We have verified the allegations of a full blockade of Kano State Governor Kwankwaso from all public venues in Abuja by the Jonathan-led PDP government. The Kano State governor who intends to make his declaration to run for the Presidency of Nigeria under the APC opposition party this Thursday (Tomorrow), after making several attempts to secure these public avenues, to no avail over the past days finally resorted to making this infraction known to the public in a Press release by his office.
The question is: who is afraid of Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and why?
I am humbled to say that in the record of Kwankwaso in Kano over his three years, he has been different. After speaking with several ordinary, everyday Kano people, I was dumbfounded. ENDS sent a representative to Kano to investigate the facts and the lengthy
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The longest overhead bridge has been constructed in Kano with the limited government funds. There are several overhead bridges constructed and in construction and also underground passes.
The city is brightly lit with street lights and is a wonder to be beheld at night.
But Governor Kwankwaso known for the Kwankwaso Amana (trust) of Kano does not only stop with public asset development, he also focuses on the people. Kano, known as the epicenter of Almajiri has no more Almajiri or street beggar left on the streets. The Kwankwaso Kano government has rehabilitated millions. Kano currently runs one of the most professional, large-scale  |
Another amazing project of the Kwankwaso-led Kano government is its Amnesty program parallel. While the Federal Government of Nigeria overseas an amnesty program for Niger Delta youth, Kano Government has single-handedly run an equivalent program through which it has sent thousands of students for courses within Nigeria and abroad. How does he as an ordinary Governor finance this?! Is this what we can really do if our public officials do not loot 90% of our wealth? It was reported that even non indigenes of Kano State benefit from this program that has Yoruba, Igbo, Niger Delta and all other names as candidates being trained. Kwankwaso has proven true nationhood. We are impressed.
Transparency International’s #1: When it comes to budgets, Kwankwaso breaks records. It is no surprise… actually it is amazing to recognize that of all his peers, Governor and Engineer Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso out-performed the 35 other governors in budget discipline and transparency in governance as recognized by Transparency International in Nigeria, TIN. In December last year, was honoured with the award for ‘Fiscal Responsibility and Transparency in Governance,’ by the he Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ. In November of the same year Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano received the 2013 Best Governor award from the African Film Festival and Academy in London, for his contribution to education and youth empowerment in his State. For introducing free feeding to schools, apart from receiving an award from UNICEF, the federal government even requested Kwankwaso’s blueprint on school feeding.
From an inherited debt of over 100 billion naira, Kano State, again when compared to Lagos, the second largest State in Nigeria and Governor Fashola’s recognized performance – Kano today has a zero debt. Zero! The amazing transformations to the State were done within the State budget while the inherited debt was cleared. We thought this was impossible in the modern world, but Kwankwaso proved us wrong. When asked how he did it, Kwankwaso responded that apart from ensuring full monitoring of spending in all departments which he first effected when he entered office by bringing back his budget from his first stint as Governor – as he “could not understand all the recurrent expenses” his predecessor, Shekarau had; Kwankwaso cancelled all unnecessary State obligations including free Hajj!
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Our investigators also saw hundreds of low cost housing estates being built by the Kano government across the State. This was one governor who recognized the common man. A governor for the common masses? The low cost accommodation estates were built with a modern design having no overhead power transmission lines; all preplanned and position underground along with sewage and drainage systems.
It now became obvious why President Jonathan’s visit to Kano was one of his most noted bitter experiences and one which he could not stop repeating Kwankwaso’s name after. Jonathan’s greatest fear appears to be Governor Kwankwaso who has broken all known barriers and punched holes in all fallacies of what a Good and Sincere Government “cannot do.”
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I am one known for criticizing but with Kwankwaso I find it hard to pick things he is really doing badly at; and the word on the streets in Kano is all green. If his governance is replicated for Nigeria, herein perhaps is a chance for us… a chance for Nigerians to respect, appreciate and work along with a leader they can trust and who has the skill to deliver. I have not nearly done justice to what we found; everyone should please examine Kwankwaso.
Kwankwaso has said that if Jonathan continues to block him from the public places he will invite us to the streets of Abuja for his declaration. If you are ready for the Revolution, join us on all the streets across Nigeria from Calabar to Borno, from Rivers to Sokoto.
Kwankwaso also approved the sponsoring of 25 young Kano students to go to India and the United Kingdom to study Marine Engineering for four years.
Within his two-year stay in office, Kwankwaso has successfully employed 2002 graduate into state civil service at a time when some other state governments are negotiating to reduce 10 per cent of workers’ salary.
He established the Northwest University in order to improve the quality of education in the state and the region. He did reveal to the executive secretary of the National University Commission his reason for establishing the second state university in Kano: “There is a very clear demand for more universities in the zone in general, and in Kano State in particular. Between 2000 and 2006, for example, the zone produced (on the average) 37,726 qualified candidates annually for university admission, while all the universities in the zone could admit only a maximum of 20,000 candidates annually. Kano State alone produced 26,696 qualified candidates (with five credits and above, including English Language and Mathematics) between 2008 and 2011. Many of these could not get placement in existing universities – federal, state, or private.”
All these will be impossible without his philosophy of financial discipline and patriotic zeal to develop the state to modern reality.
It is very clear in Kano now that there is zero tolerance for corruption in the state civil service, because no one has the temerity to divert public funds for his private use without risking arrest. He has, so far, ensured that he makes good use of funds at his disposal and follows due process.
Kwankwaso has given corruption the red card since his assumption of office by abolishing the votes which gives governors the right to spend public funds without the approval of the state executive council. Kwankwaso termed the so-called security vote “corruption”.
Bashir Zakari (Go-Slow) was one of those who believed in the Kwankwasiyya ideology in Tarauni Local government. He has toed the path, refusing to promote corruption by doling out money to politicians for no just cause.
Zakari also said that “Our government is opening; we are not corrupt as the former government where you see politicians riding expensive cars and traveling to Dubai for questionable parties. Within one year of Kwankwaso’s, Kano’s glory has returned; the governor is fighting corruption from all angles. That is the meaning of Kwankwasiyya.”
The legacy Kwankwaso is leaving behind is one in which nobody will steal government money and be free to spend it, because of his policy of financial providence. That is why you see me capital project that is going on in the state.
Bashir added that if not for this red card to corruption, we can now dream of better life in Kano and better social amenities. Our children can even go to study abroad. If he has noit got rid of corruption, how can he build over 850 classrooms within a year? How can he give scholarship to our children to study abroad?
As he made several promises during his election campaigns to the people of Kano, in order to reconstruct the state from total collapse, Kwankwaso made it clear that his government is not one in which people will come and share the treasury amongst themselves in the name of ‘the people’s governor’.
According to the governor, the Kwankwasiyya idelogy is simple and built on the basis of trust; hence the slogan ‘Kwankwasiya Amana’, a new political ideology formulated to tactically defeat corruption in Kano.
Home » Regional » Kano generates N2bn monthly as IGR – Finance Commissioner
Kano generates N2bn monthly as IGR – Finance Commissioner
Premium Times
Published: August 2,2013
Rabiu Kwankwaso , Governor of kano state
The state used to general about N500 million as IGR monthly in 2011.
The Kano State Government says it generates N2 billion as internally generated revenue (IGR) monthly.
The state’s Commissioner of Finance, Abdulahi Gaya, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Kano on Thursday.
“We are making N2 billion monthly as our IGR as against between N400 million and N450 million monthly in 2011,” he said.
He said the State Government was able to make significant improvements in revenue generation because of some measures it put in place.
“This administration was able to raise its IGR profile by blocking all avenues for financial leakages and corruption.
“These tendencies were hitherto being exploited by some government officials to siphon public funds,” he said.
He also attributed the rise in the state’s internal revenue to more accountability, transparency and adherence to due process in government.
The commissioner said that money made by the state was partly being used to pay workers’ salaries and other allowances. He said that the State Government was committed to the judicious use of public funds, adding that the provision of infrastructure was sacrosanct to the administration.
“The crisis bedeviling E-payment of salary is no more a problem and is now history.
“Any worker not receiving his or her salary should report to the committee we have set up,” he said.
(NAN)
ANADARIYA: RETURN OF BIGGEST POULTRY
Category: Agriculture Published on Thursday, 01 August 2013 07:00 Written by Isa Sa’idu, Kano Hits: 1039
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Before 1985, Anadariya farm was a household name not only in the northern part of Nigeria but in Africa and the world. When the farm was at its peak, a Boeing 747 plane conveys millions of chickens and eggs from the farm to Saudi Arabia twice a week. Daily Trust was at the farm and reports its ups and downs, as well as the reviving efforts presently going on.
A journey of about 70 kilometres from Kano city takes a traveller to Anadariya farm in Tiga district of Bebeji local government area of Kano state. Big bird houses and virgin land starts welcoming a visitor to the farm from a distance of about two kilometres before arriving the farm’s main entrance.
The vast land of about 2,000 hectares as well as facilities on ground are certainly enough to send a convincing signal that Anadariya farm is a giant agricultural centre. There are well over 40 birds’ houses with each occupying about two hectares of land spread across the farm.
Sections for staff quarters, offices, dam and even settlements meant for local residents indicate that before the farm closed shop, it was self sufficient. Though some of those facilities are wearing a dilapidated look due to years of lack of attention, their presence sends a message that there was once a giant farm that is yearning for revival; if not for anything, to fight against poverty and empower lots of people seeking for jobs.
Anadariya farm was founded by the late Alhaji Usman Sanusi Dantata during the 1960s. After operating for decades, the farm rose to prominence especially in the area of poultry farming. It became a centre of excellence in poultry that turned out to be a pride for the north and the country at large.
One of the sons of late Dantata, Usman Dantata Jr, saw the need of reviving the farm, saying, “I am presently the President and Chief Executive Officer of the farm. We have started reviving the farm to what it used to be before it closed down due to unforeseen circumstances.
“In 1985, my father had an accident after which he was hospitalised in America and for over 13 years he was not here. Obviously, businesses like this need one to be on ground. Because of that, the business gradually faded. I think we deliberately decided to stop all activities because we felt it was not right to be doing something that we cannot properly monitor. However, the infrastructure are still on ground and we are back to restart the business. For a year now, we are in the process of reviving the farm,” he said.
According to Dantata Jr, since the farm was prominent on poultry farming, poultry would be given more attention in the reviving process, adding, “But we are doing an integrated agric business that would include hatchery, production of feed, broilers, layers, processing and selling.
“Apart from that, we have about 2,000 hectare of land, which we are farming now. We have a farming department, essentially for our chicken feed. But we hope to diverse into food farming, fruit and vegetables,” he said.
It is obvious that successful management of a farm like Anadariya would require experienced and skilled manpower. He said they are not taking that area for granted. Above all, he said, the management under his headship has the passion to ensure that the farm strives.
“To be honest with you I have an investment/banking background. I worked with Marylyn in London and EDF. I was also a trader of commodities before I came back here. More importantly, I went to North Carolina where I got a certificate in feed production and broiler management.
“More than experience, I think what drives agricultural business is the passion. If you have the passion, I think it works better than the knowledge. On top of that, I have surrounded myself with some of the top managers in the field both locally and internationally. We have surrounded ourselves with a very strong team that comprises many doctors that have extensive experience of over 20 years in the field of poultry and agriculture.
“On our part, we are people who can learn quickly and we have market orientation of it. So, all these put together, I think we have established quite a big operational team,” enthusiastic Dantata Jr said.
He believes that the challenges facing the agricultural sector can only be solved if Nigerians work hard to surmount those challenges. He said it is Nigerians that ought to struggle to put the country back on track with initiatives like that of Anadariya farm.
“Generally, we should also help. Here in the north, there is prevalence of poverty and the only way forward is to get businesses like this going. The social effect that this type of business would have on our people is what is driving us. We know that this business would affect the lives of thousands of people. Already, we have a couple of hundreds of workers that we have employed. When we take up fully, we hope to employ about 25,000 people directly, and you know there would be much more indirect effect.
“So, we are hoping that with businesses like this, and with the help of state and federal governments, we would pull out of the tight situation that we are in right now. Here in Kano, I think the state government is helping us a lot. Also at the federal level, I think the agriculture initiative is also there. The minister of agriculture, I think, has the passion,” Dantata Jr said. Daily Trust observed that the renovation works at the Anadariya farm have gone far. Out of the 44 broilers and layers’ houses, work has been completed on 20, and these 20 houses are now operational for broilers only. It was also observed that some houses in the broilers’ section have been filled with chicks. Going round the layers’ section, workers were seen busy fixing the required equipments.
“Insha Allah,” Dantata Jr said, “very soon we would get the farm back to where it was before. Presently, we have about 50,000 broilers, and in the next couple of months we hope to have about 400,000 layers. Gradually, we are progressing. We are now at the set up phase and in the next six month or one year, we would be fully back with millions of birds going in and out of the farm.
“We have started producing broilers; 20,000 to 30,000 per week. For layers, they are more delicate. But our cages are getting ready and in the next two to three weeks, about 100,000 birds would be in and after that I think the sky would be our limit.”
On how to market their products, Dantata Jr said in order to have a feel of the market, he has for long been engaged in poultry business but at a small scale, adding, “We didn’t just start the business. I have been doing the business on a small scale with 50,000 broilers and 50,000 layers in and out. We did that to get the feel of the market and understand the market. We did that for a whole year. I am also happy that the Anadariya farm has kept good contact with its old clients. The people that used to do business with my father are still with us. We are discussing and they are ready to partner with us.
“We are also coming across new customers. We have a team that goes out there to look for new customers. The process should be a growing one and everyday should be a new day in the distribution process. We want to go phase by phase in marketingour products. We are starting with Kano, then neighbouring states, Nigeria and West Africa.
“We hope to reach the stage my father got to where he had a Boeing 747 plane flying chickens to Saudi Arabia twice a week. We feel attaining that feat is not something impossible, but we are taking it step by step. We have started discussing with people in neighbouring countries and we want to see how far we can go. We have spent quite a lot of money on equipment because the business we are into cannot strive without those equipments. We have gone to some leading companies in the world to acquire our equipment,” he said.
However, Dantata Jr said one of the challenges that is facing the farm is the problem of electricity. He said the farm management cannot allow the electricity problem to tie them down. And as such, he said, the farm is doing everything possible to address the problem of electricity and water in the farm.
“In a farm like this, we need electricity for our hatchery section. On the layers side, we have automatic feeder machines that work with electricity, and on the broilers and feed sections, we also need electricity for the machines there.
“We are hoping that light would soon reach our farm as I know the governor (Kano) is working hard on that not only for us but for the neighbouring towns and villages, who would benefit more. For now, we are trying to manage the electricity through converter, generator and solar sources,” he said.
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As operation continues to improve, the management of Anadariya aspires to increase its activities in the farming sector in the cultivation of crops, fruits and vegetable like tomatoes, onions, mango, guava, oranges, wheat and even rice, adding, “We are planning a situation where we would have people who would be farming for us and buy back from them as a means of empowerment,” he said.
“We are close to the local people and they are very helpful, and this is why we feel we should give the issue of social responsibility attention. We plan to be giving them broilers and layers to take care of as a means of empowering them to fight against poverty. We feel that these are some of the things that would keep this business going. We pray that Allah would continue to assist us.”
As activities have begun to take proper shape in Anadariya farm, the next six months or one year would be an enthusiastic period for both the farm management and the public. Obviously, the return of a situation where millions of chickens and eggs are exported to foreign countries would provide various forms of opportunities for different set of Nigerians.
Kwankwasiyya Amana, #kwankwaso for life
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