Two former medical students from Kano State, who were sponsored to study at October 6 University in Egypt, have expressed their frustration over the non-receipt of their certificates five years after completing their degrees. Tajuddin Isah Ibrahim and Muzammil Muhammad, among the 40 students sponsored by the administration of His Excellency Engr Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso in 2013, have been unable to practice medicine due to the withheld certificates.

Tajuddin Isah Ibrahim shared their plight, stating, “My name is Tajuddin Isah Ibrahim, and I am among the 40 students sponsored by the administration of His Excellency Engr Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso to study at October 6 University in Egypt in the year 2013. However, I and my colleague Muzammil Muhammad are yet to collect our certificates after completing our medicine degree in the year 2019.”

The students inquired about the reason for withholding their certificates and were informed by the school that the full tuition fees for the two of them had not been received. “The school stated that they have not received the full tuition fees for the two of us, while the rest of our colleagues have been paid their full tuition fees and have collected their certificates. This makes us unable to practice, and we’ve been left stranded since the completion of our studies,” Tajuddin explained.

Despite their efforts to urge the previous government of Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje to pay the remaining fees, their attempts were unsuccessful. “We did everything possible to urge the previous government of Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje to pay the remaining fees, but it failed,” Tajuddin lamented.

The students are now appealing to the current administration of His Excellency Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf to address their situation and facilitate the collection of their certificates. “We are appealing to this Government of His Excellency Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf to please look into our plight and devise a means to collect our certificates. The knowledge and skills acquired will be of significant value to the health sector of Kano State,” Tajuddin stated.

They also expressed their appreciation for Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s efforts in uplifting education and healthcare in Kano State. “We also appreciate His Excellency Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf for his effort in uplifting education and healthcare in Kano State,” Tajuddin added.

Despite their continued efforts to resolve the issue, the students have not attained any success and are now considering retaking the JAMB exam to start afresh. “We did everything possible to see our plight resolved by the Government of His Excellency Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf without attaining any success up to this point that we finally start to think about retaking the JAMB exam and starting afresh,” Tajuddin concluded.

In a decisive step to transform Kano State’s education sector, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf has distributed 789,000 school uniforms to pupils in 7,092 public schools across the state’s 44 local government areas.

The initiative, described as a cornerstone of the administration’s strategy to improve access to quality education, was announced in a statement by the governor’s spokesperson, Sunusi Bature Dawakin Tofa.

According to the statement, the distribution aims to create a dignified and inclusive learning environment for all children in the state.

Speaking at the distribution ceremony, Governor Yusuf reaffirmed his commitment to overhauling Kano’s education system.

“This is just the beginning, after providing these uniforms, we will continue to equip our schools with additional resources to improve learning conditions,” he said.

In addition to the uniforms, the state government has distributed 53,000 desks to schools, addressing infrastructure challenges that have hindered effective teaching and learning for years.

The initiative has been widely lauded as a game-changer for education in Kano, with stakeholders praising its potential to boost school enrollment, enhance retention, and instill a sense of pride and equality among pupils.

Governor Yusuf’s intervention reflects his administration’s resolve to leave no child behind in the pursuit of quality education, marking a new chapter for Kano’s education sector.

The President of MAAUN Group of Universities Professor Adamu Abubakar Gwarzo has endorsed Mahmoud Ali Youssouf as AU Chairperson.

The African Union Commission election which is scheduled for February 2025 has 3 candidates vying for the Chairperson position which include Mahmoud Ali Youssouf of Djibouti, Raila Amolo Odinga of Kenya and Richard Randriamandrato of Madagascar.

In a courtesy call to Gwarzo in his office on Saturday, the Director of the Pan African School of Diplomacy Salifu Diouf said that they decided to visit him to appreciate his contribution to scholarship and the less privileged in Africa.

On his part, Professor Gwarzo who was once the President of the Protection Rights of Journalists in Africa used the opportunity to call on them to support the candidature of Mahmoud Ali Youssouf as the next Chairperson of the African Union.

“This is the time to support someone who has Africa at heart, who can unite the continent for prosperity.

You can see what is happening in Sudan, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali and some countries. The current chairperson Moussa Faki has failed in uniting Africa and in bringing positive changes but with the likes of Youssouf from Djibouti, things will change for the betterment of the African Continent.

This is someone who has the experience, he is a Djiboutian diplomat. He has served in the government of Djibouti as Minister of Foreign Affairs since 2005. He is applying for a job which he is qualified for. I’m therefore appealing to all of you here to rally your support for Mahmoud Ali Youssouf”. Gwarzo said.

The new chair will be elected at the 38th AU Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in February 2025 by the AU Assembly via a secret ballot.

Past chairpersons have hailed from western, central and southern regions of the African Union. The AU Executive Council has asserted the right of the East African region to produce the next chairperson and North Africa will therefore vie for the deputy chairperson post