By Usman Usman Garba, Rabi’u Sunusi and Sani Surajo
Hon. Lawan Najume, is the Executive Chairman of Kabo local government, in an interview with our Correspondents at his residence, he bares his mind on President Tinubu and Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s third anniversary; roles of Deputy Senate President, Deputy Governor in grassroots development and his strides at the local level.
Excerpt:
Q: What is your assessment of the three years of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s administration and that of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu?
Hon. Lawan Najume Kano: Since 1999, there has been no governor in Kano State who has worked and is still working like Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf. One of his greatest achievements is granting local governments a high level of autonomy across the 44 local government areas in the state.
Alhamdulillah, within the last three years, his administration has recorded numerous achievements, and the poor are benefiting from various government policies and programmes. The governor has demonstrated commitment to improving the welfare of the people and ensuring development reaches all parts of the state.
I also believe that the cooperation between the state government and the Federal Government has contributed significantly to the developmental projects being executed across Kano State.
Q: Kabo Local Government is one of the lucky local governments in the state, being home to the Deputy Senate President and the Deputy Governor. How has this benefited the area?
Hon. Lawan Najume Kabo: Certainly, Kabo Local Government has witnessed remarkable improvements. Both the Deputy Senate President and the Deputy Governor have been working tirelessly for the progress of the area.
At the state level, whenever we submit requests to Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, he responds positively and promptly. Most projects initiated within the local government are completed within a short period, except in cases where contractors fail to meet their obligations.
The governor’s first major directive to local government chairmen was the renovation and upgrading of council secretariats to modern standards. This demonstrates his commitment to strengthening local government administration.
I pray for Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s success and victory in his quest for a second term. By the grace of Allah, I am confident he will secure another mandate from the people.
As for the issue of party defections, it is a challenge faced in politics, but we continue to focus on governance and serving the people.
The governor has done exceptionally well in infrastructure, healthcare, education, water supply, pension payments, and welfare support for councillors and other public servants.
Q: You have spent over one year in office as Chairman. What projects have you executed so far?
Hon. Lawan Najume Kabo: Education remains one of our top priorities. We have constructed classrooms and launched initiatives to support young people who failed examinations and were at risk of abandoning their education. We moved from ward to ward identifying such youths, paid for their examination fees, and today many of them are studying in tertiary institutions.
In the health sector, we rehabilitated hospital vehicles, purchased generators and essential medical equipment to improve service delivery.
We discovered that many students spent over two hours commuting to school daily, with some spending as much as N1,000 on transportation. To address this challenge, we procured buses, employed drivers and security personnel, and now transport students to and from their schools safely.
Parents have expressed immense appreciation for this initiative and continue to pray for its success.
For students studying outside the local government, particularly within metropolitan areas, we have secured accommodation for some and pay annual rent for others to ease their educational burden.
Healthcare has also received significant attention. Before our administration, many residents had to travel to other locations for scanning services. Today, we have provided scanning machines in our hospitals.
We also supply blood bags and other medical support free of charge to patients in need. Dedicated officers have been assigned to hospitals to coordinate health assistance programmes.
For severe medical cases, we facilitate referrals and support patients to access treatment at facilities such as the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital and other hospitals within and outside Nigeria.
Additionally, we have renovated hospital beds and upgraded various facilities to improve healthcare delivery.
Regarding cemeteries, we have procured essential equipment and undertaken measures to improve their management and maintenance.
We purchased many cemeteries across various locations for burial of the dead ones.
Q: As political activities intensify ahead of the coming elections in 2027, what is Kano Local Government doing to ensure success for your party?
Hon. Lawan Najume Kabo: I commend Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf for successfully conducting party primaries and ensuring unity among candidates.
We adopted the same approach in Kabo Local Government and have achieved a high-level of cooperation and understanding among party stakeholders. We are working hard at the grassroots level and remain optimistic that our candidates will emerge victorious with overwhelming support from the electorate.
Our focus remains on mobilization, unity, and ensuring that the achievements of the government are communicated effectively to the people.