Category: Northern Report

Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf has engaged 4,500 youths as street sweepers for routine clearing of the metropolis.

In a statement, the governor’s Press Secretary, Malam Bature Dawakin-Tofa, in Kano yesterday, said Yusuf,  kicked off the keep Kano clean initiative, tagged “Operation Nazafah”, at Kofar Kwaru, Emir’s palace, Kano.

He said the government has purchased 10 additional trucks for refuse evacuation and engaged 4,500 street sweepers on casual contract under the Refuse Management and Sanitation Board (REMASAB) to clear major streets within the metropolis.

“Apart from the 10 additional trucks, we also procured two additional pay loaders and repaired many other heavy duty machines/vehicles for the purposes of the exercise.

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“Three thousand out of the 4,500 street cleaners are members of the famous community security volunteers, also known as “Askarawan Kwankwasiyya” led by Alhaji Saminu Balago Yakasai, while the remaining 1,500 are the ones engaged by previous administration of Sen. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, who were subjected to a screening exercise at the inception of the present administration,” he said.

Yusuf enjoined the beneficiaries to dedicate themselves to their assignment to achieve the desired goal of having a city conducive and healthy for habitation.

The governor maintained that the state government would soon sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the procession of refuse into fertiliser, a move that would create additional job opportunities, revenue for the government and healthy environment for the city’s habitants.

Earlier, the Managing Director of REMASAB, Alhaji Haruna Zago, assured the governor that his agency would   strictly monitor the street sweepers for effective service delivery.

Kano State government on Saturday said it would devote resources to improve the lives and livelihood of women, in view of the role they play in economic and social development.

The Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Dr. Danjuma Mahmud stated this in a message during the flag off of distribution of rams and goats to women in Tudun Wada, Doguwa and Bebeji local government areas.

A statement by the Project Communication Specialist, Ameen Yassar, said the palliatives were distributed under the Kano State Agro-pastoral Development Project (KSADP).

The distribution of the rams and goats covers all the 44 local government areas of the state and is being monitored to ensure that the process is not manipulated, it was learnt.

The commissioner, who was represented by the Director of Administration in the Ministry, Alhaji Muhammad Tukur Jalal, said government intends to empower women with skills, resources and opportunities to enable them take care of their families and become more active players in nation building.

“Government takes the issue of supporting women with productive assets such as the ram fattening and goats reproduction schemes to assist women especially those at the grassroots to gain an economic foothold, seriously” he said.

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He charged the beneficiaries to take good care of the livestock and make sure they are not sold for frivolous reasons.

State Programme Coordinator of Agro-pastoral Development Project, Malam Ibrahim Garba Muhammad, said 50 women will benefit from the scheme in each of the 44 local government areas of the state.

“About 3,474 citizens of the state have received cows, rams and goats under the first phase of the programme. The essence is to help the beneficiaries improve their income and living standard”, he emphasised.

Muhammad said the KSADP, which is funded by the Islamic Development Bank, the Lives and Livelihood Funds and the government of Kano State, is executing several capital projects and programmes across the state, to reduce poverty and strengthen food and nutrition security, by developing agro-pastoral production.