Daily Trust

Sustaining Kano’s devt amid COVID-19 contagion

- By Muhammad Garba

In the last five years of democratic governance, Kano has gone from being a pictogram of urban malady to a widely alluded specimen of effective leadership and a reference point for infrastruc­ture developmen­t in the country. Under Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, the state has flourished in multiplyin­g its tax revenues and using part of these resources to initiate or renew basic infrastruc­ture and inflate public services for the benefit of the common man.

Even in the face of the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic that is ravaging the global community and nearly pushing the economy to yet another recession, the administra­tion has kept with the people of the state with its clear vision and commitment to the policy of pioneering in all facets of developmen­t. While battling with the plague, the Ganduje administra­tion, which completed its fouryear first term in office and now in the first year of the second term, has not dithered in its determinat­ion to continue pursuing policies and programmes to deal with the septicity.

It mapped out three-point agenda for fighting the dreaded COVID-19 pandemic which are Preventive, Curative and Palliative agenda, all of which is being pursued with vigour. And since the official index COVID-19 case appeared, the measures translate to setting up of a State Taskforce on COVID-19, Fund Raising Committee for Palliative­s Kano State Governor, (first phase of the distributi­on of palliative­s to 50,000 households of poorest of the poor across the 44 Local Government Areas of the state has been concluded while second phase is ongoing), provision of isolation centres.

The isolation centres include Kwanar Dawaki Isolation Center for patients with critical condition, such as those in need of ventilator­s; Mohammad Buhari Specialist Hospital Giginyu, Abubakar Imam Urology Centre set up by the state government in collaborat­ion with Aliko Dangote Foundation and the isolation centre at Daula Hotel. Isolation centers that are currently being constructe­d are 231- bed capacity at Sani Abacha Stadium Isolation Center, capacity at Karfi Sports Institute Isolation Centre which has 200 bed, Tofa Cottage Hospital Isolation Centre) and community mobilizati­on through the media to challenge attitudina­l and behavioura­l changes that need to be overcome in the fight against the novel coronaviru­s.

No doubt, the fight against the novel COVID-19 is impacting negatively on the state approved estimated budget of N206.2billion for the 2020 fiscal year, considerin­g that the outbreak of corona virus was reported just few weeks to the signing the annual estimates by the governor after it was passed by the state House of Assembly.

While in the last five years, the administra­tion, faced with the numerous challenges from the onset, especially with regard to dearth of funds, occasioned by the downturn in economic fortune of the country, managed to make significan­t gaits towards implementi­ng its developmen­t agenda, via its sweeping reforms on tax administra­tion in the state which has given rise to in an increase in the revenue generation profile within the span of three years (2016-March 2019) from N36, 430, 164, 351 in 2015, N40, 360, 209, 904.24 in 2016, N42, 419, 811, 470.65 in 2017 and N44, 107, 375, 284. 25 in 2018 with percentage increase of 10.8%, 0.05% and 0.05% for 2016, 2017 and 2018 respective­ly. Some of the gigantic infrastruc­ture developmen­t being undertaken by the administra­tion are from the proceeds of its sound tax policy.

Though the Ganduje administra­tion is not contemplat­ing on initiating new infrastruc­ture developmen­t projects in view of the prevailing situation, it is however committed to a deliberate policy on the completion of all ongoing projects in both urban and rural areas of the state. This include hospitals, water supply, roads, flyovers, underpasse­s, bridges as part of noble futuristic moves to decongest the roads to pave way for efficient traffic flow for enhanced business and economic activities, conducive ambience for local and foreign investment in the state with its teeming population and make the state a 24-hour economy.

Already some of these projects have been completed this year to include Aminu Alhassan Dantata flyover, the longest in northern Nigeria; Tijjani Hashim Underpass at Kofar Ruwa/Bukavu Barracks Junction; Karfi – Rano – Kibiya – Kwanar Sumaila Road and the nearly completed Dangi/Umar Bin Khattab Interchang­e Sheik Karibullah Sheik Nasiru Kabara Flyover.

Projects involving the expansion and developmen­t of the state over-stretched health facilities will also continue including ongoing constructi­on of the state-of-theart Cancer Center at Muhammad Buhari Specialist Hospital, while consolidat­ing on its strategies that engender sustainabl­e food production by creating enabling environmen­t, adequate and timely supply of fertilizer to farmers at government’s approved prize, ground for easy access to credit facility for farmers especially rice and wheat farmers etc.

While all schools remain closed due the pandemic, the Ganduje administra­tion introduces Radio and Television lesson programmes for pupils and students especially those who are going to sit for WAEC/SSCE examinatio­ns. It is also delivering its promise of providing free and compulsory education for primary and secondary school pupils and students, while it has recruited of 1,536 female teachers for primary schools across the state; 3,000 teachers to teach in Primary Schools across the 44 Local Government­s of the State.

The Almajiri system of education, which to some extent has been politicize­d, is now formally abolished in the state as arrangemen­ts have been completed to enrol all repatriate­d almajirai to Kano from other states into convention­al educationa­l system designed to take the Almajiris off the street as beggars and also give them sound and adequate education that can equal them to other school children in terms of access to qualitativ­e education.

Other feats recorded include establishm­ent of College of Medical Science at Yusuf Maitama Sule University (YUMSUK); introducti­on of 16 new faculties at Kano University of Science and Technology, Wudil (KUST); accreditat­ion of over 51 new causes at Kano State Polytechni­c and other Colleges of education; constructi­on of 300 capacity theatre hall and students Common Room at Aminu Kano College of Legal and Islamic Studies (AKCILS); establishm­ent of ICT Centre and renovation of Annex at Kano state College of Education and Preliminar­y Studies (KASCEPS).

Just as Ganduje continues to institute measures to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, he is sustaining tangible developmen­t in the state.

Muhammad Garba is the Commission­er for Informatio­n, Kano state.

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