Opinion
Two Years of President Tinubu: A Business Perspective
By Abdul Samad Rabiu
As Nigeria marks two years under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, I believe it is important to reflect, not from the lens of politics, but from the perspective of business, of industry, and of the economy. I speak not only as the Chairman of BUA Group – one of Africa’s largest conglomerates, but also as someone who has lived through the complexity of Nigeria’s reforms. I have seen the cost of dysfunction, the burden of inefficiency, but more importantly, the promise of a level playing field and the dividends of decisive governance.
FUEL SUBSIDY REMOVAL
The removal of the fuel subsidy is one of the most important decisions taken by this administration. Before that, Nigeria was selling PMS at 200 or 250 Naira per litre, which was about 25 or 30 cents. I doubt there was any country in the world where fuel was being sold at that price. During my trip to Saudi Arabia for the lesser Hajj in February this year, I checked the pump price at one of the petrol stations as we drove from Jeddah to Mecca. When I converted the price to Naira, it was almost 1,500 Naira per litre. That was Saudi Arabia.
We could simply not afford the subsidy. It was not just Nigerians who were benefiting from it. We were subsidising the entire region. I remember visiting Niger Republic a few years ago when President Bazoum honoured us. During dinner, he joked and said, “Thank you for the subsidy.” He said 100 percent of all PMS consumed in Niger was coming from Nigeria because it would cost them three times more to import. There was no incentive for them to bring in their own fuel or refine crude at their own refinery. This was the situation across the region.
Today, I understand that our fuel consumption has dropped by almost 40 to 50 percent. It is not because Nigerians are consuming less, but because neighbouring countries have stopped tapping into our subsidised fuel. The PMS is still cheaper in Nigeria, even at 800 or 900 Naira per litre, but the logistics no longer support easy access. Countries like Niger and Benin Republic still take fuel from Nigeria, but others have stopped.
The removal of subsidies was needed not only to save the economy but to ensure that Nigerians alone benefit from what is imported. Even if there must be subsidy, it should be for Nigerians only. The money saved is now being channelled to infrastructure, to better support for states, and to other developmental priorities. All the states are receiving more money now, and that has made a real difference.
I am of firm opinion that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu made the right decision, and he made it boldly. On the first day he took office, he did what everyone knew had to be done but no one dared to do. He acted immediately. Many criticised him, but he did the right thing, and it saved the country. Had we continued under that burden, only God knows where we would be today. I always say, Mr President is probably the only one who had the courage to take such hard and necessary decisions.
ON THE UNIFICATION OF THE FOREIGN EXCHANGE REGIME
The unification of the foreign exchange market is another critical reform. Before this, many of us in the business community spent most of our time chasing foreign exchange. I personally spent half of my time trying to get FX from the Central Bank of Nigeria. The CBN was the only source of official exchange, offering FX at around 500 Naira when the parallel market was 800 or 900. No business could survive outside the CBN structure.
Every two weeks, we would go to Abuja to seek allocations. It was exhausting and inefficient. You had to camp there for three or four days before Allocation Monday, waiting for the CBN to allocate dollars. Today, I have met the new CBN Governor, Mr Cardoso, only once in two years. The reason is simple: I do not need to go to Abuja now to get foreign exchange. The system is open. It is working.
This was also a bold move by President Tinubu. It was necessary, and he took that decision as well. We are very glad because today we can focus on our businesses. These reforms are saving the economy.
FAIRNESS, SANITY AND STABILITY IN BUSINESS
Under this administration, we have seen a return to fairness and stability in business. We no longer worry about arbitrary shutdowns or politically motivated disruptions. Let me give a real example. We started a new business in Port Harcourt four or five years ago under BUA Foods, operating at the Rivers Ports under a concession with the Nigerian Ports Authority. It was going very well. One day, we woke up to a letter stating that the concession had been revoked, the terminal shut down, and the lease agreement terminated. There was no prior warning, no issue, no conflict.
Later, we discovered that the Managing Director of NPA at the time decided to close the business simply because our operations were competing with those of her friend. She wanted to impress her friend. That was the only reason. Today, that kind of thing cannot happen. Nobody would dare take such an action under President Tinubu. You can wake up now without fear that your business has been shut down by an agency or politician.
That stability is critical. That Port Harcourt plant alone has seen over 500 million dollars in investment and has employed over 4,000 people. The confidence this government has brought is real, and it is helping us plan better.
I must also personally acknowledge former President Muhammadu Buhari. When our Port Harcourt plant was unfairly shut down, it was his intervention that saved it. I had the privilege of explaining the situation to him. He agreed it was wrong and acted. He said he would not permit injustice under his watch. That decision saved the business. But the reality is, I had access. What if I did not? That is the difference today. Now, nobody needs access to the President to be treated fairly. Everyone knows that if you do something wrong under President Tinubu, you may lose your job or even face prosecution and go to jail. That is why I can now spend more time focusing on the business and relaxing.
The President Tinubu reforms are creating a level playing field. Like I said previously, every business had to lobby the CBN for FX. If you did not, your business would collapse. Now, you do not need to go to Abuja. You just focus on your operations.
INFRASTRUCTURE AS A KEY DRIVER OF DEVELOPMENT
In infrastructure, the difference is also clear. Look at the Lagos-Calabar highway. Look at the Sokoto-Badagry road. Look at the Kwara projects we are executing under the tax credit scheme. Look at Kano-Kongolam. Look at the Okpella to Kogi State corridor. These projects are progressing because of the savings from subsidy removal and FX unification. With more revenue, Nigeria is building.
These roads and others being built are critical because logistics have become a major challenge. Transporting goods from Lagos to the North is very expensive due to bad roads. Now, the President is addressing this. With better infrastructure, logistics will improve, and businesses will grow. These reforms have enabled long-term planning and serious investment.
BUA WILL CONTINUE TO BET ON NIGERIA
Since President Tinubu took office, BUA Group has invested over one billion dollars in the Nigerian economy. We are expanding our food business, doubling our flour and pasta facilities in Port Harcourt and building another in Lagos. Demand is increasing. People are earning more. Confidence is returning. We have also completed the first POP plaster manufacturing plant in Nigeria which is now operating and are soon starting construction of a 30MW solar energy project in Sokoto State.
In the oil and gas sector, we are completing our LNG project in Ajaokuta, Kogi State. These investments are possible because of stability that has been brought about by President Tinubu’s reforms. We can plan now. The exchange rate has been fairly stable for almost a year. FX is accessible. Money is coming in from different sources, and investors are responding. If you want 200 million dollars a week for trade, you can get it without lobbying anyone at the Central Bank. These are the results of good policies.
ON FOOD SECURITY
When I met President Tinubu recently, he raised concerns about food prices. He wanted to know what BUA Foods was doing. I explained that his six-month tariff waiver had worked. It disrupted hoarding in the rice market. In Nigeria, the rice harvest is short and runs for about three months. Middlemen were buying paddy rice, hoarding it, and raising prices post-harvest. This artificial scarcity drove prices to as high as 110,000 Naira per bag. The farmers did not benefit. Farmers just wanted to sell and move on yet some people were buying from them, hoarding it, and creating a food crises in the country.
The temporary waiver allowed rice to be brought in, and milled immediately. The hoarders were cut out. Prices began to drop. It was a short-term solution, but it worked. It showed foresight. I told the President it helped and that if the situation persists, further steps can be taken. But for now, it has made a difference.
PRESIDENT TINUBU’S NIGERIA FIRST POLICY AND BACKWARD INTEGRATION
President Tinubu’s Nigeria First policy has aligned well with our own belief in backward integration. Our cement business is almost entirely local. We mine our own limestone. We use Nigerian gas even though it is dollar-denominated. The only foreign element is the equipment, and even that benefits from government concessions for mining equipment which everyone else in the industry benefits. If we had to import cement today, prices would be over 15,000 Naira per bag. Nigeria does not have the port infrastructure to even handle the import volume. Producing locally has saved the economy and stabilised the sector.
We are doing more, and we will continue to do more. Nigeria has everything—population, arable land, resources, water, and now, strong leadership under President Tinubu. We believe in Nigeria because the fundamentals are now strong. My advice to all is to take a Bet on Nigeria. This is the place to be.
So for me, what has this administration done right? First, it removed the fuel subsidy which was the biggest economic scam in our history. Second, it unified the foreign exchange market and third, it restored stability, fairness, and confidence in the economy. These are the foundations of growth. Nigeria is full of potential. With the right leadership, which we now have, there is no limit to what we can achieve.
Rabiu is the Founder and Chairman, BUA Group
Prof Abdalla Uba Adamu
I had previously pledged to close this focus from my repertoire. However, I think there is a need to further clarify one thing to friends and foes concerning my stand on the ongoing raging debate about ethnicity and identity in Hausalandia. I felt it is necessary because of two reasons.
First, some highly considered colleagues have started accusing me of “supporting” one faction, i.e. the Hausa Zalla faction, “despite you being a Fulani.” Second, Farooq Kperogi plans a diaspora debate on the issue and has asked for nominated speakers. My name kept popping up as a panelist. So, let’s clear the air.
I am NOT Hausa Zalla. I am NOT Fulani Zalla. I am NOT Hausa-Fulani Zalla.
I am Abdalla Zalla.
I stand on the side of the truth, no matter where it leans. I am not moved by emotions, but by cold, hard, scientific logic. Hard core evidence of arguments, not speculations or suppositions. Let me share a personal experience to explain how I evolved to where I am now.
My father was a historian. In writing his book, “Confluences and Influences: The Emergence of Kano as a City State,” I was tasked with typing the manuscript from his handwritten notes. In the process, I came across an argument that disturbed me. I printed it, and took to him for a second look. The following approximated the conversation we held.
“Kawu, can you read this passage and confirm its authenticity”
He took it, read it and said,
“What’s the problem?”
“Your argument! You wrote that “the Jihad in Kano was not justified”! Are you sure that’s what you want write?”
“Yes, that’s what I wanted to write. But, still, what’s the problem?”
“But you are Torodbe Fulani, and have been emphasizing that! Are you aware that people who read your book will consider this view sacrilegious?”
“So? That’s their problem not mine. I stand by the passage: the Jihad in Kano was not justified, at least on the basis of religion. Being a Torodbe should not blind me to the truth. And this one of the legacies I want to you to have from me.”
That was my epiphany moment. And I finished typing the manuscript, the book was published and was moderately successful. No one, to the best of my knowledge, challenged at least in print, the Kantoma’s interpretation of the Jihad in Kano. I take the old man’s counsel. Stand with the truth as I interpret and understand if. I perfectly accept different interpretations, but not forceful acceptance.
So far, all the data I have at my disposal points to one incontrovertible fact: Hausa ethnic group existed for centuries. The archeological data supports it, all the way from the Republic of Niger to southern Zaria.
Another cold fact was the recorded arrival of Islam at least in Kano after 1349 and before 1380. Sarki Ali Yaji, who accepted Islam, declared war on those who did not—thus waging the FIRST Jihad in West Africa.
Now, where things get interesting was the view that he and those who accepted Islam retain their Hausa identity. Those who did not accept Islam were declassified from Hausa identity and were classified, by the Muslims, as Maguzawa. But who did this? Certainly not the Hausa themselves.
But they are still Hausa. Being Christians/Animists does not erase their identity. And what about the New Humanists? Regular Muslim Hausa folk who suddenly became atheists or agnostics? Do they also suddenly cease to become Hausa? Thus, when you look closely at this definition of Hausaness being bandied about, it becomes questionable. That a Hausa person is he who is living in Hausalandia, is a Muslim and speaks the Hausa language.
The authority for their Hausaness of the Maguzawa (man, I HATE this label) was Paul Krusius. He was an early 20th-century German ethnographer and scholar who authored one of the foundational academic studies on the Maguzawa whom he described as the non-Muslim, animist Hausa people. His 1915 monograph, (Die Maguzawa) The Maguzawa. Trans by Gisela Seidensticker-Brikay remains a primary historical source for anthropologists and Africanists studying pre-Islamic Hausa culture, religion (Bori and Maguzanci), and the socio-religious dynamics of Northern Nigeria.
Therefore, the Maguzawa, who never actually refer themselves as such, are Hausa, but non-Muslim. Being Hausa refers to shared culture, language (Hausa), history, and heritage, regardless of faith. These attributes don’t disappear simply because they are not Muslims. In Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Iraq and many other places, there are millions of Christian Arabs. Does their Christianity erase their Arabness? If not, why should being non-Muslim erase Hausa identity?
The Fulani appeared in Hausalandia in the middle of 15th century. Before their arrival, kingdoms with Muslim structures had existed for centuries. Their proliferation led to intermarriages with the local Hausa women. This is fine and wonderful. However, the products of such marriage do not create a new ethnicity. Thus, the term Hausa-Fulani is primarily a socio-political and regional designator rather than a single homogeneous ethnic group created purely by intermarriage. Such products speak principally the language of Hausalandia. BUT if they decide to become Christians, which part of the hyphenated do they lose?
As such, intermarriage between two ethnic groups does not “cancel” or erase either underlying ethnicity. Ethnicity is a fluid socio-cultural construct based on language, history, geographic lineage, and shared identity—not a biological sum that automatically resets to zero.
So, once more, I am informing all friends, foes and those on the edge, I do not belong to any of the current Zalla movements. I will therefore decline any invitation to be part of any panel discussion on this, with all due apologies to my proposed nomination.
To make it easy for you to understand, I affirm my view that the Hausa ethnic group exists. Maguzawa however they are labeled, are Hausa and are real. That religion is not a factor in determining ethnicity. That you can be in Russia and still be Hausa if you are Hausa and from Hausalandia.
I belong to Gaskiya Zalla. No matter where the needle turns and points.
Abdalla Zalla.
Abdalla Uba Adamu is a professor of media and cultural studies at Faculty of Communication, Bayero University, Kano. This was first published on his Facebook account.
Binta Bala, PhD
Thirty-five years ago, on August 18, 1991, I walked into the Kano State Ministry of Education as a Grade Level 03 Laboratory Attendant, armed with an SSCE certificate, hope and a determination to build a meaningful career.
Today, August 18, 2026, I close that chapter of my life as a substantive Director on Grade Level 16, having served in charge of Persons with Special Needs.
When I look back at the journey, the first words that come to my mind are: Alhamdulillah. Alhamdulillah.
My career was never simply about climbing the civil service ladder. It was a journey marked by dreams, challenges, learning, perseverance and, above all, service to humanity.
I am a woman living with a physical disability and a survivor of polio. I walk with the support of a walking stick, but I have never allowed my physical condition to define who I am or determine what I can achieve.
There were obstacles. There were difficult moments. There were times when the journey demanded more courage than I thought I possessed. But I refused to surrender.
I resisted. I persevered. I kept moving forward.
My walking stick supported my steps, but it was faith, determination, education, courage and resilience that carried me through the larger journey. I chose to concentrate on my abilities rather than my limitations.
That decision changed my life.
After 35 years of service, I retire with a PhD and the privilege of having served as a pioneer Director in charge of Persons with Special Needs under the Ministry of Women Affairs, Children and Persons with Special Needs, Kano State.
For me, this is more than a career achievement. It is a testimony that disability is not inability.
Circumstances may influence the road we travel, but they do not necessarily determine our destination.
My family, my colleagues
I owe a profound debt of gratitude to my family. Thank you for your love, sacrifices, prayers and unwavering support. Thank you for believing in my abilities rather than allowing my disability to become the focus of my identity.
To my colleagues, mentors, friends and well-wishers, I say thank you for making the journey easier and more meaningful.
To every child, woman and person with special needs whose life we have had the privilege of touching, I also say thank you.
You taught me resilience, courage and the true meaning of service. You reminded me every day why inclusion matters.
My greatest reward has never been the positions I attained. It has been the opportunity to serve humanity, promote inclusion, challenge barriers and contribute, in whatever way I could, to improving the lives of others.
A message to persons with disabilities
My journey carries a message for every person who has ever been told, directly or indirectly, that they cannot succeed because of a disability.
Do not give up. Believe in yourself. Keep moving.
Your limitation does not have to become the limit of your destiny.
I know what it means to encounter barriers. I also know what it means to overcome them. The journey may be difficult, but difficulty should never be mistaken for impossibility.
Asking for forgiveness
As I retire from active public service, I wish to sincerely apologise to everyone I may have offended, disappointed or wronged during the course of my career, whether knowingly or unknowingly.
I ask for your forgiveness and understanding.
At the same time, I wholeheartedly forgive everyone who may have wronged, offended or hurt me throughout my career.
I choose to leave the past with a peaceful heart and move into the next chapter with gratitude, forgiveness and goodwill.
The work continues
Retirement from active public service does not mean retirement from the cause of inclusion.
Kano will always have my support and goodwill. My commitment to the protection, inclusion and empowerment of persons with disabilities remains strong.
I therefore appeal to all stakeholders to continue the work of safeguarding and empowering persons with disabilities.
My door remains open. The work must continue.
I hand the baton to you all.
As I close this chapter, I thank Allah, my family, colleagues, mentors, friends and everyone who contributed to this remarkable journey.
I say nagode, nagode.
Alhamdulillah bi ni‘imatihi tatimmus-salihat.
May Allah accept the service, forgive the shortcomings and bless the next chapter.
Thirty-five years of service.
One remarkable journey.
A lifetime of gratitude.
Alhamdulillah.
Binta Bala, PhD is a apioneer Director in charge of Persons with Special Needs under the Ministry of Women Affairs, Children and Persons with Special Needs, Kano State.
Opinion
Kano State Out-of-School Children Survey Report 2026: From Evidence to Impact — A Roadmap For Educational Development
Dr Auwalu Halilu
The Kano State Accountability Forum on Education (K-SAFE) warmly congratulates the Kano State Government, the Ministry of Education and its development partners on the successful completion and presentation of the Kano State Out-of-School Children (OOSC) Household Survey Report 2026.
The conduct of this comprehensive survey across the 44 Local Government Areas of Kano State represents an important milestone in the state’s efforts to address one of its most critical educational challenges. The availability of credible, disaggregated and geographically specific data provides Kano State with a stronger evidence base for planning, resource allocation, implementation, monitoring and accountability.
The findings demand urgent and sustained action. The survey estimates that 13.34 per cent of children aged 5–18 are out of school, representing approximately 875,593 children across Kano State. It further demonstrates significant disparities among Local Government Areas and identifies multiple barriers relating to poverty and financial constraints, school-related factors, family and cultural circumstances, child-related factors, distance and other structural challenges.
Particularly encouraging is the finding that 99.6 per cent of caregivers consider children’s education important or very important. This provides a powerful basis for action. It demonstrates that the challenge is not simply a lack of parental demand for education but is strongly connected to accessibility, affordability, quality, retention and the capacity of the education system to respond to the circumstances of vulnerable children and families.
K-SAFE, therefore, calls on the Kano State Government and all education stakeholders to ensure that this important survey does not end as a report but becomes a roadmap for coordinated action to drastically reduce and ultimately eliminate the phenomenon of out-of-school children in Kano State.
K-SAFE priorities
1. Make basic education truly compulsory and accessible
Kano State should strengthen the implementation and enforcement of compulsory basic education while simultaneously addressing the barriers that prevent children from enrolling, attending and completing school. Enforcement should therefore go hand in hand with practical measures that make education accessible, affordable, safe, inclusive and attractive to children and their families.
2. Prioritise high-burden LGAs and communities
The survey reveals major geographical disparities in OOSC rates. Government interventions should, therefore, be data-driven, with immediate attention given to LGAs, wards and communities with the highest OOSC burden. Resources should be targeted according to identified needs rather than applying uniform interventions across all communities.
3. Strengthen SUBEB and the formal basic education system
The Kano State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) should be further strengthened to expand access, improve school infrastructure, provide adequate teachers and learning materials, strengthen school-level monitoring and improve the overall quality of basic education.
Particular attention should be given to school proximity, teacher availability, retention and transition.
4. Expand and strengthen non-formal and alternative education
Formal schooling alone cannot adequately respond to the diverse circumstances of all out-of-school children. The Kano State Agency for Mass Education (SAME) should, therefore, receive increased institutional, financial, human and material support to expand flexible and community-based non-formal education programmes, literacy centres, second-chance education and vocational learning opportunities.
5. Strengthen Qur’anic, Tsangaya and Islamiyya education integration
The relevant board responsible for Qur’anic, Islamiyya and Tsangaya education should be adequately supported to strengthen the integration of Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN), basic education, life skills and vocational competencies into appropriate Qur’anic and Tsangaya learning environments.
This is particularly important considering the survey’s findings concerning children attending Tsangaya/Almajiri schools and the significant representation of boys among the OOSC population.
**6. Promote technical, vocational and employability skills**
The Science and Technical Schools Board and other relevant technical and vocational education institutions should be strategically engaged in providing flexible skills-development pathways for older out-of-school children, adolescents and young people.
Non-formal education should go beyond basic literacy and numeracy to include vocational skills, entrepreneurship, digital literacy, financial literacy and employability competencies that can support young people in transitioning into productive livelihoods.
**7. Address the economic and social barriers to education**
The survey demonstrates that the OOSC challenge is multidimensional. Education interventions should, therefore, be linked with social protection, poverty reduction, school feeding where feasible, community mobilisation, child protection, livelihood support and other measures that address the underlying conditions pushing children out of school.
**8. Establish a strong OOSC monitoring and accountability framework**
The 2026 survey should serve as a baseline for continuous monitoring. Kano State should establish an integrated OOSC tracking mechanism linking the Ministry of Education, SUBEB, SAME, relevant Qur’anic/Tsangaya education authorities, technical education institutions, Local Government structures, traditional institutions, civil society organisations and development partners.
### A collective responsibility
K-SAFE believes that Kano State now has an important opportunity to move decisively from evidence to policy, from policy to implementation, and from implementation to measurable results.
Every child identified by this survey represents more than a statistic. Each represents a future that can be transformed through appropriate education, skills, protection and opportunity.
We, therefore, congratulate the Kano State Government and Ministry of Education on this important achievement and call upon all stakeholders—including government agencies, development partners, civil society organisations, traditional and religious leaders, communities, parents and the private sector—to utilise the findings to build a coordinated and adequately resourced response.
The data are now available. The barriers are clearer. **The priority must now be action.**
Together, Kano State can substantially reduce the number of out-of-school children and progressively ensure that every child has access to quality basic education, alternative learning opportunities and relevant skills for productive citizenship and sustainable livelihoods.
Congratulations to the Kano State Government and the Ministry of Education on this important milestone.
Dr Auwalu Halilu
Co-Chair (CSOs), Kano State Accountability Forum on Education (K-SAFE).
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