaccination coverage.

Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has collaborated with the Association for Progressive Communications and other institutional stakeholders towards addressing challenges confronting rural network connectivity in Nigeria.

KANO FOCUS reports that the collaboration resulted in a two-day workshop hosted in Abuja from June 3-4, 2025, to explore policy framework for enabling community networks towards bridging the digital divide and accelerating socio-economic development in Nigeria’s underserved and unserved communities.

The forum brought together regulators, community leaders, technical experts and potential foreign investors, among others, to examine policy and regulatory barriers, explore innovative funding mechanisms, ensure sustainable renewable solutions and strengthen collaboration with stakeholders.

Addressing participants at the workshop, the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, said the workshop is important to bridging the digital divide in Nigeria and foster inclusive social economic development.

“This workshop is an opportunity for all of us to harness the expertise, insights, and experiences of diverse stakeholders present here which includes the regulators, community leaders, technical experts and potential foreign providers to address the critical challenges such as affordable devices, access, licensing, spectrum allocation, infrastructure development, sustainability and institutional monitoring,” said Maida, who was represented by the Executive Commissioner, Technical Services, NCC at the event, Abraham Oshadami.

Maida said the workshop demonstrates the Commission’s commitment to advancing digital inclusion, particularly in underserved and unserved areas. “At NCC, we recognise the transformative potential of community center networks in achieving this important goal,” he said.

The EVC said NCC was committed to “this journey and views this workshop as a catalyst for meaningful change,” stating that the expertise, perspectives and commitments will shape the future where every Nigerian, regardless of his or her status, will have meaningful access to opportunities from digital connectivity.

In her remarks, Co-manager of the Association for Progressive Communications’ Local Network (LocNet) initiative, Kathleen Diga, noted that the collaboration was to tackle identified hindrances to digital inclusion. “This is a space where we can be open and exchange ideas of possibilities, opportunities that will remain in realising values of a diversified ecosystem.”

Diga said, “I believe this workshop presents a moment in time that we can explore the bottom-up approach in local communities, small social enterprises, corporative among others, which have the ability to fill some of the digital gaps that remain unfilled,” she said, adding emphasising the need to recognise that community centre connectivity exists and they are grow throughout the global south, which, she said, are a “strategic response to digital exclusion.”

The workshop featured presentations from the NCC, the Association for Progressive Communications and other institutional stakeholders such as the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) all geared towards exploring a joint policy framework to address rural digital divide.

The Association for Progressive Communications is a 35-year-old international network member-based organisation encouraging digital inclusion in the unserved communities, particularly with communities in the global south and the workshop, through its LocNet initiative aimed at crafting an enabling inclusive regulatory framework for community networks in Nigeria.