*Minimum wage: NLC, Head of Service hail him
*Community leader also salutes him for revitalizing ailing primary/secondary education in Kano
By Maduabuchi Nmeribeh/Kano
Kano State Governor, Engr. Abba Kabir Yusuf has pledged to allocate land for the construction of befitting housing for policemen residing in the state.
Governor Yusuf made the promise while receiving the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Police Trust Fund, Mr Mohammad Shaeidu, at the Kano Government House.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by the Governor’s spokesperson, Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, Governor Yusuf assured that the land would be made available soon, alongside a Certificate of Occupancy, once the proposal is formally submitted to his office.
He further announced plans for the state Ministry of Agriculture to collaborate with the Kano State Police Command to provide farmlands for police officers.
He said the initiative aimed to enable officers to engage in irrigation farming, diversify their sources of income, and contribute to the state’s economic growth.
Governor Yusuf commended the new leadership of the Kano Police Command for fostering a strong working relationship with the state government.
He highlighted Kano’s status as the most peaceful state in the country and reiterated his administration’s commitment to maintaining security.
To support law enforcement, Governor Yusuf noted that his administration has rehabilitated divisional police offices across the state and donated 73 operational vehicles to the police to enhance their ability to secure the state.
He also disclosed plans to launch the Kano State Security Trust Fund soon, which is aimed at promoting peaceful coexistence and further enhancing security in the state.
In his remarks, the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Police Trust Fund, Mr Mohammad Shaeidu, expressed gratitude to Governor Yusuf for providing 73 operational vehicles to the police.
He praised Kano State’s critical role in national development, which motivated the agency to collaborate with the state to improve the welfare of police officers and contribute to the state’s growth.
*Minimum wage: NLC, Head of Service hail Governor Yusuf
Leadership of the Kano state chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), has commended Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, for implementing the ₦71,000 minimum wage in November salary payment.
A statement issued by the Governor’s spokesperson, Malam Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, on Tuesday, highlighted commendations from the Kano State NLC and the Office of the State Head of Service (HoS).
The statement quoted the Head of Service, Alhaji Abdullahi Musa, and the NLC Chairman, Comrade Kabiru A. Inuwa, urging civil servants to redouble their dedication to duty by exhibiting efficiency, professionalism, and integrity to enhance productivity.
They noted that the implementation of the new minimum wage would significantly improve the living standards of civil servants and boost their morale, enabling them to focus more effectively on their duties.
The gesture, according to the NLC chairman and the Head of Service, would further strengthen the relationship between employees and the state government, fostering a harmonious working environment.
The state labour union also appealed to Governor Yusuf to extend the new minimum wage implementation to pensioners.
They emphasized that including pensioners in the policy would demonstrate the governor’s generosity and commitment to improving the standard of living for retirees.
It may be recalled that earlier this month, Governor Yusuf signed the ₦71,000 minimum wage into law for state civil servants and pledged to implement it by the end of November.
Mr. Shaeidu outlined the agency’s plans to provide decent housing for police officers to improve their welfare and morale, while also introducing agricultural programs to help officers prepare for life after retirement.
*Community leader hails Governor Yusuf for revitalizing ailing primary/secondary education in Kano
A renowned community leader in Kano, Alhaji Abbas Abdullahi has commended the state Governor, Engr. Abba Kabir Yusuf for his efforts towards the revitalization of the primary and secondary education sector in Kano state.
Alhaji Abbas who spoke to our Correspondent during a tour of secondary and primary schools in Gaya Local Government Area, expressed happiness that Governor Yusuf is marching action with words on his declaration of state-of-emergency on education in the state.
Our Correspondent reports that journalists in Kano under the umbrella of Kano Correspondents’ Chapel embarked on an assessment tour of Governor Yusuf’s efforts in turning around the primary and secondary education sector, which he said was, “a disaster” when he took over as the Governor of Kano state in May 29, 2023.
Findings by our Correspondent, during the tour across the three Senatorial Zones in Kano, indicated that lack of teachers, inadequate learning materials, dilapidated infrastructure, lack of sitting desks, and insecurity hampered the standard of primary and secondary education in Kano, particularly in the hinterlands.
In Warawa Local Government Area, an agrarian community, our Correspondent observed that in most of the schools, classrooms were empty as parents elected to take their children to farm instead of enrolling them on schools, due to a lack of adequate infrastructure and furniture to create conducive learning environment for pupils and children.
The situation was so pathetic that some of the schools were not fenced as intruders walk freely within the school premises even in the face of damning insecurity.
Most parents complained that they spend a fortune in buying detergents for washing their children’s school uniforms who sit on bare floors to learn because of the lack of sitting desks.
The offices of the headmasters and principals of some of the schools visited are nothing to write home about as they are adorned with outdated and dilapidated furniture.
More so, some of the schools visited lack toilets and boreholes, forcing students and pupils to defecate in the open space.
The problem of inadequate teachers is well pronounced in Yelwa Model Primary School, with 36 teachers taking care of 1,164 and Unhogo Special Model Primary School, with only 15 teachers manning 2,943 pupils.
However, Alhaji Abbas commended Governor Yusuf for his quick intervention, which he said is gradually changing the narrative.
According to him, “the primary and secondary schools across Kano state have witnessed tremendous development in the last year. This is a good story compared to what we were experiencing before May 2023.
“I am a retired teacher and now a community leader, and I must confess that our primary and secondary education was abandoned and neglected by the immediate-past administration for reasons best known to them.
“We only heaved a sigh of relief when Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf came in, working the talk in his declaration of state-of-emergency in primary and secondary education.
“So far, from what I gathered, he has provided over 73, 000 desks to primary and secondary schools across the state. I believe he is determined to make sure that all the pupils and students undertake their studies in a conducive learning environment.
“As you move around the schools, you will observe the construction of modern two-story classroom blocks in each of the schools. Some of them are nearing completion.
“He is also providing free learning materials, including exercise books, textbooks and free uniforms to the students and pupils. This is very commendable and we believe he will sustain the tempo.”
Indeed, our Correspondent observed the construction of two-story building modern classroom blocks in all the schools visited so far.
The schools’ management also acknowledged taken delivery of learning desks, free exercise books, textbooks, biros, pencils and other learning materials.