The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Kano

  • Abdullahi seeks participation in Kano fair

    The Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority Mallam Habib Abdullahi has urged Northern states to support the Kano Chamber of Commerce by participating in its forthcoming trade fair.

    He said the event would be an avenue for them to showcase their potentials and attract investors to their states.

    Abdullahi, who spoke in Lagos when he received the executives of the chamber in his office, urged the organisers to impress it on participants to change their apathy towards the event by displaying their potentials.

    He said the Authority would not only ensure full participation in the 34th edition of the fair, but also support it to ensure its success. He urged the organisers to maintain standards, to achieve results.

    President of the chamber, Alhaji Farouk Rabiu, praised NPA for taking part in previous fairs, adding that the chamber has introduced new business opportunities through training, seminars and workshops on commerce and investments in the new editions.

     

  • Pro-Morsi rally paralyses Kano

    Over 1,000 Muslim faithful yesterday in the ancient city took to the streets to protest the deposition and continued detention of former Egyptian President, Dr Muhammad Morsi.

    Morsi was ousted in the July 3 coup-d-tat.

    The coalition of some Muslim groups in the North under the auspices of Alliance of Muslim Organisations and Civil Right Groups in Northern Nigeria staged a rally at the Kofa Mata Mosque.

    It comprises Jamaatut, Tajdidil, Islamy (JTI), Jamaatut Muslimin, Sokoto State; Centre for Promotion Sharia; Muslim Lawyers Association of Nigeria; Joint Youth Islamic Organisations, Zamfara State and Sheikh Abdullahi Fodio Centre for Daawa, Zamfara State.

    The protesters called for the release of the former Egyptian President and his reinstatement.

    The placard -carrying demonstrators said they were joining the league of those countries that believe in fairness and the promotion of democratic ideals.

    They denounced the atrocities taking place in Egypt.

    Some of the placards read: “Deposing of the legitimated government of Dr Muhammad Morsi and replacing his government with illegal and illegitimate civilian Interim Government, answerable to the Military is totally unacceptable.

    ‘’Waging a war of extermination against the Ikhwanumuslimun, which saw the killing of more than 2,000 Egyptians and over 10, 000 others sustaining varying degree of injury for engaging in peaceful protest against the overthrow of the Civilian Government is a rape of Democracy.

    They also frowned at the continued arrest, detention and torture of Egyptians, including the Spiritual head Ikhwan, Dr Muhammad Badi’e; his deputy, Dr Khairat As-shatir; the Chairman and Secretary of Al-Wasat party and respected Ulamas.

    They accused the country’s Military leaders of initiating the process of banning the Ikhwan and outlawing it from Egyptian political land scape.

    The protesters pointed out there was also an attempt to remove the Sharia law from the constitution and ‘’making the so called political Islam unlawful’’

    Leader of the coalition, Alhaji Abubakar Mujahid said: ’’It is our ardent belief that from the start, there was an international conspiracy against the Ikhwan in Egypt.

    “There was an attempt to stop them from participating in the election.

    “When that failed, attempts were made to stop them from winning. When they won, a lot of hurdles were thrown on Morsi to not achieve a successful tenure.

     

  • Kano blast: Three kids buried in Anambra

    THE remains of three kids from the same parent brutally killed at the July 29 multiple bomb blast, which rocked the Sabon Gari area in Kano have been laid to rest.

    They were buried in their home town, Uga in Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State at the weekend.

    Chinemerem (14), Chiamaka (12) and Nmesomachukwu (10) died in the blast at Sabon Gari predominantly occupied by the non-indigenous community with an estimated population of three million.

    Sources close to the bereaved family stated that their father, Nnamadi Ezebuala, a Kano-based businessman, is still lying critically ill at the Mallam Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH) following injuries sustained in the blast.

    No fewer than 20 persons died in the terrorists’ attack believed to have been carried out by the radical Islamic sect, Boko Haram while other sustained severe injuries.

    It was gathered the victims were attending service at the Salvation Church when the terrorists struck.

    Chinemerem and two of his younger sisters were in Kano to spend the holiday with their Kano-based parents.

    Family sources stated that the corpses were conveyed to their home town for burial by a delegation of the Uga Improvement Union in Kano.

    The corpses were retrieved from the Mallam Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital mortuary.

    Two members of the delegation, Samuel Ezeamaka and Bassey Ezeugo, said doctors are battling to save the life of Ezebuala.

     

  • Kano establishes 20 micro-finance banks

    Twenty out of the 37 newly established micro-finance banks (MFBs) in Kano State have begun operation.

    Alhaji Rabi’u Ibrahim, the Managing Consultant of MFBs in Kano State, disclosed this in an interview with journalists in Kano.

    He said that the remaining 17 banks would soon start operation as soon as the construction of their business premises was completed.

    “Prior to the establishment of the 37 micro-finance banks, there were eight existing micro-finance banks in the state.

    “So, with the new 37 micro-finance banks, the number of the banks has risen to 45 in the state,’’ he said.

    Ibrahim said that the establishment of the banks in the state would bridge the existing gaps in micro-finance banking in the country.

    He noted that Lagos State had over 200 micro-finance banks, while Imo had over 100 MFBs.

    “A total of 444 workers have so far been recruited to work in the 37 new micro-finance banks in the state.

    “We recruited a minimum number of 12 staff for each of the 37 banks, from the managing directors down to messengers and cleaners,’’ he said.

    Ibrahim noted that most of the recruited staff had already received training organised by a financial institution in the state.

    The 37 newly established micro-finance banks were inaugurated on January 8 by Malam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

     

  • Kano! oh, my dear Kano

    If I were to be a poet, there are two cities in Northern Nigeria that I would have written poems about. Poems that if they don’t possess the quality, international influence and reputation of Ibadan, J.P. Clark’s immortal and iconic poem about Ibadan city in Western Nigeria, I would have at least been able to make my attachment to the two cities known.

    Well, since I am not a poet and can no longer find myself writing poetry, or something as elevating as to be called one, I am going to reminiscence and pay my tributes to these two cities in the best way I can. The two cities in question are Jos and Kano. As I am always proud and quick to tell anyone who cares to listen: I was born and bred in Jos, Plateau State and had my adult and tertiary education in Kano.

    Jos is the lovely city of my childhood where I grew and made friends across all boundaries – religious, ethnic, nationality etc- while Kano is the city of my adulthood.

    For those who may have read my book, Home Away From Home: History of Ogbomoso People in Jos, in that book I paid glowing obeisance to the city of my birth and the good people made that city to be home to all. It was there that I formed my views and opinions about the world. I’ll not write much about Jos here as my opinion is already captured in that book.

    This piece is about Kano. In the eighties, I found myself heading to that city after working as a freelance reporter in Jos for about four years. Going to Kano was for me another level of education and getting to see further what the northern part of the country was like. Note the word ‘was.’ Schooling there was fun and exciting; life was easy going and there was no fear of any harassment or intimidation. I fondly remember that we had many students who came from the southern part, especially from Lagos and Ondo states, to join us as students. It was their first time of journeying that far to the north and most of them confessed that they loved it.

    Those ones saw most of us who grew up in the north as their chaperones and pathfinders. As students we always looked forward to weekends to leave the campus for the Sabon Gari area of the town. Here we were free to have our fun and we went from one drinking and fun spot to the other rollicking. It was here that our colleagues who were from the south always felt nostalgic. We met countless numbers of Igbo, Yoruba, Urhobo, Ijaw and other southern ethnic groups. Kano was no doubt a home away from home. We never thought ourselves to be strangers.

    It was in Sabon Gari that we met an elderly Igbo man who we all regarded as our father. He used to run a shop which we, as students, called ‘one stop stall’; the reason was that there was virtually nothing you were looking for that you would not get there. Papa, as we used to call him, was a mobile encyclopaedia, if not of the history of Kano, at least of that of Sabon Gari. When he knew we were students he was elated and anytime we went to his shop he was always ready to tell us the history of Kano as he knew it.

    He would regale us with the history of the civil war and how he survived the period of the war in the city without running to the east when almost all Igbo and other ethnic groups from that part of the country fled home. He told us of how his friend one Mallam Hassan ( I hope I remember the name correctly) saved his life by hiding him in his house and manning his own shop throughout the three years the civil war lasted. Every night Mallam Hassan came back home and rendered account of his sales to him without flinching a kobo off him. He instilled in us the resilience and love of the human spirit over fear, crises and turbulence. Emphasising that no one is bad because of his origin but by upbringing and choice. According to Papa, who then should be in his late seventies, the fact that he was Igbo was purely a choice by God which he as a human had no place in determining. He surely must be dead by now. This was over twenty five years ago.

    Kano was home and no one ever thought we were going to have to feel threatened anywhere one resided. Sabon Gari was the veritable watering hole for all ethnic groups. As many who have ever visited the core north knows, selling and drinking of alcohol is restricted in most parts of the old cities. However, Sabon Gari is a land free from those laws and because the university is located in the area of the city where alcohol is restricted those of us who felt the need of escaping the stifling environment at the weekend always journey there to have our fill.

    This was not restricted to only southerners; I know many of our northern colleagues who during the week observe the strict code of abstaining from alcohol but who we all at the weekend meet at Iya Sikira or Okoro’s bar in Sabon Gari!

    Some of the victims of Tuesday’s orgy of violence in Kano could have been any of us. Who would have thought that some blood sucking individuals would dream up such a devilish act to take other people’s lives? They could have been students like us. The devil has taken over and we no longer feel safe in our country. Will any parent ever feel confident to send their wards to the north again to study?

    I recently took a peek at the admission list of some universities across the country and what I saw was not encouraging. Many applicants from the south are no longer keen in applying for admission anywhere in the north while some from the north too are afraid to cross to the south. Is this how to unify a country and educate our kids? Why do we feel it is safer to send our wards to far-flung places in the Antarctica, Asia and even unknown and uncharted territories in the Americas and far Europe than anywhere in our country?

    How can we restore confidence in our country and begin to live and relate with one another as human beings? When will this bloodletting stop? Who will stop it? When will Kano return to its past glory?

    Kano, oh my dear Kano.

  • Kano death toll hits 45

    Kano death toll hits 45

    -Army, police: 12 people died

    -Kwankwaso: it’s an attack on Nigeria

    -President, NSA in emergency meeting 

     

    There was still no clear figure yesterday of the dead in Monday’s multiple explolsions in Kano.

    The army and the police said 12 people died, but the Igbo community claimed that the bombings killed 45.

    The explosions tore through Sabon Gari, an area occupied mainly by non-indigenes.

    No fewer than 24 died, according to an hospital official.

    Kano is the North’s biggest and main commercial city, where Boko Haram had struck in the past.

    No group has claimed responsibility for the explosions, which bear all the imprimatur of the notorious Islamist sect.

    At least four explosions were heard around outdoor bars in Sabon Gari, causing panic and sending clouds of smoke and dust into the air, according to residents.

    A Pentecostal church was also burnt down where many people died.

    The President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo in Kano, Chief Michael Tobias Idika, who put the death toll at 45, said in a statement:

    “On Monday, July 29, between 9 and 9:30 pm, terrorists invaded Sabon Gari, an enclave carved out for non-natives, and planted Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), which exploded almost simultaneously at Enugu/Igbo Road, near International Hotel; and on New Road, directly opposite the popular Ado Bayero Square—precisely at No. 38, 39, 40 and 41.

    “At 41 New Road, the Christ Salvation Pentecostal Church was also bombed at the peak of evening worship. Ohanaeze’s account can confirm 39 deaths in New Road and six in Igbo/Enugu Road; and also unspecified number of people got injured.

    “The team of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Kano State chapter, arrived at the scenes at about 9:30 p.m. and witnessed the movement of bodies and the wounded by security agencies, especially the Army.

    “Ohanaeze Ndigbo, however, can recall that this is not the first time terrorists have invaded Sabon Gari, particularly, New Road. In fact, on that same spot where the latest incident happened, several attempts have been made to terrorise Nigerian citizens. As a reputable organisation, we call for adequate security of lives and property in northern Nigeria.

    “Ohanaeze Ndigbo also commends the spirited efforts of the Assistant Inspector General of Police David Omojola in-charge of Zone 1, who was accompanied by the Commissioner of Police, Musa Daura, to the scene of the incident for on-the-spot assessment.

    However, without fear of contradiction, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Kano registers its deep feelings over the unprovoked attacks on Sabon Gari, Kano, dominated by Ndigbo.

    “At this point, Ohanaeze Ndigbo calls on President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to make haste and protect the lives of citizens resident in the northern part of the country, particularly, in Kano, with undisputed status of boosting economy and politics in Nigeria.

    “To all the departed souls and the wounded in this grievous attack, we register our deep sympathy and only hope that those in authorities, including all security agencies, would brace and take decisive action to end this carnage – man’s inhumanity to man.”

    Another community Leader Prince Ajayi Memaiyetan, said: “What happened is that for the past two months, we in Kano have been enjoying peace of the graveyard.

    “We are waiting for security agencies to give us details on what really happened. I was at Festing Road when I heard the first blast and I had to manoeuvre like other residents to run for dear life. The truth is that the security is not as effective as before because of the lull in attacks.”

    Residents of Sabon Gari were going about their activities in silent anger, anguish and apprehension yesterday.

    The military, which has been battling the insurgents across the North, especially in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states that are under a state of emergency, said packages that caused the explosions were left in the area.

    “We have at the moment 24 bodies in our morgue and three patients in our emergency ward from the explosions in Sabon Gari last night,” said Aminu Inuwa, spokesman for the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital in Kano, who was quoted by French News Agency (AFP)

    “The dead had shrapnel wounds on them,” he added.

    Residents described the area as being littered with the personal belongings of those who ran in fear once the explosions began.

    Kano police, in a statement by its spokesman Magaji Majia, an ASP, said: “Multiple explosions at Enugu/Igbo Road and New Road at about 2100 hours, the incident occurred at a Tavern known as Mary Cool and Zuma Cool Spot, respectively.

    “As a result, 12 died on the spot, 12 injured, 19 vehicles parked at the scenes damaged. Bodies and the injured were to Government Hospitals in the state. We are still monitoring events as investigations remain in progress.”

    Authorities of 3 Brigade, Nigerian Army in Kano, also confirmed 12 dead in the multiple attacks.

    Captain Ikedichi Iweaha, spokesman of the Brigade, in a statement, said: “At about 2105 hours 29 July 13 (five minutes after nine pm), sounds of simultaneous explosions were triggered by persons suspected to be members of the Boko Haram terrorist group between numbers 38 – 41 New Road and Igbo Road by Enugu Road, all in Sabon Gari area of Fagge Local Government Council of Kano State.

    “Twelve persons were confirmed to have died from both incidents while a couple of others who sustained various degrees of injuries were rushed to hospitals for medical attention.

    “This latest incident could have been avoided if citizens maintain vigilance to observe when packages are dropped as it was in this case contrary to reports circulating in some section of the media of the attack being one by suicide bombers.

    “You may recollect that the JTF had urged residents of Kano metropolis to keep an eye on their environment as members of the terrorist sect had planned to drop packages in bags or cartons in areas with high human traffic.

    “While the JTF and other security agencies will not rest on their oars to rid the state of all terrorist elements, the general public is enjoined to report promptly, all unattended packages or suspicious persons to the closest security agency for immediate action.

    “The JTF and other security agencies will continue to count on the support and cooperation of the people of Kano to achieve an atmosphere of peace conducive for business.”

  • Amnesty committee gets two-month extension

    Amnesty committee gets two-month extension

    President Goodluck Jonathan has given the Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of Security Challenges in the North additional two months to bring about peace in the northern part of the country.

    The Chairman of the Committee and Minister of Special Duties, Barr Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, disclosed this to State House correspondents at the Presidential Villa on Tuesday.

    Since the committee was inaugurated three months ago, the insurgency in the north has continued, even after the committee claimed that ceasefire agreement was signed with the Boko Haram sect.

    The group had since denied any ceasefire agreement with the Federal Government.

    Lamenting the bomb blasts in Kano on Monday, Turaki maintained that it was sad that some people who do not wish the country well were bent on pulling the hand of the clock backwards despite the serious efforts the government is putting in to resolve the crisis.

     

  • Arewa to Boko Haram: Let’s give peace a chance

    Arewa to Boko Haram: Let’s give peace a chance

    The pan northern socio-political organization, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) on Tuesday asked those involved in violent activities in the country to embrace the offer of dialogue and give peace a chance in the overall interest of the country.

    Reacting to Monday’s explosion in Kano which claimed many lives, the ACF in a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Anthony Sani ,said violence has never been the solution to perceived grievances anywhere in the world.

    While expressing shock over the explosion coming at a time when Muslims were observing the holy month of Ramadan, the forum said that such killings have no place in any religion and in any decent society.

    The statement reads: “the ACF is shocked and sad over the reports of four bomb explosions which killed and wounded many people on Monday in Kano.

    “The killing of innocent people had no place in all religions and in decent societies; and amounts to desecration of the month of Ramadan. They should, therefore, be condemned by all those who cherish core values of peaceful societies like freedom, justice and common decency.

    “It is still the considered opinion of ACF that violence can never resolve any perceived grievances, besides inflicting pains and self-immolation and destruction of innocent people.

    “Only constructive engagement can address concerns positively. Many examples abound across the world that support this contention. That is why ACF would not be tired of asking perpetrators of violence to avail themselves the offer of dialogue by the government for the good of all.

    “This is because there is no alternative to peaceful coexistence needed for the socio economic development of this large country that holds a lot of promises to generations to come. Let us give peace a chance.

    “Our heart goes to the government and people of Kano State, is with those who lost their loved ones, is with those who have been wounded and is with those who lost properties.”

     

  • 20 feared dead as explosions rock Kano

    20 feared dead as explosions rock Kano

    THREE coordinated explosions shattered last night the serenity of Sabongari, Kano State — the North’s commercial engine-room — leaving some people dead and many others seriously injured.

    Eyewitnesses said no fewer than 20 people were feared dead, following the burning down of a Pentecostal church located on 38/39 and 40/41 New Road.

    The police said last night that six people died in the incidents, which no group claimed responsibility for. The Boko Haram sect was believed to have set off the bombs.

    The first explosion, which occurred on Enugu Road by Ibo Road, was followed few minutes after by two others on New Road in Sabongari, an area inhabited predominantly by non-indigenes.

    The Nation correspondent, who witnessed the first explosion around 9:10 pm, said people had gathered at the popular Enugu Road, close to Forest Villa Hotel to relax, after the day’s work. Suddenly, a Mercedes Benz 190 salon car, which had been parked on the road, exploded.

    The explosion shattered the windshield of five other cars parked by the side of the street and destroyed a kiosk. Eyewitnesses said many people were lying on the ground seriously injured. The whereabouts of the owner of the kiosk remained unknown.

    There was pandemonium. Many were injured in the stampede.

    Few minutes after the first explosion, two bombs also went off on New Road, also in Sabongari, causing confusion in the ancient city.

    The military Joint Task Force (JTF) cordoned off the scenes of the explosions. Emergency workers and medical workers were drafted to the scenes.

    JTF spokesperson Capt. Ikedichi Iweha, confirmed the incident, saying preliminary investigations had been launched into its cause.

    The AFP reported at least four blasts.

    “There is confusion all over the place. There were four huge explosions, so huge that they shook the whole area. Everywhere is enveloped in smoke and dust,” said Chinyere Madu, a fruit vendor.

    Resident Kola Oyebanji said he believed “beer parlours” were the target.”My house is not far from there,” he told AFP. “All my windows are shattered.”

    Boko Haram, the extremist group which has said it is fighting to create an Islamic state in northern Nigeria, was blamed for coordinated suicide blasts at a bus park in Sabon Gari in March that killed at least 22 people.

     

  • Aliyu, Lamido, three others are patriots – IBB

    Aliyu, Lamido, three others are patriots – IBB

    Former military President, General Ibrahim Babangida, on Monday described the five northern states governors who are consulting with elders to find solution to the country’s political problems as patriots.

    The governors are – Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu of Niger State, Alhaji Aliyu Wamako (Sokoto), Alhaji Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Rabiu Musa Kwankonso (Kano) and Muritala Nyako (Adamawa).

    Rising from a meeting with the governors which also had Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd) in attendance, the former military leader said the move by the governors was not only commendable but timely, acknowledging the foresight of the governors in finding solution to the various challenges facing the country through consultations.

    The meeting took place at the Presidential Lodge, Minna.

    “I want to commend the governors and some of their colleagues. I was very impressed because they have seen the problem of the country as our problem and they have taken the right steps to consult widely in trying to finding solution to some of these problems.

    “These governors are real patriots and I am very happy and I told them so,” the former military leader stated.

    Four of the five governors on Monday continued their consultations with eminent personalities with a meeting with the two former military leaders in Minna.

    They were in Abeokuta last Saturday to meet with former President Olusegun Obasanjo at his Hilltop residence.