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Tag: kano state

  • Kano, World Bank to construct 500 km rural roads

    Kano State Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the World Bank to construct 500 kilometres of roads in rural areas of the state.

    A statement by Abba Anwar, Chief Press Secretary to Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, made available to newsmen in Kano on Monday, said the roads would be constructed under the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project ( RAAMP ).

    The statement said that the state Commissioner for Rural and Community Development, Musa Kwankwaso, indicated during an inspection tour of projects by the governor that each of the 44 local government areas would have 10 kilometres.

    It said that the roads were meant to open up rural communities for enhanced social and economic development.

    The statement added that the state government had since established Rural Access Mobility Directorate to institutionalize the project and ensure its sustainability in line with global best practices.

    “While the World Bank intervention concentrates on both rural roads and mobility of agricultural products from within rural communities to urban areas, the state programme lays emphasis on the rural roads; accessibility to rural communities.

    “With the RAAMP intervention, each and every local government in Kano state would get not less than 10 km road, whereas its equivalent could follow as a result of the state government replicated effort,” the statement said.

    It stated that Gov. Ganduje has pledged to ensure the provision of basic amenities and infrastructure to rural communities across the state for inclusive growth.

    NAN

  • Ganduje distributes N41million relief materials to flood victims

     

    Kano State Government has distributed relief materials worth over N41 million to the victims of last year”s flood disaster in Gwarzo Local Government.

    Over 400 victims benefited from the items that include roofing sheets, cement, rice, millet, cooking oil,  mat and blanket among others.

    Launching the distribution, the state Governor Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje said the materials were not compensation to the victims, but an assistance to bring succour to the affected people.

    Represented by his deputy Prof Hafiz Abubakar, the governor urged the beneficiaries to utilise the items for the purpose it was meant for.

    He also called on them to as a matter of urgency undertake clearing of the drainages in their areas as a preventive measure for the reoccurrence of the calamity, as the raining season is fast approaching.

    According to him, government has already commenced construction of drainages in the affected areas as part of measures to prevent future occurrence.

    Earlier the commissioners of Health Dr Kabiru Ibrahim Getso and that of Rural and Community development,  Dr Musa Iliyasu Kwankwaso sympthized with the victims and hailed Governor Abdullah Umar Ganduje for donating relief materials to the affected victims.

    Special Adviser to the Governor on Special Duties Sheikh Ibrahim Khalil advised the victims to consider the flood that ravaged the Community as a trial from Allah.

     

  • Hospitality wins

    Hoteliers in Kano State can now heave a sigh of relief, as they finally have the nod of the court to ply their trade without fear of harassment by officials of the Hisbah board. The officials have been told in plain terms that they have no right to harass members of the Hoteliers Association or disrupt their operations on the grounds that their activities contravene the Shariah law in the state.

    Members of the Hoteliers Association in Kano had, four years ago, approached a Kano High Court to protect their constitutional right in the face of recurring raids of their hotels, arrest of their members under the guise of implementation of the state’s Islamic law and confiscation of their business property under the same excuse by officials of the board.

    Justice Rabiu A. Sadiq who delivered the judgment in suit number K/102/2014, restrained the state’s Hisbah board, its agents, privies and whosoever is acting on its behalf from further attack, raid, arrest, detention, prosecution and confiscation of the property of hotel owners or molesting the association’s members in the name of enforcing the Shariah law. The court declared such acts illegal, null and void. Justice Sadiq said the Hisbah board overstepped its bounds by harassing the hoteliers and disrupting their legitimate activities. He therefore awarded N500,000 damages in favour of the association which had asked for N100million.

    But the victory is not for the people in the hospitality industry alone; it is also good news to their customers now that they can enjoy themselves in the hotels without the usual fears of possible arrest or intimidation from the enforcers of the Islamic law.

    Kano State Hisbah Corps was established in 2003 by the state government. Hisbah, an Arabic word, means an act performed for the society’s good. It is an Islamic religious concept that enjoins “what is right and forbidding what is wrong on every Muslim.” Other duties of the Hisbah Corps include arbitrating  voluntary reconciliation of disputes, verbally chastising violators of Sharia, and maintaining order at religious celebrations. Hisbah officials are also trained to assist with disaster response operations.

    The corps operates under the jurisdiction of a Hisbah Board composed of government officials, secular police officers, and religious leaders. In other words, they are like some other institutions in other states which assist in maintaining law and order. But Hisbah or other Shariah enforcing organisations lack the powers to arrest as the officers are armed only with non-lethal weapons like batons, for self defence.

    Indeed, this would seem the basis of the judgment of Justice Sadiq. When they notice infractions of the law, their duty is to alert the regular police men and failure to accept this reality has often led the Hisbah officials to arrest perceived offenders, thereby incurring the wrath of the police.

    Justice Sadiq’s judgment is expected to reverberate in many other parts of the north where similar organisations exist. Many of them often go beyond their bounds. The matter is a simple one of clash of constitutions and when this happens, one must bow to the other. The judge made this clear. He said the law which established Hisbah clearly spelt out the scope of its functions adding that they exceeded their functions as provided by their enabling law when they undertook to arrest, detain and prosecute members of the Hoteliers Association in the state.

    We commend Justice Sadiq for upholding the supremacy of the grundnorm, the 1999 Constitution, which recognises the secular nature of the country as well as some basic freedoms of the citizens. We hope those concerned will take the judgment in good faith and limit their operations to areas and issues contained in the laws establishing them.

  • Ganduje distributes N41 million relief materials to flood victims

    Kano State Government on Thursday distributed relief materials worth over N41 million to the victims of last year”s flood desaster in Gwarzo Local Government.

    Over 400 victims benefited from the items that include roofing sheets, cement, rice, millet, cooking oil, mat and blanket among others.

    Launching the distribution, the state Governor Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje said the materials were not compensation to the victims, but an assistance to bring succour to the affected people.

    Represented by his deputy Prof Hafiz Abubakar, the governor urged the beneficiaries to utilise the items for the purpose it was meant for.

    He also called on them to as a matter of urgency undertake clearing of the drainages in their areas as a preventive measure for the reoccurrence of the calamity, as the raining season is fast approaching.

    According to him, government has already commenced construction of drainages in the affected areas as part of measures to prevent future occurrence.

    Earlier the commissioners of Health Dr Kabiru Ibrahim Getso and that of Rural and Community development,  Dr Musa Iliyasu Kwankwaso sympthized with the victims and hailed Governor Abdullah Umar Ganduje for donating relief materials to the affected victims.

    Special Adviser to the Governor on Special Duties Sheikh Ibrahim Khalil advised the victims to consider the flood that ravaged the Community as a trial from Allah.

  • Kano approves N209m exam fees for indigenous students

    Kano State Executive Council has approved N209 million for the payment of the 2018 internal examination registration fees for indigenous students.

    The fees cover the Basic Education Certificate Examination, Senior Secondary School Certificate qualifying examination as well as qualifying examinations for other Islamic education.

    The state Commissioner for Information, Youth and Culture, Malam Muhammad Garba, disclosed this while addressing newsmen on the outcome of the 111th/112th meeting of the council in Kano.

    He said about N210 million had also been approved for the payment of upkeep allowances and return air tickets to state sponsored students overseas.

    According to him, the council has also okayed funds amounting to more than N230 million for renovation and upgrade of Fagwalawa Primary Healthcare to Cottage Hospital.

    The commissioner said that about N68 million was also earmarked for renovation of the School of Health Technology and N31 million to procure bed sheets for 31 secondary health facilities.

    He said government had also approved N15 million for furnishing of newly constructed female hostel blocks at School of Nursing Madobi and College of Midwifery Gwarzo.

    The commissioner further disclosed other approvals by the council, including about N75 million for the expansion of curves/T-junction and provision of roundabout on Panisau Road.

    Garba said about N749 million had also been approved for reconstruction works on Dawakin Kudu-Ladin Makole Road in Dawakin Kudu Local Government Area and rehabilitation of Ibrahim Dabo Road at N41 million.

    NAN

  • Cerebro Spinal Meningitis identified as Kano strange killer disease

    Kano state government has identified the dreaded (strange) disease that claimed the lives of eight persons in Dungurawa village of Dawakin Tofa Local Government Area of Kano state as type A category of Cerebro Spinal Meningitis ( CSM ).

    The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Kabiru Ibrahim Getso who made the clarification to Reporters in his office yesterday also confirmed that eight people died as a result of the outbreak of the disease.

    According to him, “the epidemiological unit of the Ministry was notified by the Disease Surveillance and Notification Officer of Dawakin Tofa Local Government Area on the 26th March, 2018 of eight deaths which occurred in Kunnawa settlement of Gargari Ward of the Local Government.

    “A rapid response team was immediately dispatched consisting of epidemiologists, medical doctors, laboratory scientists, environmentalists and other relevant professionals to investigate and confirm the authenticity of the report and establish the cause of the deaths and identify if there are people with similar conditions so as to avert further deaths.”

    Getso said their findings revealed that the deceased persons had high grade fever, vomiting and convulsions, adding that, “the result of the laboratory test on the additional cases showed that they were afflicted by cerebro Spinal Meningitis ( CSM ) Type A.

    In addition, he said six cases were discovered which showed that they were afflicted with CSM Type A, “and they are all now receiving treatment at the hospital.”

    He said the state government has taken adequate measures   to curb the spread of the disease which include strengthening and intensified surveillance at all levels of health care delivery, procurement of vaccines and embark on aggressive mobilization and enlightenment campaign as well as strengthening the laboratory capacity.

    He also said that the state government is now in consultation with the Federal Ministry of Health to secure vaccines adding that the vaccines globally are not readily available as they are very expensive and cannot be stored or kept for too long.

    He, however, advised residents to live in ventilated areas and avoid overcrowding, especially at night and report any cases of such symptoms to relevant authorities.

  • Kano strange disease: Ganduje deploys Doctors, Pharmacists

    Following reports of an outbreak of a strange disease that ravaged Kurimawa village in Dawakin Tofa Local Government Area which claimed eight lives, Kano State Ministry of Health, yesterday drafted Emergency Response Team consisting of Doctors, Pharmacists, and other relevant health workers to  unravel the cause of the disease.

    According to a Press Statement signed by Public Relations Officer of the Ministry, Garba Gwammaja, “the Kano state Ministry of Health is in receipt of report of occurrence of yet to be identified disease from Kurimawa village in Dawakin Tofa Local Government area yesterday, 26th March 2018.

    “The Government immediately swung into action to arrest further escalation of the disease in the area and save the lives of the people by deploying Emergency Rapid Response team which includes Doctors, pharmacists, laboratory Scientist and Disease Surveillance  and Notification Officers  to the affected area to carry out thorough and in-depth investigation on the cause and source of the problem and provide prompt treatment.”

    The statement added that, “already, the team had commenced its activities and samples of the suspected persons have been collected and are being investigated, while those admitted in the hospital are receiving due attention. 

    “Additionally, Government has supplied emergency drugs and other kits to the affected community to tackle the situation promptly.

    “Similarly, our health facilities are also ready for any kind of eventuality or emergency to be addressed effectively.”

  • DSS arrest major financier, armourer of kidnap gang in Kogi

    The Department of State Services ( DSS ) said it had arrested Lawal Mohammed, a suspected major financier and amourer of the dreaded Basalube kidnap gang in Kogi.

    A statement issued by an operative of the service, Mr Tony Opuiyo, on Tuesday in Abuja, said the suspect was arrested on March 23, at Japama in Obajana Local Government Area of Kogi.

    Opuiyo said that the suspect was apprehended with two other members of the gang, Mohammed Tukur and Abubakar Ibrahim, by the joint team of the Service and the Military during the operation.

    He said that Tukur was identified as the Chief surveillance officer of the gang who coordinated the gang’s movement across Rivers, Edo, Delta, Kebbi, Zamfara, Kaduna, Kogi and the Federal Capital Territory, preparatory to the execution of their operations.

    The operative said that items recovered from the suspects include: three cell phones and 25 bottles of psychotropic inducers.

    In a related development, the DSS said it had also arrested five suspected members of the Basulube kidnap gang at Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta.

    The suspects are: Ali Abubakar, a top ranking member of the gang, Abubakareem Idrisa,Bashir Tsoho, Sanusi Abubakar, Nuhu Muhammadu and Abubakar Abdulhammeed.

    “This arrest was effected while Abubakar was perfecting plans to carry out kidnap operations in Obajana, Kogi,“he said.

    He said that in its determination to decimate the gang, the Service on on March 26 arrested Abubakar Danlansu, driver and weapon courier of the group at Dikko area of Niger.

    “The suspect was arrested enroute Edo from where he was to convey weapons to Obajana in Kogi for the gang’s planned kidnap operations.

    He said that the service had arrested Matthew Ekam, 39, in connection with the kidanap of Obianuju Onyema in Yenagoa on March 12 and later released by the kidnappers on March 18.

    Opuiyo said the suspect is a native of Ogoja, Cross River and a driver of a heavy duty truck operating between Bayelsa and Rivers.

    He said that on March 24, the service arrested a suspected Boko Haram terrorist, Mohammed Bello on the outskirt of Wudil Local Government Area of Kano State.

    Read Also: How we secured Dapchi schoolgirls’ release —DSS

    He said Bello was believed to be carrying out surveillance activities for the extremist group in the area.

    “At the point of his arrest, several handsets, multiple identity cards including those of a Police Constable and neighbourhood vigilante member and N37,857.00 were recovered from him,“he said.

    “The arrest of these suspects hold major significance for law and order and safety of persons.

    “It is instructive to note that the activities of kidnappers and armed robbers on the Lokoja-Okene and Abuja-Kaduna corridors have relatively reduced as a result of sustained counter operations of the Service and sister security agencies,“he said.

    Opuiyo said that the recent arrest of Abubakar and other members of the dreaded Basalube kidnap gang would apparently result in the complete elimination of violent and other allied crimes in those regions.

    “The successes so far recorded by the Service are geared toward providing a safe and peaceful environment for law abiding citizens to pursue their legitimate endeavours.

    “We wish to reassure the public that the tempo of these operations will be continually reviewed, strengthened and sustained.

    “The Service, therefore, wishes to reiterate its stance that all perpetrators of violence and criminality against the Nigerian State and its law-abiding citizens will be made to face the full course of law no matter how long it takes, “he said.

    NAN

  • Kano Assembly backs Buhari on Electoral Act

    The Speaker of Kano State House of Assembly,  Alhaji Abdullahi Ata, says the house is in  support of  President Muhammad Buhari on  his refusal to assent to  the bill on  amendment of  the Electoral Act.

    Ata spoke  on Monday while answering questions during a live phone-in programme on a local radio station in Kano, Express Radio.

    The News men reports that one of the major amendments  by the National Assembly  changed  the sequence of elections, with the National Assembly poll coming first and the  presidential  last,  contrary to INEC’s proposal.

    Ata, however, said there was  no need for the change now,  adding that those seeking  the amendment of the Electoral Act,  especially the change in election sequence, were  doing it in the pursuit of  personal interests.

    The Speaker added that even if the election time table was changed with the presidential election coming last, the president would still win.

    Read Also: Student remanded for ‘impersonating Emir of Kano’

    “Therefore, we are not in support of the change in  the sequence because it can only cause unnecessary spending by the electoral body, despite the economic issues in the country.

    “With the efforts of the president, we are gradually getting out of the economic challenges.

    “Therefore we should exercise more patience  and continue to support the state and the Federal Government toward  moving the country forward,’’ he said.

    Ata also  said the assembly was not dancing to the tune of the executive, maintaining that it was committed to the discharge of its  responsibilities.

    He said  maturity on  both sides and  mutual understanding had been responsible for the prevailing peace in the polity.

    “We always make sure that we discharge our duties as legislators  effectively and accordingly.

    “ We always make sure that we initiate and pass bills  on issues that concern the electorate   and also reject bills presented before us by the executive whenever we think there is the need for that  and the executive agrees  with our decision in the interest of the general public,’’ Ata said.

    Ata, however, pledged to continue to render the necessary support to the executive in order to provide the electorate with the dividends  of democracy through execution of  meaningful projects in the state.

    NAN

  • Kano Fire Service receives 130 distress calls in two weeks

    Kano State Fire Service on Wednesday said it received 130 distress calls from parts of the state in the last two weeks.

    The Public Relations Officer of the service, Alhaji Saidu Mohammed, disclosed this in an interview with the News men in Kano.

    Mohammed said the calls were made as a result of road accident, fire disaster, electric sparks and gas cooker, among others.

    Read Also: Ambode reiterates commitment to repositioning fire service

    He said that out of the number of the calls, the service received 52 on fire incidents, 62 distress calls and 16 false alarms.

    The spokesman advised the general public to always exercise caution with electrical appliances and to stop storing petroleum products in their shops and homes.

    Mohammed also advised road users to be conscious when driving and to always obey traffic rules and regulations.

    NAN