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Opinion

Who Will Listen to ASUU?

Published

4 years ago

on

Mahmoud Zukogi

 

By

Maikudi Abubakar Zukogi

mandzukogisawaba@yahoo.com

If this is a question needing answer, I will venture to say nobody, at least from amongst the critical stakeholders of university education in Nigeria will. And if I can go further, I will say that if there is anybody among these stakeholders who will want the universities, and I mean public universities to be killed and buried for good, that body is the government, our own very government which promises to breathe fresh air into our distraught lives. It will be difficult to support this position especially because this government recently established nine brand new universities across the country with a blank cheque to take off immediately without delay as if building a university is like incubating an egg. And between the other two- parents and students- there seemed to be a conspiracy of silence; they only make some faint involuntary comments when ASUU rings the bell of strike, which is the only bell loud enough to penetrate our government’s steel ears. The more surprising of the two are the parents who are still to appreciate the direction of government’s policy towards university education but who will bear the brunt of coughing out new regime of fees to educate their wards. If the government succeeds in deregulating university education as it is bent on doing, only few parents will be able to afford to pay and will prefer instead to send their lucky wards to private universities who allegedly have ‘‘stable and uninterrupted sessions’’, ‘‘qualified teachers’’ and ‘‘standard facilities.’’ The students, on the other hand, are faced with double jeopardy. Because they are victims of government’s serial starving and relegation of education, they passed through systems where only negligible few appreciates their condition and are able to voice it out. Consequent upon this, it becomes extremely difficult for them to organize themselves and speak with one voice on issues affecting them and sundry other issues of national importance as were the case some two to three decades ago when Labaran Maku, now Minster of Information and Chief Marketer of Petroleum subsidy removal, was a frontline student union leader who fought draconian policies of government, including petroleum subsidy removal and thought it as the worst evil that could be visited on a people already at the bar of poverty.

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The subject of this discourse is a very familiar one. It is about the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). It is about one union that people have grown accustomed to and become weary of. It is about a union that has refused to throw in the towel when others have done so a long time ago; it is about a union that has refused to lose its head when others have had their heads cracked in the course of trying to come to terms with our government’s incredible capacity to eat its word and have it at the same time. Majority of Nigerians- parents, students and concerned citizens- have become tired of ASUU’s litany of demands, genuine and germane as they were, and are asking it to let the sleeping dog lie and join the bandwagon to national self damnation. The government is a giant mountain and nobody scratched the mountain with his fingers without getting scalded. As it is with all aspects of our national life, either you accept what policy government churns out or you go to jump into the lagoon. And if you think this is a usual cynical jibe, you will be shocked to find out that the fate of removing fuel subsidy was sealed a long time ago, long before the Chief Servant graciously provided the supposedly privileged information on the decision of government at the recent Faculty Board of Initiatives lecture. Therefore, this culture of submission, of not asking questions and standing up to what you think is right and appropriate, is what Nigerians, and surprisingly a segment of the media, think ASUU should embrace. Otherwise, why is particularly the media always silent during the periods of interregnum when ASUU is asked to sheath its sword and go back to the classes? The media does not follow up to know what government is doing or not doing as far as its promises are concerned. The thinking within the Nigerian public circle is that ASUU is almost, like most unions and organizations, at the end of its tether, and should quietly take a retreat; join the band wagon and accepts what crumbs is thrown at it. After all, it’s only weapon- strike- has become music to government’s ears. Unfortunately, ASUU represents an industry that is driven not by emotions and sentiments of any kind but by ideas and empirical information. If ASUU represents the knowledge industry, it will be a great tragedy for the nation if it accepts to succumb to forces that are anti-development and growth. More than mere machines and tools, the most inescapable force that drives the economy is knowledge. Knowledge precedes machines and tools; to reverse this natural order is to accept to remain perpetual slave to foreign consumption and underdevelopment. ASUU is therefore fighting forces that are greater than the Federal government, and these forces are none other than the World Bank, IMF and a host of their allied institutions. It is perfectly in order for these institutions if government continues to put the cart before the horse. Their sing song to the government always is that you can never get it right, so don’t even try. This concept is what has retarded our progress. How else can you describe the Ajaokuta Steel today except to say that it is Nigeria’s giant house of mass unrelated steel as were our unrelated and ill-defined policies and slimy, seething corruption? Today, in the name of raising megawatts and providing power, we see trillions of naira hurriedly expended into erecting sub stations made up of giant concatenations of steel, as if the sheer size is meant to justify the amounts expended on them. Unfortunately and tragically, some of those constructions belong to the generation of fast receding technology as far as power generation and transmission are concerned. Dependency remains at the heart of any relationship with the West and its slavish institutions.

ASUU can never get tired of employing its time tested tactics of strike, even if the people, on whose behalf it is fighting, are. It is well over two months since it suspended its warning strike and harkens to government’s plea of two months within which to respond to the outstanding issues in the 2009 agreement. As was to be expected- ASUU has for long become familiar with government’s chess games- government frittered the whole two months without as much thinking of anything other than to continue in the all too familiar culture of business as usual. Our government has long become a trial and error one. At the start of each day, the man at the helms kick start the Nigerian engine and heaves a graceful sigh of relief as soon as it comes to life. Therefore, for the Nigerian leader, the point of worry is always at the start of each day. Surprisingly and incredibly, the Nigerian engine failed our leaders’ only once- during the Civil war. That’s why it is easier for anyone to get behind its saddle and race it to exhaustion.

The arguments of ASUU are still as germane today as they were some thirty years ago. The 2009 agreement provides for funding requirements to revitalize the Nigerian universities; progressive increase in the budgetary allocation to education; payment of earned allowances and amendment of pension and retirement age for professors. Thus far, only the salary aspect and the passage of ETF (now TEFT) Act have been implemented. The 2009 agreement is due for renegotiation in 2012 but its implementation is largely in the breach. The only way out is for the government to honour its words and demonstrate willingness to see through the issues with a view to addressing them as urgently as possible. Does it make sense for government to dismiss people who have repeatedly demonstrated commitment to the growth and development of this nation but whose only means of doing so is peace and dialogue? If only government will listen, and if only those who have a stake in the system will listen, the nation will be better for it. And the media must truly live up to its responsibility of keeping everybody on its toes, including especially the government which has the constitutional responsibility to listen and not close its ears to the people.

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Opinion

Kano’s War On Drugs: How Barr. Muhyi’s Taskforce Is Changing The Game

Published

5 days ago

on

November 2, 2026

By

Muhuyi Magaji

 

By Muhammad Abubakar Suleiman

When Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf declared a public health emergency on drug abuse on July 22, 2026, and inaugurated the Multi-Agency Task Force on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, many in Kano saw it as another committee. Three months later, the committee led by Barrister Muhyi Magaji Rimin Gado is dominating security headlines in the state.

The Taskforce was constituted as a multi-agency platform bringing together NDLEA, Police, DSS, Consumer Protection Council, Pharmaceutical Society, Ministry of Health, Anti-Daba Unit and other stakeholders. Dr. Ibrahim Garba Muhammad serves as Secretary.

From Raids to Results: Over 400 Arrests

According to briefings by the Chairman, within the first two months the Taskforce arrested more than 380 suspects and secured over 230 convictions. By September 29, when Barr. Muhyi spoke at the Kano Network of NGOs (KANET) Monthly Lecture at Nasarawa GRA, the figure had risen to over 400 arrests.

Presenting its scorecard to the State Executive Council in late September, the Taskforce reported a 35% reduction in drug-related crimes in the last three months, attributing it to intensified enforcement, seizures and over 500 convictions as of October 22.

Operations have focused on identified hotspots: Race Course, Filin Idi, Filin Mahaha, Tashar Rami, Kawo, Tashar Rimi, Jakara, Madigawa, Yalwa, Sanka, Kul Kul, Dogon Nama and Kukar Bulukiya.

Recoveries include Cannabis Sativa, Tramadol, Diazepam, Pentazocine, Pregabalin, Exol-5 and a Methamphetamine-based designer drug. In one case, 870,000 capsules of Pregabalin were seized from a pharmaceutical company over suspected diversion. Local weapons – knives, daggers, cutlasses and clubs – used by gangs were also recovered.

The Taskforce also recorded high-profile arrests. On August 18, it announced the arrest of a former Chairman of Rogo Local Government for allegedly selling and administering fentanyl injections to youths, after a victim who spent over N2 million on injections identified him.

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In its most recent operation, the Taskforce announced on October 30 the arrest of a 27-year-old suspected gang violence sponsor, Ishaq Lawan Ibrahim, popularly known as Malam Keya, from Yalwa in Dala LGA.

According to the committee, Malam Keya was allegedly financing violent clashes by rival Daba gangs in Dala that claimed lives. He fled to Port Harcourt, Rivers State, after crackdown intensified, but was tracked and arrested in an operation led by Head of Operations, CSP Bashir Gwadabe, and brought back to Kano. He is now in police custody pending prosecution.

Chairman Muhyi said the arrest outside Kano shows the Taskforce will pursue suspects beyond state boundaries.

Beyond Enforcement: Children, Rehabilitation and Technology

The committee says its mandate is not just enforcement. It reported rescuing 43 underage children allegedly exposed to intoxicants and convicting two dealers – Kabiru Isa and Usman Hamisu – for the offence. About 125 persons were referred to the Kano Reformatory Institute in Kiru for rehabilitation. With Kiru overstretched, government has provided an additional facility in Tofa.

The Taskforce has set an ambitious target of taking 10,000 youths off the streets for rehabilitation, skills acquisition and reintegration.

On August 21, Barr. Muhyi inaugurated nine sub-committees to professionalize the fight: Finance; Media and Publicity; Advocacy and Sensitisation; Licences, Inventory and Verification; Compliance, Inspection and Electronic Tracking; Monitoring and Implementation; Intelligence; Reformative and Traditional Council; and Anti-Drug Coordination.

Tech Turn: AI, 24-Hour Line and NDLEA Support

In the last two weeks, the Taskforce unveiled a new approach. On October 22, Barr. Muhyi, on behalf of Governor Yusuf, donated operational equipment to the NDLEA Kano Strategic Command led by Commander Dahiru Yahaya Lawan, to boost operations.

He also disclosed that Kano is deploying Artificial Intelligence for surveillance and tracking of suspected dealers, and equipping a rapid-response centre with ICT and a 24-hour toll-free line where residents can report and get response within 30 minutes.

At KANET lecture themed “Kano Drugs Crisis: Challenges, the Way Forward and the Role of the Community,” Muhyi stressed community intelligence and called for more rehabilitation to decongest remand homes.

No Sacred Cows

From day one, Barr. Muhyi has maintained a hard line on political interference. “No politician can pressure me to free drug suspects. The only person who can stop me is the Governor, and I know he will never interfere,” he told journalists on July 28.

That stance, coupled with intelligence-led raids, has earned the Taskforce both praise and scrutiny.

The Bigger Picture

Kano Police data cited by the Taskforce indicates about 70% of major crimes in 2025 were linked to drug abuse. The Executive Order outlawing Daba gangs provides a minimum of five years imprisonment under Section 97A of the Kano Penal Code.

Whether the Taskforce can sustain momentum will depend on three tests: securing the drug supply chain from pharmaceutical diversion, expanding rehabilitation beyond Kiru, and maintaining inter-agency cooperation without becoming a parallel enforcement body.

For now, in the markets of Filin Idi and the streets of Dala, residents say the presence of the committee is being felt.

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Opinion

The Reward For Hardwork Is More Work: A Rejoinder To Dr Garba Ubale Danbatta

Published

5 days ago

on

November 2, 2026

By

 

 

 

By Nworisa Michael

The redeployment of Hon. Comr. Ibrahim Abdullahi Waiya PhD from the Ministry of Information and Internal Affairs to the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development has attracted several reactions. While professional and civic organisations have congratulated him and acknowledged his contributions, Dr Garba Ubale Danbatta, a supposedly veteran journalist, has chosen to use the development to question his performance and professional conduct in his former ministry.

Dr Danbatta is entitled to his opinion. Nobody should be above criticism, especially in public office. However, when criticism is presented as a professional assessment, it should be supported by facts, not merely personal convictions or years of experience.

Before concluding that journalism suffered under Waiya, perhaps we should examine some of the developments recorded during his tenure.

Eight contributions worth considering:

• Grassroots information: Strengthened engagement with Information Officers across Kano’s 44 local government areas and eight zonal offices.

• Capacity building: Supported training programmes for local government Information Officers, alongside interactive engagements with editors and news managers.

• Media policy: Facilitated the inauguration of an 18-member committee to develop a media and information policy framework for Kano State.

• Digital transformation: Established a Digital Multimedia Department to modernise government communication, improve digital engagement and address misinformation.

• Peacebuilding: Advanced the Safe Corridor Project, an initiative focused on rehabilitation, skills development and reintegration of reformed youths.

• Media engagement: Engaged media practitioners, online publishers and political programme presenters on responsible public communication and professional conduct.

• Institutional development: Pursued interventions aimed at strengthening state-owned media institutions and improving the capacity of personnel within the information machinery.

• National recognition: Received the Crisis Communicator of the Year award at the 2026 National Spokespersons Awards in Abuja.

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These developments do not mean that Waiya’s tenure was without shortcomings. They simply demonstrate that there is more to his record than the sweeping conclusion offered by his critic.

There is also something interesting about the public reactions to his redeployment. The Kano State Forum of Information Officers, Northern Youths Assembly and International Peace and Secure Society are among the organisations that have publicly acknowledged his contributions and congratulated him on his new assignment. Their statements may not settle every debate about his tenure, but they show that his work was not viewed negatively by everyone who interacted with his ministry.

Now, to Dr Danbatta’s presentation of his professional experience.

I found it rather curious that a commentary intended to assess another public officer’s performance devoted three of its concluding paragraphs to the author’s own professional journey, positions held and years of experience. One could almost finish reading the piece knowing more about the author’s resume than the evidence behind his criticism of Waiya.

Same individual who has been unable to ensure good working relationship with his staffs at Pyramid Radio Kano where is currently serves as its manager, a station that constantly runs out of diesel and goes off the air, perhaps even he isn’t proud of this hence he left it out from the list of his workplaces listed.

With due respect, professional experience is valuable, but it should strengthen an argument, not become the argument itself. A good product sells itself. A journalist’s professional standing should be reflected in the quality, fairness and depth of their analysis. Thirty years in the profession deserves recognition, but it does not automatically make every opinion conclusive.

If the intention was to assess Waiya’s stewardship, then the more important questions should have been: What did he inherit? What did he change? Which initiatives did he introduce? What measurable outcomes were achieved? And where did he fall short? Those are the questions that give criticism substance.

We can be safe to say that Waiya’s redeployment was a direct reward for his performance in the former ministry. The Governor has publicly explained the cabinet adjustments as part of efforts to strengthen institutions and improve service delivery. What is evident, however, is that Waiya has been entrusted with another important responsibility, and his record in the former ministry remains open to public examination.

The Ministry of Information and Internal Affairs is not beyond criticism, and neither is Dr. Waiya. But fairness requires that we acknowledge the work done alongside the shortcomings alleged.

Frankly the most fitting way to understand this new assignment is captured in the title of this piece: the reward for hard work is more work. His previous assignment is now part of his public record; his new ministry presents another opportunity to serve.

Congratulations, Hon. Comr. Ibrahim Abdullahi Waiya. The expectations continue.

Nworisa Michael is a
Writer, Public Affairs Commentator and writes from nworisamichael1917@gmail.com
1st Nov. 2026

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Opinion

My Achievements At Kano State Ministry of Environment — By Dr. Dahir M. Hashim

Published

1 week ago

on

October 31, 2026

By

 

Looking back on my time at the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, one change I value most is how the public came to see the sector itself. Environmental protection became a stronger part of conversations about our health, neighbourhoods, livelihoods, and Kano’s future. People increasingly joined the work, supported our programmes, and held us accountable.

For that, I thank the people of my dear state.

This journey began for me on 6 January 2025, when His Excellency, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf, the Executive Governor of Kano State, entrusted me with the responsibility of leading the Ministry.

The challenges were clear. Facilities had deteriorated, policies needed updating, enforcement was weak, and frontline workers were owed outstanding payments. Yet His Excellency saw what the Ministry could become and gave us the support to begin rebuilding it.

Our government-owned nurseries tell part of that story. Eight facilities that had become non-functional were fully rehabilitated, restoring our capacity to produce seedlings locally. Building on the administration’s three-million-tree planting programme in 2024, the programme grew to five million in 2025 and ten million in 2026, with all seedlings raised in government-owned nurseries. Behind those numbers was the recovery of public facilities that could continue serving Kano for years to come.

The same determination guided the restoration of the Kano State Pollution Control Laboratory. We renovated, equipped, and recommissioned it, giving the State the scientific capacity to test, monitor pollution, and support enforcement. We operationalised the Environmental Pollution Control Law and developed the Environmental Pollution and Waste Control Regulations to give that work a stronger legal foundation.

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At REMASAB, reforms improved the coordination of waste collection, evacuation, and disposal. Waste management became more organised and responsive, with operations supporting the evacuation of approximately one million metric tonnes of waste. The Dorayi Compost Plant was also brought back into operation, restoring the capacity to turn organic waste into useful compost and creating opportunities for investment.

Across flood-prone communities, we undertook drainage construction, clearance and erosion control. The stormwater harvesting intervention in Toranke and work on the Kano State Drainage Master Plan formed part of our effort to move towards better protection and long-term planning.

We also restored four public parks, with more underway. Spaces that had suffered neglect were given new management arrangements and a clear responsibility for maintenance. Families now have more welcoming places to spend time together, while the parks’ combined annual revenue increased from around ₦5 million to ₦90 million.

Alongside these projects, we rebuilt the policy foundations of the sector. We developed the Kano State Climate Change Policy, its implementation plan and results framework; advanced the Climate Change Bill; and reviewed the Forestry Law after more than five decades. We also developed the Climate Finance Reform Action and Implementation Plan and the Green Bond Framework to prepare Kano for environmental and climate investment.

Kano’s third-place finish in the just-concluded 2026 Climate Governance Performance Ranking, and the opportunity to present our work at COP30 in Belém, Brazil, gave us reasons to be thankful. They also reminded us how far consistent support and collective effort could take the state.

None of this work could have continued without the people delivering it every day. With His Excellency’s backing, we cleared nine months of salary arrears for 2,369 verified street sweepers and doubled their stipends, re-engaged inspectors and forest guards, and doubled the stipends of 875 sanitation vanguards. I remain grateful for their service.

Today, as His Excellency separates the ministries and appoints a new Commissioner for Environment and Climate Change, my strongest feeling is gratitude.

To His Excellency, thank you for trusting me with this responsibility, listening to our proposals and supporting the decisions needed to carry them through.

To our staff and agencies, community leaders, development partners, civil society organisations, young volunteers, businesses and residents: thank you for standing with us. Your participation, patience and constructive criticism helped us improve. These achievements belong to everyone who contributed.

I congratulate the incoming Honourable Commissioner and offer my full cooperation to sustain the work we began together.

Serving the people of Kano State in this capacity has been a privilege. Thank you for the trust and support.

Dr. Dahir M. Hashim, Honourable Commissioner
Ministry of Water Resources, Kano State, writes from Kano.

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