By Hassan Sani Tukur
It’s not just the red cap that makes our leader, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, His Excellency Gov. Abba K Yusuf and the Kwankwasiyya Movement enjoy the extraordinary love and loyalty of the good people of Kano; it’s the certainty and assurance that as long as a Kwankwasiyya ideologue is at the helm of affairs, there will be a style of leadership on the trajectory of a progressive and transformative Kwankwasiyyaapproach: education as a priority, infrastructural development, and equal opportunities for all to help sons of nobodies become somebodies.
The widespread unpopularity, disdain, and massive spite that Gandollar and all those with him continue to experience are largely not because they hurt or betrayed Kwankwaso personally, but due to their betrayal of the Kwankwasiyyacause, which a typical Kano indigene believes serves him wholly. Accessible medical care, free education, massive human capital development initiatives, foreign scholarships, vocational institutions, rural development, infrastructure, and a seamless and professional civil service system — these and more are what Gandollar fought with rigorous vigour to diminish, and he succeeded.
The period from 2015 to 2023, which ideally was supposed to be a continuation of the remarkable 2011-2015 Kwankwaso tenure, marked a heinous and unfortunate moment for Kano. There’s virtually no human stratum in Kano that leadership has not desecrated and devoured with such fervour that you’d think he descended from Genghis Khan. Education, healthcare, businesses, traditional institutions, clergy, civil service, human capital development, and above all, Kano’s image as the brightest star, the Godzilla of the north—what was supposed to be an upgrade became a downgrade, and instead of forging ahead, Kano was reversed back to 2011 or even worse.
I have never seen a time when Kano became united with such zest, coordination, and resolve as during the 2023 gubernatorial elections and the subsequent election litigations. The struggle to rescue Kano from the destructive hands of the APC was a mania. The whole of Kano came out en masse amid planned violence, vote buying, and rigging, and voted out the APC. When attempts were made to subvert their will, they resorted and pleaded in unison to God Almighty, and Allah SWT intervened; Kano prevailed.
The administration of His Excellency Governor Abba K Yusuf came in with a promise to get the train back on track, with the zest to reciprocate the loyalty of the good people of Kano through laudable projects, reforms, programs, and the restoration of the good old Kwankwasiyya administration system. It isn’t by chance or without preparation; it is by design. In “Our Commitment for Kano: 2023 and Beyond,” the policy document that formed the foundation of His Excellency’s campaign manifesto, which the good people of Kano used as a reference to voting in the current administration, it clearly states: “Our government will be a continuation of the previous Kwankwasiyya administration of our able leader and mentor, Sen. Engr. Dr. Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, who laid a solid foundation of development and became the architect of modern Kano during his first and second tenures as Kano State governor between 1999-2003 and 2011-2015.”
As of today, the 18-month-old administration of His Excellency Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf has achieved 65% of what is contained in the policy document. Through the reinvigoration, reintroduction, and re-establishment of the path followed by the Kwankwasiyya administration, Governor Abba continues to live up to all his campaign promises.
In education, which is a cardinal pillar of the Kwankwasiyyadoctrine, the government declared a state of emergency in the sector due to massive degradation. In 2024, 29% of the budget was allocated to education, resulting in profound ongoing reforms that continue to improve the mess the administration inherited. Ongoing renovations and new constructions of classroom blocks and offices, procurement of classroom furniture, provision of free uniforms, and, very importantly, the provision of learning materials and teaching aids are all underway. The proposed 2025 budget, which was recently presented to the KSHA, allocates 31% of the budget to education, which has unprecedentedly surpassed the global UN & UNESCO recommendations. The reintroduction of foreign scholarships is also in effect, with a batch of 1,001 Kano graduates already dispatched for master’s degrees at various universities around the world. The Abba administration subsidized tuition by 50% for Kano Indigenous students at state-owned universities and paid tuition for Kano Indigenous students studying in other states across the country. His Excellency paid the 2023 NECO, NBAIS, and NBTE examination fees for Kano indigenes, and this is after settling a backlog of three years (2020, 2021, and 2022) of fees owed by Kano. This payment prompted the release of results that had been withheld for three years. The administration also secured 5,000 JAMB forms for Kano indigenous students. The Abba Gida Gida administration set up a committee to renovate and reopen the 26 institutions closed by the Ganduje administration, and this committee has already renovated and reopened four of the 26 higher institutions, which are now fully operational. Three more are fully renovated and ready for reopening.
In infrastructure, this is His Excellency’s forte as an engineer and as the figurehead who worked diligently in the field as the Commissioner of Works & Housing during the massive infrastructural revolution witnessed by Kano in the golden 2011-2015 tenure of Senator Kwankwaso. He successfully delivered, among many important projects, the three new cities of Kwankwasiyya, Amana, and Bandirawo, the famous Kofar Nassarawa (Kwankwasiyya Flyover), and the IBB (Obasanjo Flyover), the first-ever twin underground underpasses of Gadon Kaya and Kabuga, as well as numerous roads and structures.
In the last week of December 2023, just a few weeks before the much-awaited Supreme Court judgment in the Kano Election Tribunal case, His Excellency Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, undeterred, resolute, and focused on delivering more than he promised during his campaigns, flagged off the construction of not one, but two mega flyover interchanges at the Tal’udu and DanAgundi areas. The projects are currently ongoing with remarkable precision and pace. The administration has embarked on massive rural road construction, with the return of 5 km of road construction in the 44 LGs. So far, 5 km of roads with solar-powered streetlights have been constructed and completed in Gezawa, Gwarzo, Tofa, and Ajingi, with ongoing road constructions in numerous local governments. There is an ongoing 15 km road construction from Madobi to Kubaraci, which includes a 200-meter bridge, and the construction of a 70 km road from Madobi Bridge to Madobi, passing through Yako to KafinMaiyaki and ending in Kiru, has also commenced. This project will significantly bolster economic and agricultural activities in the region. In Kiru, there is an ongoing 11 km road linking Kwanar Dantako to Fagoje to KwazazzabonYarkwando, and a 6 km road from Fagoje to Kwanar Zuwo. In Rogo, the construction of the Rogo-Bari-Mahangi Road is currently ongoing. Still in the South Senatorial District, the construction of a very strategic and important Panda-Hamdullahi-Albasu-Sakwayan Dutse road is ongoing. A 3 km Falgore Gidan Yaji-Dayasan road is also in progress. These are just a few examples.
In urban development, in line with what we term #KanoUrbanRenewal, the administration of His Excellency Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, in December 2024, approved the commencement of rehabilitation and asphalt overlay of some of the most important and strategic roads in the metropolis, namely:
1. Road from Airport Gate – Triumph – (Roundabout Flyover – KSIP Roundabout, Ahmadu Bello Way).
2. Airport Junction – Ashton Road – Airport Road – Club Road – Murtala Muhammad Way (Roundabout).
3. Murtala Muhammad Way (Club Road Roundabout) – Bompai Road (Central Hotel) – Audu Bako Way (Magwan Road) – State Road Junction.
4. Sharada Road (Dan-Agundi) – PanshekaraUnderpass Road.
5. Government House (Roundabout) – Sabo BakinZuwo Road – Maiduguri Road.
6. Muhammadu Buhari Way (Kabuga Underpass – Katsina Road Underpass).
This comes at a time when the rehabilitation of Zaria Road – Silver Jubilee is set to commence soon, and at the same moment when the ongoing dualization of Lodge Road – Race Course Road is nearing completion. The administration promised to finish the abandoned Wuju-Wuju Road and has completed the first phase of the road. Kuntau Road is currently ongoing as well. If there’s one thing that illustrates His Excellency Governor Abba Kabir’s excellence in governance and remarkable foresight, it is how he embarked on an important shift from generator-powered streetlights, which not only consume millions of naira daily but also contribute significantly to air pollution, to environmentally friendly solar-powered streetlights. The transition to solar-powered streetlights, which is currently in its second phase, has beautifully illuminated the city of Kano and has not only saved Kano billions of naira and reduced air contamination but has also aided in enhancing security.
Within 100 days in office, His Excellency Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf renovated and equipped the famous HasiyaBayero Pediatric Hospital, which serves hundreds daily. This was done after revoking the sale of the hospital that had been executed by the previous administration. The hospital continues to provide free medical care for children and mothers. The Nuhu Bamalli Hospital was recently renovated, equipped, and reopened. The administration also renovated the accident and emergency unit of the Murtala Muhammad Hospital. Similarly, the famous Yadakunya Hospital in Bela, which had been left in horrible condition, was renovated and equipped. The administration of Abba Gida Gida procured dozens of ambulances and deployed them across the 44 LGs. Currently, the general renovation of Abdullahi Wase Hospital is ongoing. The government has decided to upgrade seven primary healthcare facilities in seven outskirt local governments to general hospitals: Garun Malam, Garko, Ghari, Albasu, Rimin Gado, and Kumbotso. The Abba Gida Gida administration, through its Abba Care Programme, continues to procure and provide monthly supplies to hospitals, including medical supply kits for pregnant women slated for normal deliveries and Cesarean sections (CS) as well
The Abba Gida Gida administration kickstarted on May 29th, 2023, amid widespread uncertainty and confusion in the state civil service, which was occasioned by constant and cruel undefined deductions from their monthly salaries that had been going on for years under the previous administration. There was also a massive accrual of unpaid gratuities totalling up to N43 billion, with 3,000 civil servants who retired between 2016 and 2023 not having received their gratuities. The entire service was a mess. The administration stopped the deductions immediately and established a norm that on the 25th-26th of every month, every civil servant would receive their full salary. Regarding the enormous seven-year backlog of pensions, the Abba Gida Gida administration has settled N11 billion of the N43 billion within its first year. The administration was one of the first in the country to fully implement the N70,000 minimum wage and has set N20,000 as the lowest amount to be paid as a pension.
To foster economic growth and boost small and medium-scale enterprises, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf initiated a women empowerment program where 5,200 women are empowered with a stipend of N50,000 monthly to expand their businesses. The initiative targets 100 women from each of the 36 rural LGAs and 200 women from each of the 8 metropolitan LGAs. A similar program was done for 465 youth who are primarily in the business of street hawking at traffic junctions in the state. At the infancy stage of the administration, His Excellency Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, in his resolve to continue the Kwankwasiyya path, organized the renowned mass wedding of 1,800 couples in the state. The couples were rigorously screened, furniture and dowry paid for, and a massive event was organized to celebrate the mass matrimonial union.
Kano now is being put back on track. It’s on a transition from the heinous and unfortunate days of bad governance and what I’d call deliberate cruelty to demote, degrade and desecrate the pride of Northern Nigeria to the present days of the fulfilment of important promises contained in Abba Gida Gida’s policy document, promises that once fulfilled fully will set our dear Kano on the trajectory to greatness.
Our Able Abba, even with famous the attempts to rob his mandates at the courts, glaring efforts by state actors to question his constitutional authority and so many machinations to cause him to fail, yet he remains focused, by Allah SWT never distracted and he continues to use all that they throw at him as building blocks of rebuilding Kano.
Abba Ka cika Gwarzo, komai ake bukata kayi!
Hassan Sani Tukur
Senior Special Assistant on New Media to His Excellency Gov. Abba Kabir Yusuf
