Headlines
Northern elders kick against Nigeria’s breakup
By Nasiru Yusuf
Bashir Othman Tofa, a former presidential candidate of the defunct National Republican Convention (NRC) party during the annulled June 12, 1993 election said the North would never seek the break up of Nigeria as a country.
Mr Othman-Tofa disclosed this on Sunday during the inauguration of students’ wing of Northern Youth Groups, organised by Coalition of Northern Youth held at Bayero University, Kano.
He said the North has never agitated for the break up of the country, hence, it does not have any plan in the event of secession.
He advised Northerners to exercise patience in building the unity of the country, as they are the root of Nigeria’s unity.
“If you examine the situation, you would find out it is only in Northern Nigeria that there is no agitation for break up of this country. It is Northern Nigeria that doesn’t have any specific plan of its own, in case Nigeria is divided. This means we have absolute confidence that being together is the best thing for all of us.
“If you look at our population and what we have together is more than what anyone can hope for. So to try to destroy this is certainly lose-lose situation. That is why we here in the North would never say we do not want to live in this country. We know that people called us name, they do all sort of things. And our responsibility is to exercise patience to make sure we guide this country to the kind of unity and progress we need to develop into a better country and even become a nation state,” Mr Tofa said.
The elder statement, noted that, the unity of the country is sacrosanct, adding that the North has been playing the role of encouraging the unity of Nigeria “That is why we are the root of this country. If the root is up rooted, the tree will not be there. So we like to be patient, we like to encourage Nigerians to love their country to be united and tolerate one another. So that we can build a kind of country we like to build.”
In his address former Chief of Staff to former senate president Bukola Saraki and member of Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Hakeem Baba-Ahmed expressed disappointment in the leadership style of Northern peoples who hold various political offices in the country.
According to him, Northerners who hold different political positions had failed to address the region’s problems, adding that they woefully failed to live up to their billings in areas considered to be of paramount importance for the region.
He stated that northerners are aggrieved by the leadership style of those who are calling the shots in respective positions of authority, adding that people of the region would not wait until 2023 to vote them out.
“We are disappointed with our northern leaders at all levels. We will not wait until 2023 to vote them out. We will be putting pressure on them to correct their mistakes of tackling the problem of insecurity, poor quality of education and health, problem of economy among others.
“Henceforth, we will no longer vote any leader who deceived us. We want leaders who would go there to protect the interest of the North,” he said.
He however called on northern youth to ask governors of the region to protect the interest of Fulani herdsmen and livestock assets of the North.
He noted that while southerners were asking the Fulani to vacate their region, northern governors should provide shelter for them back in the North.
Highlights of the occasion include inauguration of three regional coordinators for Northwest, Northeast and North central geopolitical zones.
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
The Kano State Government has directed all civil servants who have attained their statutory retirement age or completed the required length of service to immediately vacate their offices and hand over government property in their possession.
KANO FOCUS reports that the directive was contained in Circular issued on Tuesday by the Establishment Directorate, Office of the Head of Civil Service, Kano State.
The circular, signed by the Permanent Secretary, Establishment, Abba A. Danguguwa, on behalf of the Head of Civil Service, was titled: “Unauthorized Continuance in Service After Statutory Retirement by Civil Servants in Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of Government – Call for Immediate Handing Over of Official Documents, Properties.”
The government said it had observed that some civil servants continued to remain in office and operate in official capacities after reaching their statutory retirement period.
According to the circular, such conduct was a “negation to the reputation of the Civil Service of Kano State,” noting that the service had a long-standing tradition of ensuring seamless transition by retiring civil servants.
It described the continued stay in service after retirement as a direct infraction and aberration of relevant provisions of the State Civil Service Rules and other applicable service regulations.
The government stressed that it was legally and administratively untenable for any officer to remain in service or perform official functions beyond the statutory limit.
Consequently, all civil servants who had retired either by age or length of service were directed to immediately exit and hand over all official documents, government property and duties to their immediate subordinates in their respective ministries, departments and agencies.
The circular also directed all Accounting Officers, including Permanent Secretaries and Chief Executives, as well as Directors of Administration and Personnel Management, to ensure strict and immediate compliance with the directive.
It warned that any officer found aiding, abetting or condoning the continued stay of a retired officer in service would face appropriate disciplinary action in accordance with the Civil Service Rules.
The directive takes immediate effect, the circular stated.
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf says his administration has settled approximately N32 billion out of the N48 billion inherited backlog of gratuities and related liabilities owed to retirees in the state.
KANO FOCUS reports that Gov Yusuf disclosed this on Thursday while addressing residents at the 66th Independence Anniversary celebration held at the Sani Abacha Indoor Stadium in Kano.
The governor said the government had also sustained the regular payment of monthly pensions while increasing the minimum monthly pension from N5,000 to N20,000.
He said the welfare of workers and pensioners remained a priority of his administration, citing timely payment of salaries, improved remuneration and measures aimed at strengthening the public service.
According to him, the state has maintained the practice of paying workers’ salaries on or before the 25th of every month while implementing the N71,000 minimum wage for civil servants.
Gov Yusuf also said his administration was sponsoring public servants for professional training, including programmes at the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON), to strengthen their administrative and leadership capacity.
He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to building a professional and motivated workforce, while ensuring that the contributions and sacrifices of serving workers and retirees were recognised and treated with dignity.
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
Experts in reproductive health have called for improved access to contraceptive services in Nigeria, saying women and girls should be provided with accurate information and the freedom to make informed choices about family planning.
KANO FOCUS reports that they made the call on Wednesday during a virtual engagement organised by the Network of Reproductive Health Journalists of Nigeria (NRHJN) to mark the 2026 World Contraception Day.
Speaking at the event, Executive Director of the Centre for Bridging Health Gaps (CBHG), Dr Moriam Jagun, said misconceptions surrounding family planning remained a major barrier to contraceptive uptake.
Dr Moriam Jagun
Jagun said neither Islam nor Catholicism was against family planning, urging the media and health stakeholders to address religious and cultural misconceptions with accurate information.
She said fears that contraceptive use could cause infertility, cancer, excessive bleeding and other health problems also discouraged some women from using family planning methods.
According to her, such concerns should not simply be dismissed as myths, but should be addressed through honest counselling and evidence-based information that enables women to make informed decisions.
Jagun said contraceptive prevalence remained low in Nigeria, putting the national average at about 15 per cent, compared with 31 per cent in Lagos.
She also cited research showing that educated people were more likely to embrace family planning than those with lower levels of education.
She therefore called for greater attention to marginalised, vulnerable and underserved communities, saying national averages could conceal significant inequalities in access to reproductive health services.
Jagun said access should not be measured simply by whether contraceptives were available in health facilities.
She identified financial, physical, social, cultural and religious, as well as informational barriers that could prevent women from accessing services even when contraceptives were available.
“Availability is not the same as access,” she stressed, noting that a woman could have contraceptives available at a health facility but still be unable to obtain them because of cost, distance, stigma, provider attitudes or lack of information.
She also cautioned healthcare providers against allowing personal beliefs or biases to interfere with professional responsibilities, particularly when dealing with young and unmarried women seeking contraception.
According to her, providers should inform and support clients rather than make reproductive decisions on their behalf.
Jagun further urged stakeholders to prioritise adolescents, rural women, women with disabilities and other underserved populations in the design and delivery of family planning services.
She said the success of family planning should not be measured only by the number of women accepting contraceptives, but also by whether clients were properly informed, offered options, made voluntary choices and retained the freedom to change or discontinue a method.
On the role of the media, she urged journalists to rely on accurate and evidence-based information and avoid sensational reporting.
She also advised the media to clearly distinguish family planning and contraception from abortion in their reporting to prevent misinformation and confusion.
Presenting on the theme “A Choice for All: Agency, Intention, Access,” Executive Director of Media, Health and Rights Initiative of Nigeria (MHR), Mrs Alu Azege, said contraceptive access should be viewed beyond the mere availability of commodities.
Mrs Alu Azege
Azege, who is also Chair of the Media and Visibility Subcommittee of the 9th Nigerian Family Planning Conference, said genuine access required women to have information, options, privacy, affordability, respectful counselling and freedom from pressure or judgment.
She said the word “all” in the World Contraception Day theme was particularly significant, stressing that contraceptive access should include unmarried young women, adolescents, widows, market women, students and other groups that could face barriers to services.
Azege described the media as an important channel for reproductive health information, particularly as young people increasingly encounter contraceptive information through social media before meeting healthcare providers.
She said traditional media could complement social media by verifying information, debunking myths, amplifying questions from young people and holding authorities accountable for gaps in health service delivery.
She also highlighted both the opportunities and risks associated with artificial intelligence, saying AI could provide personalised, private and accessible reproductive health information, but warned that bias, misinformation and unequal access to technology could undermine its benefits.
In her welcome address, President of NRHJN, Mrs Oluyinka Shokunbi, said every Nigerian woman and girl should have access to safe contraception and the ability to decide if, when and how often to have children.
Mrs Oluyinka Shokunbi
Shokunbi said contraceptive access could help prevent unintended pregnancies, improve maternal and child health and advance women’s ability to pursue education, careers and participation in public life.
She said cultural, religious and information barriers continued to limit access to contraception, while young people were increasingly turning to social media and artificial intelligence for sexual health information.
She called for unhindered access to accurate information and contraceptive choices, particularly for women and girls who remain underserved by existing health systems.
KANO FOCUS reports that the engagement was held under the 2026 World Contraception Day theme,“No Barriers, Just Choices: Contraceptive Access Now!”
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