The army authority has commence the construction of a new mini stadium at the 3 brigade army headquarters, Kano.
The construction work at Bukavu barracks has reached an advance stage, our correspondent reports, the VIP pavilion has been upgraded, offices are under construction, likewise the ongoing erecting of sitting stands.
Sports Writers Association of Nigeria Kano state chapter led by the state secretary of the group, Mansur Ibrahim, who led exco members of Kano SWAN on an inspection tour of the facility, commended the brigade command under the leadership of brigadier Steven Olabanji for the investment towards providing Bukavu barracks with a befitting sports facility.
“We have come to see for ourselves the latest achievements in the area of sports facility in the barracks, we are amazed with what we saw.
“The field now boast of a carpet green grass, new stands are under construction, a track for athletics is underway, dressing rooms and office blocks are springing up, water channels have been installed .
“Our decision to visit this facility is out of the love shown to sports by Brigadier Steven, he attends all Kano Pillars matches, since his arrival to Kano, the barracks now has a standard gymnasium, plans are also underway to stage a U-16 football tournament for developmental purposes, I think such leader and institution, should be commended and encouraged,, this prompted our decision to visit Bukavu barracks” Mansur said.
He further said “Bukavu barracks football ground is historic, historic in the sense that about 20 years ago , crucial state league matches were played there, with the latest development we look forward to seeing football matches return to the barracks,”
The brigade commander, Brigadier Steven Olabanji addressing the body of sports writers , who called on him, said the brigade is bent on providing serving army officers with suitable sporting and recreational facility.
Olabanji hinted that, the command is aware of the strategic role the Bukavu football ground had played in the past, he expressed his optimism that the new mini stadium will return to its old days, by playing host to major football matches in the state.
He further express the view that with the introduction of a tartan track on the facility, the new facility will complement other sporting facilities in the state.
Tag: Kano
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Army construct new mini Stadium
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Kano to spend N398.9m on 27,268 WAEC, NECO candidates
Kano State government has approved N398, 919,800 for 27,268 candidates for West African Examinations Council (WAEC), National Examination Council (NECO) and SIS examinations.
The beneficiaries must pass the state qualifying exam.
Commissioner of Information, Youth and Culture, Mallam Muhammad Garba; made this known at a briefing on the outcome of the 72rd and first state executive council (SEC) meeting held at Kano Government House earlier this month.
Garba added that only students with five credits, including English and Mathematics, would benefit from the gesture, adding that the state’s 44 local governments have been directed to shoulder responsibility of such qualified candidates in their domains.
He said this decision was taken based on the three options presented to the council by the ministry of education.
Garba said of the amount, N774, 550, 000 million was reserved for drilling 789 hand pump boreholes and rehabilitation of 163 across the state.
He added that the government decided to do this to cushion the water scarcity facing some communities, reiterating that the state water treatment plants were being upgraded to cover all the nooks and crannies of the state.
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Operation ‘Kunama 2’ for Kaduna, Kano and Plateau
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, has said the military will soon begin exercises, code named Kunama 2, in Southern Kaduna, parts of Kano and Plateau States.
He spoke with State House correspondents at the end of about six-hour security meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
According to him, troops are already on ground to stop the killings in Southern Kaduna. He added that other operations in the Northeast, Southsouth, and Southeast are on course.
His words: “Our troops are already in Southern Kaduna, we have our special forces operating there with other security agencies and we intend to launch an exercise very soon in Southern Kaduna, to cover some parts of Plateau and Kano States.
“It is part of our strategy for this year, to continue all the exercises we had before now. We have Crocodile Smile and Python Dance in the Niger Delta, but we will rename the Python Dance for the Southeast this year also.”
On Sambisa forest, Gen. Buratai said: “We are continuing our operations in that area, Lafiya Dole mandate, and the troops are still moving all over the area.”
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Kano’s rice production up by 95 per cent, says Ganduje
Rice produced by farmers in Kano State rose from 692, 481 tonnes to 1, 551, 720 tonnes last year, representing an increase of about 95.2 percent, Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has said.
The governor dropped the hint during an interactive session on loan recovery, with farmers on the Central Bank of Nigeria/Bank of Agriculture/Kano State Rice Anchor – Borrowers Programme, at Kano Seed Processing Centre, Kadawa, Garun Malam Local Government area, last Saturday.
He said: “Wheat production in the state increased from 9, 495, 024 tonnes in 2015 to 17, 717, 000 tonnes in 2016, showing a swell of 84 percent.”
Also,Ganduje said the bumper harvest recorded last year in Kano showed a significant increase in the production of other commodities, such as maize, millet, groundnut and cow peas, adding that with the government’s commitment, barring unanticipated developments, the output would be multiplied this year.
On impediments to the farmers’ productivity, the governor said: “I have noticed that there are two major issues in Anchor-Borrower Programme.’’
According to him, farmers were complaining that they are not getting the assistance when they needed it, and that this was constituting a major problem and secondly, ‘’those who are involved in the scheme (CBN and BOA) are complaining that farmers are not paying back what has been given to them”.
He promised that these issues, as well as that of availability of input would be addressed, between the government and the banks involved, so as to ensure that farmers get appropriate assistance and other required intervention duly.
The governor directed the supplier providing the government with fertiliser to provide the commodity to the farmers from yesterday (Sunday), assuring that anything the farmers need would be provided to them to ensure a hitch-free productivity.
However, Ganduje urged beneficiaries of the CBN/BOA/Kano state Rice Anchor-Borrowers Programme to ensure that they repay the loan given them accordingly, since it is a revolving facility that will pave way for other farmers to benefit, pointing out that the state is poised to increase its rice production to about half of the country’s rice requirement this year.
He maintained that his administration would concentrate more on agriculture this year to ensure multiplication of farmers output, pointing out that the administration recognises the fact that it must work hard to improve capacity of farmers and address the many factors that contribute to their minimal productivity.
“Economic realities have shown that Nigeria’s future prosperity depends on investment in our farmers, to enable them become well prepared to revamp food productivity, as oil money is no longer coming in as usual”, the governor added.
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Military operations in Southern Kaduna, Kano, Plateau soon- Buratai
To rid the country of criminals and troubleshooters, the Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai on Thursday said that the Nigeria military will soon commence exercises named Kunama 2 in Southern Kaduna, parts of Kano and Plateau States.
He spoke with State House correspondents at the end of about six-hours security meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
According to him, troops are already on ground to stop the killings in Southern Kaduna.
He also said that other operations in the North-East, South-South, and South-East are on course.
He said: “Our troops are already in Southern Kaduna, we have our special forces operating there along with all other security agencies and we intend also to have an exercise very soon in Southern Kaduna to cover some part of plateau and indeed part of Kano state.
“So it is part of our strategy for this year, to continue all the exercises we have had before. We will be having exercise Kunama two, which will come into Southern Kaduna state and part of Plateau and Kano state.
“Croccodile smile in the Niger Delta and indeed the Python dance, but we are going to rename the Python Dance for the South East this year also,” he added
On Sambisa forest, he said: “We are continuing our operations in that area, Lafiya Dole mandate and the troops are still moving all over the area.
Asked if there is new directives from the President on the North-East, he said: “The directive is there, we are still pursuing it and it is a task we must accomplish at all cost.”
The Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali also disclosed that major security issues in the country were discussed at the meeting.
“The Southern Kaduna, the Niger Delta issues and other major crisis areas were discussed and resolutions were passed.
“Like I said in the Southern Kaduna we have our troops being moved and they have already taken places, operation is going on and I believe that very soon it will come to an end.” He said
He said that no conclusion was reached at the meeting on The Gambia crisis, pointing out that it was not a national issue affecting Nigeria.
But he was optimistic that the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was adequately handling the matter.
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Kano overseas scholarship: Parents lament neglect of wards
Parents of 154 fresh graduates who were sponsored by Kano State to study in India have lamented the untold hardship inflicted on them by the immediate past administration of Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso who abandoned them and refused to pay their tuition fees.
Speaking during a reception organised by the state government in honour of the graduates who just passed out after gaining their masters from India on Tuesday, a representative of their parents, Muhammad Mustapha, recounted how Kwankwaso’s administration abandoned them abroad.
He, however, hailed Governor Abdullahi Ganduje for coming to their rescue by clearing all the backlog of the debts as well as ensuring that the students graduated without problems.
Ganduje revealed that last year the state paid N2.7 billion for the tuition and other fees of her foreign students despite the economic recession in the country that forced some states to recall their students on government scholarship abroad.
He reassured that the government would maintain the foreign scholarship for beneficiaries because of the importance his administration attaches to education.
Ganduje, who lamented that the state’s allocation from the Federal Government had dropped by two-thirds, said himself and all political appointees in the state, now receive half salaries and allowances, to save money to address issues in critical sectors like education.
“Therefore, this administration would do all it can to sustain and finance the foreign based students to complete their studies, through efficiently managing the little we receive form the federation account as well as money accruing from internal revenue,” he said.
Ganduje advised the graduates and others on scholarship not to allow mischievous politicians to use them against his administration, reiterating that the fees paid by the previous government for their education was from the public treasury not anybody’s personal pocket.
“Nobody did a favour to you by paying for your studies in the first instance. We, that sustained the scholarship, did so with public funds; it is not a favour. We also studied under government scholarship so what is the big deal about it?” the governor queried.
He commended the graduates for showing understanding to the state’s financial situation as well as for appreciating made different challenges with little earnings, compared with what obtains in the past years, promising to help secure jobs in public and private sectors.
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Kano POWA chief lifts widows
Emotions were high at the Kano State Police Command Officers’ Mess, wife of the Commissioner of Police, Hajiya Salma Rabiu Yusuf, touched the lives of over 350 widows and orphans of police officers who died in service. Acting in her capacity as the Kano State chairperson of Police Officers’ Wives Association (POWA), and in company of POWA chairpersons from other Northwest states, Hajiya Yusuf donated several bags of assorted food items and other household necessities, including 70 bags of rice, 70 cartons of Macroni, 350 cardigans for children, 150 pairs of school sandals, 57 cartons of Indomie noodles, six bags of millet and 80 pairs of slippers, worth over N8 million.
Hajiya Yusuf said she wanted to alleviate the burden the widows and their orphans have been carrying due to the loss of the bread winners.
She said: ‘‘POWA is donating some food items and clothing to the wives and children, whose husbands and fathers laid their lives to pay the supreme price, while on active service of the nation. We shall remain focused in our vision to take the association to a greater height by alleviating the sufferings of our widows, because their plight is ours and we shall not rest in oars to ensure that they are happy. I will like to reiterate that the widows and orphans in our midst are part of us and they will continue to remain part of us.
“It is therefore our responsibilities to come to their aid by making sure that they are comfortable as their plight will continue to be our priority. We are determined to build to a credible foundation for the sustenance of these goals by developing the association, where principle of accountability, transparency and honesty shall continue to be our guide. It is against this backdrop that we found it expedient to acknowledge the efforts of the national president of POWA, Hajiya Asmau K. Idris, who is the wife of the current Inspector General of Police for her immense contributions toward the upliftment of the association.”
She added: “Plans are underway by the association to engage the widows in small-scale businesses and skills acquisition programmes to enable them cater for their orphans. As you can see, what we have given them now would not be enough for them in their lifetime. But we have demonstrated to them that we love and care for them. We have at least shown that we are aware of their condition. We would soon embark on a training programme on skills acquisition, as well as provide small-scale businesses to help them cater for their wards.”
She urged them to take care of themselves and their wards in accordance with their respective religious injunctions, noting that, “God is aware of your condition and only Him can take care of you the most. I will like to reiterate that the widows and orphans in our midst are part of us and they will continue to remain part of us. It is therefore our responsibilities to come to their aid by making sure that they are comfortable. Consequently, their plight will continue to be our priorities,” pointing out that the gesture was a tip of the iceberg in the association’s commitment to alleviate the untold hardship of the wives and children of Police officers, who died in the course of defending their nation, adding that the effort was just to express their love and care to them.
Speaking on behalf of the Command, the Deputy Commissioner of Police, in charge of Administration, Mr. John Amadi, commended Hajiya Salma for organizing the event saying, “this is a very touching event for the nature of our policing in the country. Policing is a high risk prone profession. Any wife of a police officer can be a widow at any time and that is what we signed for. What the Police Commissioner’s wife, the Kano POWA chairperson, Hajiya Salma Rabiu Yusuf, by putting a little drop in the ocean to show concern and the welfare of our widows. I hail POWA for this noble exercise for touching the lives of the widows and the orphans, whose husbands were killed while performing their duties.
Most of the widows, who spoke to our reporter, praised Hajiya Yusuf and the leadership of POWA for their compassionate disposition. They described the gesture as very timely and helpful.
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Mother of six commits suicide in Kano
An 85-year-old woman, identified as, Malama Salamatu Hassan of Jar-Kuka village in Gezawa Local Government area of Kano on Sunday committed suicide by hanging on a tree.
An eyewitness told our reporter that the lifeless body of the woman, a mother of six, was found dangling on a tree, few meters away from the village in the early hours of Sunday.
Her grandson, Muhammad Ibrahim, disclosed to newsmen in Kano that the late Salamu was missing for two days before her life-less body was found today (Monday).
Contacted, the Public Relations Officer of the Kano State Police Command, DSP Magaji Musa Majia, who confirmed the incident, said the woman was suffering from mental disorder.
The Divisional Police Officer led his team to the scene and conveyed her body to Sir Muhammadu Sanusi General Hospital, where she was confirmed dead.
Meanwhile, the late Malama has been buried according to Muslim rites, while her immediate family members, as at the time of filing this report were still in a state of shock and disbelief over the bizarre incident. -
Kano Airport runway okay, says Minister
The Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, has said the runway and taxi pavement of the Aminu Kano International Airport are in perfect shape.
Sirika, who stated this yesterday during a facility tour to the airport, noted that the existing runway had the capacity to carry all types of aircraft.
“The runway is okay, it is in good condition, we just inspected it and we are happy with it,” he said.
The minister said the ongoing new terminal project at the airport was at an advanced stage, though the contractor did not give a definite date of completion.
“The terminal building project is a very good job and I think that with a little more push, we should be there and it will be ready for completion.
“We will discuss the completion date with the contractor and make it available to you.
“This is purely a federal airport so there is no need for any kind of contribution from the state government. This tour of the facility is to ascertain the level of work done at the airport,” he added.
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Kano to retire traditional rulers after 35 years in service
The Kano State House of Assembly on Tuesday adopted a joint report of the House Committee on Pension and Judiciary seeking to amend the Kano State Pension and Gratuity Law 2014.
The adoption of the amendment if assented to by the governor would lead to the retirement of traditional rulers who had exceeded the mandatory 35 years of service or attained 60 years.
The Chairman of the House Committee on Pension, Alhaji Ali Shanono, presented the report which was unanimously adopted by the members.
According to Shanono, the civil service rules provides that civil servants should be retired after attaining 35 years in service or 60 years.
Shanono added that any traditional ruler, who is on the civil service pay roll and had attained such age should be retired and be converted.
He said the committee also recommended that after the retirement of the traditional rulers, the state should have them reappointed on temporary team until their death or voluntary exit.
He said that the committee recommended that such monarchs should be place on consolidated allowance. The traditional rulers to be affected include District, Ward and village heads.
Speaker Kabiru Rurum also announced at plenary that the House had commenced the 2017 budget defence for the 44 local government areas.