Headlines
Gov. Yusuf names Dr. Aminu Magashi Technical Adviser for Kano’s humanitarian and poverty alleviation ministry
Mukhtar Yahya Usman
In a landmark decision to strengthen Kano State’s humanitarian and poverty alleviation efforts, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf has named Dr. Aminu Magashi Garba as the Technical Adviser for the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.
The appointment, effective September 28, 2024, was announced by the governor’s spokesperson, Sunusi Bature Dawakin Tofa on Tuesday.
Governor Yusuf emphasized Dr. Magashi’s impressive credentials, highlighting his decades-long dedication to public service and his commitment to improving the lives of Kano’s underserved communities.
The governor’s choice reflects his deep trust in Dr. Magashi’s extensive experience and proven leadership, recognizing him as a pivotal figure in achieving the administration’s humanitarian goals.
Dr. Magashi, with over 30 years in development and humanitarian work, is well-regarded for his influential initiatives.
His notable roles include serving as Chair of the AMG Foundation, leading the Health Policy and Planning Committee of the Nigerian Medical Association, and being the pioneering coordinator of the Kano State Cancer Care Center.
His strategic insights and leadership were also vital as Chairman of the health transition committee, where he collaborated closely with Governor Yusuf to craft a transformative agenda for Kano State’s healthcare future.
He also led the technical committee which supported Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf to develop his campaign blueprint in 2022.
With this appointment, Kano State gains a dedicated advisor whose perseverance, humility, and honesty have defined his career.
Dr. Magashi is expected to guide the ministry in developing impactful strategies that address the pressing needs of Kano’s communities, laying the foundation for a more compassionate, resilient future for all.
Headlines
Kano State Refutes Allegations of N177 Billion Loan from France
Mukhtar Yahya Usman
The Kano State Government has publicly denied recent claims that it borrowed N177 billion from France.
Speaking at a press conference, Dr. Hamisu Sadi Ali, Director General of the Kano State Public Debt Management Office, clarified that no new loans have been taken since Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf took office in May 2023.
The allegations, originally reported by local media, suggested that the funds were recently secured from a French lender.
The debt office condemned the report as “malicious” and “politically motivated,” clarifying that it mistakenly links a 2018 loan agreement from the previous administration, led by Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, with the current government.
Dr. Hamisu noted that the 2018 agreement was a 64 million-euro loan from the French Development Agency, intended for the Third National Urban Water Sector Reform Project, and was not associated with the present administration.
In an effort to promote transparency, the state government shared an overview of Kano’s existing debt portfolio, which includes several longstanding foreign loans, such as the Multi-state Road Project and the Malaria Control Booster Project, some dating back to 1992.
Dr. Hamisu also outlined domestic loans totaling billions, contracted by the previous administration under the APC.
The current government highlighted its commitment to debt reduction, announcing that it has already repaid over N63.5 billion in debt in 2024, reducing Kano State’s overall debt to N127.8 billion.
Dr. Hamisu urged the public to disregard the “fake and misleading” report and encouraged media organizations to focus on accurate, investigative journalism.
He underscored the importance of responsible reporting to maintain public trust and informed civic engagement.
Headlines
Kano Focus reporter bags West Africa DPI Fellowship
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:
Headlines
Stakeholders meet to validate Kano climate change policy
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).