The Office of the Head of Service has concluded a two-day Capacity Building Training and Examination for Non-Administrative Officers aspiring to the managerial cadre in the Kano State Civil Service, as part of efforts to strengthen the capacity of the state’s workforce and prepare a new generation of public sector leaders.

The programme, initiated by the Office of the Head of Service in collaboration with the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON), was designed as an intensive learning and professional development exercise aimed at strengthening the knowledge, skills and leadership capacity of officers expected to assume managerial responsibilities in the Kano State Civil Service.

During the exercise, participants underwent comprehensive training and assessment to equip them for greater responsibilities in public service.

Speaking at the closing ceremony, the Head of Service, Hajiya Bilkisu Shehu Maimota, expressed satisfaction with the successful conduct of the programme, noting that its objectives had been fully achieved. She expressed confidence that the knowledge and skills acquired by the participants would significantly improve service delivery and enhance performance across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

The Head of Service also commended the Kano State Government under the leadership of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf for its unwavering commitment to strengthening the civil service through continuous investment in capacity building and human capital development. She described the initiative as a strategic step towards building a more efficient, productive and responsive public service capable of meeting the aspirations of the people of Kano State.

In his remarks, the Permanent Secretary, Human Resource and Service Improvement, Alhaji Sabiu Shuaibu Muhammad, congratulated participants on the successful completion of the training and examination. He commended their dedication and active participation throughout the programme and urged them to apply the knowledge and skills acquired in the discharge of their official responsibilities.

He also expressed profound appreciation to the Head of Service and Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf for their invaluable support and commitment to the development of the state’s civil service.

The Head of Service further appreciated the Director-General of the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON), the Deputy Director of Studies, the North-West Zonal Head of ASCON, Dr. A. I. Rufus, and all ASCON staff for their dedication, professionalism and invaluable contributions to the successful conduct of the programme. She equally commended the directors and staff of the Office of the Head of Service for their teamwork, effective coordination and unwavering support, which contributed immensely to the successful organisation of the training.

Speaking on behalf of all participants, Musa Ahmad Ibrahim Durumin Iya aka best seller expressed profound appreciation to His Excellency, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, the Kano State Head of Service, the Permanent Secretary, Human Resource and Service Improvement, and the Director, Human Resource, in recognition of their immense contributions towards the successful conduct of the training programme. He described their unwavering support, visionary leadership, and commitment to human capital development as instrumental to the overall success of the capacity-building exercise.

Durumin iya further expressed sincere appreciation to Mrs. A.O. Olabimitan, Deputy Director of the Training Department, representing the Director-General of the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON), the Deputy Director of Studies, the North-West Zonal Head of ASCON, Dr. A. I. Rufus, and all ASCON staff for their dedication, professionalism, tireless support, and invaluable contributions to the successful conduct of the programme.

According to him, their commitment to excellence and quality training greatly enriched the learning experience and contributed significantly to the successful outcome of the exercise.

A claim currently circulating on social media that the “University of Paris” has ranked Kano State Government as the highest spending state across West Africa has been found to be unsubstantiated.

Recent investigations have shown that there is no verifiable record to support the viral claim that the “University of Paris” ranked Kano State as the highest spender on education in West Africa.

Checks of official websites and publications of Sorbonne University, Université Paris Cité, and other institutions under the University of Paris system show no such ranking, report, or statement.

According to investigation, there is no academic paper or press release from any Paris-based university mentions Kano State in relation to government expenditure across West Africa.

A review of the latest 2026 rankings shows that mentions of Nigeria focus on universities such as Bayero University Kano, which was ranked 4th in West Africa, and not on state government spending.

An educationist Hassan Usman has said that global comparative data on government spending across nations are usually issued by international bodies such as UNESCO, the World Bank, or the IMF through their education, finance, and governance reports.

According to him, University rankings released by French and international academic bodies are typically limited to academic performance, research output, and institutional reputation.

Usman urged members of the public, especially journalists, to always verify information from credible sources before sharing to avoid the spread of misinformation and fake news.

However, a check of recent UNESCO publications, including the Global Education Monitoring Report and Institute for Statistics database, showed that no such ranking placing Kano State or any Nigerian state as the highest spender in West Africa has been released.

By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

The House of Representatives Special Committee on Crude Oil Theft has called for the establishment of a special court to fast-track the prosecution of crude oil thieves and other economic saboteurs, saying weak laws and delays in the judicial process have continued to undermine efforts to curb oil theft in Nigeria.

The proposal was made at a stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja on Thursday, where lawmakers, security agencies and officials from the Office of the National Security Adviser reviewed the country’s legal framework for tackling crude oil theft, pipeline vandalism and related offences.

The meeting forms part of the committee’s ongoing consultations on legislative and institutional measures to address crude oil theft, which has continued to reduce government revenue, cut oil production, discourage investment and threaten Nigeria’s energy security despite years of security operations.

Chairman of the committee, Alhassan Doguwa, said participants agreed on the need to review existing laws, arguing that many of the statutes governing the sector date back to the military era and no longer provide adequate deterrence against increasingly sophisticated criminal networks.

“We have also recommended in previous bills before the House the possibility of establishing a special court for these kinds of crimes because the crimes themselves are special.

“If we allow these criminal cases to go through the conventional court system, considering the delays involved, many of them will remain unresolved while the criminals escape appropriate punishment,” he said.

He said the committee and stakeholders had agreed to work together to address legal and institutional bottlenecks hampering the fight against crude oil theft.

“The global oil and gas economy is now in an advanced stage. Virtually all oil-producing countries are making progress because they have provided effective legal instruments to address their challenges. For this reason, we believe Nigeria should also review some of its laws,” he added.

Doguwa noted that courts are still relying on outdated legislation enacted during military rule to prosecute offences in the oil and gas sector.

“Unless we provide new measures, new laws and a new legal framework, the courts will continue to rely on this obsolete legislation in handling serious criminality within Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.

“I want to assure Nigerians that the National Assembly, especially the House of Representatives through this committee, will partner with the Office of the National Security Adviser to effectively combat crude oil theft and every other criminal activity within the oil and gas environment,” he added.

The lawmaker said Nigeria’s crude oil production remains below budget projections because of persistent theft and pipeline vandalism, stressing that reversing the trend is essential to improving government revenue and restoring investor confidence.

He noted that representatives of the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Air Force, Nigeria Police Force and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps attended the meeting, describing inter-agency collaboration as critical to addressing the challenge.

Doguwa, however, criticised the absence of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission from the meeting, describing it as disappointing.

“It was rather unfortunate that some of the critical regulatory agencies in the oil and gas sector, particularly the NUPRC, neither attended nor sent representatives.

“We frown at that action and have directed the Clerk of the Committee to write to them, requiring them to appear before the committee because they are key stakeholders in the fight against this serious problem bedevilling our country,” he added.

A member of the committee, Cyril Hart, said the committee’s mandate extends beyond tackling crude oil theft to ensuring Nigeria’s oil assets are fully developed for national benefit.

He said operators that fail to develop oil blocks within stipulated timelines should also be held accountable.

Representing the National Security Adviser, the Director of Energy Security in the Office of the National Security Adviser, Goodluck Ilajufi, said stronger legislation had become necessary because existing penalties were no longer serving as effective deterrents.