By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, Vice-Presidential Candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has asked former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar to drop his bid for 2027 presidency.

Speaking members of the Fulani Farmers Association who visited him at his Abuja residence, Kwankwaso said Atiku who is the Presidential Candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), should devote his time to his traditional responsibilities.

Citing Atiku’s age and health, Kwankwaso asked supporters of the ADC Presidential Candidate to persuade him to withdraw from the contest.

“Go to the Wazirin of Adamawa’s house and tell him in Fulani that he needs to focus on his traditional title of Wazirin, given his age and health.”

“If Allah grants us success, we will take good care of him, especially since you all come from Adamawa. An apology should be offered to him,” he said.

In April, Atiku had said the 2027 presidential election may be his final attempt to become Nigeria’s leader, citing his age and the high stakes involved.

Responding to a question on whether turning 80 by 2027 would make the stakes higher for him, Atiku said it would likely be his last outing.

“Certainly yes, because the stakes are higher and I believe that will be my last outing,” he said.

Atiku has made multiple attempts to become Nigeria’s president since returning to partisan politics in 2003.

He first contested the presidency in 1993 under the Social Democratic Party primaries before stepping down for the late Moshood Abiola.

He later ran in 2007 under the Action Congress, losing to the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.

Atiku also contested in 2011 under the Action Congress of Nigeria, losing to former President Goodluck Jonathan.

He returned to the Peoples Democratic Party and contested the 2019 presidential election, where he lost to former President Muhammadu Buhari.

In 2023, he again emerged PDP candidate but lost to President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress.

The former vice president has consistently positioned himself as a long-time advocate of restructuring, economic liberalisation and private sector-driven growth.

By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

Paracetamol use during pregnancy can affect future fertility of baby girls, a new study has said.

Published on Oxford Academic, the COPANA study was led by Dr Margit Bistrup Fischer, a postdoctoral researcher at Rigshospitalet (Copenhagen University Hospital) in Denmark.

The study “found that girls who had been exposed to paracetamol during fetal life had smaller ovaries, fewer ovarian follicles (the structures that contain immature eggs), differences in reproductive hormone levels, and reduced uterine size during infancy.”

It added, “similar findings were observed in an independent group of participants followed to adolescence.”

According to the report, 302 healthy girls from a Danish pregnancy cohort were examined during infancy.

It added, “Paracetamol exposure during pregnancy was assessed using both pregnant women’s reports of paracetamol use collected bi-weekly and measurements of paracetamol in their urine samples.”

However, the study calls for more research as it cannot prove that “paracetamol directly caused these differences, the findings are consistent with results from animal studies.”

“Further research is needed to determine whether these early-life differences have consequences for reproductive health later in life and to inform recommendations on paracetamol use during pregnancy.”

The COPANA study is said to be the first human study specifically designed to probe whether prenatal paracetamol exposure is associated with markers of ovarian development in daughters.

The Kano State Government is set to distribute football kits to 60 grassroots football clubs across 12 Local Government Areas of the state as part of efforts to encourage youth participation in sports and develop football talent at the grassroots.

Special Adviser to Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf on Sports, Sani Musa Danja, disclosed this while unveiling the pre-distribution ceremony to sports correspondents in Kano.

Danja said the initiative was designed specifically to support grassroots football clubs and encourage young people to participate actively in sports, stressing that the distribution was only the beginning of the government’s intervention in grassroots sports development.

According to him, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf is committed to empowering young people through sports and other programmes aimed at creating opportunities for them to develop their talents.

“This is just the beginning. We are going to give it to grassroots only. Governor Yusuf is committed to empowerment,” Danja said.

He explained that the football kits would be distributed to five clubs in each of the 12 selected Local Government Areas, bringing the total number of beneficiary clubs to 60.

The Special Adviser listed the benefiting Local Government Areas as Kano Municipal, Fagge, Dala, Gwale, Tarauni, Nasarawa, Ungogo, Kumbotso, Gezawa, Wudil, Bichi and Dawakin Kudu.

Danja said the initiative was also intended to demonstrate the government’s concern for the development and welfare of young people, particularly those involved in grassroots football.

He noted that many community-based football clubs had previously depended on individuals and influential personalities for basic equipment, including footballs and playing kits, but said the government had now decided to provide direct support to such clubs.

“Some local clubs used to write to influential individuals just to have a football, but now the government of Engineer Abba Kabir Yusuf has done it,” Danja said.

He added that the government was not limiting its intervention to the provision of football kits, as it also planned to improve the capacity of coaches through specialised training programmes.

Danja disclosed that coaches from Europe would be invited to Kano to train local coaches as part of efforts to improve the standard of grassroots football and ensure that young players receive proper technical guidance.

“We decided to make coaches trained. Coaches will come from Europe to train our coaches in Kano,” he said.

According to him, developing qualified coaches is essential to the long-term growth of football because talented players need competent professionals who can identify, nurture and develop their abilities from an early age.

Danja described football as a valuable global asset, saying the enormous financial value attached to the sport had made investment in grassroots development increasingly important.

“Football is now a treasure, that is why we are developing it,” he said, adding that the huge transfer fees being paid for top players demonstrated the economic potential of football.

He said the Kano State Government was determined to restore the prominence of football in Northern Nigeria, with particular attention to Kano, which he described as a state with a strong football culture and a large pool of young talents.

“We are back in the North on football and Kano in particular, so we have to speed up,” Danja said.

He explained that the initiative would also serve as a form of encouragement and recognition for young people who were actively involved in football at the community level.

Danja said the government hoped that providing equipment and other forms of support would raise youths’ consciousness about sports and make them appreciate the government’s efforts towards their development.

He stressed that the intervention was aimed at promoting and encouraging young people rather than serving any political purpose, noting that football has a powerful influence on communities and young people across the world.

“Football is very powerful in the world,” Danja said, adding that the government intended to use sports as a platform for youth development and empowerment.

He further disclosed that the government would introduce encouragement awards and other forms of recognition for grassroots clubs and individuals contributing to sports development in the state.

Danja said the distribution programme would take place at the Coronation Hall in Kano, where the beneficiary clubs would receive the football equipment.

He assured sports journalists and other members of the media that the government would continue to carry them along in its sports development programmes, saying the media had an important role to play in promoting grassroots sports and highlighting the achievements of young athletes.

“We will not relent, and we will carry you along, the media,” Danja said.

He reiterated that the state government would continue to explore ways of strengthening grassroots football, developing coaches and creating opportunities for young players to progress from community football to higher levels of the sport.

Danja said the ultimate objective was to promote and encourage youth participation in sports while creating a sustainable pathway through which talented footballers from Kano could be identified, developed and potentially compete at national and international levels.