By Abdulgafar Oladimeji

Kano state government has  facilitated and supported   members of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria, SWAN Kano chapter  to proceed to pursue professional certification courses  in sports journalism, our correspondent reports .

The Special  Adviser , youths and sports to Kano state governor, Sani Musa Danja, disclosed that the offer covers their tuition fees.

He said ,   the beneficiaries  have been identified and their enrolment process have been completed.

According to him,  through interactions with stakeholders , the decision was reached for  some sports writers, who  are faced with the challenge of acquiring the required professional qualification to practice their trade should be given support to fill the gap.

said, findings have revealed that , for Kano sports writers to compete favorably there exists the urgent need to empower members of the association  to acquire certain requisite qualification to enable them feature amongst the best in Nigeria and beyond.

Danja speaking, when he hosted SWAN members in his  office , located within the premises of Kano state Library Complex, along Ahmadu Bello Way said that  the state government, under Abba Kabir Yusuf ,  on discovering this major   challenge , acted swiftly to address the lapses, by offering  to sponsor 10 SWAN  members to pursue professional diploma in Sports Journalism at El Roi London University.

In his word  “ we give thanks to almighty Allah for his mercies, I want to thank our mentor and leader, his excellency governor, Abba Kabiru Yusuf , who made this possible.

“his excellency takes the issue of empowering our people very seriously, the challenge facing our sports journalists is principally the issue of professional certification, some of our sports journalists have their degrees in other fields, but we are aware that, they also require to obtain certain  minimum qualification in journalism or other related fields to help them to excel .

“in line with the policy of the government of his excellency, we have moved in to make sure , these sons and daughter of Kano overcome  this hinderance that may hinder their professional progress.

“the sports media is the back bone of sports development and sports promotion, our government is focused and committed to  support and reshape the sports media to achieve the set out goal to empower Kano youths through sports.

“the mission  of his excellency through this gesture is   to empower our professional sports journalists and give them the required qualification to continue with their pursuit to upward steadily representation of  Kano state in that sector.

Danja hinted that,  Kano state government remains unrepentant  in its  upward investment drive to create a generation  of professionals that  would keep the state afloat on the terrain of quality and abundance human resources.

Reacting, chairman SWAN Kano chapter, comrade Zahradeen Saleh thanked the state government for the support.

He said, the scholarship offer is an major step towards uplifting the practice of sports journalism in the state.

He said the dividends of sports could only  accrue with the effective operations of the sporting press through the training and re-training of sports writers.

He admitted that, acquiring the requisite qualification to practice  sports journalism has been one of the major challenges confronting members of the association.

“ our members  who are the beneficiaries of this offer are  youths, on completion of the professional course, they will have stable professional growth and  would be better equipped to contribute their quota to the development of the state.” Zahradeen said .

By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, has condemned the arrest of a Muslim cleric who hosted him over the weekend, describing the incident as a sign of deepening threats to civil liberties in Nigeria.

In a statement shared on his X (formerly Twitter) account on Tuesday, Obi said he was notified that Sheikh Ahmad Tijjani Umar was taken into custody by security operatives shortly after their meeting in Kaduna on Sunday.

“This development underscores the deeply troubling state of our nation and our democracy, where freedom of speech and movement is increasingly threatened, and where citizens and perceived political opponents face harassment and unnecessary persecution,” Obi wrote.

The former Anambra governor warned that such actions risk eroding Nigeria’s democratic foundations if left unchecked. He urged authorities to uphold the rule of law and refrain from tactics that intimidate dissent.

“This country must defend freedom and free speech, which are the hallmarks of every democratic society. Suppression and intimidation of dissent can never stand in a democratic society, and this Nigerian government must understand this fact,” he added.

Obi called on those “bent on undermining our already fragile democracy” to desist and adhere to democratic principles in dealing with citizens.

As of Tuesday morning, security agencies had not issued an official statement regarding the cleric’s arrest or the circumstances leading to it. Sheikh Umar, a respected religious figure in Kaduna, has not been publicly charged.

By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

Security was heightened on Tuesday around the Federal High Court in Kaduna as operatives of various agencies took positions ahead of the arraignment of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, over alleged corruption-related offences.

As early as 7:00 a.m., heavily armed personnel drawn from the Department of State Services, the Nigeria Police Force, the Mobile Police Force, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps were deployed to strategic points leading to the court premises located at the old Nigerian Defence Academy.

Vehicular movement was restricted, with motorists forced into a single lane from the Ungwan Sarki axis through Kawo, causing early morning traffic disruptions.

The development followed an earlier announcement by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission that it would arraign El-Rufai on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, before the Federal High Court sitting in Kaduna.

The anti-graft agency, in a Monday statement by its Head of Media and Public Communications, John Odey, disclosed that El-Rufai would be arraigned alongside one Joel Adoga in suit number FHC/KD/73/2026.

According to the commission, the charges border on alleged conversion and possession of public property, as well as money laundering.

“The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission is set to arraign the former Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufa’i, and one Joel Adoga at the Federal High Court of Nigeria in the Kaduna Judicial Division on Tuesday, March 24, 2026. The charges range from conversion of and possession of public property to money laundering,” the statement read.