The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Kano

  • Travails of motorcycle riders

    Travails of motorcycle riders

    It agreed is agreed that most motorcycle riders in Nigeria, especially the commercial riders, are untrained, reckless and ill-mannered among other qualifications.

    These factors, among others, have contributed to the high rate of accidents involving motorcycle riders. These have led to their ban on some roads in several states, such as Lagos, Kano, Delta and Edo states (although, no state in Nigeria has deemed it fit to encourage the riders to go for compulsory training in their training facilities or driving schools).

    Be that as it may, I want to use this forum to clearly state that the motorcycle riders are not all the time guilty of the accidents involving them. I also want to point out here the unfair treatments being meted to them.

    Recently, I was on a journey from Abuja to Minna and the driver of the car I boarded almost pushed a motorcycle rider into the bush in a bid to have his way on the road. I challenged the driver for intimidating and infringing on the right of the rider on the road.

    As part of the driver training and re-training programmes, every driver must understand the following salient facts about motorcycle riders;

    • That the motorcycle riders have the same right as other vehicle drivers on the road;

    • That the same traffic laws apply to both the motorcycle riders and the drivers of other categories of vehicles;

    •That motorcycles and other categories of vehicles are entitled to the same share of the lane on every road. This is the main point I want to elucidate futher in this article.

    Virtually, every driver believe that motorcycle riders are only entitled to a small portion of the carriage way towards the edge of the roads. Some drivers even believe that the riders are only entitled to the road shoulder.

    During my research, I noticed that about 90 per cent of drivers do terrorise or intimidate motorcycle riders on the road. They do the same to pedestrians. For example, it is fond of drivers to be pressing their horn whenever they are behind a motorcycle riders. Some drivers even face motorcycle riders while overtaking wrongly, thereby threatening and urging him to move away from the road for them to pass, an act they don’t display when they are behind or facing fellow vehicles. Some drivers are even in the habit of tailgating the motorcycle riders in a bid to threaten them to move away from the road for them to pass. A driver must know that he has to maintain the normal following – distance behind a motorcycle till it is safe for him to overtake the rider without being forced off the road.Many riders have been hit or pushed into the bush through this bad driving habit.

    Henceforth, the drivers of all categories of vehicles (including articulated vehicles) should know that they have equal rights with riders on the roads. Therefore, all drivers must respect the rights of motorcycle riders and stop intimidating them on the roads.

    I also use this opportunity to implore the federal and state traffic management agencies to stand up and defend the rights of motorcycle riders on the roads by enlightening the drivers on the rights of motorcycle riders and penalise the violators of such rights. This, in no doubt another pointer to the fact that all drivers and riders must be exposed to a comprehensive road safety education in Nigeria to reduce the carnage on our roads.

  • Kano to train 442

    Kano to train 442

    Kano State Government is to train 442 physically challenged persons under its empowerment programme.

    The Director-General of the State Hisbah Board,Abba Sufi, said the physically challenged persons were evacuated from the streets, following the ban on street begging.

    “We held a meeting with their officials yesterday during which we informed them of the government’s plan.

    “The government will train them in various trades so they will be financially empowered to own their own businesses,’’he said.

    Sufi said the government has screened 40 others, who would be employed in the civil service very soon.

    “We have screened 40 others with various qualifications and will soon be employed in the civil service.”

    Sufi said the government directed local government councils to cater for all those who lack the capacity to do any business by providing them with monthly allowance of N10, 000.

    The director called on all physically challenged persons to go to their respective local governments to register to enable them benefit from the empowerment programme.

    On returnees from the Central African Republic, Sufi said the state had dispatched vehicles to Abuja to bring the state’s 300 indigenes.

    “As soon as they arrive in Kano, they would be transported to their local governments,” he said.

  • 50 schools closed in Kano

    Kano State Task Force Committee on Education has shut 50 private schools, which failed to return forms given to them by the Committee for Data Collection.

    At a briefing, Chairman of the Task Force Committee on Private Schools, Baba Abubakar Umar, said the data would be used for planning.

    The chairman lamented that of 3,000 private schools in the state, the committee only registered 1,294, of which 646 returned their forms.

  • FG spends N100b on projects in Kano

    FG spends N100b on projects in Kano

    Contrary to the erroneous impression that the federal government has abandoned Kano in terms of projects execution, the Minister State of Works and Housing, Ambassador Bashir Yuguda, yesterday in Kano affirmed that the federal government has spent not less than N100 billion in the execution of seven different projects spread across the state.

    During his inspection of the second overhead bridge which is being financed by the federal government and is still under construction, Yuguda reiterated that the federal government is committed to the development of the ancient city of Kano, confirming that the Federal Ministry of Works is currently executing over seven different projects in Kano.

    According to him, the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan is to spend not less than N100 billion for the completion of the seven ongoing projects, comprising the overhead bridge on Zaria Road, Kano as well as Maiduguri Road and the dualisation of Katsina road, including the construction of Baballe Bridge and the dualisation of Kurna to Asabe road project.

    Also, Yuguda disclosed that it was the people of Kano who initiated the execution of the over seven projects to Kano, including Mohammed Abacha and Bashir Wali, who have been visiting President Jonathan and pleading for the projects to be sited in the state.

    “Indeed, all these projects could not have been possible if President Jonathan did not have Kano in his mind and kept talking about the state. However, the insistence of personalities like Mohammad Abacha and Bashir Wali contributed immensely to the speedy realisations of the projects,” Bashir Yuguda narrated.

     

  • ‘International flights from Kano airport will save passengers’ stress’

    ‘International flights from Kano airport will save passengers’ stress’

    There is a consensus of opinion that the commencement of international flights from the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, will have far-reaching impact on the air travelling public from that axis.

    That much the Federal Government has assured.

    According to the Coordinating Manager of Aviation Parastatals, Mr Yakubu Dati, the commencement of direct flight between Kano and Istanbul by Turkish Airlines will go a long way to reduce the inconvenience passengers go through in their bid to travel to other parts of the world from Kano.

    Dati said: ” With this development, travelers especially businessmen and women from the North would now be saved the stress of first travelling to Lagos or Abuja before being able to board an international flight to any part of the world.”

    The inaugural flight of Turkish Airlines from Mallam Aminu Kano Internatioal Airport, Kano departed at the weekend to Istanbul en-route Ndjamena with 105 passengers on board.

    Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah, expressed delight at the start of flight operations by the Turkish Airlines in Kano.

    Represented by the Commissioner of the AIB, Capt. Usman Muktar, she described the commencement of Turkish Airlines’ flight at the Mallam Aminu Kano Airport as another milestone in the aviation industry.

    Earlier, the governor of Kano State, Alhaji Rabiu Kwankwaso, received the vice president of Turkish Airlines who was on board the inaugural flight when it arrived from Istanbul.

    Governor Kwankwaso who spoke at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport where he led other dignitaries to witness the inaugural flight from Istanbul, Turkey, said: “I believe the coming of Turkish Airlines will go a long way in strengthening the relationship that has been existing between us for very long time.”

    Expatiating, he said: “It is truly exciting to see that my people will no longer travel to Abuja and Lagos to board a flight to Istanbul which will also connect them to both Europe and Asia. Turkey is a country which sits in between Europe and Asia.”

    He noted that because of the long standing relationship, “when we were sending 501 students last year to 11 countries, we deliberately decided to make Turkey one of the 11 countries,” adding that “right now we have 125 young men and women of Kano State origin studying Postgraduate courses in Turkey.

    The General Manager, Turkish Airlines, Kano, Mr Ahmet Can Akbuga said “it is a dream fulfilled commencing flight between Istanbul, Turkey and Kano, Nigeria,” adding that “we thank the Governor for standing by us and the Minister of Aviation for her tireless effort.”

    According to him, “the inauguration of flights from Turkey business centre, Istanbul to Kano will build bridge that will bring the two cities closer.”

  • Kano spends N278m on mass weddings, empowerment programmes

    UNDER the fourth phase of its divorcees, widows and spinsters mass marriage programme, the Kano State government has expended the sum of N278, 270, 000 to facilitate the wedding of 1,111 couples. The state governor, Rabi’u Kwankwaso stated this during a civic reception organized for the couples and graduation of the first phase of 4,400 women trained in different skills and family orientation under a programme tagged “Kwanwasiyya Women Empowerment scheme”, and graduation of 220 women who were trained in TV production and media practice. The governor explained that the money was used to procure furniture, textile materials, foodstuff, as well as capital grants to facilitate petty trading for the brides and other essential items. Describing the event as unprecedented in the history of the West African sub-region, the governor said the marriage pro- gramme was initiated to help people strengthen the family institution and to halt social crimes in the society, most of which are as a result of the erosion of family values. Governor Kwankwaso maintained that his administration also initiated a special family orientation programme aimed at preventing and minimizing the rising cases of divorce in the state, in addition to evolving capacity-building programmes for women to enable them support their families.

  • Kano set to tackle cholera as five residents die

    Kano set to tackle cholera as five residents die

    Kano State government yesterday confirmed the death of five of the 336 victims of cholera.

    Commissioner for Health Labaran Yusuf said measures were being taken to curb the disease, which has cost over N20 million in the last one week.

    Yusuf urged residents to take measures to avoid its spread.

    He said the ministry had pre-positioned needed drugs in all the affected areas.

    “We have also engaged in mass health education and enlightenment, created cholera treatment centres and begun public awareness and case-supporting initiatives.”

    The commissioner urged residents to report cases of gastroenteritis and vomiting to health care centres.

    He advised residents to wash vegetables and fruits and avoid roadside food and unprotected drinks.

    Yusuf listed other measures as the restriction and confinement of victims, ensuring that water was boiled before drinking and washing hands after using the toilet.

    The commissioner directed health care facilitators to avoid isolated areas.

    In Nasarawa Local Government yesterday, 23 health workers were dismissed for allegedly denying five children immunisation against polio.

    The Head of Department, Primary Health Care, Muazu Muhammed Doka, said the affected workers included five supervisors and 18 vaccinators, who were deployed to Hotoro North.

    Doka said the local government and some other key stakeholders have mapped out strategies to intensify awareness and ensure thorough monitoring of the vaccinators.

    He warned that anyone found guilty of manipulation around would be punished.

  • Are Kano groundnut pyramids gone forever?

    Are Kano groundnut pyramids gone forever?

    ONCE, the pyramids were a breathtaking sight in Kano. Apart from the sheer industry of the workers, there was art, if not science, in the groundnut heaps. The workmen laid down one bag after another and in time, they built such stunning structures towering in the sky, with the grandeur of the Egyptian pyramids.

    Such was their allure that they graced the national currency. now, the Kano pyramids are spoken of only in the past tense. Is it the end of the memorable heaps? Or have Kano producers simply found better and modern ways of doing what their forebears used to do?

    Minister of Agriculture Dr. Akinwumi Adesina has told an international audience that Nigeria will regain its leading status in groundnut production. Did he have Kano groundnut producers or their memorable pyramids in mind?

    For decades, Kano was already a bustling commercial city before the advent of the colonial masters. Economic and commercial activities thrived with the natives engaging in various crafts ranging from weaving, dying, embroidery as well as tanning.

    From the late 1950s came the boom of groundnut production in the ancient city. Businessmen like the late Alhaji Alhasan Dantata who had connections spanning the West African horizon, exploited the trans-Sahara trade routes to push their wares to the Gold Coast (now Ghana), Niger Republic, Cameroon, Senegal, Mali, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Libya and even beyond the shores of Africa, up to Saudi Arabia.

    There was also a heavy presence of foreign businessmen who visited the ancient city every quarter of the year or so for the purchase of such wares as locally made textiles, hides, groundnut and other agricultural products. Then, Kano, unlike other cities in northern Nigeria, witnessed tremendous patronage from both local and international businessmen.

    As a result of this, most of the foreigners, particularly, the Lebanese who came to do business in the city, decided to buy land, build houses and settle down. This was so because of the striking similarities in Kano’s culture with that of immigrants from the Middle East.

    The magnificent presence of the high pyramids has now given way to buildings while some commercial activities take place where the nuts once reigned supreme. But one might wonder what is it that we failed to do that killed the production of the one-time pride of the north. Curious minds have had unanswerable thoughts lingering in their minds.

    Could it be lack of patronage or poor policy on the part of the government? In the era of the groundnut pyramids after the discovery of oil, misfortune befell the groundnut farmers as a deadly disease destroyed their harvest which contributed in the disappearance of the pyramids. Worse, there was no government intervention.

    Recently, the Agriculture minister said an international gathering of agricultural researchers and policymakers in Patancheru, India that Nigeria would rebound as a leading groundnut producer in the world.

    According to the global food security index, Nigeria is rated the 80th among the top producers of protein food crops, ranking third in the production of groundnuts after India and China, but one wonders why groundnuts cannot earn valuable foreign revenue exchange for Nigeria.

    The production of groundnuts in large quantities actually gave the ancient city a coveted position in the economic map of the world as the wares were dramatically displayed in a pyramidal shape as a way of storage. Apart from being an economic asset, the famous Kano groundnut pyramids added spice to the tourist prowess of the state as visitors from the world over would visit the groundnut pyramids just for sight-seeing.

    But after the civil war, the military government of General Yakubu Gowon split the regions into 12 states and Kano became one of the states in the federation. Gradually, the symbol of groundnut pyramids began to die off. Today in Kano, there is no groundnut pyramid anywhere. Many writers have opined that since the effacement of the groundnut pyramids, Kano has lost its position as the highest groundnut producing state in the country, but a Kano-based groundnut farmer, Alhaji Yakubu Manzali disagreed with this notion, He said that the state has rather devised a modernised method of storing groundnut instead of arranging sacks of groundnut in a pyramidal form, a method which he described as not only archaic but out of fashion.

    Also speaking, Kano State Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Hajia Baraka Sani noted that the fact people do not see sacks of groundnuts piled up in pyramidal form does not mean that Kano has lost its title as number one state in the production of groundnut.

    “When you see the re-appearance of groundnut pyramid in the physical form, it means we are in trouble. During the days of the groundnut pyramid, Kano served as a collection centre for the product; that was when we had famous traders like Alhaji Alhasan Dantata and their like; we had a vibrant commodity board in Kano when people served as middlemen between industrialists and the producers. And the products were being exported from here. But now, there are a lot of agro-allied industries in the state that make use of groundnut as raw material; the only thing that needs to be done is to expand the production output so that we can help our farmers to improve their yields so as to be able to meet up with the high market demand and to also help the farmers to fight diseases that could attack the seed. By doing this, the agro-allied industries will continue to boom while we will have even more than enough to export. However, the fact remains that we now use modern mechanisms to store and preserve groundnut in Kano.”

    The Nation, however, visited some of the sites where the groundnut pyramids were erected located in Brigade, Dan Agundi, Kofar Mazugal, Dawakin Kudu, Bebeji Those pyramids are no longer there as the one in Dan Agundi now bears the former Bank of the North structure, while the Kofar Mazugal Groundnut Pyramid site is now used by criminals and social miscreants as their hideouts in the night, while in the day time, it is used as a driving school field. The one in Brigade is occupied by Kano Oil Mill, a moribund local factory.

     

  • Revitalising Nigeria’s museums and monuments

    Museums and monuments wherever they exist, are repositories of knowledge and information where high profile treasure troves are being kept and adequately preserved to serve as archives of cultural heritage for tourists’ attraction or for students of history to use as a symbol of reference. They equally serve as outfits for showcasing the identity and cultural heritage of a certain creed, in such a way that one is not often subjected to the rigours of research in knowing the genuine identity of a certain clan, race or ancestral root of one, at a given time.

    Knowing the complex nature of Nigeria as an entity which comprises so many regions, tribes and their respective pedigrees, one is compelled to believe that the National Commission for Museums and Monuments must be headed by a man who is intellectually versed and proficient to steer its affairs properly.

    With what had transpired in the last four eventful years at the National Commission for Museums and Monuments under the stewardship of Yusuf Abdullah Usman, the commission had recorded some monumental feats and at the same time protected, preserved and promoted Nigerian antiquities not in a manner of school-master disputation but through consultation, engagement and buy-in of all shades of stakeholders. This is critical as culture is a social product that can only be preserved and promoted with the involvement of the people.

    As a former Director of Monument, Heritage and Sites, former Curator of some National Museums and Head of the Ethnography Unit of the Commission, Usman on assumption of office envisioned the pressing need to host a retreat to diagnose the challenges facing the management of our national heritage resources in general and the commission in particular and come up with some salient points to be addressed, all toward revitalizing the sector.

    The historic retreat, which was in line with the quest for a paradigm shift with culture spearheading developmental initiatives through optimum utilization of resource, brought all the Directors and their Deputies, Unit museums Curators and that of Institute of Archeology and Museums Studies Jos. (IAMS).

    The immediate result of this intellectual exercise was the convening of a workshop involving past managers of the commission such as former chairmen, board members, Directors-General, Directors and unit heads as well as university lecturers to review the law establishing the commission in order to strengthen the legal and administrative framework for heritage management in the 21th century. The outcome of this review is currently receiving the attention of government before submission to the National Assembly for legislation.

    To promote museums practice, sensitize stakeholders on its importance and capture the attention of policy makers, a series of exhibitions need to be carried out to expose the cultural richness of Nigeria. The commission under Usman’s leadership did just the same as it held exhibitions in three major European cities of London, Stockholm and Frankfurt and U.S cities of Houston, Virginia and Indianapolis which helped to modify Nigeria’s image outside oil.

    At home a series of exhibitions were also carried out by all of the Commission’s 45 museum outlets with a new focus to serve as educational resource centres. The themes include Integrity and Sacrifice: the life and time of Late Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa, in Bauchi; Nigerian Art in the Circle of Life in Lagos; Kano City Walls and Gates: Past, Present and Future, in Kano and; Slavery and Slave Trade in Calabar. Meanwhile the construction of four National Unity Museums planned after the civil war and abandoned several years ago after those of Ibadan and Enugu have been continued with that of Maiduguri nearing completion.

    As a way of combating looting of archaeological and heritage sites and illicit trafficking of antiquities community museums are currently under construction in Ogbomosho, Shelleng, Orumba and Oke Surulere. My findings also indicate that research was given a new impetus as results publicized in four new publications. These are: Mapping of Archaeological Sites, Ethnography for Development, Selection and Installation of Traditional Rulers and Kola nut as Symbol of National Unity. Three new journals are also ready for public presentation early next year.

    Out of Usman’s penchant for establishing a firm presence of the commission in Abuja, he submitted formal request for the construction of National Museum in Abuja in addition to securing grant of a new office accommodation in Abuja and movement of part of the headquarters close to the seat of power at the federal secretariat.

    To achieve diversification and specialization of museums in Nigeria, two museums for Nigeria’s foremost archaeological sites have been established in Nok and Igbo Ukwu, the later with the support of Kaduna State government. Similarly a Natural History Gallery has been set up at National Museum Jos, a Rock Art Interpretation Centre in Birnin-Birnin Kudu, Jigawa State and a Craft Museum in Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom. Meanwhile Christian Missionary Museum in Calabar and an Islamic Art Museum in Ilorin are in the offing.

    To properly manage heritage sites in Nigeria and enlist more sites into the world heritage list, the commission had vigorously effected a review of management plans and inauguration of management committees for Osun- Osogbo and Sukur World Heritage Sites. Dossiers on Oke Idanre, Surame, Oban Hills and Kano Walls are undergoing review before submission to UNESCO while 100 new sites have been selected for national listing.

    Knowing the inescapable fact that the giant feats recorded by the commission can only be consolidated by improving staff welfare for productivity to prevail, Usman effected the payment of transfer claims on a continuous basis in addition to lending credence to the payment of death benefits and repatriation allowances also on a continuous basis. He also established a special committee to address complaints on promotions and ensure prompt and up to date promotion of staff. Staff Training within and outside the country has more than doubled while the Commission’s training arm, the IAMS in Jos now enjoys enhanced salary scale of CONRISS.

    No doubt NCMM has enjoyed enhanced visibility in the last four years. Many organizations, states and local governments are approaching the commission for support to establish museum, notably the Nigerian Air force, Custom Service, the Police, Central Bank of Nigeria, Federal Inland Revenue Service, etc.

    It was Usman’s contention that all that he had achieved and the turbulent waters he had traversed in giving the commission a new vista was as a result of the firm support and goodwill he had enjoyed from a crop of dedicated and hard working staff, the President through the Minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, the National Assembly, sister parastatals and various communities in the country.

    Usman, has indeed brought a breath of fresh air to the National Commission for Museums and Monuments which had endeared him to the majority of those who had worked under him and the President who had given him the task. The giant strides recorded in the commission so far is concrete evidence while the prestigious Award of Excellence conferred on Mr Y. A. Usman by the Fiscal Transparency and Accountability Initiative is an eloquent testimony.

    • Preye, a culture expert, wrote from Gwarimpa Estate, Abuja.

     

  • Two soldiers, five militants die in army/Boko Haram clash

    Two soldiers, five militants die in army/Boko Haram clash

    A fresh clash erupted yesterday in Kano between  a combined team of the Kano Joint Task Force (JTF) and Directorate of State Security (DSS) with the Islamist sect, Boko Haram.

    When the dust settled, two soldiers and five of the fundamentalists had died.

    The shootout occurred at Hotoro Dan’Marke Quarters and Brigade quarters at about 3am and lasted about three hours.

    Residents said the security agents had stormed two houses in the affected areas apparently following a tip off about the presence of terrorists there.

    A gun duel between the two sides soon ensued but the law enforcements agents gained the upper hand.

    They recovered two AK47 rifles, 458 rounds of 7.62 special and 6 AK47 rifle magazines from the hideouts.

    Security sources said the suspected terrorists were finalising plans to carry out simultaneous suicide attacks in Abuja and Kano when the soldiers struck.

    Spokesman for the JTF, Capt. Ikedichi Iweha, said  the JTF operation had “denied the terrorists freedom of action in Kano and from using the state as a spring board to launch attacks on other parts of the country.

    “This is due to the cooperation the JTF is receiving from members of the general public.”

    The JTF spokesman noted that the recent rise in activities of members of the terrorist sect might  not be unconnected with “the increase in pressure being mounted on them by troops in the North Eastern axis and their desperation to make loud statements of their presence.”

    He, however, expressed worries over “the ease with which terrorists secure accommodation easily in Panshekara, Ja’en, Mariri, Farawa, Hotoro, Sherada, Brigade and other outskirt areas in the state despite appeals by the JTF to property owners to desist from renting their properties to persons with questionable identities. The JTF in Kano would not allow the state to be used as haven for terrorists.”

    The   JTF, he vowed, would not only “continue to destroy any such properties found to accommodate terrorists but will also arrest the owners of such properties,  treating them as accomplices even if they do not reside in the said property.”