Kano has no bill banning women from driving

By Fanen Ihyongo, Kano

The Kano State government yesterday described a story getting the rounds that a bill was being sponsored at the Kano State House of Assembly that will prohibit women from driving automobiles in the state as false and misleading.

The trending report quoted the Commander-General of Hisbah, Ustaz Harun Mohammad Ibn Sina, as saying “if the bill finally becomes law, Hisbah would effectively and efficiently enforce it and punish any offender, irrespective of whoever is involved.”

But the Kano State government described as fallacious the story which has gone viral on social media platforms on a purported plan to disallow women, regardless of any religion, from driving automobiles.

Hisbah-an outfit for the enforcement of Sharia Laws in Kano State, has also debunked the story, describing it as fake news.

Members of the State House of Assembly and some of the Islamic scholars quoted to have supported the purported bill has also dissociated themselves from the story.

The Commissioner for Information, Malam Muhammad Garba, in his clarification on the issue yesterday, said the government had, at no time, contemplated banning women from driving cars in the ancient city.

He said the story, which could not be traced to any credible source, was nothing but a fiction of imagination by the author.

“The trending story lacks any credibility and that is why it is wholly attributed to a source that cannot be substantiated.

“If at all there was such a plan, the state government would not have to be involved in any secretive meeting to decide on a critical issue that has to do with its teeming populace.

“Saudi Arabia which had laws that sanctioned women from driving lifted the ban in 2018.

“It is interesting that some of the scholars quoted to have supported the alleged ban have already dissociated themselves from the story,” Garba said.

In another development, the Kano State government has said its spending N2.5 billion on infrastructural facilities at the Dala Inland Dry Port.

Governor Abdullahi Ganduje made the disclosure yesterday at the opening ceremony of the 2021 Gas Sector Stakeholders’ (AKK) Forum organised by the Gas Aggregation Company Nigeria (GACN).

“Kano as an export processing zone, those importing or exporting goods can have their goods directly delivered here. We are exploiting the port for the benefit of our people and economy,” Ganduje said.

The theme of the forum was “Optimising the Economic Development of the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano “AKK” Gas Project.”

Ganduje thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for bringing the project to Kano taking cognisance of the commercial impact on the state.

He said the state government had established a committee on AKK that sensitises communities along the pipelines and engaged investors on the project.

“In order to attract investors, the first strategy we adopted was to ensure peace and stability in the state.

“We have identified vulnerable areas in terms of security, especially in Dansoshiya forest where we are doing the Ruga settlement and Falgore forest, where we established military training ground.

“We are using technology to monitor these forests and protect our people,” he said.

The governor also said the government grouped industries at Bompai, Challawa, Sharada, Tokuntawa and the new Tamburawa Industrial area so as to maximise the full advantages of the AKK project in the state.

He revealed that a research conducted showed that 88 industries were functional at Bompai and 78 at Challawa and Sharada.

He further added that about 201 industries were moribund and needed to be reactivated, adding that the AKK project would tackle this challenge.

Ganduje explained that the state has an advantage in transportation, saying that works were ongoing on the roads that link Kano to Kaduna, Kano to Maiduguri and Kano to Katsina.

The Chairman, Gas Aggregation Company of Nigeria, Mr Mansur Sambo said the forum was to sensitise gas users as a prelude to the completion of the project.

He said the project would assist to revive moribund industries in Kano and other states that the pipelines would pass through.

Sambo noted that most of such industries were supported with power supply for their operations.

According to him, the AKK project would restore the glory of those industries.

He also thanked the Federal Government for reviving the project, which had been comatose for the past 30 years.