H.E Engr. Abba K. Yusuf ( Left), Mallam Tijjani Sarki ( Right)

By Editor

Your Excellency, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf,

Permit me to commend your administration for the constitution of the Political Advisory Committee and the Blueprint Review Committee. These initiatives demonstrate an important willingness to listen, review existing policies and create mechanisms through which governance can respond more effectively to the aspirations of the people.

However, Your Excellency, I respectfully believe that one critical pillar is still missing from this emerging advisory architecture, an Economic Advisory Council capable of providing independent, high-level economic intelligence to the government of Kano State.

This is not a call for another committee for the sake of creating a committee. It is a call for an institution that can help answer one of the most consequential questions facing Kano.

How do we transform Kano's enormous economic potential into sustainable wealth, productive employment and prosperity for its people?

Kano is more than a geographical entity. It is a historic commercial civilisation.

For centuries, its markets connected communities across northern Nigeria and the wider West African trading space. Its merchants built businesses across borders long before modern economic integration became fashionable. Its farmers, manufacturers, artisans and entrepreneurs have demonstrated remarkable resilience, often succeeding despite difficult economic conditions.

Yet today, millions of Kano citizens are struggling to translate their hard work into sustainable prosperity.

Our young people need jobs.

Our entrepreneurs need capital.

Our manufacturers need infrastructure.

Our farmers need markets and value chains.

Our traders need modern business systems.

Our investors need confidence.

And our government needs stronger economic intelligence to make decisions that can change the trajectory of the state.

This is why Kano needs an Economic Advisory Council.

Your Excellency, I propose that the council should bring together some of the finest economic, financial and investment minds associated with Kano—people whose records have taken them from Kano to Abuja, London, Washington, New York and other international centres of economic decision-making.

At the forefront, I respectfully propose His Highness Muhammadu Sanusi II, the Emir of Kano, as Chairman of the Council.

His professional journey in economics, banking and financial regulation is exceptional. Before ascending the throne, he served as Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, where he was associated with major financial-sector reforms during one of Nigeria's most difficult economic periods. His international exposure and understanding of monetary policy, banking, investment and economic development would bring considerable intellectual weight to such a council.

His position as Emir would also give the council a unique bridge between traditional institutions, business communities, government and the people.

I also respectfully suggest the inclusion of eminent Kano professionals such as Dr. Mansur Muhtar Sarkinbsn Kano, whose distinguished career has included senior responsibilities at the Central Bank of Nigeria, the World Bank and the African Development Bank, as well as service as Nigeria's Minister of Finance.

Another possible member is Dr. Shamsuddeen Usman, an accomplished economist and technocrat who served as Nigeria's Minister of Finance and Minister of National Planning, and whose career includes senior responsibilities at the Central Bank of Nigeria.

These are only examples. The council should undertake a wider search for Kano's economists, investment experts, bankers, industrialists, entrepreneurs, development specialists, financial strategists and international professionals with proven records of achievement.

The criterion should be simple:

Competence before politics.

Experience before title.

Integrity before influence.

Results before reputation.

The council should not become another body that produces reports that gather dust on government shelves.

It should be designed as an economic think tank and strategic advisory institution with a clear mandate to help Kano make better economic decisions.

Its responsibilities could include advising government on:

investment attraction and retention,

industrialisation and manufacturing,

revival of Kano's textile and garment industry,

agricultural commercialisation and agro-processing,

MSME development and access to finance,

taxation and internally generated revenue,

public-private partnerships,

infrastructure and investment financing,

regional trade and AfCFTA,

export development,

energy and renewable energy,

digital economy and innovation,

youth employment and entrepreneurship,

urban economic development,

public expenditure efficiency, and

strategies for making Kano a regional production and trading hub.

But beyond advice, the council should establish measurable economic targets.

Kano should know where it wants to be in five, ten and twenty years, and what must be done every year to get there.

Your Excellency, I strongly recommend that the council should not depend entirely on the existing machinery of government.

It should have a dedicated Secretariat, professionally structured and adequately resourced to coordinate its activities, conduct research, prepare economic briefs, monitor implementation and maintain continuous engagement with the private sector and development institutions.

The Secretariat should be headed by a Director-General, appointed on the basis of demonstrated competence in economics, finance, investment, public policy or development management.

The Director-General should serve as the operational link between the Council, the Governor's Office, Ministries, Departments and Agencies, the private sector, investors, academia and international development partners.

This structure would ensure that the council remains active between meetings and that its recommendations are converted into actionable programmes rather than remaining intellectual exercises.

I would further advocate the development of an annual Kano Economic Transformation Scorecard.

It should track issues that directly affect the lives of ordinary citizens:

How many jobs have been created?

How much private investment has entered Kano?

How many businesses have moved from informal to formal operations?

How much agricultural production has been commercialised?

How many industries have reopened or expanded?

How much has Kano exported?

How much have MSMEs grown?

How much new wealth has been created outside government employment?

These are the indicators that ultimately matter to the young graduate looking for work, the farmer seeking a market, the woman trying to expand her business and the entrepreneur struggling to keep his factory alive.

Your Excellency, Kano's economic transformation must not become synonymous with increasing government revenue alone.

A government can increase revenue while citizens remain poor.

The ultimate objective must be wealth creation.

We must build an economy where citizens do not merely survive from one day to another, but where businesses grow, workers earn decent incomes, farmers become commercially successful and young people can see a future for themselves without having to abandon Kano.

Our ambition should be to transform Kano from a state renowned primarily for consumption and commerce into a state renowned for production, manufacturing, innovation, exports and investment.

That is the economic transformation our people deserve.

Your Excellency, the proposed structure could become a powerful governance framework.

Political Advisory Committee, listening to political realities and the aspirations of citizens.

Blueprint Review Committee, reviewing policies, programmes and the administration's development blueprint.

Economic Advisory Council  providing high-level economic intelligence and strategies for wealth creation, investment and sustainable development.

Together, they would give your administration three essential perspectives:

What are the people saying?

What is government doing?

And where is the economy going?

That combination can strengthen governance considerably.

Behind every economic statistic is a human being.

There is a young Kano graduate who has completed university but cannot find employment.

There is a woman selling goods who wants to expand but cannot access affordable finance.

There is a farmer producing crops without adequate storage or a reliable market.

There is a manufacturer who wants to employ hundreds but is constrained by energy and infrastructure costs.

There is a trader whose business has survived for decades but has never had the opportunity to become a modern enterprise.

These are not statistics. They are our people.

Their hopes and frustrations should be at the centre of every economic conversation we have.

Your Excellency, administrations come and go, but institutions endure.

Roads will age. Buildings will require maintenance. Governments will change.

But if your administration helps establish a durable economic institution capable of continuously generating ideas, attracting investment and guiding Kano's economic policy, its impact could extend far beyond your tenure.

That would be a legacy not merely written in concrete, but written in the livelihoods of millions of Kano citizens.

Kano does not lack talent.

Kano does not lack entrepreneurs.

Kano does not lack markets.

Kano does not lack history.

What Kano needs is a deliberate economic architecture capable of bringing these strengths together.

Let it be courageous enough to recommend difficult reforms.

And, above all, let it remain focused on one overriding mission.

Your Excellency, Kano has waited long enough.

Te time has come not only to govern Kano, but to re-engineer its economic destiny.

Respectfully

Tijjani Sarki

Good Governance Advocate and Public Policy Analyst

Kano is a meeting point for people of different ethnic, cultural and regional backgrounds. Over the years, many of these communities have contributed to the social and economic life of the state and built relationships that continue to evolve. 

Perhaps, as our democracy and institutions mature, there is room to think more deliberately about how these relationships can be strengthened. 

One idea worth considering is the establishment of an Office of Inter-Community Relations and Social Cohesion within the Kano State Government. 

This is not a call to create another bureaucratic layer, nor is it an attempt to divide Kano along ethnic lines. Quite the opposite. The purpose would be to strengthen the bridges that already exist between communities and create platforms for dialogue where such bridges need reinforcement. 

Such an office could provide a structured channel through which government engages regularly with different ethnic, cultural and socio-community associations across the state. It could facilitate dialogue, identify emerging tensions before they escalate, support peaceful resolution of misunderstandings and provide government with better insight into issues affecting different communities. 

It could also work alongside civil society organisations, traditional institutions, youth groups, security agencies and relevant government ministries to promote integration, cultural understanding and peaceful coexistence. 

Most importantly, inter-community relations should not only become a government concern when there is already a crisis. 

Prevention is better than reaction. 

Imagine a structure where government regularly engages communities not because something has gone wrong, but because maintaining understanding and trust is itself a form of good governance. 

It could support cultural exchanges, encourage joint community initiatives, create opportunities for young people from different backgrounds to interact and help address stereotypes before they become sources of tension. 

Kano has demonstrated that people of different backgrounds can live, work and build together. Perhaps what is needed now is a more deliberate institutional effort to strengthen that reality. 

Such an office would not replace existing ministries, agencies, traditional institutions or community structures. It could instead serve as a coordinating bridge between them, ensuring that peaceful coexistence and social integration receive continuous attention rather than occasional attention. 

And perhaps the most important message would be this: 

Our diversity does not have to be a source of division. With the right institutions and deliberate engagement, it can become one of our greatest strengths. 

This is simply an idea for discussion, not a demand. 

As our democracy continues to evolve, perhaps there is value in exploring new ways of bringing government and communities closer together. 

Sometimes, good governance begins with simply creating a place where people can sit down, listen to one another and find common ground. 

Nworisa Michael is the coordinator of Inter-tribe Community Support Forum and writes from nworisamichael1917@gmail.com

H.E Engr. Abba Kabir Yusuf, Governor Kano State

By Editor 

If someone asked me where Nigeria truly lives, I probably would not point to Abuja. I would point to Sabon Gari, Kano. Not because it is the biggest district in Kano. Not because it is the richest. But because every single day, without speeches or national conferences, it quietly demonstrates something many politicians still struggle to understand: that people of different tribes, languages, cultures and faiths can live together, trade together, celebrate together, disagree with one another, and yet still call the same place home. That, to me, is the Nigeria we all dream about. 

Sadly, for many years, too many politicians saw Sabon Gari merely as an electoral destination rather than a governance priority. They remembered it during campaigns, counted its votes after elections, and then returned to the familiar comfort of their traditional political constituencies. Perhaps that was the greatest political blind spot, because Sabon Gari has never been just another part of Kano. 

It is the commercial heartbeat of thousands of Nigerians who have chosen Kano as home. It is where businesses owned by people from virtually every region of the country contribute daily to the economy of Kano State. It is where children born to parents from different parts of Nigeria grow up speaking Hausa as fluently as their native languages. It is where cultures meet not in theory but in everyday life. In many ways, Sabon Gari has quietly become the meeting point of Nigeria in Kano. 

Over the years, there were signs that government was beginning to pay greater attention to this reality. The administration of H.E Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje expanded engagement with inter-tribe communities in ways that suggested a growing appreciation of their place in Kano's social and economic life. What appears different today under H.E Engr. Abba Kabir Yusuf, however, is the growing impression that these communities are increasingly seen not merely as groups to be consulted during elections but as genuine partners in the future of Kano State. Whether through dialogue, inclusion, or the willingness to build stronger relationships across community lines, there seems to be a conscious effort to widen the circle of belonging. 

History will ultimately judge every administration by how broadly it defined the meaning of "our people." Some leaders naturally governed through familiar political constituencies. Others gradually expanded that circle. The encouraging signs emerging today suggest that Governor Abba understands that Kano's strength lies not only in those who are indigenous to the state but also in the many Nigerians who have invested their lives, businesses, families, and futures here. 

A government truly begins to understand Kano the day it stops seeing Sabon Gari as a destination and starts seeing it as a bridge. A bridge between North and South. A bridge between Christians and Muslims. A bridge between cultures and traditions. A bridge between those whose ancestors were born in Kano and those who chose Kano as home. 

For years, many of us within the Inter-tribe Community Support Forum have consistently argued that inter-tribe communities should not merely be tolerated; they should be recognized as strategic partners in peacebuilding, economic development, and democratic participation. Inclusion is not an act of charity. It is an investment in stability. 

Today, Sabon Gari is no longer simply a district. It is gradually becoming a symbol of what Nigeria can become when leadership chooses unity over division and collaboration over suspicion. This is why I believe the conversation should go beyond Governor Abba or any political party. Leaders will come and go. Political parties will rise and fall. But the lesson will remain. Communities flourish when every resident, regardless of tribe or religion, feels a genuine sense of belonging. 

Perhaps this is the lesson Governor Abba appears to understand. If sustained, it may become one of the defining legacies of his administration not merely because it strengthened relationships between government and inter-tribe communities, but because it quietly reminded Kano that unity is not built through political campaign slogans at electioneering periods. It is built through consistent inclusion. 

If Nigeria is ever going to become the nation we all desire, the journey may not begin in another constitutional conference or another political coalition. It may begin in places like Sabon Gari, where diversity is not debated but lived every single day. Leaders who understand this are doing more than governing a state. 

They are quietly building a nation. 

Nworisa Michael is the Coordinator of Inter-tribe Community Support Forum -ICSF and writes from nworisamichael1917@gmail.com

His Excellency Engr. Abba Kabir Yusuf  Executive Governor of Kano state

By Editor

When history finally settles down to tell the story of Kano politics, I do not think it will remember only the roads that were constructed, the schools that were renovated, or the hospitals that were upgraded. Those things matter, and rightly so, but history often looks beyond projects. It searches for defining moments. Moments when perception changed. Moments when a people quietly began to see a leader differently. 

In 2023, one of the most common conversations across Kano was not whether H.E Abba Kabir Yusuf would win the election. It was what kind of governor he would become if he did. Many believed they already knew the answer. To them, he would merely be "Kwankwaso's governor" a successor who would forever live under the shadow of the man who introduced him to power. 

Looking back today, it is impossible to deny the role Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso played in Abba's political journey. Leadership demands honesty, and honesty requires acknowledging history. Without Kwankwaso, there may never have been Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf. That is a fact that should neither be rewritten nor diminished. 

But history also teaches another lesson. Every great political mentor eventually reaches a point where the greatest tribute to his own leadership is not how long his followers remain in his shadow, but how confidently they grow into leaders capable of carrying their own responsibilities. 

That, perhaps, is where Kano quietly finds itself today. Whether one supports the New Nigeria People's Party, belongs to another political party, or chooses to remain politically neutral, something appears to have changed. Conversations are gradually shifting. More and more, people seem to be judging Governor Abba on the strength of his own decisions, his policies, and the direction of his administration rather than merely through the lens of those who helped shape his political journey. That change may appear small, but in politics it is profound. 

There comes a point in every administration when a governor can no longer borrow public confidence from the goodwill of another. Citizens begin to judge him by the confidence with which he leads, the decisions he makes, the challenges he confronts, and the legacy he appears determined to leave behind. 

That moment cannot be manufactured by speeches. It cannot be gifted by endorsements. It cannot even be inherited through political structures. It must be earned. 

Perhaps that is why some of the strongest opinions about Governor Abba today are no longer centred on the man who helped him emerge. Instead, they are centred on Abba himself. His supporters defend his record. His critics challenge his decisions. Yet, in both cases, the conversation is increasingly about his leadership. Whether history will ultimately judge those decisions kindly or otherwise remains a matter for time, but the fact that they are increasingly seen as his own is, in itself, a noteworthy political development. Ironically, this is one of the highest compliments any political mentor can receive. 

A teacher succeeds when the student no longer needs to be introduced before entering the room. A father succeeds when the child becomes capable of standing on his own feet. A mentor succeeds when those he nurtured begin to write their own chapters without forgetting where their journey began. 

Leadership is not rebellion against one's political beginnings. Neither is it blind dependence on them. It is the courage to accept the responsibility that comes with office and to allow one's decisions to speak louder than inherited expectations. 

This is why I believe the true conversation about Governor Abba should rise above the usual arguments between supporters and opponents. Politics is temporary, but leadership leaves footprints long after campaign posters have faded. 

One day, H. E Engr. Abba Kabir Yusuf will leave office just as others before him have done. When that day comes, history will not ask whose political successor he was. History will ask whether he justified the trust placed in him, whether he gave Kano reasons to hope, and whether he left the state better than he met it. 

Those questions cannot be answered by party slogans. They cannot be answered by social media debates. They can only be answered by time. 

Perhaps that is the most beautiful thing about leadership. It is patient. It allows no one to mark his own examination script. It waits quietly until the years have spoken. 

Perhaps history will not remember this period simply as the years Abba governed as someone's successor. Perhaps it will remember it as the period Kano began judging a governor by the weight of his own decisions rather than by the shoulders upon which he first stood. Leadership, after all, is not measured by who introduced you to power. It is measured by what you do when power finally introduces you to history.

Nworisa Michael is the Coordinator of Inter-tribe Community Support Forum (ICSF) and writes from nworisamichael1917@gmail.com

However, as I watched the conversation unfold, I found myself looking beyond the figures and beyond the government itself. I began asking a different question: why are we only having this conversation now? 

Mass weddings are not new in Kano. They did not begin under the current administration. Similar programmes have existed for years and, more often than not, they were celebrated. Many saw them as noble interventions designed to support the less privileged, strengthen families and make marriage accessible to those who could not afford it. In fact, there was a time when announcing such programmes would attract almost universal applause and very little scrutiny. That reality is important because it reminds us that what is being questioned today is not merely a government policy but a long-standing societal practice that successive administrations have embraced with broad public support. 

Today, however, something feels different. For perhaps the first time, a significant number of people are not asking how many couples would benefit. They are asking whether government should be bearing the burden at all. They are asking whether public resources should be directed more towards helping people become economically capable of building and sustaining families themselves. And honestly, I think that shift in thinking deserves attention. 

Governments often reflect the priorities and values of the people they serve. If previous administrations received praise for mass weddings, it was because society largely embraced the idea. If today's citizens are beginning to question that approach, then perhaps what we are witnessing is not merely criticism of a policy but the evolution of society's priorities. In that regard, I find it difficult to place the entire burden of criticism on Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf. A government can only act within the realities, expectations and traditions of the people it governs. The same society that is questioning the programme today is largely the same society that applauded similar interventions in years gone by. 

Years ago, when Emir Muhammadu Sanusi II spoke about the dangers of men marrying more wives and having more children than their resources could support, many people strongly disagreed with him. Some viewed his comments as an attack on culture, religion and tradition, while others accused him of being disconnected from the realities of ordinary people. Yet, as the years pass, it appears that more people are beginning to understand the concerns he was raising. Not because culture has changed, but because economic realities have become harder to ignore. Families are under pressure, opportunities are limited and the cost of living continues to rise. Increasingly, people are beginning to ask whether marriage should be encouraged without equal emphasis on economic preparedness and responsibility. 

That is why I believe the current debate is bigger than Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf or the Kano State Government. In fact, one of the defining characteristics of the current administration has been its effort to project itself as a people-oriented government that listens to public concerns. For that reason, I am confident that the voices emerging from this conversation would not go unnoticed. Not necessarily because the programme was wrong, but because governments must continuously adapt to changing public expectations and evolving realities. 

At the same time, those of us criticizing government policies must also be willing to look inward. The truth is that no government can successfully reform societal attitudes if communities themselves are unwilling to embrace change. If we genuinely believe that economic stability should come before family expansion, then that message must not stop on Facebook, X or WhatsApp. It must find its way into our homes, our mosques, our neighbourhood gatherings and our everyday conversations. 

It is easy to criticize a government for funding marriages. It is much harder to challenge a friend who is preparing to assume responsibilities he cannot sustain. It is easy to demand policy changes online. It is much harder to advocate responsible family planning, financial discipline and economic preparedness within our immediate communities. Real change begins when we are willing to have uncomfortable conversations not only with government but also with ourselves. 

Perhaps that is why I find the current debate encouraging. Not because people are attacking the government, and not because the government is being defended, but because for once we seem to be discussing the root causes rather than merely the symptoms. We seem to be asking ourselves difficult questions about poverty, responsibility, priorities and the kind of society we want to build. 

And if that conversation continues honestly and respectfully, then regardless of where one stands on the mass wedding programme, something valuable may emerge from it. 

Nworisa Michael is the Coordinator of Inter-tribe Community Support Forum and writes from nworisamichael1917@gmail.com