The Senator representing Kano South Senatorial District, Abdurrahman Kawu Sumaila, has said he has constructed more than 6,000 tube wells across the district as part of efforts to boost irrigation farming and improve the livelihoods of rural communities.

Sumaila disclosed this during an interactive session with members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Kano, organised to review his performance and assess the implementation of his campaign promises ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The interactive session, titled “Reviewing the 2023 Kano South Campaign Promises Ahead of 2027,” provided an opportunity for the senator to highlight what he described as key legislative interventions, constituency projects and community development initiatives undertaken since his election to the Senate.

Sumaila, who represents Kano South, described the district as the largest senatorial district in Nigeria, comprising 16 local government areas, and said the size of the constituency had made it necessary for him to focus on projects capable of directly improving the lives of constituents.

The senator said the construction of more than 6,000 tube wells across Kano South was one of his major interventions, particularly because of the importance of irrigation to agricultural production in the largely agrarian communities of the district.

According to Sumaila, the tube wells were provided to expand access to water for irrigation and enable farmers to cultivate their land throughout the year, rather than depending solely on rainfall.

He said his interventions were not limited to irrigation infrastructure, stressing that his record since 2023 included a combination of legislative activities, educational projects, road interventions and other constituency development programmes.

Sumaila said he had unveiled a total of 102 projects and interventions since his election to the Senate, adding that the projects were spread across the 16 local government areas that make up Kano South.

The senator also highlighted his legislative efforts, saying that in 2023 he participated in efforts that led to the reversal of the concession of the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA).

He said he also sponsored a motion backing the resolution on constituency projects, which he described as an important mechanism for ensuring that elected representatives could attract development projects to their constituencies.

On foreign policy, Sumaila said he opposed any military intervention in the Niger Republic, arguing that Nigeria should prioritise diplomatic and peaceful solutions to regional political crises.

He also said he moved a motion calling for an end to the Israel-Hamas war and the killings of civilians in Gaza, stressing the need for the protection of innocent civilians and respect for international humanitarian principles.

The senator said he sponsored a bill in 2024 seeking the creation of Tiga State, arguing that the proposed state would bring governance and development closer to the people in the affected areas.

Sumaila also said he sponsored a motion seeking an investigation into suspected budget padding and multiple overlapping budgets, stressing the need for greater transparency and accountability in the management of public resources.

He said he also moved a motion calling for the completion of the Kano-Maiduguri Road, with particular emphasis on the Wudil-Gaya axis, which he described as an important road corridor for Kano South and the wider region.

On the persistent farmer-herder conflict, Sumaila said he made contributions on the floor of the Senate towards finding lasting solutions to the crisis, particularly through measures aimed at promoting peaceful coexistence between farming and pastoral communities.

The senator said he also sponsored a bill seeking the establishment of a Federal University of Agriculture in Kura, Kano State, saying the institution would strengthen agricultural education, research and human capital development in the state.

Sumaila further disclosed that he sponsored a motion seeking stronger legislative action against drug abuse and trafficking, which he said had become a serious concern, particularly among young Nigerians.

He said he also moved a motion urging the Federal Government to condemn and investigate the killings of Kano indigenes in Uromi, Edo State, stressing the importance of ensuring accountability whenever lives were lost through violence.

The senator also listed among his legislative initiatives a bill seeking the establishment of a Federal College of Education (Special) in Karaye, saying the institution would expand access to teacher education and support the development of specialised education.

Sumaila said he had also moved a motion calling on the Senate to invite the service chiefs to brief lawmakers on the state of insecurity in the country and the measures being taken by security agencies to protect citizens.

Beyond legislative activities, the senator said his constituency interventions included educational infrastructure, road construction and support for students.

He disclosed that arrangements had also been made for the payment of student hostel rent, describing education as one of the key areas requiring sustained intervention to reduce the financial burden on students and their families.

Sumaila also listed the Rimi-to-Magami-to-Sumaila road project among the interventions associated with his representation, saying road infrastructure remained critical to the movement of people, agricultural produce and commercial activities across the district.

He further said classroom blocks had been constructed as part of his educational interventions, including the construction of six classrooms to improve the learning environment for pupils and students.

The senator also said he had undertaken the general renovation of Almajiri schools as part of efforts to improve facilities and create a better learning environment for children enrolled in the schools.

Sumaila said his record in the Senate and his constituency development initiatives should be the basis upon which his constituents assess his performance ahead of the 2027 elections.

“I want my constituents to re-elect me based on my performance,” Sumaila said, urging voters to evaluate his representation based on the projects delivered and legislative interventions made since he assumed office.

He said the interactive engagement with journalists was intended to provide the public with an opportunity to scrutinise his activities and compare his 2023 campaign promises with what had been achieved so far.

Sumaila added that he remained committed to representing the interests of Kano South at the National Assembly and ensuring that the district continued to benefit from government projects and interventions.

The International Budget Partnership (IBP), Nigeria, and the Kano State Government on Saturday in Kano signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen transparency and accountability in health sector financing.

The partnership will support the development of a health financing dashboard to enable stakeholders monitor budget planning, releases, expenditure and performance across health sector agencies in the state.

The Commissioner for Health, Dr Abubakar Labaran, said the partnership had brought significant improvements in budget planning, execution and tracking in the ministry.

Labaran said the dashboard would enable the ministry to monitor the performance of its various units and agencies in real time.

He said the state government would continue to work with IBP and other partners to improve budget performance, releases and other issues relating to health financing.

IBP Country Director, Dr Olayinka Babalola,
said the dashboard was aimed at improving transparency around health budgeting and providing a comprehensive picture of expenditure.

Represented by Policy and Strategy Lead, Onyekachi Chukwu, said Kano was already making significant investments in the health sector alongside development partners, but tracking where the funds were going had been a challenge.

According to him, the MoU will support the state in developing a health financing dashboard that will enable stakeholders to monitor expenditure by various agencies in the health sector.

He said the dashboard would also provide information on the full range of investments in the sector and show where the funds were being spent.

Babalola, said the platform would help stakeholders track reasons why certain health services were not being delivered.

He said the information would enable relevant authorities to identify gaps in service delivery and take appropriate measures to address them.

Dr Shamsuddin Sani, State Representative of the Gates Foundation in Kano, said the foundation was supporting the initiative to address longstanding challenges in monitoring fund flow within the health sector.

Sani said the project would particularly focus on primary healthcare service delivery and provide clearer information on resources coming into the sector.

He said over the years, the health sector in Kano had faced challenges in tracking the amount of funding coming into the system, how much was being spent and how much was not reaching the intended areas.

According to him, government and development partners working in the sector have not had a clear picture of the resources coming into the health system and how they are being utilised.

“With this project, we want to close that gap by ensuring that we know exactly how much resources are coming into the primary healthcare system and the broader health sector in the state,” he said.

Sani said the initiative would also help determine the resources required by the sector and compare government funding with contributions from development partners.

He said the grant for the project was conceived to address the identified gaps, adding that implementation began earlier in the year.

The dashboard is expected to provide stakeholders with timely information on health financing and expenditure to support better planning, monitoring and service delivery in the state.

Kano state governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf , Saturday was honoured in the United Kingdom for his commitment and support to sports development in the state.

Our correspondent reports that the award presentation ceremony took place at the Feel Good Too , Ive Farm sports arena located at the Pavilion Walk in London.

The patron W O. Sports, Moses Andishu , while making the presentation, said the award is aimed at appreciating the governor for his consistency towards the development of sports in Kano.

Moses who doubles as SWAN national patron said “this is our token way of saying kudos to mr governor and our aim is to encourage him to do more for the growth of the industry .

He added that “ we have noticed the reforms been carried out in Kano Pillars football club , we are aware of the efforts ongoing at the Kano state Sports Commission, KSSC and Kano Pillars is taking a new shape again, the state various sports teams now honor national invitations to major competitions, this is worth encouraging.

“we are very much aware of the plans by the governor, who is investing massively in the area of the provision of infrastructure, likewise we have seen investments made to renovate and upgrade major sports facilities, in the state, we just want to say thank you to his excellency and encourage him to invest more in sports

The special adviser to the governor on Youths and Sports, Sani Musa Danja , who received the award on behalf of the state governor said , “we are very delighted and happy, his excellency does not joke with anything that has to do with the development of the youths and he has always assured that he will always do everything possible to support the growth of Kano youths.

“I receive this award on behalf of his excellency with humility and honour for my governor , eng Abba Kabiru Yusuf, his works testify for his passion and commitment to sports development, his agenda is to always ensure Kano athletes competes amongst the best of the best by providing all the requirements that is needed for the state to excel in sports , and be rest assured that with my governor in charge sports development will always remain on the burner of the Kano First Agenda.