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When Kano Chose Peace: A Lesson in the Spirit of the Kano First Agenda

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5 months ago

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Kano Map

 

 

By Nworisa Michael | Coordinator, Inter-tribe Community Support Forum

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There are moments in the life of a community that arrive without announcement and depart without ceremony, but whose significance, properly understood, reveals more about the character of a society than any formal declaration or policy document ever could. These are the moments of quiet testing, when the distance between a society’s stated values and its actual reflexes is measured not in speeches or manifestos, but in the ordinary decisions of ordinary people confronted with fear, uncertainty, and the ancient human temptation to react before they think. Kano State experienced one such moment recently, and what it chose in that moment deserves more than the brief attention it has so far received. It deserves reflection, because it contains within it a lesson about what the Kano First Agenda actually means when it moves from the realm of policy language into the lived reality of a city under pressure.
The episode began, as so many contemporary crises do, with a video. Disturbing in its content and rapid in its spread across social media platforms, the footage stirred genuine anxiety within parts of Kano’s diverse and densely connected community. In a city as historically layered and socially complex as Kano, a meeting point of cultures, faiths, ethnicities, and economic interests that has sustained its coherence across centuries through a combination of institutional wisdom and civic restraint, such moments carry a particular weight. The same social architecture that makes Kano’s diversity its greatest strength also makes it vulnerable, under conditions of rumor and fear, to the kind of communal misreading that can transform isolated incidents into collective confrontations. Anyone who knows Kano’s history understands that the distance between anxiety and escalation can, in the wrong circumstances, be disturbingly short.
That escalation did not happen. And the reasons it did not happen are worth examining carefully, because they speak directly to the question of whether the values embedded in the Kano First philosophy are merely aspirational language or whether they have begun to take genuine root in the state’s institutional culture and civic consciousness.
The first line of response was institutional, and it was swift. The Kano State Police Command moved with a speed and decisiveness that communicated, without ambiguity, that the matter was being taken seriously and that the state’s security architecture was functioning as it should. The confirmation that the individual responsible for the video had been identified and arrested removed the dangerous vacuum of uncertainty that rumors require in order to grow into something more destructive. The visible presence of security personnel in the affected community provided the physical reassurance that anxious residents needed. Officers including CSP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, and the team from the State Intelligence Department led by ACP Abdul Umar, demonstrated the kind of professional responsiveness that builds public confidence in institutions, the kind of confidence that is, in the framework of the Kano First Initiative, not a luxury but a governance necessity.
But the architects of the Kano First philosophy have always understood something that purely security-focused governance tends to overlook: that institutional competence, however impressive, is not sufficient to calm communities whose fears are not merely physical but emotional and psychological. People do not only need to know that a situation is being managed. They need to hear that assurance from voices they have learned, over time, to trust. That deeper reassurance came through the respected leadership of Sheikh Ibrahim Khalil, Chairman of the Council of Ulama, whose message, even when conveyed through his aide, carried the moral authority that formal institutional communication alone cannot always provide. The intervention of religious leadership in this moment was not a substitute for institutional action. It was its necessary complement, a reminder that the governance of complex, faith-rooted societies requires the active partnership of moral authority alongside the exercise of political and security power.
Running through both dimensions of this response, the institutional and the moral, was the consistent and purposeful communication of the Honourable Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Comrade Ibrahim Abdullahi Waiya, whose role as the strategic voice of the Kano First Agenda has never been more clearly demonstrated than in moments precisely like this one. Waiya’s communication philosophy, shaped by years of civic activism and deepened by his stewardship of the state’s information architecture, rests on a conviction that is simple in its articulation but demanding in its practice: that the first responsibility of government communication in times of uncertainty is not to manage optics but to protect civic harmony, not to project an image of control but to actually help citizens navigate fear with accurate information, calm authority, and a consistent reminder of the values that hold a diverse community together. In this episode, that philosophy was visibly at work.
What this moment ultimately revealed, however, goes beyond the performance of any particular institution or individual. Its deepest lesson is about the people of Kano themselves. The decision not to escalate, the instinct to reach out to authorities rather than to act on rumor, the collective preference for engagement over confrontation, these were not the choices of a passive population waiting for government to solve its problems. They were the active choices of a community that has internalized, at some level, the understanding that peace is not a gift that governments bestow upon citizens. It is a responsibility that citizens exercise on behalf of one another, every time they choose restraint over reaction, verification over rumor, and dialogue over division.
This is precisely the civic consciousness that the Kano First Initiative was designed to cultivate. The framework’s emphasis on communal responsibility, on the role of citizens as active stakeholders in the state’s stability and development rather than passive recipients of government services, found its clearest expression not in any policy document or communication campaign but in the quiet, dignified choices of Kano’s residents in a moment when different choices were entirely available to them. In that sense, what happened in Kano recently was not merely an incident successfully managed. It was the Kano First philosophy made visible, a demonstration that the values the initiative champions are not foreign impositions or political aspirations but genuine reflections of something already present in the character of this city and its people.
Under the leadership of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, whose administration has consistently placed the peace, unity, and stability of Kano at the center of its governance philosophy, the expectation is not that crises will never arise. The expectation is that when they do, Kano’s institutions, leaders, and citizens will respond in ways that reflect the state’s highest values rather than its lowest fears. Recent events suggest that this expectation is not merely rhetorical. It is, slowly but meaningfully, becoming real.
There is, nonetheless, a caution that honest reflection requires. A single well-managed incident does not constitute a transformation. The civic maturity that Kano demonstrated in this episode needs to be nurtured, reinforced, and institutionally supported if it is to become a reliable feature of the state’s social fabric rather than an admirable exception. The media has a critical role to play in this process, by reporting responsibly, amplifying examples of civic wisdom, and refusing to become a vehicle for the kind of sensationalism that turns anxiety into panic. Civil society organizations, community leaders, traditional institutions, and professional associations must continue to invest in the relationships and communication channels that enable rapid, trusted responses to emerging tensions. And government must continue to demonstrate, through consistent action, that its commitment to Kano First is not contingent on political convenience.
Kano has always been more than a city. It is a civilization with a memory, a people with a tradition of navigating complexity with wisdom, and a community whose greatest strength has never been its uniformity but its remarkable, historically tested capacity for coexistence. When the next moment of testing arrives, and in a society as dynamic and diverse as Kano, it will, the question will be the same one that was asked and answered recently: will Kano choose peace? If the spirit of the Kano First Agenda continues to take root in the institutions and the hearts of its people, the answer, this writer believes, will continue to be yes.

Nworisa Michael is the Coordinator of the Inter-tribe Community Support Forum.
Contact: nworisamichael1917@gmail.com

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Opinion

Kano Governor Yusuf Shortlisted for Africa’s SANKOFA Award of Excellence in Infrastructural Development

Published

2 days ago

on

July 25, 2026

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By Abba Anwar

Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf makes a list of potential Awardees across West African sub-region, observed and screened by an African association named Réseau des Jeunes du Sahel pour le Progrès, le Développement et la Démocratie (Network of Sahel Youth for Progress, Development and Democracy), on infrastructural development in their respective states.

The top most Award from the association, called Sankofa Award of Excellence across various sectors, is given to people or leaders who excel in their respective areas of work or responsibilities.

With the recent disclosure made by the Commissioner of Public Procurement, Projects Monitoring and Evaluation, Nura Ma’aji Sumaila, on the state of infrastructural development and payments of contracts in the state, the association included Kano to be part of the states across Nigeria and West African countries, screened for an Award of Excellence.

Source close to the association reveals that, Governor Yusuf’s achievements in the area of infrastructural development, could not be neglected and the Governor stands a better position to be seen and amplified across the globe. As a result of his commitment and service to humanity.

Parts of the major reasons that informed the association’s decision to include Governor Yusuf for Sankofa Award of Excellence for Infrastructural Development in West Africa is his genuine inclusion of infrastructures that are human centred, modern, location specified and standardization process and procedures.

According to the source, the Screening Committee saddled with the responsibility of selecting qualified personalities across West Africa are in their final stage of releasing the result. Assuring that, under infrastructural development, Kano excels. Though not officially announced.

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When Governor Yusuf gets this Award, he will be the second person from Nigeria who bags the Award. Last year the Deputy Senate President Barau I Jibrin, PhD, CFR, got the SANKOFA Award for Legislative Excellence in Africa. Coincidentally, Governor Yusuf who is also from Kano state, would be the second Nigerian in this category.

The President of the association Mr Fassoko Doumbia, from Mali, confirmed to my source that, from all indication, “Kano State Governor, from Nigeria, Mr Abba Kabir Yusuf is in the forefront of those screened for the Award.”

With this recognition of excellence, the Award places Governor Yusuf to be one of the best Nigerian governors. And the best across West Africa on infrastructural development. One good thing about the Award is, it will as well serve as an engine oil for state commitment and unwavering service delivery.

Mr Doumbia reveals further that “… it is amazing looking at the unmatched number of completed and ongoing projects as Kano has 799 completed projects and 709 projects at various stages of completion. It is encouraging to see that Governor Yusuf is executing over 1,508 developmental projects across all 44 LGAs.”

What keeps hope and commitment alive are the transparent monitoring, evaluation and effective payment to contractors. Of which out of N928 Billion of the total contract sum, the state has already paid over N600 Billion, that’s 64.7% payment rate.
Unlike in many states in Nigeria and West Africa. The association believes that Kano institutionalized transparency through the Ministry of Public Procurement, Projects Monitoring and Evaluation.

The screening committee appreciated Kano’s strategic and balanced infrastructure spread, between urban and rural areas plus improved security. For urban renewal it has the sum of N169 Billion. While there are 5km roads in 38 LGAs with the sum of N118 Billion. They appreciated the rural infrastructure across 44 LGAs with the sum of N397 Billion for roads, education, healthcare, and social services.

While under security infrastructure the total sum of N6.863 Billion for Neighborhood Security Watch offices in 36 LGAs. This assured deliberate, balanced development with value for money, quality delivery, and measurable impact on the lives of the people. All courtesy Governor Yusuf.

It serves also as indices of how Governor Yusuf makes the list for such Award, that his infrastructures are signals for the delivery of landmark, human-centered projects as Kano completed tangible projects that directly improve lives of the citizenry, with 40 metropolitan roads, 44 PHCs, 120 schools, 5 water plants, with the ongoing Dan Agundi and Tal’udu flyovers at over 80% completion.

It has also been discovered that, Kano enjoys proven technical leadership and political will. Which glaringly displays the political will and technical competence required to drive massive infrastructure without corruption or delays. This is part of the major engagements being identified, which eventually resulted into the popular Sankofa Award of Excellence.

Anwar writes from Kano
Saturday, 25th July, 2026

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Opinion

Beyond the Numbers: What the Ekiti 2026 Governorship Results Reveal About Coalition Politics and Path to 2027

Published

7 days ago

on

July 20, 2026

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By Abass Sherifat Taiwo

Returning Officer Adenike Oladiji, a professor and Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, announced the results in the early hours of Sunday, at roughly 3:13 a.m. Incumbent Governor Biodun Oyebanji of the APC won comfortably, polling 319,224 votes across the state’s 16 local government areas. His closest challenger, the PDP’s Oluwole Oluyede, trailed far behind with 40,543 votes, while the ADC’s Dare Bejide came in third with 12,872 votes.

Of the 384,940 voters accredited for the election, 375,777 cast valid votes, a validity rate of about 97.6%, suggesting relatively few spoiled or rejected ballots.

Oyebanji’s win carries added weight as the first consecutive re-election in Ekiti’s history, a state known for unseating incumbents since 1999. His dominance was also total: he won all sixteen LGAs, and even his closest contest, in Ikere, was still a comfortable margin. His five strongest councils alone delivered nearly half his statewide votes, showing concentrated rather than thin support.

Elite alignment mattered too. For the first time, every living former Ekiti governor backed his re-election, leaving the opposition without any prominent defectors to rally behind. This unified backing functioned as a coordinated endorsement strategy, a visible signal of consensus that opposition parties had no comparable message to counter.

Between the opposition parties, PDP’s showing is more telling than ADC’s. ADC placing third as a newer platform isn’t surprising, but PDP, a long-established national party, barely crossed 3,000 votes in most councils, pointing to weak grassroots structure rather than just a bad cycle. The deeper question is whether this reflects a structural failure or a failure to sustain visibility and message presence at the ward level between election cycles.

Party | Votes | % of Valid Votes
APC | 319,224 | 84.95%
PDP | 40,543 | 10.79%
ADC | 12,872 | 3.43%
ADP | ~1,289 | 0.34%
Accord | 564 | 0.15%
LP | ~263 | 0.07%
AAC | ~188 | 0.05%

When the vote totals of every opposition party are combined, they amount to roughly 55,719 votes, or about 14.83% of all valid votes cast, a stark contrast to the APC’s dominant 84.95% share on its own. Even in a hypothetical scenario where every opposition party ran on a single, fully united ticket, their combined total would still fall short of the APC’s by approximately 263,505 votes. This gap illustrates just how commanding Oyebanji’s victory was: it was not simply a matter of a divided opposition splitting votes among several parties, but a result that would have withstood even total opposition unity.

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Following the Ekiti result, APC framed it as proof of growing national support ahead of 2027, pointing to the rise in its vote totals in the state from about 187,000 in 2022 to roughly 318,000 in 2026, and projecting even higher numbers for Tinubu in 2027. Opposition parties, including the ADC and SDP, pushed back, arguing that Ekiti’s off-cycle, low-turnout nature makes it a poor predictor of a national contest.

Both claims need scrutiny. APC’s growth trend is real, but it happened in a state the party already governs, where incumbency and federal attention worked in its favour, so it says more about consolidating an existing stronghold than expanding into contested territory. The opposition’s caution is fair, but understates that APC’s structural advantages, incumbency and federal resources, aren’t unique to Ekiti and could repeat elsewhere. The more accurate takeaway is that Ekiti confirms APC’s strength where it already holds power, without proving it can replicate that in genuinely competitive states by 2027.

ADC’s third-place finish in Ekiti, just 3.43% of the vote, looks unremarkable on its own, but it only makes sense next to the party’s national story. A year earlier, ADC had positioned itself as the face of a new opposition coalition, pulling in heavyweight names like Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi with the promise of a unified front against the APC. That promise hasn’t held: Obi and Kwankwaso have since defected to a rival platform, the NDC, while ADC battles leadership disputes and court cases that put its own 2027 participation in doubt.

That is the real lesson here for coalition politics as a communication problem, not just a structural one. ADC did not fail for lack of big names, it had plenty. What it could not do was hold one coherent message together once multiple egos and regional bases began pulling in different directions. Whether it can still become the platform it promised by 2027 is uncertain, but Ekiti is an early sign of a bigger unraveling.

Beyond Ekiti, the result speaks to a deeper pattern in Nigerian opposition politics: alliances are far easier to announce than to sustain. This suggests APC’s greatest advantage going into the next general election may not be its own performance, but the opposition’s continued inability to stay united. The near-total validity rate and one-sided outcome in Ekiti also raise questions about how genuinely competitive Nigeria’s state elections currently are, and whether low-turnout, off-cycle polls like this one can reliably signal national voter sentiment.

The Ekiti result is less a story about Oyebanji’s popularity alone than about the opposition’s structural fragility. Even a fully united opposition ticket would not have closed the gap, which means the problem isn’t vote-splitting, it’s organisational weakness, unstable coalitions, and the absence of a party capable of matching APC’s machinery and incumbency advantages. What Nigeria’s opposition needs before 2027 isn’t just structural unity, but a coherent, disciplined communication strategy capable of sustaining one message across factions, something no coalition has yet demonstrated. Until Nigeria’s opposition can build a coalition that survives contact with real electoral pressure, results like Ekiti’s are likely to repeat themselves in APC strongholds heading into 2027.

By Abass Sherifat Taiwo
Department of Development and Strategic communication University of Abuja
200level

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Opinion

Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf Has Earned a Vote of Confidence on Education

Published

1 week ago

on

July 19, 2026

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By Hon. Muhammad Sanusi S. Kiru, FCIA
(Former Commissioner of Education, Kano State)

There comes a time in public discourse when fairness must prevail over partisanship and facts must take precedence over preconceived opinions. That moment has come in my assessment of the educational reforms being implemented by the administration of His Excellency, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf.

As a former Commissioner of Education and someone who has consistently evaluated government performance with candour, I owe the people of Kano State an honest appraisal of the Governor’s performance in the education sector. After objectively reviewing the administration’s interventions from 2024 to 2026, particularly its determined efforts to address the acute shortage of teachers, I have reached an inescapable conclusion: Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf deserves a vote of confidence for his outstanding commitment to the development of education in Kano State.

One of the greatest challenges confronting our educational system has been the persistent shortage of teachers, resulting in unfavourable teacher-pupil and teacher-student ratios across many public schools. This problem has adversely affected the quality of teaching and learning for many years.

The present administration has confronted this challenge with courage and determination. Between 2024 and 2026, the government recruited or absorbed 8,715 permanent teachers and engaged 3,688 temporary BESDA Cohort V teachers, bringing the documented total to 12,403 education personnel. With recruitments by other education agencies, the overall figure is widely estimated at approximately 13,000 teachers.

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This represents one of the largest teacher recruitment exercises in the history of Kano State. More importantly, it is a strategic investment in the future of our children and in the long-term development of the state. By substantially reducing the teacher deficit, the administration has strengthened both the basic and post-basic education subsectors and created a stronger foundation for improved educational outcomes. The new recruitment not only means making our classrooms more vibrant and ensuring that teaching is consistently taking place, but it also signifies a positive shift in the narrative reflected in monitoring reports, the annual school census, and national personnel data.

Looking at the tangible achievements now before us, particularly in education, it is clear that the administration has made significant and commendable progress. Leadership should always be judged by measurable accomplishments, and in this regard, the Governor has acquitted himself admirably.

One area where the administration must, however, improve is public communication. Many of its remarkable achievements have not received the publicity they deserve. A well-coordinated and effective publicity strategy would ensure that citizens fully appreciate the scope and impact of these landmark interventions.

As His Excellency prepares to personally attend the special ceremony for the presentation of appointment letters to the newly employed teachers on Tuesday, 21st July 2026, I consider it appropriate to congratulate him on this historic milestone. The ceremony is more than a presentation of appointment letters; it is a celebration of renewed hope for thousands of families, a reaffirmation of government’s commitment to quality education, and a significant step towards building a stronger educational system for future generations.

I wish His Excellency a successful and hitch-free ceremony and pray that Almighty Allah grants him wisdom, good health, and continued strength to sustain the ongoing transformation of the education sector. May this programme mark the beginning of even greater achievements in the quest to provide every child in Kano State with access to quality education delivered by competent and dedicated teachers.

Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf deserves sincere commendation for these giant strides. If this policy of continuous recruitment and investment in teachers is sustained, it will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the defining legacies of his administration. Future generations will look back on this period as a turning point in the educational history of Kano State.

I therefore extend my heartfelt congratulations to His Excellency and offer him a well-deserved vote of confidence. I also wish him every success as he formally presents appointment letters to these newly recruited teachers on Tuesday. May the occasion be memorable, successful, and another milestone in the march towards educational excellence in Kano State.

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