By: INUWA WAYA.

From Hinton’s and Anthropic’s warnings, the emerging AI race demands a new international system of cooperation, restraint and verification.
There are moments in history when humanity develops a technology before it fully understands the consequences of possessing it.

Nuclear weapons were one. Artificial intelligence may prove to be another.
But there is a fundamental difference. Nuclear weapons possess extraordinary destructive power, but they do not think. They cannot reason about the intentions of their controllers, conceal their actions, rewrite computer code, independently search for vulnerabilities or devise strategies for preventing themselves from being disabled.

Future artificial intelligence may eventually possess some combination of these capabilities. In fact, the information coming out is incredibly alarming. There are strong indications that AI agents are hacking computers and covering their tracks. That possibility has moved the debate about AI beyond questions of employment, productivity, misinformation and economic disruption. A much more disturbing question has entered mainstream scientific discussion. Could the human race create an uncontrollable intelligence more capable and more powerful than itself?

What makes the current debate particularly significant relates to the positions taken by scientists who played a leading role in the emergence of AI. Anthropic, developer of Claude, is one of the world’s leading frontier-AI laboratories and has placed unusual emphasis on AI safety and alignment. Yet researchers associated with the company have recently expressed extraordinarily serious concerns about the direction in which frontier AI is moving.

Jacob Coxon resigned from Anthropic after working on AI pre-training research there and previously at OpenAI. He warned that leading laboratories were racing towards increasingly autonomous and potentially self-improving artificial intelligence before humanity had solved the problem of controlling systems more capable than itself.

More strikingly, Evan Hubinger, Anthropic’s Alignment Science Lead, has placed his personal estimate of the probability of AI causing human extinction within roughly the next decade at greater than 10 percent.

Samuel Marks, Anthropic’s Scalable Oversight Lead, has also publicly emphasised the seriousness with which catastrophic AI risks are regarded among people working closest to frontier systems. None of this means Anthropic believes extinction is inevitable. Nor does it mean a 10 per cent figure can be scientifically measured with precision. It means something more limited—but still extraordinary.

People whose professional work involves understanding and controlling frontier AI systems are telling the world that they cannot confidently rule out catastrophic loss of control.

That, of course, deserves serious attention. Geoffrey Hinton is not a speculator about a technology he does not understand. His pioneering work on neural networks helped establish foundations upon which modern artificial intelligence was built. Today, he is widely regarded as one of the fathers of artificial intelligence. Together with Yoshua Bengio and Yann LeCun, he received the Turing Award for foundational contributions to deep learning. He subsequently received the Nobel Prize in Physics.

In 2023, Hinton left Google after more than a decade with the company. He explained that leaving allowed him to speak more freely about the dangers he increasingly believed advanced AI could create. There is no doubt that his decision to quit and the reason behind it would generate debate about the future of AI. One of the architects, if not the leading architect, of the AI revolution had become sufficiently concerned about where the revolution might lead that he wanted greater freedom to warn society about it. Responding to a question on whether a greater-than-10-percent probability that AI could kill humanity within approximately a decade was plausible, Hinton opined that such an estimate was not unreasonable. Even though he made a caveat regarding the knowledge to calculate such probabilities, that caveat is essential. In spite of that, however, Hinton’s remark is an indication of how urgently some leading researchers believe the governance issues behind advanced AI must be addressed.

It is interesting to note, however, that the scientific community is far from unanimous on the subject of human extinction now or at some time in the future because of advanced AI. Yann LeCun, another giant of modern AI and Hinton’s fellow Turing Award recipient, strongly disputes many extinction scenarios.

One of LeCun’s important arguments is that intelligence should not be confused with motivation. Becoming extraordinarily intelligent does not logically mean acquiring a desire to dominate humanity. Human drives towards power, status and survival have biological and evolutionary origins; and there is no law requiring an artificial intelligence to acquire equivalent ambitions simply because it becomes highly capable. For LeCun, the fear of AI taking over the world is simply humans projecting their own evolutionary traits of power and dominance onto machines. He concluded that if an AI system ever becomes unsafe, humans can simply change its design or turn it off. At all material times, human beings should be in charge.

Andrew Ng has similarly argued that extinction scenarios are excessively speculative and that disproportionate fear could encourage regulation that unnecessarily inhibits beneficial technological development. Such regulations, he said, were championed by large tech companies in order to shut out smaller competitors and hurt the open-source community.

Other researchers emphasise the limitations of today’s AI. Current systems hallucinate, make elementary errors, struggle with aspects of sustained reasoning and remain dependent upon enormous physical infrastructures built, powered and maintained by humans.
These arguments deserve serious consideration. Indeed, scientists who disagree with Hinton should be included in any international effort to govern frontier AI. But their disagreement does not establish that catastrophic AI risk is impossible. It only establishes something more uncomfortable that could best be described as uncertainty.

When Hinton and LeCun, who shared the world’s highest distinction in computer science for their contributions to deep learning can examine the trajectory of the same technology and reach radically different conclusions about its ultimate danger, policymakers cannot responsibly pretend that the scientific question has been settled.

Suppose Hinton and the Anthropic researchers are wrong. Humanity might impose unnecessary safety tests, spend enormous resources on verification and perhaps slow some frontier development.
Conversely, suppose they are right to a large extent. The world may not have the opportunity to correct any identified error. That asymmetry presents a perplexing challenge which will be at the heart of the policy problem.

If aeronautical engineers disagreed over whether an aircraft had a 10 percent probability of crashing, nobody would propose to resolve the conflict with the aircraft at full passenger capacity. An informed reasoning would advise to investigate and resolve the matter before take-off. In respect of the AI conundrum, the rational response should neither be panic nor technological prohibition. It should be precaution proportionate to consequence. The big question is to determine the international body that would be saddled with the responsibility of ensuring the adoption of precautionary measures and whether or not there would be unanimity amongst the scientists on what should be regarded as consequences. The competition between countries to develop artificial intelligence is intensely fierce, often likened to an arms race or a new Cold War. World leaders view AI as the defining technology that will dictate future economic leadership, national security, and global influence. With differences in strategy, China and the United States of America are the leading competitors in the global arena. The U.S. leads in capital, talent, and frontier model innovation, whereas China focuses heavily on scaled deployment, patents, and cost-optimized models. Europe, India, Singapore and some Middle Eastern countries, are gradually developing capabilities. The current AI competition is not unprecedented in the history of the world.

The closest historical analogy is the nuclear race. After Hiroshima and Nagasaki came the Soviet atomic bomb, the hydrogen bomb, intercontinental ballistic missiles and submarine-launched nuclear weapons. The United States and the Soviet Union became locked into a security dilemma. Each increased its arsenal partly because it feared the other’s arsenal. Then came the Cuban Missile Crisis, which demonstrated that unrestricted strategic competition could produce an outcome in which neither side survived sufficiently to enjoy victory.
Out of that recognition, gradually emerged arms control. The Strategic Arms Limitation Talks—SALT—began formally in 1969. SALT I produced the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and an interim agreement limiting aspects of strategic offensive weapons. SALT did not end the Cold War and did not eliminate nuclear weapons.

It did something more realistic by providing boundaries around competition. Subsequently came the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START). START went beyond limiting strategic arsenals towards requiring substantial reductions. It established extensive verification arrangements involving data exchanges, notifications, technical monitoring and on-site inspections. America did not trust the Soviet Union and vice versa. Where trust was impossible, verification could make restraint possible. As practical as they were, the SALT/START analogy may not entirely suit the AI situation.

The most consequential strategic competition in frontier AI is presently between the United States and China. Their companies, computing infrastructure, semiconductor strategies and military ambitions make their relationship central to the global AI race.
If Washington believes Beijing is approaching transformative artificial intelligence, America has an incentive to accelerate. If Beijing believes Washington is approaching it, China has the same incentive. Neither wants to finish second and there is no practical intention to slow down progress. That makes negotiations between the US and China, very essential. At the moment, the likelihood of such happening is very remote. Intense competition is fracturing the global tech landscape into two increasingly incompatible ecosystems centered around the US and China. In rejecting the warning given by the AI giants on the possibility of AI taking over the World and wiping out humanity, President Trump said such assertions were a hoax, peddled by radical Democrats. For him, AI and data centers in the US, are the “Greatest Economic Development Engine in History which should not be stopped”.

Let’s assume for a moment that China and the US agreed to negotiate limitations. That is not enough. There are others that must be carried on board. Important AI research and infrastructure exist in Europe, Britain, India, Japan, South Korea, Canada, the Middle East, Singapore and elsewhere. Future breakthroughs therefore need not necessarily originate in either America or China. There is an even greater complication to consider. Unlike nuclear weapons, much of the frontier of artificial intelligence is not controlled directly by governments. Corporations and research laboratories are controlling them. Companies such as OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, DeepMind and Meta are developing frontier systems in the United States and allied economies. China has its own major technology companies and AI laboratories. That alone fundamentally changes the governance structure. A treaty constraining Washington while leaving frontier American laboratories outside its obligations would be inadequate. Ditto for Beijing and Chinese developers. In the same vein, an agreement between America and China that ignored significant capabilities elsewhere could become ineffective. The practical solution should have different segments. The bilateral approach should be recognised as Stage One.

Washington and Beijing should begin negotiations for an AI Strategic Stability Agreement because their rivalry currently creates the greatest danger of a frontier race in which safety becomes subordinate to speed. Such negotiations must involve independent AI companies in their respective countries.

The first agreement could prohibit autonomous AI authority over nuclear launches; guarantee meaningful human control over irreversible strategic military decisions; establish emergency AI hotlines; create common reporting obligations for serious loss-of-control incidents; and establish agreed safety evaluations for systems crossing defined capability thresholds. The next stage should widen participation.

Other states possessing significant frontier AI capability, advanced semiconductor industries or very large computing infrastructure should enter the framework. Ultimately, the objective should be the adoption of a universally recognised and acceptable control regime. This assertion may sound simple and inviting in print words. In reality, and judging from the difficulties the international community is experiencing in observing and enforcing international law and order, it will certainly be a herculean task to reach a consensus on establishing a body that would be saddled with responsibility of superintending the frontier artificial intelligence systems, possessing capabilities of creating catastrophic international consequences, and eventually introduce an international verification system. The purpose of international governance and monitoring is not to determine which government or company has good intentions. It is to create rules under which responsible behaviour does not require competitive suicide.

No one knows whether AI could cause human extinction within a decade. We should resist converting uncertain probability estimates into sensational predictions. We should equally resist converting uncertainty into complacency. The next ten years should therefore not be described as humanity’s countdown. They should be treated as humanity’s window for governance as far as AI is concerned.
Artificial intelligence could become one of humanity’s greatest achievements. It could transform medicine, education, scientific discovery and productivity. It could solve problems generations of human beings have failed to solve. The objective cannot therefore be to stop technological progress. It must be to ensure that progress remains compatible with human survival. The international community must therefore put aside their differences along fault and open lines for the sake of humanity. They must note that SALT and START made it possible for adversaries to unite and limit the arms race to guarantee the future of mankind. No government, corporation or scientist has the moral right to gamble with the continued existence of humanity simply because nobody can calculate the odds precisely. If Hinton and the Anthropic researchers are wrong, history may conclude that humanity was excessively cautious. If they are right and humanity ignores them, there may be nobody left to write history. In any case, even before deciding on the decade extinction arguments, the World needs to act on the gradual degeneration of human brain as a result of over reliance on AI in every human endeavour. Nowadays, humans rely on AI for analytical thinking. They consult it for advise on personal and official matters. This decline in human brain is capable of causing incalculable damage to human psyche. The big question today therefore, is whether humanity is determined to control intelligence greater than its own before they become impossible to govern.

By Abba Anwar

In an era when most West African cities still struggle to meet the 15 percent health funding threshold set by the Abuja Declaration of 2001, Kano State under Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf has not only met the target but surpassed it, rewriting the narrative of public health financing in Nigeria and the sub-region. Showing political will and genuine commitment in their purest form.

While official budget briefs show Ghana at 6.32 percent, Côte d’Ivoire at 5.1 percent, Senegal at less than 4 percent, and even Lagos State, Nigeria’s economic capital, scrawled at 8 percent, Kano in 2024 and 2025 allocated over 15 percent of its annual budget to health, the highest executive commitment in the history of the state.

That deliberate fiscal decision, under the leadership of a committed Governor is now translating into visible, measurable life-saving results on the ground. From tripling drug availability in public hospitals from 30 percent to over 90 percent in three years and clearing N1.2 billion in inherited pharmaceutical debts, to the simultaneous renovation of over 20 General Hospitals, upgrading of more than 200 Primary Health Centres (PHCs) across 44 local governments, and the enrolment of 300,000 vulnerable citizens into free AbbaCare insurance.

This is a clear case of demonstration that political will backed by proper funding can be achieved in three years what many cities have failed to achieve in two decades. This is wowing development

For clarity in the understanding of this discussion, my reader should know that the Abuja Declaration in Health is a historic commitment made by all African Heads of State and governments.

It was birthed on April 27, 2001, in Abuja, Nigeria, at an African Union Summit on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Other Related Infectious Diseases. Under this Declaration it was agreed that very African government should allocate at least 15% of its annual government budget to the health sector. A messiah-looking effort to save the health sector.

As a build-up to the Declaration it was observed that Africa had the highest disease burden in the world — HIV/AIDS was killing millions, plus malaria, TB, and high maternal deaths — but most governments were spending only 3-5% on health. The leaders agreed that without money, health systems would collapse. Years after the Declaration, many governments relent. Hence the coming on board of Governor Yusuf of Kano state, whose singular determination, commitment, political will and the effort, place him above many African cities in this all-important sector.

The recommended 15% covers for almost everything health. It looks at hospitals and PHCs, drugs and medical supplies, health worker salaries, immunization and maternal health and health insurance.

To the chagrin of many Kano under Governor Yusuf is praised as it crossed the 15% line in 2024 and 2025, while most countries and cities in West Africa are still at 4% to 10%.

Kano in 2023-2026 boasts of drug availability 30% to over 90% in 3 years and N1.2bn debt cleared. While over 200 PHCs were upgraded and over 20 hospitals were renovated. And 926 workers reinstated on CONHESS, over 250 doctors and over 155 nurses.

But under this benchmark many cities in Africa failed Abuja. Let’s look at the following cities across our continent :

In ACCRA, Ghana in 2025 the health percentage was 6.32% of total national budget. Which is far below the 15% Abuja target. In 2026 it is 9.6% of total budget, still short of 15%. Under UNICEF Ghana Health Budget Brief it also shows total health at 10.6% including NHIA, MoH alone only 6-8%.

In ABIDJAN, Côte d’Ivoire it failed the Abuja status badly. It did not comply with the Abuja Declaration in 2023 to 2026. It is still far below 15%. In 2023 it was bout 5% of government budget. WHO AFRO and government dialogue documents state that, “At around 5% of the national budget, health financing is insufficient”.

In 2024-2025, that is the current plan, the National Development Plan 2021-2025 itself says health is 5.1% of the state budget. UNICEF CPD repeats same 5.1%. Just one-third of Abuja target.

In comparison with Kano,
Côte d’Ivoire with 32 million people, richest in West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), has 5.1%. While Kano under Gov Yusuf a state with over 20 million people has over 15% in 2024 and 2025. Can my reader see the gap?

That is why WHO still lists Côte d’Ivoire as having some of the lowest health indicators in the region and out-of-pocket spending at 50.81%, while Kano moved to free AbbaCare insurance.

For DAKAR, Senegal, under health financing it also failed Abuja Declaration woefully. From the standpoint of UNICEF assessment it shows Dakar has low public spending on health less than 4 per cent of national budget. In 2024 health budget CFA271.62bn but execution only 62%. In 2026 budget cut by 18.7% due to fiscal pressure.

In LAGOS, Nigeria, the state also failed Abuja status badly. The Commissioner for Health Prof. Akin Abayomi clarifies that the state currently allocates about 8% of its budget to healthcare, far below the 15 percent benchmark. The position repeated in 2026. As Lagos currently spends about 8%, far below 15%.

When you look at other West African cities like Bamako, Ouagadougou, Niamey, and Freetown, they are in the same WHO Global Health Expenditure Database (GHED) bucket as Senegal and Ivory Coast. WHO database shows all UEMOA countries average 5-8% government health expenditure, none hit 15%. That is why UNICEF and WHO keep calling for increased domestic financing.

Every city I listed is documented in official papers as below 15%. Ghana officially 6.32%, Ivory Coast 5.1%, Senegal less than 4%, Lagos 8%. But Kano under Gov Yusuf is the only administration in this comparison that is on record as having CROSSED the 15% Abuja line and used it to deliver drugs, hospitals and free insurance at the same time.

Let’s see for ourselves. Kano State Health Sector Reforms: A Three-Year Appraisal (2023-2026) shows that between 2023 and 2026, the state undertook a system-wide health reform that moved the sector from near-collapse to measurable recovery. The reform rests on three pillars. These are financing above the Abuja threshold, supply chain restoration, and workforce stabilisation.

Under health financing and governance it is acknowledged that for the first time in its history, Kano State surpassed the 15% budgetary allocation recommended by the 2001 Abuja Declaration. Both 2024 and 2025 health budgets exceeded 15%, placing Kano among the few states in Nigeria to achieve the benchmark. Kudos the people’s Governor. Leadership by example.

The 2026 framework consolidates this with N214.8 billion for health repositioning, including N500 million for a Cancer Centre at Giginyu General Hospital, N1.5 billion for statewide free hernia surgery, N473.5 million for Intensive Care Units (ICUs) at Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital and Muhammad Abdullahi Wase Teaching Hospital, and N79.49 billion multi-sectoral plan for Wudil General Hospital and 484 Primary Healthcare Centres.

Under medicines and supply chain where the security of the process and practice were expanded and ensured, it was reported that the baseline in 2023 was critical. According to Kano State Drugs and Medical Consumables Supply Agency (DMCSA) Director-General, Pharmacist Gali Sule, drug availability in public health facilities was only 30%. Essential medicines were unavailable in most general hospitals and PHCs, forcing patients to private pharmacies. By July 2026, availability rose to over 90%. Wow! What a befitting effort and show of political will.

This turnaround was achieved through three deliberate interventions. So it wasn’t accidental. It was well designed, process and procedures followed, officials toiled and result became fruitful, in its purest form.

Firstly there was a complete liquidation of N1.2 Billion inherited debt to Pharmaceutical Suppliers by January 2026. When the administration assumed office in 2023, the DMCSA was owing suppliers about N1.2 billion. This debt had destroyed supplier confidence, leading to a boycott of government tenders. No supplier was willing to deliver on credit. The government prioritised debt clearance as a first step, paying all verified liabilities by January 2026. This single action restored the state’s credit rating in the pharmaceutical market, reopened supply lines, and led to the Association of Nigerian Industrial Pharmacists (NAIP) conferring an Award of Excellence on Governor Yusuf. Lallai lallai Abba ka cika Gwarzo! The experience of the agency under the past administration(s) was terrible and disgusting!

Secondly the strategy of Direct Procurement and Centralised Distribution Model helps much and saves all. Instead of allowing each hospital to procure drugs at inflated prices from middlemen, the administration strengthened DMCSA as a central bulk purchaser. DMCSA now procures directly from manufacturers and accredited importers at negotiated national prices, ensures quality testing, and distributes to all 44 LGAs through a scheduled last-mile delivery system. This eliminated fake drugs, reduced cost by up to 40%, and ensured that a drug available in Kano Municipal is also available in remote facilities like Rogo and Takai.

Thirdly is the Restoration of Supplier Confidence and Supply Chain Accountability.
Beyond paying debts, the government instituted a 30-day payment guarantee and an e-inventory tracking system. Every facility now reports drug stock electronically, allowing DMCSA to see real-time consumption and restock before stock-out. Suppliers are now paid within 30 days of delivery, a policy that has attracted more competitive bidders and ensured sustained availability of over 90% for 12 consecutive months. A practice where only patriotic leaders with human face can leverage on. Not a practice filled with corruption and intentionally induced setbacks.

The over 15% heath allocation under Governor Yusuf touches almost all areas under the health sector. Almost all areas. Yes scale of preference also applies. For example under infrastructure in secondary and primary sub-sectors over 20 General Hospitals including Wudil, Bichi, Gaya, Tiga and Hasiya Bayero Paediatric Hospital have been rehabilitated. Over 200 PHCs across 44 LGAs were upgraded, solarized and re-equipped with modern diagnostic tools to ensure 24-hour service.

Healthcare delivery system doesn’t work at infrastructural level alone. Human resource for health is another critical area of concern.
Governor Yusuf’s reform includes reinstatement of 926 health workers on full CONHESS allowance, employment of 250 doctors and 155 nurses/community health workers, deployment of 65 residency doctors to secondary facilities, and accreditation of postgraduate programmes. Prompt salary payment and continuous training were introduced to curb brain drain. Abba ka iya Gwamna.

Under Maternal, Newborn And Child Health (MNCH) the outcomes expanded, as a result of good and effective health management and control system. Which is devoid of corruption, political rivalry and unease struggles.

This is the sector with the most visible human impact. According to Commissioner for Health Dr Abubakar Labaran Yusuf, maternal mortality dropped from over 1,300 cases in 2023 to about 300 in 2026. This was driven by some well designed programmes. See the following:

(1) AbbaCare Initiative – Free Health Insurance for the Vulnerable. This is a state-funded health insurance programme that covers over 300,000 vulnerable residents who cannot afford healthcare. You remember ObamaCare? Under AbbaCare project beneficiaries include pregnant women, children under-five, the elderly above 65, persons with disabilities, and the poorest of the poor identified through the social register. Under the initiative, enrollees receive free consultation, free drugs, free laboratory tests, and free admission. It removes out-of-pocket payment, which is the major cause of delayed care and maternal death in Kano.

(2) Abba Care Centre – Free Treatment for Sickle Cell Patients: This is established as a specialised Centre within the health system, Abba Care Centre provides free comprehensive care for sickle cell patients statewide. This includes free routine drugs like hydroxyurea, free blood transfusion, free pain crisis management, and free counselling for families.

Before 2023, sickle cell patients spent an average of N35,000 per crisis episode. The centre has now absorbed that cost, serving as a first-of-its-kind intervention in Northern Nigeria and reducing sickle cell-related child mortality.

(3) Nutrition Response and MNCH Week Interventions: The administration of His Excellency Engineer Abba Kabir Yusuf, an exceptional leader of kind-hearted approach, tackled the root cause of child mortality, which is malnutrition. It provided N500 million counterpart funding to UNICEF for Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods (RUTF) and N170 million for malnutrition treatment centres during Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Week. During MNCHW, every child under five is screened for malnutrition, vitamin A deficiency and given deworming tablets. Mothers receive free antenatal supplements, iron folate, and nutrition education. This has reduced severe acute malnutrition admission in Kano by over 60% in two years. Wow! A Governor like no other.

(4) Sustained Free Maternity and Paediatric Services – Lafiya Dole Initiative: An all-encompassing corridor designed to put a halt to the suffocation of women and children healthcare effort.
Under Lafiya Dole, the corridor, all pregnant women receive free antenatal care, free delivery including caesarean section, and free postnatal care. Children under-five receive free treatment for malaria, pneumonia and diarrhoea, the three major child killers. This has increased hospital deliveries from 28% in 2023 to over 61% in 2026, directly contributing to the drop in maternal deaths.

In conclusion let me make this point very clear. The Kano health reform of 2023-2026 is not based on rhetoric but on three verifiable indicators, drug availability moved from 30% to 90%, maternal deaths dropped from 1,300 to 300, and over 1,300 health workers were reinstated or newly employed.

While I commend the Governor for all the feats achieved in the health sector, I should also acknowledge the team he chooses to work with in the sector. Starting with the Commissioner for Health, Heads of Agencies under the Ministry of Health, civil servants working in the sector, from Doctors, Pharmacists, all other health workers that are numerous to mention here, down to laborers, cleaners and of course messengers.

Anwar writes from Kano
Wednesday, 16th September, 2026

By Abba Anwar

Who really wants to know who is His Excellency Engineer Abba Kabir Yusuf, Executive Governor of Kano State, in the education sector? Read through the following few paragraphs.

In 2024, education got 29.95% of Kano’s ₦437 billion budget. In 2025, it rose to ₦280.6 billion, 31% of the budget. A provision exceeding the globally suggested percentage for education. Meaning above UNESCO’s 26% recommendation. For 2026, Governor Yusuf presented a ₦1.368 trillion budget to the State Assembly, with ₦405.3 billion earmarked for education, which is 30% of the total.

That allocation earned His Excellency, by extension the state, an “Award of Excellence” at the Nigeria Governors’ Forum Education Summit and was hailed as a new National Benchmark. Kano sets pace for national development in one of the most important sectors of human endeavor.

“These allocations demonstrate our unwavering determination to invest heavily in human capital development,” Governor Yusuf said while presenting the 2026 budget. This clearly demonstrates his uninterrupted commitment and political will to change the direction of our education system from good to best.

With 68% of the 2026 budget going to capital projects, the message is clear: build systems, not just pay salaries. Which unarguably maintains his human-face policies since his assumption as an elected governor in 2023. Same zeal, same approach and same endurance keeps the wheel moving at high speed.

Another success narration is when the Governor assigned the Education Ministry to another committed gentleman of great substance and value, in the person of Dr Ali Haruna Makoda. Who, when the then Commissioner for Higher Education resigned, the Governor collapsed the Higher Education Ministry with the main Ministry of Education and directed Dr Makoda to handle them both. An executive recommendation from an Executive personality.

Another perspective to it, keeps manifesting for all to know how engaging is the people’s Governor. It is one’s clarity in observation that lights the road for healthier development. From the Minbars (pulpit) of Kano’s historic mosques to the timelines of Facebook, X and WhatsApp, one message is uniting all the 44 Local Government Areas, invest in the child. And extends same treatment to other aspect of the sector.

In just under three years, Governor Yusuf has turned that message into policy, budgets, and bricks. By declaring a “State of Emergency” on education and committing an unprecedented 30% of state resources to the sector, Kano is not just spending more. It is redefining what government can deliver to ordinary families. This means the direction of the ship is straight, the captain navigating all on board is visionary and the system is not collapsing but strengthening.

The result of Kano’s commitment is what led education experts to coin the development as “The Kano Model” which is bold, people-first experiment in how a sub-national government can interrogate out-of-school rates, teacher shortages, and poor learning outcomes all at once.

You may not appreciate Kano’s Model in the most appropriate way until and unless you view other states across the country. I searched two states from each of the six geo-political zones, compared them with Kano, I then arrived at what excellence means, what commitment entails and what Kano Governor symbolizes. An embodiment of good work and commitment.

Let me begin with the North West zone. Kano state had no available data for 2023. While in 2024, when the current administration started the year from the beginning, the percentage allocated to education was 29.95%. In 2025 education got 31%, meaning ₦280.6bn. And in 2026 the percentage is 30%, meaning ₦405.3bn. While Jigawa state had no available data in 2023-2025. But in 2026 the percentage is 26%, meaning ₦234.48bn of ₦901.84bn.

Under North East we are looking at Bauchi and Gombe states. For Bauchi in 2023 there was no available data. With the total budget ₦202.64bn, still allocation for education was not available. In 2024 the percentage for education was 16.1% meaning the sum of ₦48bn was allocated to the sector of the total budget of ₦300.2bn. In 2025 the allocation for education was 13%. And in 2026 it was 15%.
While in Gombe there was no available data for 2023-2025. But in 2026 they allocated 8.01%.

North Central we have Benue and Nassarawa states. Benue in 2023-2024 it lacked available data on the education allocation for the two fiscal years. But in 2025 the percentage is 14.1% and in 2026 they have 21.4%, equal to ₦148.73bn. For Nasarawa there was no available data for 2023-2025. But in 2026 the percentage for education is 17.3%.

At the level of South East states I selected Enugu and Anambra states. For Enugu in 2023-2024 fiscal years there was no available data. While in 2024 the percentage was 33%. In 2025 they have 32.99% and in 2026 they have 32.3%, meaning ₦522bn of ₦1.62tn. For Anambra in 2023 the percentage was 21.6%, meaning ₦30.88bn spent out of ₦142.9bn. In 2024 the percentage was 3.04%, of ₦15.85bn spent from ₦521.5bn. There was no available data in 2025. As in 2026 it was recorded that the percentage is 46.9%, meaning ₦355bn of ₦757bn.

Under South West I chose Lagos and Oyo states. Lagos in 2023 has 6.02% for education. Meaning ₦135.15bn out of ₦2.246tn.
In 2024 the percentage is 5.62%, meaning ₦127.49bn out of ₦2.267tn. In 2025 the percentage for education is 6.1%. And in 2026 it is 5.3%, meaning ₦234.6bn of ₦4.4tn. While in Oyo there is no available data for 2023-2025. But in 2026 the percentage allocated for education was 16.4%, meaning ₦145.97bn. The range for all South West states for 2026 is between 5.3% – 16.4%.

For South South zone I looked at Delta and Bayelsa states. Where
Delta in the period between 2023-2025, the data for such percentage is not available. In 2026 the percentage is 6.11%, meaning ₦105.08bn of ₦1.72tn. While Bayelsa also has no available data for 2023-2025. But in 2026 the education percentage for education is 7.43%, meaning ₦75.1bn of ₦1.01tn.

Looking at the above presented data we can deduce that, only 4 states crossed 26%, UNESCO recommended percentage. Kano, Enugu, Jigawa and Anambra 2026. Still Kano takes the lead. Kano still has 29.95% in 2024 and 31% in 2025.

In what I call Data Gap my reader can understand that most states didn’t publish education percentage in 2023-2024 Appropriation Laws. Especially in 2023 because they just assumed the leadership position in their respective states, that is the month of May of that year. Immediately after they were elected and emerged winners.

Kano in its budget breakdown gave the nitty-gritty areas of where those overwhelming percentage under education goes. Accountability in its purest and clearest form. I stand to be corrected. That is where I critically mean a Benchmark, that the state sets for other states of the federation.

You will come to understand that the numbers, percentages and the distribution of allocated share for education sector tell the story of political will of the people’s Governor, His Excellency Governor Yusuf.

He takes fees off parents. Under this I can say for parents in Dala, Tarauni and Rano, the impact is immediate and tangible. While the Governor feels better, because he is fulfilling campaign promises. He is managing the affairs with care, caution and prudent management.

While the Governor perfects proper management, his constituency, Kano State keeps faith in him continuously. An emerging trend of no cost barriers fills the space. Free education from primary to secondary remains. In 2025, government paid NECO, NABTEB and NBAIS fees for Kano indigenes, with over ₦4.45 billion earmarked. In 2024, ₦2.9 billion covered 109,000 students.

Population having more ccess to university increases. 10,000 SS3 students received free JAMB forms plus CBT training and transport. While another 5,000 benefited earlier.

I believe that there is new emerging perspective to classes. Which I also term as Dignity in the Classroom. This is where over ₦3.5 billion was spent to fabricate 80,000 desks for 240,000 pupils who previously sat on bare floors. In April 2026, another ₦2 billion was approved for furniture across 30 LGAs. Government also approved ₦1.5 billion for free uniforms for over 800,000 Primary 1 pupils.

At the infrastructural level again 1,358 secondary and technical schools plus 5,200 primary schools have been rehabilitated. While ₦2.7 billion was released for 176 new classrooms and 88 offices across all 44 LGAs. 250 boreholes and 820 toilets were installed. 73 buses were refurbished to convey girls to school daily. A state like no other.

Another slogan after Kano First, to me, should be Teachers First. Another very important slogan Governor Yusuf finds comfort in. S comfort zone. Hence his sudden endorsement. Which resulted into the recruitment of over 13,000. In 2025 alone, 400 Mathematics teachers and 1,600 watchmen were hired. 2,000 BESDA volunteers were converted to permanent staff. Wow! Wow!! Wow!!! For the first time in years, 39,000 personnel had their 2017-2022 promotions cleared, and salaries now arrive by the 25th of every month. Your Excellency Sir WAI DAN ALLAH AKWAI IRIN KA KUWA. I asked rhetorically.

The boarding school feeding budget was doubled to ₦4 billion, and in April 2026, the government settled debts owed to food suppliers. Feeding in Islam has a special place in our faith. Kano government under him does not stop at feeding alone. It goes with good feeding system.

I hope my reader can still remember when Kano was ranked 1st in Nigeria in the 2025 NECO results. That did not happen just like that. It wasn’t by accident. It was planned, followed process and procedures, perfectly executed, closely monitored and compassionately gave out result. What result? Emerging the First amongst all the remaining 35 states of the federation including Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.

At the level of tertiary education, I can say it is a clear case of affordability meets aspiration. At the university level, the administration attacked cost.
Where all students in state-owned institutions enjoy a fifty percent (50%) reduction in tuition fees. Foreign and domestic scholarships have been re-introduced, and the state settled fees of Kano indigenes studying nationwide. This is a case of energy meets energy. We now have an energetic state bouncing back to its past glory.

Infrastructures are catching up. The Aliko Dangote Foundation is investing ₦15 billion to upgrade Aliko Dangote University, Wudil to international standard. In 2025, Gaya Polytechnic was established. Where ₦270.9 million went to an E-Library at the College of Education and Preliminary Studies. While ₦400 million furnished Northwest University.

The debate about skills not certificates or certificates not skills or a mixture of two standpoints is faced with wisdom, experience and encouraging political will. When twenty-one Skills Acquisition Institutes were also re-opened. For our population of mostly young men and women.

Under beyond the classroom strategy the vision goes wider. A statewide survey is ongoing to identify out-of-school children and integrate Qur’anic schools into formal learning centres. Whereas ₦2.81 billion is budgeted in 2026 for Almajiri school renovation, feeding and teacher training. Cash conditional transfers continue to support girl-child education. An excellent initiative of financial inclusion for girls.

There must be reason why the world is watching Kano. Governor Yusuf’s formula is simple but radical. Every school a good school; every child enrolled; every learner engaged; every teacher empowered. A well spirited engagement of political will, quality assurance and human approach of higher standard.

It is both systemic and systematic to understand that by putting more than 3 in every 10 Naira into education, clearing teacher backlogs, removing exam fees, and measuring success by NECO rankings, Kano has moved from promises to proof, from dream to reality, from analog to digital and from weak position to stronger engagement.

Governor Yusuf once said “This is a covenant to consolidate gains, complete key projects, and build systems that will serve generations.”

As other states grapple with dwindling revenues and rising dropout rates, Kano’s bet is that the fastest route to prosperity is not oil, gas, or contracts. It is the mind of a 10-year-old in a public primary school in Gwale and elsewhere in the state.

In Kano today, hope replaces hopelessness, kind substitutes wickedness, job dismantles joblessness and progress derails powerlessness.

Adieu Abba, Adieu Baban Al’Ameen, Adieu Kanawan Dabo!

Anwar writes from Kano
Saturday, 12th September, 2026