By Comrade Mahmud Shawai
Kano State is a great state in West Africa, which its history could be traced back to the 7th century or less than that according to historical checks. Kano is the commercial nerve center of Northern Nigeria, its motto is “Centre of Commerce” in Nigeria.
Kano produced gigantic business tycoons in the past and is still producing.
Late Alhaji Alhassan Dantata, a grandfather of African richest man, Aliko Dangote was an indigene of Kano State, a renowned business tycoon who was into the business of “kola nuts and groundnuts,” until his death he was the wealthiest man in West Africa.
Alh. Aliko Dangote GCON is an indigene of Kano who is a business magnate and philanthropist. He is the wealthiest person in Africa and the richest Black person in the world.
With these two people and many others not mentioned, we can conclude that Kano State is a center of business not only in Nigeria but, in the whole African continent.
Unfortunately, the Kano of today is not what it was in the past. The riches and prosperity are continuously diminishing though, the pace differs with the state’s Democratic leadership.
A Nigerian based Researcher Malam Ibrahim Ado Kurawa has said “Kano has 7.22 Million poor people together with Jigawa.”
He further stated that “Kano is the home of the first textile industry in Nigeria. Now Kano has 7.22million poor people along with Jigawa with its 5.05 million poor they contribute 15% of Nigeria’s poor people with less than 3% of the National Economy” (Nigerian Tracker).
It is obvious that if adjustments are not made these figures will keep multiplying until we reach the apex of poverty and become the epicenter and headquarters of poverty in the country.
Five factors that lead to the deterioration of poverty in Kano State.
1.Unexpertized Kano Road Traffic Agency (KAROTA), Operations: The Agency was established in the year 2011, within the jurisdiction of controlling road and traffic-related problems. But today, the agency is literally a Semi Revenue Generation Department, which focuses on extortion instead of educating the folks on the dos and don’ts of the traffic.
Observations show that KAROTA stops a significant number of people from coming to Kano state for business due to their oppressions and intended traps against commuters.
2.Insecurity: Insecurity today, in Northern Nigeria becomes a daily routine that we sleep and wake up with, more especially terrorism/banditry, kidnapping, and Boko Haram.
This led a significant number of people to leave their homes and investments for survival and most of the wholesalers in these states come to Kano for purchasing goods.
3.Bad Governance: Kano State is also suffering from poor governance whereby, most of the political leaders are engaging themselves in programs that will promote their names publicly, maximize their wealth and achieve their personal whims without considering the outcome of that particular event.
Succinctly, the state is suffering from the deadly fever of misrepresentation. The State Internal Revenue Service is always and promptly going after businessmen regardless of being small scale or large scale businesses, but unfortunately, the folks don’t get the feedback of what has been generated monthly, talk less of knowing where the revenue is allocated to.
Lack of transparency and accountability as well as misplacement of priorities gave a big blow to the state.
Just as recently, the federal government shared money to various states according to their transparency, accountability, and sustainability in a program named States Fiscal Transparency Accountability and Sustainable Initiatives.
Sokoto State which was rated the poorest state in Nigeria in 2021, by the National Bureau of Statistics, has the highest share of approximately six billion and six hundred million, while Kano State that happens to be the “Centre of Commerce” collected the lowest allocation approximately one billion and seven hundred million.
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4.Youths Low Self-Esteem in Modern Businesses: Kano youths of today dwell in their past in terms of business, most of them have the low self-esteem to compete with their counterparts in other regions of the country. Most of the Northern youths do not know how to promote their personal businesses on social media as well as improving and maximizing their businesses through educating themselves online to reach the International standard.
5.Youth Competition in White-collar Jobs:
The economic growth and development of every society lie on the shoulder of businesses. No, any humble and trustworthy civil servant can compete with businessmen in terms of riches, but most of the youths of today use to abandon their personal businesses and seek jobs under governments and companies.
Recommendations
- The state’s leadership should create a sustainable economic team that will be designed base on merit and not on political compensation
- There should be a continuous awareness for youths to embrace skills acquisitions and endure in nurturing their small businesses till they reach an appreciable stage.
- There must be synergy between large scale businessmen and small scale entrepreneurs. The former should have sympathy over the latter.
- Leaders should know that the offices they are holding are privileges for them to control and manage the wealth of the led, not fundamental rights to maximize their personal wealth.
- KAROTA, should be restructured and coordinated to operate within its jurisdictions.
Comrade Mahmud Shawai is the chairman North -West Youth Awareness Foundation
