The Kano State governorship candidate on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Muhammad Sadiq Wali, yesterday said if elected, his priority would be to revitalise the economy of the state.

In a chat with reporters in Kano, Wali said his administration will use the Public Private Partnership (PPP) policy to boost the economy of Kano State and restore its glory as the commercial nerve centre of the North.

Wali was Commissioner for Water Resources for two-and-a-half years under the Abdullahi Umar Ganduje administration before he resigned his position to run for the 2023 governorship race.

“Our team is prepared to build the economy. We believe in Public Private Partnership. Kano is private sector-driven. Most of our Kano citizens are very industrious and all they need is support from the government. So, we need to encourage them.

“My administration will make Kano to become economically independent, and my administration will have the mandate to encourage and promote small-scale business men and local/indigenous industrialists.

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“This was how countries such as China developed their economy. We will come up with policies that promote local industries, we will discourage those policies that close down our local industries,” he said.

The Kano PDP flagbearer also promised that if elected, his administration will encourage “direct foreign investment” for the betterment of the state’s economy.

He said he would use his enormous experiences in the private sector to, not only provide quality leadership for the people of Kano State, but also to grow the economy through reformed Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) system.

“Any government that has the development of the state at heart prioritises infrastructural development in areas where commercial and business activities boom, to make way for economic growth and increase the drive for revenue generation.

“Infrastructural facilities such as roads continue to dilapidate because of the increasing population in urban areas. We need to expand and build infrastructural facilities in local areas where you have competitive opportunities.”

The PDP governorship candidate assured that his administration will guarantee rural urbanisation to decongest increasing population in the city and to ensure even development by building infrastructure and industries in local areas where raw materials and human resources are readily available.

He also said part of his team’s agenda is to include Social Service Reforms (SSR), pointing out that it is about re-orientation. It is about re-focusing the mindset of the people.

“We are coming into government for implementation, sustainability and wealth creation,” he said.

Wali also stressed the need to carry out reforms in the state education system.

Kebbi State Governor, Alhaji Atiku Bagudu, on Sunday, praised the high level of discipline, confidence and courage of the students from Command Science Secondary School, Girls, Goru, Birnin-Kebbi, the state capital.

Bagudu commended the students at a special luncheon as part of the 62nd Independence Anniversary in Birnin-Kebbi.

”I am happy that the school is standing out in the state and the country in general.

“The school is developing a culture of discipline, mutual support and confidence.

“Hitherto, the children were afraid of abduction fuelled by some unfounded social media reports.

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“But, happily, they were courageous and they braced up the fear,” he said.

According to him, the students should continue to be proud of themselves as an element of success.

Bagudu expressed delight the students had requested for more girls to join them in the school during the personal interactions he had with them.

He said that his administration attached greater attention to education, especially that of the girl-child.

He urged the students to always speak, adding nobody had the right to make them feel uncomfortable.

“School is a place where you should be happy, where you should explore your interests.”

At least 60 journalists have been registered in the Plateau State Contributory Health Insurance Management Agency (PLASCHEMA).

The agency bought a yearly premium for the beneficiaries to enable them to access health care.

The cards were handed over to the beneficiaries in Jos during a quarterly media interface entitled “Leveraging the Media for Sustainable Universal Health Coverage,” by the Director-General of PLASCHEMA, Dr Fabong Jemchang.

“The interface is very important because the media is at the heart of achieving universal health coverage.

“Importantly, the media is at the forefront of policy formulation and implementation as far as health insurance is concerned. It is impossible to achieve universal health coverage without the media.

“This meeting is called to motivate journalists on how to report health care services using public indices and to call into consideration public health account and to also drive the agenda so that it transforms health care centres for sufficient services,” he stated.

Dr Jemchang said a survey conducted by the agency showed that approximately 97 per cent of Plateau citizens have access to medical services through out-of-pocket expenditures.

He revealed that those 96.8 per cent of out-of-pocket expenditure, we have the whopping 78 per cent who are daily-income earners such as farmers, traders and artisans, among others.

“So, accessing health care becomes difficult. That is why we have poor health-seeking behaviour.”

He urged political office holders to buy premiums at the cheapest rate of N12, 000 for people rather than investing in what is not beneficial to them. He also noted that “together with the media, we can eliminate poverty, magnifying the need for health care while shrinking the capacity to finance it.”

The Chairman of Plateau State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Comrade Paul Jatau acknowledged that such media engagement would go a long way in strengthening the capacity of journalists in health care reportage.

Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has advocated high standard girl-child education as part of the cardinal objectives of his administration.

He spoke at the weekend through his Commissioner for Education, Alhaji Ya’u Yan’shana, during a session with citizens and relevant stakeholders on the girls’ education -a programme supported by PERL (ECP).

He noted that educational development in Kano State is a critical task and part of the visions and missions of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

The governor pointed out that the Kano State Ministry of Education would do everything possible to ensure the timely release of funds allocated for girl-child education.

He commended Girls Education Partnership (GEP), with support from PERL for their commitment, and urged philanthropists to assist in developing female education.

Former Head of Service and co-chair GEP, who is also Special Adviser to the governor on Free and Compulsory Education, Dr Kabiru Shehu, said the partnership is a coalition of citizens, women groups, government officials and the media.

He urged the Commissioner for Education to expedite action on pending issues, saying that GEP had assisted the Kano State Ministry of Education to achieve success in girls’ education.

“We would be sending our mails without the normal bureaucracy as we are part of the ministry,” he stated.

In his presentation entitled “Girls’ Education Partnership; The Journey So Far,” Comrade Safiyanu Lawan Bichi of the Kano budget working group and member GEP, pointed out that the coalition had recorded tremendous achievements since its inception.

He said: “GEP had organised and disseminated findings on public policy dialogue on insecurity, dialogue on cultural issues that impede girls’ education in three pilot schools and advocacy visits to five emirate councils, among others.

“Creation of girls’ education budget line in 2022 state budget, dedicating a unit for girls education, payment of N199 million for the National Examinations Council (NECO) fees for some selected girls, were part of the government’s support to the partnership.”

No fewer than 2, 295 teachers have been killed in the Northeast between 2009 and 2022, while over 19, 000 others have been displaced and over 910 schools damaged or destroyed due to insurgency, Registrar, Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), Prof. Josiah Ajiboye has said.

He further stated that over 1, 500 schools were forced to close due to insurgency with more than 600,000 children losing access to education.

Prof. Ajiboye stated this in a paper he presented in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital at the 2022 National Delegates Conference of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), a copy of which The Nation obtained in Abuja.

The registrar called for the full implementation of the Safe School Declarations guidelines endorsed by Nigeria in 2015 and ratified by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019.

He noted that as a way forward, federal, state and local education authorities should facilitate the immediate implementation of the National Policy on Safety, Security and Violence Free Schools, (NPSSVFS), by making budgetary provisions.

He noted that “attacks on education create a ripple effect and set in motion a range of negative impacts such as loss of education, early marriage, early pregnancy, and stigma associated with sexual violence and children born from rape.”

He said a school is considered to be safe if schools and learning centres are violence-free environments; schools and learning centres mitigate the effects of natural hazards.

He said teachers should keep a close watch on learners to ensure that abuse and violence against them are prevented or responded to if they occur.

The Katsina State All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Alhaji Dikko Radda, has advised politicians in the state to engage in issue-based campaigns.

The governorship candidate, who gave the advice during an interactive session with reporters in Katsina yesterday, said such campaigns would move the state forward.

“We must focus on the issues-based campaign and think of what we can contribute to solving matters in the state, rather than thinking that I belong to the APC, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) or any other party. That’s not going to help our state,” he said.

According to him, what concerns an average voter is the credibility of the person they are voting for rather than the party he/she belongs to.

“The era of using political party affiliation as a basis for getting people’s support is over.

“Let our campaigns be based on issues, such as what we can do to address the myriad of challenges confronting our people, not that this party has brought this or has done that,” he said.

Radda promised to collaborate with reporters to move the state forward, adding that the media were partners in enhancing development in any society.

He also said the new electoral law would go a long way in enhancing transparency in the democratic process.

The governorship candidate said the electoral law would also allow votes to count, thus building confidence in the electorate.

The wife of Nasarawa State Governor, Hajiya Silifat Abdullahi Sule has offered N20, 000 start-off grants to 300 women in Nasarawa West Senatorial District.

This was carried out during a tour to sensitise the people of the area to the need for skills acquisition. There was training and presentation of start-off grants to women in the three senatorial zones of the state.

Mrs Sule urged the beneficiaries to make judicious use of the grants to be self-reliant and to better their lives.

She added that with the N20, 000 start-off grants, they can invest it and make gains no matter how little the business may be.

Mrs Sule urged the women to ensure proper supervision of what their children wear and who they associate with, added that oftentimes children indulge in unwholesome practices as a result of association with friends outside the home.

Alhaji Muhammadu Baba-Shehu, Chairman of Keffi Local Government Area, appreciated the governor’s wife for the gesture, which he said would lift the women economically, reduce poverty and an avenue for self-sufficiency.

“This occasion signifies that you are a mother with compassion, love, empathy,” he said.

Troops of Sector II, Operation Hadin Kai, Damaturu were yesterday honoured for their service and bravery in the fight against insurgency in Northeast Nigeria.

The event, which coincided with Nigeria’s 62nd Independence Day Celebration, was held at the August 27 Stadium in Damaturu, Yobe State.

The Sector Commander of Sector II, Operation Hadin Kai, Major General Koko Isoni, who described the event as auspicious, said: “It’s a way of showing love and support for deserving soldiers who have sacrificed their lives and freedom for service to their fatherland”.

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The sector commander also noted that the event will serve as a morale booster for officers and men of the sector in accomplishing their tasks in the attainment of the vision of the Chief of Army Staff.

Major General Isoni equally used the occasion to pray for the repose of the souls of the soldiers that have paid the supreme price in the course of their duty in the region.

The representative of Yobe State governor, Mai Mala Buni, Brigadier-General Dahiru Abdulsalam (retired) commended the contribution of the Army in the restoration of peace in the region.

“The presence of the Nigerian Army personnel within the State has tremendously contributed to the stabilisation of peace in the polity and revival of socio-economic activities within Yobe State in particular and the Northeast region at large. The Government and good people of Yobe State are profoundly appreciative of you for sacrificing everything to restore normalcy that enable our people to move about searching for their legitimate goals at present. I am sure you would agree here today with me that the medals to be awarded are only a mark of appreciation for the unquantifiable contributions you have made in creating the right atmosphere for the developmental pursuits of the present administration of Yobe State,” he said.