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Exclusive :Seven Women Rejected My Marriage Proposal – Polio Survivor

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Even though he grew up knowing himself as a polio survivor – the predicament he has been managing for 48 years – Mr Bashir Idris isn’t deterred from reflecting on his unpleasant experience at every slight opportunity.

Born hale and hearty five decades ago, Idris’ dream of becoming a Soldier was cut short when he contacted the polio disease at the tender age of two.

“I was told I contacted polio when I was just two years old, now I’m 50 years old, meaning I have been battling with this condition for 48 years, how I wish there was an awareness campaign about polio immunization like this then, I love to be a Soldier or medical Doctor, now I am a Carpenter, but in everything we give thanks to almighty Allah”, Idris explained.

Sitting on bare floor and smiling beckoningly to get the attention of crowd who came to catch a glimpse of the just concluded rally of polio immunization plus days at Agadasawa, Yola and Madatai settlements in Kano Municipal Area Council, members of Journalist Against Polio (JAP) observed the 50 years old Idris’ conspicuous enthusiasm to share his experience so as to serve as deterrent to other parents.

When approached for comment, Idris energetically narrated how his several attempts to marry a Woman of his choice without polio disease hit a brick wall as seven women rejected his marriage proposal due to the polio stigmatization and their belief that the disease is hereditary, hence they were skeptical about giving the green light to his proposal.

“I attempted to marry a woman without polio disease on several occasions, about seven ladies ran away because of stigmatization. Then, they believed if they marry a polio survivor, there is the possibility of them giving birth to a child with polio disease (smiling), now we thank God that such myth is fading away, but that doesn’t change the fact that polio did not allow me to marry a woman of my choice” he spoke further.

Idris is however urging Parents and Guardians in Kano to release their wards of less than five years for Polio Immunization so as to spare them of such avoidable lifetime bitter experience.

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We Don’t Want Our Members to Increase Anymore – Chairman Polio Survivors

Meanwhile, the dream of most organizations is to increase their membership base, but on the flip side, the reverse is the case for the Polio Survivors Association as its mandate is to get rid of new members to avoid the spread of the highly tasking and challenging virus.

“We decided to join this rally to tell the general public about the challenges we are facing and the need for them to embrace polio vaccine for their wards so that they will not end up like us, enough is enough, we don’t want our members to increase anymore” Yahaya A Yahaya, Chairman of Polio Survivors Association in Kano Municipal posited.

Yahaya lamented how his members are being segregated and marginalized even when they are qualified for a certain position in the society due to their difficulty.

“I was a three years old when I got polio disease, how I wish they gave me polio vaccine then because being a cripple person is not easy in Nigeria, we are being marginalized anywhere we go, no equal opportunity, you know contacting polio disease is a lifetime experience that you wouldn’t wish your enemy” he stated.

Speaking with JAP Correspondents at the rally conducted simultaneously in four zones including Bichi, Gwale, Tofa and Nasarawa, the Nasarawa Zonal Health Educator, Haladu Muhammed said the essence of the campaign was to draw the residents’ attention to the importance of the polio immunization considering the fact that some settlements in the affected zones experienced a pocket of noncompliance during the last Immunization Plus Days (IPDs) which was conducted in this year January.

Nigeria Must Not Relax Despite Polio Free Status – Official

On his part, a Local Immunization Officer of Nasarawa Local Government Area, Sani Abdul Sani Mai Nagge described the turn out of the exercise as very impressive. He assured that the targeted population of 165,085 in the LGA will be immunized during the four days campaign.

“Of course, the immunization of the target population is achievable because before the implementation of this house to house, we had conducted 2 days DOPV, going from one street to another, for example, motor parks, markets, busy streets, we used to visit them before this four days campaign and during the period, we immunized over 50, 000 children and we have over 237 teams going from one house to another and there are 108 special teams visiting markets, schools and other strategic places, so we can easily cover the targeted population”

Nigeria was certified polio free in July 2020, asked why the need for the continued polio immunization exercise after attaining the feat, Sani Mai Nagge however said “after the declaration of polio free in Nigeria, even you yourself, can you tell me how many children were born from that time to now and how many were supposed to be vaccinated? We must not relax just like that and allow the virus to resurface again in the country”

Kano State Government is targeting over three million under five years old children for special immunization this month, with over 3.9 million doses of polio vaccines, the move aimed at ensuring that every child in the State is safe against the virus.

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Governor Yusuf Pays Over 3 Billion for Secondary School Students to Sit for NECO, NABTEB, NBAIS

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The Governor of Kano State, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf, has expended over 3 billion naira for 141,175 (one hundred and forty-one thousand, one hundred and seventy-five) Kano students who passed the 2024 qualifying examinations to sit for this year’s WAEC, NECO, NABTEB, and NBAIS (2025).

In a statement issued by the Governor’s Special Adviser on Information, Ibrahim Adam, it was noted that the Commissioner for Education, Ali Haruna Makoda, announced to newsmen in Kano that the State Ministry of Education had released the results of the qualifying examinations for secondary school students in Kano.

These students are studying under the Kano State Teachers Service Board and the Science and Technical Schools Board, where 75 percent of them qualified to write the senior school certificate examinations of WAEC, NABTEB, NECO, and NBAIS (for Arabic students).

Ali Haruna Makoda stated that the students eligible for payment by the Kano State Government under Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf are those who scored five credits and above.

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The Commissioner maintained that all secondary school principals and directors should notify their students of their results so that the state government can effect the payment.

The 2025 qualifying exams for WAEC, NECO, and NABTEB will enable the students to sit for their 2025 examinations required for admission into tertiary education.

Ibrahim Adam, the Special Adviser to Governor Yusuf on Information, said that since the inception of the administration in May 2023, it has settled registration fees for Kano indigent students for WAEC, NECO, NABTEB, and NBAIS.

The Special Adviser pointed out that apart from settling the fees, Governor Yusuf’s administration has also paid huge outstanding debts for WAEC, NECO, and NABTEB left behind by former Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje’s administration.

He also said it is part of Governor Yusuf’s declaration of a state of emergency on education and an effort to mitigate the high number of out-of-school children that have bedeviled the state.

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NWDC Cancels Foreign Scholarship Scheme, Backs FG’s Local Education Policy

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The North West Development Commission (NWDC) has announced the cancellation of its foreign scholarship application process in response to a new policy directive from the Federal Government prioritizing local education.

In a statement issued by the NWDC management on Thursday, May 8, 2025, the commission confirmed that the cancellation is in line with a recent federal directive urging public institutions to focus on strengthening educational capacity within Nigeria.

“This decision follows the Federal Government’s announcement on May 7, 2025,” the statement read. “We are fully committed to aligning our programs and initiatives with national priorities, especially those aimed at promoting local content and indigenous capacity building.”

The Federal Government’s directive was conveyed through a press statement signed by Mrs. Boriowo Folasade, Director of Press and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Education. The statement emphasized the need to redirect resources towards improving domestic institutions and ensuring more Nigerians have access to quality education at home.

“The policy is designed to reduce reliance on foreign academic systems and bolster Nigeria’s educational sector by investing in local universities and training institutions,” Mrs. Folasade said in the official release.

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The NWDC reiterated its support for this policy, noting that it will explore new avenues to support educational and human capital development within the region. “The commission will provide updates on further opportunities and programs in due course,” the NWDC statement concluded.

The move is expected to impact hundreds of applicants who had hoped to pursue studies abroad under the commission’s sponsorship but may now need to consider domestic options supported by the commission in future initiatives.

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Erosion Control :Governor Yusuf Disburses Over N600 Million Compensation

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Kano State Governor, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf, has disbursed over N600 million to residents of Bulbula and Gayawa who were affected by the ongoing Erosion Control Project.

A statement released on Thursday by the Governor’s Spokesperson, Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, said that the disbursement was organized by the Kano State Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (Kano-ACReSAL), under the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change. The event took place at the Coronation Hall, Government House, Kano.

According to the statement, the project involves the construction of reinforced concrete channels, bioremediation buffers, and other robust erosion control infrastructure.

This initiative aims to reclaim degraded land and restore safety to the affected areas. It is being executed through a collaboration between the state and federal governments, with support from the World Bank.

The statement further elaborated that the project will also strengthen surveillance through the engagement of community vigilantes and the installation of solar streetlights to deter criminal activity that had previously thrived in the abandoned gully area.

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In his address, Governor Yusuf stated:
“Today marks a significant step forward in our collective journey to restore dignity, security, and prosperity to the communities of Bulbula and Gayawa.”

He continued:
“I am deeply honored to be here to personally present compensation cheques to the Project Affected Persons (PAPs) under the Resettlement Action Plan (RAP) for the Bulbula-Gayawa Erosion Control Project in Nasarawa and Ungogo Local Government Areas.”

The Governor urged the beneficiaries to make judicious use of the funds, emphasizing:
“Every cheque presented today is a message that the government of Abba Gida-Gida stands with its people, especially during times of hardship and displacement.”

“The compensation being disbursed today is based on thorough enumeration, community engagement, and due diligence. Our approach ensures that every affected citizen is recognized, documented, and fairly treated in accordance with global best practices,” he assured.

Governor Yusuf lamented that:
“The Bulbula-Gayawa erosion menace has brought untold hardship to many. It has claimed farmlands, damaged homes, displaced families, and turned once-thriving neighborhoods into unsafe zones.”

The Governor pledged his administration’s continued support throughout the project’s lifecycle, reiterating that no community would be left behind in the development process.

Governor Yusuf expressed his appreciation to the implementation team under the ACReSAL Project, traditional rulers, community representatives, and relevant stakeholders for their transparency, professionalism, and relentless efforts in ensuring the successful compensation exercise.

 

Some beneficiaries, Jibril Abdullahi Jibril and Fatima Haruna, expressed their gratitude to the state government for the intervention. They recalled years of advocating for the project, which had been unsuccessful until the present administration took action.

 

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