IN a year when over a million Nigerian students wrote their Senior School Certificate Examination, it was Kano State that stood tallest, carrying the banner of academic excellence to the very summit of the nation’s performance chart. The 2025 NECO results have placed Kano not only at the head of the federation but also at the heart of a new story which is a story of revival, resilience, and reward for visionary leadership. When Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf declared a state of emergency in education last year, many thought it was rhetoric, the kind of political statement that usually fades…
Author: Lamara Garba
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THEY carried chalk, files, and stethoscopes in their youth. Today, they carry pain, waiting for gratuities that never came. Dr. Ali Pate says their waiting must end, and 2027 could be their dawn. For more than a decade, thousands of retired civil servants in Bauchi State have lived with pain and disappointment. Men and women who built schools, manned hospitals, and kept the machinery of government running have been left without the gratuities that should sustain them in old age. Some have waited since 2012. Many have died waiting. Others are bedridden, unable to afford basic medication. Successive governments have…
IN the theatre of nations, where countries display what they value most, Nigeria once again played the wrong script. On the 28th of August, 2025, the Federal Government stood before the world and, with fanfare, announced a ₦200,000 cash reward for Nafisa Abdullahi, a 17-year-old girl from Yobe State, who had just conquered the globe at the TeenEagle Global English Championship in London. It should have been a moment of national pride the triumph of intellect, the victory of knowledge, the vindication that Nigerian children, though raised in broken classrooms with tattered textbooks, can still outshine peers from nations where…
IN every city, there are monuments not made of marble or steel but of hope and memory. In Kano, one such monument is set to rise at the heart of Bayero University, where dreams have long chased the ball across dusty fields. Penultimate week, the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau I. Jibrin, has unveiled a vision that could transform the BUK stadium into more than a sporting arena, but into a home for dreams, a cradle of champions, and a beacon for the restless energy of Kano’s youths. On Tuesday, 19th August 2025, his delegation led by Professor…
THIRTY-FOUR years in the life of a state is like a river carving its way through rocks; steady, patient, sometimes turbulent, yet always forward. Jigawa, born on that fateful Tuesday, 27th August 1991, out of Kano’s map and skepticism, was once dismissed as barren land with little hope of survival. Some mocked it as a mere “civil service state,” others doubted whether it could pay salaries, let alone build an economy. Yet, as the calendar marks 34 years, the story has changed. Jigawa has risen with quiet resilience to become one of the most peaceful and administratively stable states in…
KANO’s destiny has always been tied to the soil. On Monday, 4th August, 2025 that bond deepened as Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf unveiled an army of 1,038 young agricultural extension workers, a new force tasked with reviving farms, feeding families, and fighting hunger across the state. From the bustling grain markets of Dawanau to the endless farmlands stretching across the savannah, Kano’s lifeblood has always been agriculture. Regrettably in recent years, the song of abundance has been strained by hunger and food insecurity. Nigeria, a country with its growing population, struggles with low productivity, import dependence, and a youth generation…
IN the vast theatre of Nigerian politics, where loyalties shift like desert winds and alliances are often built on the fragile sands of expediency, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso remains a paradoxical figure—grounded yet mobile, underestimated yet ever-looming, regional yet national. His name echoes from the narrow alleys of Kano to the polished corridors of Abuja. And in the current recalibration of the political landscape, his relevance is not just intact—it is ascending. As 2027 casts its early shadow on the horizon, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu must begin to examine not only who stands beside him today, but who can help him…
IN a time when many public officeholders are accused of losing touch with the very people they were elected to serve, Jigawa State Governor, Malam Umar Namadi Danmodi, is charting a different path. Through two innovative engagement platforms—the weekly “Gwamnati da Jama’a” (Government and the People) and the monthly Sectoral Performance Review Meetings—the governor is gradually reshaping the culture of governance in the state by bringing government closer to the grassroots and making public service more transparent and responsive. The “Gwamnati da Jama’a” program is a weekly interface between the governor and the people of Jigawa. Held in various communities…
ON a Friday morning shrouded in solemnity, as Muslims across the world marked the sacred day of Eid-el-Adha—a time of faith, reflection, and sacrifice—death quietly arrived, uninvited but absolute. While worshippers raised their hands in prayer and sheep fell in symbolic surrender, Professor Abubakar Roko surrendered not by choice, but by fate. And in that moment, joy turned bitter for many. The day meant to celebrate the mercy of God became the day we questioned the mercy of our society. Professor Roko is gone. The news spread like wildfire through the Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto (UDUS) campus. Staff sat in…
IN a world where leadership often wears the heavy cloak of command, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano State walks a different path—one marked not by spectacle, but by quiet grace. His recent donation of N5 million to support the health of Professor Abubakar Roko, a senior lecturer at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto, shines like a candle in a stormy night—a gesture simple in form, yet profound in meaning. This act of compassion stirred a ripple through the academic community, reaching hearts far beyond Sokoto. The family of Professor Roko, alongside the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) UDUS branch,…
IN a momentous celebration of excellence, Kano State Governor Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf was on Tuesday,8th, April 2025 conferred with the award of Outstanding Leadership Governor of the Year 2024 for education. This prestigious award, presented by Leadership Newspaper, no doubt, is a recognition of the governor’s strong commitment to education and human capital development in Kano State. The ceremony which was conducted under the chairmanship of the Vice President , Senator Kashim Shetima took place at the banquet hall in the State House, Abuja, amidst a tumultuous crowd was indeed a vindication of Governor Yusuf’s dedication to transforming the…
IN the realm of politics, where differences often divide, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano State has chosen a different path – one that transcends party lines and ideological divides. Perhaps the governor’s recent condolence visits to families of staunch opposition leaders, including Minister of State for FCT Dr. Mariya Mukhtar Bunkure and Engineer Rabi’u Suleiman Bichi, Managing Director of Hadejia-Jama’are River Basin Development Authority, have sent a powerful message of compassion and unity. As the Governor led a team of officials to visit these families, he embodied the spirit of empathy and kindness. Undoubtedly, his actions speak volumes about…
GOVERNOR Malam Umar Namadi’s administration has taken a significant step towards empowering the youth of Jigawa State with the unveiling of the 2025 Special Students’ Scholarship Program. This initiative is a key part of the governor’s vision for the state’s future, and it highlights his commitment to investing in the education and development of Jigawa’s young population. The scholarship program which is a comprehensive package that targets the most vulnerable and deserving students, providing them with opportunities to pursue their academic dreams. With a focus on inclusivity, the program offers special undergraduate scholarships to 400 students from educationally disadvantaged local…
IN this reflective piece, the spotlight falls on His Excellency, Dr. Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna, whose leadership at Bayero University Kano signals a quiet but powerful transformation . Since stepping into his role as Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the 15th Governing Council in July 2024, Dr. Gawuna has sown seeds of progress—championing innovation, nurturing opportunity, and building bridges between vision and reality. From scholarships that uplift young women in science to a groundbreaking technology institute that promises to reshape research in Northern Nigeria, his efforts speak of a leader deeply attuned to the rhythm of change. Guided by experience in governance…
TUCKED away in the crystal-clear waters of the Indian Ocean, the town of Praslin some 120 km from Mahe the capital city of Seychelles is a haven of peace and harmony. This picturesque town is home to a unique and fascinating phenomenon – humans, animals, and birds living together in perfect synchrony. Unlike in Nigeria where human lives have no value whatsoever as evident by the frequent incidences of wanton destruction from the hands of bandits, kidnappers, armed robbers and sometimes even from the “accidental discharge of fire arms” from the security forces, in Praslin, it was a completely the…