Features

Looming Environmental Catastrophy In Kano Metropolis

Published

3 years ago

August 14, 2021

Murtala Uba Mohammed (PhD)

Population and land are arguably the most important resources for development. The population is a catalyst for the production, particularly in the provision of labour for production, agriculture and servicing. It also extends in the provision of the market for finished products. The land is the platform for human dwelling and a ground for erecting the edifice for housing, industry, commerce and other uses too numerous to mention. Recognizing the importance of these resources since antiquity, the struggles and wars between human societies are overwhelming, if not wholly in trying to control them.

In the modern time, the level of progress and advancement of any state is measured by it’s ability to manage the lands and population in an efficient way, such that they are geared towards its advancement. Thus, the most developed human societies are those that invest so much in building their human resources through education and in managing their land properly so that the environment will not only look captivating and liveable but resilient in case of calamities may befall.

Kano City is one of the most blessed city’s in the world having a large population and abundant land. Located in the Northcentral Highland, Hausa plain covers the trio of Kano, Katsina and Jigawa states and is the most extensive plain in the country. The City houses nearly six million people which makes it the second-largest city in the country and the most important commercial centre north of River Niger. The City, since the 15^th Century has been an important route for the Trans-Sahara Trade, serving as a port between the relatively wetter Sudan and Guinea savannas and a drier Sahel Savanna. Because of this and other important reasons such as peace, fertile soils that sustainable agriculture and food demand, mild climate and receptive nature of its old inhabitant, the city continue to attract people from far and near places which make its population to not only grow but to accommodate people of all extraction. It is not strange to hear -especially for those not in touch with history- that Kano is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in black Africa. Deep into the history of the city and even now, many localities in the inner part of the city are not only bearing the names of location and ethnic nationalities but were also known to historically evolved as a result of the settling of people originated from these areas that were assimilated and integrated into the city cultural landscape. Some of these area localities include Tudun Nufawa (for Nupe), Danadalin Turawa (for Arabs) the Yola (Yolawa), Zangon Bare-bare (for Kanuri People, Riman Auzinawa (for Tuaregs), Alfindiki (for Arabs), Yakasai (originally from Jukun word), Ayagi (for Yoruba) among others.

North:The Architect Of Its Woes, Echoes From Muhammad Sanusi’s Pre- colloquium Lecture

One good feature of a sustainable city is its commitment to maintaining good environment through planning and land use balancing. As explained by some writers such as Frishman, Liman and Adamu and Gambo, Kano is always known to keep aside half or more of its area as green, wetland and open spaces. In fact, Kano has attended the ideal ‘garden city’ status three centuries before Howard’s proposal. For fifteen centuries Sarakuna Kano had recognised the importance of green and reserves based on Khaldun’s principle of humran and hima, which make them keep a larger part of the city open. These areas serve not only as means of improving the city’s beauty but also as protection to the city’s ecosystem. Some of the functions of these reserved areas include serving as a sink for the collection of city’s storm water, maintaining air quality and sound level, soil protection, preserving nature and biodiversity as well as carbon sinking functions. The open areas are also means for ensuring social justice in the urban area as it provides playing facility for inner-city children whose parent are largely poor. Also, the city maintains some of its ancient ponds that collect the rain and waste water to minimize the chances of flood occurrence and ensure recharge of the underlying aquifers which provide the groundwater that still remains the most important water source for the public.

While Kano City contains many green areas since its precolonial time. the colonial government had added to the city’s green and open spaces by making good plantation outside the city walls to serve as boundary between the newly colonial areas and the areas of the natives. Till the of end colonialism and even up to the 1970s, the western part of the city retains largely in its natural setting containing green and forested areas with doted farmlands owned by the urban folk. Towards the end of the colonial period, the then regional government of Northern Nigeria sees the need to plan the city and its region for future development. This conceptualization resulted in the creation of a twenty years Metropolitan Kano Master Plan in 1962. This master plan which is popularly known as Trevallion was supposed to guide the development of the city, specifying what to be done where including the apportioning of many areas for urban greening and maintaining the existing ones. With the creation of Kano State in 1967, the plan met serious setbacks, as the city experienced a serious influx beyond what the plan anticipated. The review of the plan after its expiration indicated a serious deviation, distortions and flaws in the capital of the newly created Kano State.

Despite many attempts, including the 1969 establishment of the Metropolitan Planning and Development Authority (KMPA) that metamorphosed into the current Kano Urban Planning Development Authority (KNUPDA), the city remains in a state of poor planning in all its facets of sustainable urban development. It important to note, since, the expiration of the Trevallion in 1983, there was no comprehensive planning guide for the development of the City. Although the government always prepare the layout of different housing densities, the development in the city remains largely informal. In fact, nearly half of the city is informal in nature. Many factors cannot be overruled for this informal development. Primary among the factors is the government’s nonchalant attitude by leaving urban development at the mercy of the private individuals who acquired farmland in the peri-urban, partitioned and sold it to the teaming population with little or no government involvement. These urban land marketers were mainly interested in what to get from the land business. As such, plots are developed in a very rough and haphazard way as their sizes are not only small but irregular in shape; access is is always the least issue to consider less the provision for infrastructure and essential services. This resulted in a very unhealthy development that is lacking in what is considered as the minimum requirement for a liveable settlement. The present disdainful nature of the building and life pattern of the most prosperous city in the northern part of Nigeria is worrisome and utterly unhealthy not only to the state populace but to any visitor to the state. Thanks to top bureaucracy in formal land acquisition in the country as significantly contribute in depriving poor and low educated from accessing the right to acquire land. There is also issue of land speculators as people discovered the land transaction a very lucrative business, many buy plot not with intention to develop it, but to make the price get higher and fetch bigger profit. It is important to note this systematic exclusion that prompt the people to discover that it is easier to acquire land in a less formal way. This, in the case of Kano, resulted in making nearly half of the city’s landmass informal and more of a shanty settlement.

While, it is difficult to exonerate most administration, the recent ones should be blame most as they did not only seat and watch the city’s plan been distorted, rather contribute significantly in its distortion through their deliberate and selfish development. A case of building on and in front of the ancient city’s wall is just one out of thousands. Since, the return of democracy in 1999, the Kano state government’s have made it habitual to allocate land for commercial development on and in front of the wall. This may not only block the view of the ancient relic but a trigger of disaster because these areas were the main collector of city drainage and during rain, they play a significant role in minimizing the run-off and overland flow. In addition, they contribute to the provision of groundwater, which is the main source of water in the city as the public supply remain a nightmare. It is therefore not surprising that we are witnessing cases of floods and serious overland flow whenever it rains heavily. Ironically, in dry season drought is now a regular visitor to the most city as the water table keep own depleting due to poor recharge attributed to poorly managed urbanization which is not only blind to see and deaf hear the call of concerned voices.

Although it is legitimate for the state government to search for revenue especially now that the allocation coming from the centre is dwindling, the metropolitan administrator should not turn mad. One needs to remind the city administrator that “talauci ba hauka ba ne” (to be poor is not insane) to bring them to come back to their senses. The deliberate favouring of one land use over the other is one of sad development in the city. The city handlers are only interested in commercial land uses as such any open, green and water space is now converted into a commercial plot, leading to a skewed and stunted growth. While the open spaces provide help in socialization and harmonic environmental balancing. Sad to note, the state government did not care to preserve them. The recent conversion of historical Eid ground which is not only a sacred place a recreation site for the neighbouring communities is one of the most unfortunate development. Thanks to the pressure from many civil societies, academics and other commentators, the city might have lost another valuable treasure, Kano Zoological Garden just the way its lost other green areas like the plantations along Maiduguri Road in the eastern part of the Metropolis. Rather than maintaining the city ponds and other blue areas, the city government use the security as a smoke screen to convert all the green areas and wetlands by the city wall along BUK road to commercial plot. This was done in spite all the warning from concern specialists include over hundred academics that signed a partition warning the government the consequent of its action as the place is the main collector of city’s drain.

Therefore considering the above one can infer as to why the floods are becoming a regular visitor in the city. After every heavy rain, the metropolitan road turns into channels connecting running water, carrying waste and other hazardous materials that end up in the public dwelling making the society vulnerable. In fact, like Gwarzo Road and many others including Dorayi area along Jaafar Mahmoud Road, one may wait for an hour or two after rain to get access to the localities around. This, unless action is taken and healthy development is embrace, may throw the city in a serious problem. As the world is facing changing climate trends that triggers many uncertainties and extreme events, sustainable development is seen as a magic wand. The recent floods that heated China and some European countries is just one example of how flood disaster look like in the current period. The level of destruction was high, although these societies have better planning. One cannot imaging what will happen if Kano (Allah forbid) is affected by the same. While sane societies are taking good measures to address this issue through creating adequate waterways, greening the city and planning the environment ours is a reverse where people and government care little about the situation. Although some three to four years back the state government initiated a Master Plan for the city, the Master Plan is yet to be made a legal document. Even though the government is silent on the issue, I had it from a reliable source that the main reason why the Master Plan has not been released and fully documented for the operation was that the government did not pay the consultants for three years after the work. The state administrators need to be reminded of the word of noble African, Professor Ali Mazrui that the essence of power is to build the nation. The earlier we realize this the better. Let the state commits herself to planning and knows that government business is to serve and save society. After all, when society is destroying you have no one to govern. People need to be healthy and protected before for the state government to get good revenue.

Murtala is urban geographer teaching at Bayero University, Kano

(murtalamuhammadu@gmail.com)

Features

Tribute To Late Justice Ahmad Belgore

Published

2 weeks ago

April 13, 2024

Nigerian Tracker

By AbdurRaheem Sa’ad Dembo

Death is an inevitable
visitor. When it strikes its victims it’s usually the end of an era. It was in the morning of Eid-l-Fitri, which was 10th April, 2024 I read the news of the demise of Justice Ahmad Olanrewaju Belgore, who died the previous night. He was a star in the judiciary because of his piety, consistency and fairness.

Many prominent Nigerians have sent their condolences to his family, Ilorin Emirate and Nigeria judiciary. One significant thing about late Justice was the fact that his life as a judge was filled with face of humanity.

Emir of Ilorin Alhaji (Dr) Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari and Chairman of Kwara State Traditional Rulers Council in his condolence message described the demise of Justice Belgore as a big loss to the Ilorin Emirate and the Nation at large.

According to the Emir “Belgore was one of the finest justices that the Ilorin Emirate had ever produced, who contributed in no small measures to the growth and development of the judiciary in particular and humanity in general.He prayed that Almighty Allah accept his good deeds, forgive his shortcomings and admit
him into aljannah firdaus.

The Turaki of Ilorin Emirate, Senator Saliu Mustapha has also expressed grief over the death of the legal luminary, described him as a renowned jurist who lived and served the country with his knowledge of the law as an examplary member of the bench.

Senator Mustapha while commiserating with the Nigerian Bar Association on the death of Justice Ahmad Belgore noted that the late jurist contributed immensely to the development of his community and the state in general. Recalling his years of service in the judiciary where he worked with utmost dedication and bowed out in glory last year.

The Senate Committee Chairman on Agric production and Services condoled the Belgore family, The Emir of Ilorin, Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union, the people of Balogun Fulani Constituency, Associates and friends of the deceased over the demise of illustrious son of the Ilorin Emirate.He prayed Allah to overlook Justice Belgore misdeeds and grant him eternal rest.

Meanwhile, Kwara state Governor,AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq equally expressed sadness over the death of Justice Belgore who passed on Tuesday night.The Governor sent his heartfelt condolences to the entire Ilorin Emirate, and to the Belgores who have lost a rare gem.His Excellency prayed to Allah to forgive justice Belgore of his shortcomings, and admit him to aljannah firdaus.

The Nigerian Bar Association,The Lagos Lawyers and other prominent Nigerians have also mourned the late Ilorin born jurist, but mentioning all of them may not be necessary.

It is imperative to say that late Justice Ahmad Belgore was an incorruptible judge as he retired meritoriously last year.This was aptly captured by the words of Shehu Bashir,Esq “Justice Ahmad Belgore was a jurist with decency of conscience.He journeyed the delicate profession of adjudication with distinction and came out unblemished.

He was an incredibly tolerant, calm, generous, religious and extremely patient man.His propensity to generosity would almost make you think he had more than he was giving,yet he was undoubtedly incorruptible. And he would never make public his generosity to a third party.He was such a responsible gentleman.”

According to a retired judiciary staff who craved for anonymity, disclosed that in 2015 when his benefit has not been paid,he reached out to late Justice Ahmad Belgore and he gave him 120,000 naira as at that time.

Significantly,the late Justice has been described by many as an embodiment of humility, generosity and accessibility. In the words of Pharm Munirat Bello “He was a great icon of peace and beacon of hope to the less privileged, reliably a dependable pillar of support. His act of kindness could be likened to the scent of the natural musk, very calming yet so impactful. No life hardly gets in contact with him and fail to progress. He was gifted with a divine heart of generosity. An upright jurist to the core, an impeccable symbol of Islam. I have never for once seen him angry to the point of passing derogatory words, he could be stern but in a loving way”

Sheikh Saidu Ibrahim Maimasa is a close associate of late Justice Ahmad Belgore and he is also the Public Relations Officer of Markaz, recounted how helpful he was to him and other friends.He said describing his magnanimity and generosity would be inexhaustible.

He cited a case of a person whose house was forcefully taken and he approached Late Justice for possible redress at the Court of law.He explained that the justice told the man not to go to court, because there was no point going to court and win, and thereafter he lost his life.He later ensured that another house was erected for the man from his personal purse.

Furthermore,A family source disclosed that anything that has to do with Belgore’s family, the late Justice Ahmad Belgore was always at the forefront.Meaning he had imbibed the sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) in uniting the family.

In unraveling his unwavering support for the less privileged, a young man was said to have gone to his GRA residence and appealed to him that he wanted to go to school but he had no sponsor.The late Justice embraced him and sponsored his education throughout.

Parts of the traits of great men are humility and accessibility. If you are the type that cannot render help to people until an influential person in the society recommends them, then you may be far from circle of great men.Your door should be open for help , that is when you would be able to identify those whole truly need succour .

Justice Ahmad Belgore was never a religious bigot,According to Sheikh Saidu Ibrahim Maimasa “He had an open door policy, because he was very accessible.His security orderly was a Christian from Oyo State and he did not only sponsored his wedding but he was also there in person.He did not discriminate”

He was born on April 18,1953, Belgore studied Law at the prestigious Ahmadu Bello university (ABU),Zaria, where he bagged LL.B (Hons.) with specialisation in Islamic Law 1975 to 1978.He attended the Nigerian Law School, Victoria Island,Lagos between 1978/1979 session.

He was the presiding Justice of the Ilorin Division of the Court of Appeal before his retirement in April,2023.He was also former Chief Justice of the Gambia.Justice Ahmad was younger brother to former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Alfa Belgore.

There is no doubt about the fact that late Justice Ahmad Belgore had lived a life worthy of emulation.He was a regular reciter of holy Quran and a great scholar in his own class.He was the president of Darul-Uloom Alumni Association.

Perfection, they say, belongs to God. I pray Allah forgive his shortcomings and grant him aljannah firdaus.

abdurraheemsaaddembo@gmail.com

07037813177

Features

A Tribute to Barrister Sulaiman Ahmed Assayouty

Published

2 weeks ago

April 9, 2024

Nigerian Tracker

Late Barrister Suleiman Ahmad Assayouty

By AbdurRaheem Sa’ad Dembo

Death is a reminder that this world is fleeting and interim. It has yet corroborated the assertion that we are strangers on this planet called, earth just as Barrister Assayouty has left us unannounced through the inevitable shackles of death

I was shocked because he was a brother that I knew very well as an undergraduate in Bayero University, Kano.He wasn’t a regular student as he was preoccupied with hustling in photography business.He usually stationed at the old site of Bayero University Kano where he carried out his business activities

I was at the new site and we had our regular photographer in person of Hope Photo there but whenever we were at the old site we patronised him.In fact his business point was a regular station for Ilorin Emirate students and other customers whenever they did not have lectures.

Since I left the University I have not heard or seeing him until the day he graduated from Law School and the same was posted on the BUK Alumni WhatsApp Group, Ilorin Emirate chapter.I knew within me that day that he struggled to attain the feat and I rejoiced with him through my comments.

We were all in BUK but Assayouty was an hustler and we patronized him not just because he was one of us but he’s very humble. He had a dream and he pursued it with tenacity, hardwork and prayers so he became a certified lawyer eventually. I was not even aware that he later had a Sayuti Cafe on campus,i got to know through BUK Chat zone on Facebook; an online medium for BUK students and others. I’m sure it was after we have left the school he operated the cafe business

From the Account of my friends and brothers that are resident in Kano, they said he was going to a Police Station in Tofa with his wife and his child yesterday 8th April,2024 before they had an accident that claimed his life and injured his wife and his child who are still in the hospital. I pray to Allah for their speedy recovery.

When a promising young man died it is usually tremendously painful because a dream has been shattered and retrogressed.The demise of Assayouty was one too many as it reinvigorated and rejuvenated the futility of this world.He laboured so hard to become a lawyer. He was studying Law in pari passu with hustling. How great would it have been if He had lived long to enjoy the fruit of his struggle?

According to Mallam Zakariya Bayero “we were staying in an uncompleted building together in 1998, he was running a diploma programme then”.

Barrister Yakubu Abdullahi reacted to my Facebook post about his demise thus “May Allah admit him to Jannat, his death is shocking, I know him as a struggling lawyer, despite his commitment to law practice,he has other struggles he did around Janguza axis. May Allah forgive his shortcomings”.

In Quran 62 Verse 8, Allah says “Say, indeed, the death from which you flee.Indeed it will meet you”. Today it has met our brother but our solace is that Barrister Sulaiman Assayouty died as a Muslim in the holy month of Ramadan, he never tarnished the image of his family and lived a dignified life.May Allah grant him aljannah firdaus and give his immediate family, the Ilorin Emirate BUK Alumni and friends the fortitude to bear the huge loss.

Features

Kano Water Scarcity: How Long is Governor Abba’s ‘State of Emergency’?

Published

1 month ago

March 17, 2024

Nigerian Tracker

_By Misbahu El-Hamza_

Kano State makes headlines almost every year, and coincidentally, during Ramadan for water scarcity. The frequent headlines are often attributed to electricity system failures, which disrupt water pumping, or equipment faults at water treatment plants, exacerbating the situation.

About ten months ago, upon taking office, Kano State Governor Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf declared a State of Emergency to address water scarcity across the state, urging for patience and maximum cooperation from residents. Although I haven’t seen or reviewed the governor’s plan during this emergency, I recall that resolving Kano’s water issues was one of his campaign promises.

I remember when the governor inspected the Challawa Water Treatment Plant in May 2023 and expressed dissatisfaction with its condition. It was said that only two of the six pumping machines of the facility were functioning at the time.

Following that, the governor give a one-week ultimatum to the Kano State Water Board to submit its demands in order to end the water shortage in the state. There was a sigh of relief by the public. Personally, I had hoped that we’re finally getting over this hardship.

Unfortunately, nearly a year now, the situation is not only prevalent in urban areas but is even worse in rural communities. We are not only seeing those trending headlines of water scarcity in Kano, we’re experiencing the brunt of it.

Recently, the price of a 25-liter jerrican of borehole water in Kano surged by ₦50 to ₦150. Someone told me that he bought one at ₦200 around Kurmi market. In areas like Hotoro, Nassarawa LGA, where I reside near Kumbotso LGA housing the Challawa water plant, prices rose from ₦40 to ₦70 or higher. The Chalawa water plant is believed to have the capacity of supply the whole of Kano with water, but we rely heavily on individual boreholes for water, with little to no infrastructure connecting us to the water plant.

While I resides in a suburb and can afford buying a jerrican of what seems to be clean water, in the rural areas where I often visit for work, the situation is dire. Many communities lack access to clean water sources, with broken or dried-up boreholes and wells being common. Residents, including young children, often resort to fetching water from stagnant ponds shared with cows, donkeys, camels, and even dogs. This water is what they use for all daily activities, posing serious health risks. It’s evident that both state and local governments have neglected these communities, offering little to no solutions for their water woes. Where you see boreholes or wells in these communities, they are either constructed by individual donors or (charity) organizations and a handful ones by politicians.

Governor Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf must be aware of the current water crisis in both rural and urban Kano. However, the pressing question remains: how long will his State of Emergency address the suffering caused by the persistent water scarcity or total lack of it across the state?

Three days ago, I heard a jingle apologizing for the water scarcity in Kano metropolitant, blaming the repair works at Challawa and Tamburawa treatment plants. It’s said to have been sponsored by Kano State Water Board. To me, the jingle suggests the governor partly fulfilled his pledge, now it’s the board’s turn to restore water supply. Or at least that’s my assumption.

I know this isn’t the first time the the board apologises. In 2022, the then Managing Director of the board was quoted apologizing to Kano residents for failing to supply water during Ramadan. At that time, 25-liters jerrican of borehole water cost between ₦30 – ₦100.

I remain hopeful that before his remaining three years expire, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf will emerge as Kano’s hero by addressing the water scarcity issue, providing relief to the growing population, including those in rural areas.

As the governor continues to address our water problem within this emergency period, I hope the demands the water board submitted to him as requested include: establishing new plants and resaviors or enhancing existing ones, extending mainline pipes to suburbs and rural areas, ensuring independent power supply for the plants, and securing permanent employment for existing and additional staff. If the board manages its expenses independently, perhaps shifting it to the state payroll would improve also efficiency.

With reliable service and effective system in place, the board and the state government should be rest assured that Kano people will be more willing to pay for water, and the board does not need to heavily depend for its revenue from the industries it diverts our little water to.