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Opinion

CITAD: An Eye Opener To ICT Literacy And Development In Northern Nigeria

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BY:
MUDASSIR ALIYU YUNUSA
NTA ZARIA.

What I would never forget about CITAD, THE CENTRE FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND DEVELOPMENT, was in 2002, I received sponsorship letter to study Diploma in Information Technology (DIT) at Hands-On Institute of Information Technology Beirut Road Kano, a Computer Institute affiliated to University of Lagos Computer Centre.

The letter was the Second among numerous kindness and unique generosity accorded to me by CITAD. The first one was the gold medal I received after I represented my Secondary School (the Prestigious Rumfa College Kano) during Computer and ICT quiz Competition organize by CITAD in 2000, we came First position and won set of color TV and some prizes.

It was really inspirational to me, by developing more interest to acquire IT literacy right from secondary school. We have received so many motivation and courage from our Principal Late Dr. Adamu Turaki alongside our Computer and IT Tutor Mallam Ahmad Abdullahi Yakasai who was also a resource person with CITAD.

CITAD is a reputable non-governmental and non-profit organization that is committed to the use of information and communication technologies for development and promotion of good governance.

It was established with the aim of providing Computer Literacy as well as to promote sustainable development in ICT among the society.

I was opportuned to be registered as CITAD member, firstly as a beneficiary and later absorbed as an Assistant Trainer/Instructor, and Facilitor in some programmes offered in the Centre.

The Certificate, Diploma and other special IT literacy courses and programmes have been paramount in making Kano, Jigawa, Bauchi and Gombe great in ICT especially among Secondary School Students. It has become a tradition by CITAD to organised annual Inter Secondary School Computer and ICT quiz Competition and also sponsored the winner to National ICT competition, in this regard my school Rumfa College represented Kano state in 2003 National ICT Qiuz held in Ibadan Oyo state courtesy of CITAD.

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Among the functions of CITAD toward ICT Training, awareness and capacity building, I participated in few ICT awareness, sensitization campaigns and advocacies, e.g the Civic education/ road show at Gala Village of Sumaila Local Government, Capacity building and Career Talk in Zaura Babba Ungogo Local Government all in Kano State, Training and Capacity Building on Computer Appreciation to Kano State Civil Servants (Senior Staff, Directors and Perm Sects) held at Kano State Computer Centre Audu Bako Secretariat, Computer Training of Staff of Kano University of Science and Technology Wudil, Computer Training on Youths Empowerment Scheme by Kano State Government in collaboration with Office of the Special Adviser to Executive Governor on Youth Development in 2004, Transition Monitoring Group (Election Observers). Kano ICT Summit where CITAD in collaboration with Office of the Special Adviser to the Executive Governor on Education and Information Technology (SAEIT) have proposed to Kano State Government an ICT Park with the aim of making Kano an ICT leading State in the country.

To be honest, as a product and friend of CITAD, I most commend the Centre’s long time resilient and strength in exploring the IT world and make it easy, accessible and available not only to people in urban area but people in remote villages have benefited immensely from the large scale of CITAD programmes.

Let me acknowledge and appreciate the excellent performance and commitment of the CITAD founder Mallam Yunusa Zakari Ya’u (Ph.D) whose innovations and intellectual capability has became noticeable towards imparting Computer literacy specifically on Youths.

He groomed number of youths in IT, many of them have excelled in Global ICT. One good thing about Dr Y.Z Ya’u is that, he is very generous to his staff by giving out slots on ad-hoc basis to them. With this kindness I have the priviledge to offered an ad-hoc job slots to my friends and relatives, Baffa Kabir Gwadabe and Kamal Nuhu Abdullahi can testify to this. His clear mind and service to humanity accorded him a simple recognition, he was nominated and served as a member National Conference (CONFAB) during the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan. For these Mallam Y.Z deserve to be awarded with National Honour award for his contributions to the development of ICT in Nigeria.

During my stay at CITAD, I worked with team of capable hands, whose names and contributions will never be forgotten and would be written with Golden Ink as CITAD pace setters e.g Mallam Ahmad Yakasai (My Mentor), Mallam Garba Masama, Mallam Isyaku, Ado Yakasai, Sagir Ado Abubakar (Karamin Sakatare), Mustaphan Zainab, Muktar CITAD, Kamalu, Abubakar Muktar Yakasai, Muhammad Ibrahim Aminu, Jamilu Bala Jibril, Zahir Suleiman, Abubakar Fagam, Nura Masama, Fatima CITAD etc. Some are still working with CITAD. The most interesting thing about CITAD is that the Centre is always working diligently with professionals, intellectuals and experts from different walks of life called ‘FRIENDS OF CITAD’.

Now the Centre has grown up with customized services including online Radio transmission which make them exceptional and among the leading NGO not only in Kano but in Nigeria as a whole. CITAD sees technology as a tool to promote human and material empowerment, good governance, peaceful coexistence and sustainable development. It uses ICT to empower youth and women through access to information, skills & capacity building and online mentoring opportunities.

Its areas of work include applications of technology in governance and elections; socio economic and political awareness and campaign, youth development, empowerment and entrepreneurship; peace-building efforts, including hate speech monitoring, transparency and anti-corruption; ICT business development and promotion among others.

Long live CITAD, long live Staff of CITAD and long live Friends of CITAD.
mudassiray@gmail.com

Opinion

From Zamfara roots to national vision: Aliyu Muhammad Adamu, seasoned media leader, returns home to serve his people.”

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Aliyu Muhammad Adamu was born on 29th December 1982 in Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State, into the respected Adamu Joji family.

He hails from a lineage that includes notable family members such as Alhaji Sanda Adamu Tsafe (Sarkin Yakin Tsafe), Alhaji Aliyu Adamu (Danmadami), Alhaji Sani Adamu, Hajiya Khadija Adamu (Gwoggo Dala), and Hajiya Amina, among others.

His father, Muhammad Adamu (popularly known as Nata’ala), later relocated to Kano State in pursuit of business expansion. As a result, Aliyu and his siblings were raised in Kano, where he began his early education at Da’awa Primary School, Kano.

Driven by a strong connection to his roots, Aliyu returned to Zamfara State for his secondary education, attending Unity Secondary School, Gummi. He subsequently gained admission into Bayero University, Kano (BUK), where he obtained both his Diploma and Bachelor’s Degree, graduating in 2010.

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After completing his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Aliyu faced the realities of life with resilience and determination, navigating through challenges that shaped his character and leadership capacity. In 2014, he returned to Zamfara State and began his professional career in the media industry with Gamji Television and Radio.

Through dedication, hard work, and professional excellence, he served the organization for nearly ten years, rising through the ranks to become the General Manager of the station, an achievement that underscored his leadership, administrative competence, and commitment to public communication.

In 2023, Aliyu voluntarily resigned from the media organization and relocated to Kano State in pursuit of broader opportunities and personal development. Today, driven by a renewed sense of purpose and a lifelong commitment to his people, Aliyu Muhammad Adamu is preparing to return to his hometown to seek the support and mandate of his people. His aspiration is to represent our parents, brothers, and sisters at the federal level, with a clear vision of contributing meaningfully to the development, unity, and overall progress of Zamfara State.

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Opinion

Opinion:The Anatomy Of A Hoax- Setting The Record Straight On Governor Abba Yusuf

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​By Ahmed Badamasi Tsaure

​The recent wave of political “scoops” regarding the purported defection of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano State to the All Progressives Congress (APC) has moved beyond mere speculation into a coordinated campaign of character assassination. Most notably, reports by Daily Nigerian claiming the Governor’s move was “postponed” are masterpieces of fiction, designed to paint a sitting Governor as indecisive and subordinate. As a witness to the political realities in Kano, I find it necessary to dismantle these fallacies with the facts that the purveyors of this rumor have conveniently ignored. In Nigerian politics, defection is a statutory process requiring a formal resignation from one’s current party. To date, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf has not submitted any resignation from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP). To claim that a “finalized arrangement” for a Monday registration existed is a procedural hallucination; one cannot join a new house without first stepping out of the old one.
​Furthermore, the narrative suggests the Governor’s plans were shelved because he failed to seek the “blessings” of local APC bigwigs. This is a laughable distortion of executive power. History is replete with Governors who defected based on executive conviction without the interference of local APC “big wigs.” We have seen this with the Governor of Delta vs. Senator Omo-Agege, the Governor of Bayelsa vs. David Lyon and Minister Heineken Lokpobiri, the Governor of Rivers vs. Nyesom Wike, and the Governor of Plateau vs. the current National Chairman of the APC. More recently, the defections of Governors like Dave Umahi (Ebonyi), Ben Ayade (Cross River), and Bello Matawalle (Zamfara) proved that when a Governor moves, he does so as the new leader of the party in his state. It is also historically hypocritical to label such a move as “betrayal.” When Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso defected from the PDP to the APC in 2013, he did not seek permission from any person or leadership—he led a rebellion based on his own conviction. If it was “principled politics” for the godfather then, it cannot be “betrayal” for the Governor now.

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​What, then, remains for a Governor who already holds the overwhelming mandate of his people? It is a known fact that Governor Abba Yusuf moves with the ironclad support of almost 95% of the Kano State House of Assembly, 50% of the National Assembly members from the state, all 44 Local Government chairmen, and the entire grassroots party structure. The desperate attempt by the NNPP National Working Committee to dissolve the Kano executive committees is a futile, “too-late” maneuver that only confirms their loss of control. When a Governor commands such total loyalty, he does not ask for permission; he leads. The defection of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf is inevitable if he so wishes, as he carries the entire political soul of Kano with him.
​The theory that the APC postponed this move because Senator Kwankwaso is not coming along simply does not hold water. Kwankwaso’s refusal to join the APC is a settled matter; it is alleged the President offered him a ministerial position or the Chairmanship of the soon-to-be resuscitated Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF), both of which he rejected after his demand to join the Presidential ticket was denied. Using this stalemate as a pretext for the Governor’s “indecision” is a transparent lie aimed at making the Governor look like a political appendage. It is disheartening to see Daily Nigerian abandon objective journalism to frame the Governor as a “betrayer.” If Governor Abba Yusuf chooses to move, he does so as a leader of a massive political movement. The media must stop concocting stories to mislead the public. Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf remains focused on his mandate. These rumors are merely the desperate gasps of those who wish to see Kano in perpetual turmoil.

​Ahmed Badamasi Tsaure writes from Shanono Local Government, Kano State. He can be reached at ahmedtsaure28@gmail.com.

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Opinion

Your Excellency, the Governor of Kano State Engr. Abba Kabir Yusuf: Welcome to APC the People’s Party

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By Abbati Bako,psc,bsis,mti,Kent,UK, former special adviser on public affairs to former Governor H/E Ganduje

It is with a heart full of joy and a spirit of unity that we welcome a true son of Kano State Engr. Abba Kabir Yusuf into the fold of the APC, the people’s political party and the largest political party in Africa.

Governor Yusuf, an‑engineer by profession and the elected leader of our great State since May 2023 has already made a lasting imprint on Kano State. Sir, thanks.

His bold intention to declare a state of emergency on education allocating a remarkable 30 % (more than 26% of prescription by UNESCO) of the state budget to schools has turned the tide for countless children of downtrodden to be educated and enlightened. From solar‑lit streets that brighten our nights to a N50,000 monthly support for 5,200 women entrepreneurs to cushions economic precarity, his initiatives echo the APC’s vision of a prosperous future, inclusive of the benefits of former councillors in the 44 LGA of Kano State. Also, the benefits of pensioners which have not been paid a long time ago. I’m sure that the next special advisers’ benefit will be on the line.

Hence, the countless roads construction and rehabilitation at both metropolitan and rural areas has been going on without delay. Your Excellency, these gigantic policies by His Excellency have been the same with the central government under His Excellency President Bola Tinubu.

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The APC, under the steadfast guidance of Chairman Prince Abdullahi Abbas and the former national chairman His Excellency Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has repeatedly affirmed its readiness to receive Governor Yusuf “with open arms”. This invitation is not a political maneuver but a sincere call for unity, reconciliation, and collective responsibility values that will combine our strengths for the progress of Kano State and the entire nation. Take note that today Nigeria is on the way to political, economic and social reforms under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as Nigeria will be on the same pathway with other economic emerging markets of the Global Southern Hemisphere.

As we extend this warm embrace, we also look forward to the synergy of your seasoned leadership and the APC’s grassroots energy. Together, we shall:

*Strengthen our education sector, ensuring every child has a desk, a book, and a future especially on science, technology and innovation

*Boost agriculture, healthcare system, transport, security and strengthen women‑empowerment programmes that lift families out of poverty. Drive infrastructural development that lights up our streets and connects our markets. And again, this writing and understanding that there’s the need to create “New Kano” as has been done in other nations like Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Nigeria and other developing nations of the world.

Governor Yusuf, your presence today is a testament to the power of partnership and with that Kano State will be the next commercial centre of Africa. We pledge to walk hand‑in‑hand with you in APC, to build a Kano that shines brighter than ever before the creation of the State in 1967. With your presence in APC the election year of 2027 will be a work over in Kano State and the nation at large.

Thank you, and welcome home!

Abbati Bako,psc,bsis,pl.sc,political strategy and communications consultant and care taker chairman former special advisers to former Governor Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje

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