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Tag: Kano

  • Kano Govt acquires 100 buses, to launch BRT system

    The Kano State Government has concluded arrangement for a multi-billion naira Bus Rapid Transit, BRT, in Kano metropolis, in an effort to ensure urban regeneration and sustainable transportation.

    According to the government, the initiative, which is the first of its kind in the state, is a “tip of the iceberg infrastructural project” as the Ganduje administration commences its second term in office on May 29.

    BRT is a high quality bus – based public transport system designed to deliver fast, comfortable and cost effective services at metro – level capacities. It does this through the provision of exclusive lanes with busways and distinctive stations typically aligned to the center of the road, off – board fare collection and fast, regular operations.

    Already, the Kano state government, Kano Metropolitan Transport Company, Zhengzhou Yutong Bus Company, China and Zhengzhou Public Bus Communication Co. Ltd., China have signed an MOU for the supply of 100 buses for the project.

    The MOU further entails integrated transport solutions that includes routes network and infrastructure planning, suitable bus models, Intelligent Transport System, ITS, modern management of operation and maintenance of the fleet data analysis systems, regulation improvement and local talent improvement.

    Speaking shortly after conclusion of discussion and signing of the MOU, in Zhengzhou, Henan, China, the state governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje disclosed that his administration decided to embark on the project “to revolutionize transport and enhance ease of doing business in Nigeria’s foremost commercial center”.

    “Presently, Kano is the most populous state in the country. It has a population of over 16 million people. The main public vehicles are mini buses and tricycles which are not supportive of long – term mega city development, therefore an efficient modern system of public transportation must be established. This will reflect the position of Kano as a truly megacity”.

    Represented by the State commissioner for Works, Housing and Transport, Engr. Aminu Aliyu Wudil, the governor explained that the project has several benefits in terms of job creation, urban mobility and air pollution reduction besides improving the physical outlook of the state capital.

    “We decided to partner with Zhengzhou Yutong because it is the world’s largest and reputed bus manufacturer with capacity providing Integrated Solution of Public bus transport system and several decades of experience”.

    “Kano state government is expected to invest not more than 25 percent of the project cost while the operator, Kano Metropolitan Transport Company is the main shareholder while the Chinese company will serve as the technical partner”.

    The State Commissioner of Work, Engr. Aminu Aliyu Wudil hi counterpart of the Ministry of Finance, Aminu Mukhtar DanAmu and Yusuf Aliyu Umar signed for Kano state government and Kano Metropolitan Transport Company, while Mr. Zou Meikan and Guo Yuanyuan signed on belalf of Zhengzhou Yutong Bus Company, China and Zhengzhou Public Bus Communication Co. Ltd., China respectively.

  • 13-year-old boy dies in a well in Kano

    A 13-year-old boy, Abubakar Isa, on Friday died in a well at Madawa in Minjibir Local Government Area in Kano.

    Spokesman of Kano State Fire Service, Alhaji Saidu Mohammed, told News Agency Of Nigeria (NAN) in Kano that the incident occurred at about 7:45 a.m.

    “We received a distress call in the early hours of Friday from one Idi Lele, at about 7:45 am, that a boy had fallen into a well.

    “On receiving the information, we quickly sent our rescue team to the scene at about 8:50 am.

    “The cause of the incident is still under investigation to know what happened.

    “Bello was found dead and his corpse was later handed over to the police,’’ the spokesman said.

  • Police trace Otedola bridge fire suspect to Kano

    Lagos State Ministry of Justice said yesterday that the police had traced to Kano, the owner of a petrol tanker that exploded last June 27 on the Otedola bridge in Lagos, killing 12 people.

    Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice Mr. Adeniji Kazeem (SAN) said there was, however, uncertainty as to whether the truck driver died in the fire.

    Kazeem, who spoke in Ikeja, Lagos, at a parley with reporters, said the government had yet to fulfil its promise to prosecute the perpetrators of the disaster because the police had not availed it of the report of its investigation.

    The Otedola bridge fire incident occurred at about 5pm on the Otedola bridge at the Lagos end of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway when a tanker carrying 33,000 litres of petrol, fell, leaked and exploded, killing 12 people.

    The inferno that ensued destroyed over 50 vehicles and caused gridlock for hours.

    Kazeem said: “We said we were going to prosecute the persons that caused that disaster. One of the challenges then was how to identify the perpetrators of that crime. We had said the driver and the owner needed to be identified.

    “There were all kinds of stories out there, including whether the driver had died in the fire or not. The owners, as we understand, were traced by the police to Kano.

    “The whole idea was that at the end of the day, they would conclude their investigation and get us the file here in the ministry. Unfortunately, we can’t do the investigation ourselves, so that we can begin prosecution.

    “Unfortunately that process has not yet been concluded, or is not conclusive yet. Until we get that file, we cannot proceed with prosecution.”

     

  • Kano: PDP’s Abba files petition against Ganduje’s victory

    Twenty days after the declaration of Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje as winner of the March 23 governorship election in Kano State by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the PDP in Kano on Thursday finally filed petition against the victory.

    The petition filed by the party before the governorship election tribunal is contending that it’s governorship candidate Abba Yusuf, won the March 9 election, as such any result other than that was a nullity.

    The party is also contending that the supplementary election conducted by INEC was unconstitutional and unlawful.

    Speaking to journalists shortly after filing the petition, Yusuf said during the March 9 governorship election the PDP got the highest votes across the 44 local governments in the state.

    “The prayer we are asking is for the tribunal to determine the actual winner in the election that took place on March 9.

    ” To me as the PDP candidate the only election that took place was on March 9.”

    He noted that the issue of supplementary election as far as PDP is concerned was an illegality ‘which we reject and have nothing to do with That is the content of the petition.”

    The petitioners Counsel, Maliki Kuliya-Umar, said the declaration of the March 9 election as inconclusive was an opportunity given to APC to rig its candidate back to power.

    “We trust the tribunal to do what is right by confirming the election of March 9, as it was the only election recognized by law,” he said.

    Umar argued that whatever reason INEC had to declare the March 9 election inconclusive was unconstitutional and not in accordance with the provisions of the Electoral Act.

  • INEC presents certificate of return to Ganduje, others

    INEC presents certificate of return to Ganduje, others

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Wednesday presented certificate of return to Kano State Governor-elect, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje.
    Similarly, the state deputy governor-elect, Dr Nasiru Gawuna and 23 state Assembly members-elect were also presented with the certificate.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 13 state Assembly members-elect of the people Democratic Party were conspicuously absent during the occasion which was held at the Sani Abacha Indoor sports Complex in Kano.

    Speaking shortly after receiving the certificate, Ganduje promised to lay a solid foundation for the social and economic development of Kano state through the provision of quality education.

    According to him, the state government would soon unveil its plans for partners and private investors to enable them come to the state and invest.

    Ganduje said the state government would provide the incentives and the enabling environment to enable investors wishing to establish their businesses to do with ease.

    “Anybody who wants to set up innovative businesses or educational institutions, Kano is waiting to welcome him or her.

    “We must ensure that all our youths receive quality education. We must ensure all our girls are also educated, so we can unlock the 50 per cent of economic output currently not being accessed by our society due to the low participation of women.

    “We must also make sure that our state becomes an attractive destination for investment and business, with a focus on the investments that will improve our human capacity.

    “Agriculture is already the mainstay of our economy – our plan is to attract Investment which increases our outputs and unlock economic growth for all of us,”he said.
    He said the government would also partner with local communities to ensure even the poorest of the communities have access to schools to educate their children.

    He therefore, called on the people of the state to give the state government the necessary support and cooperation to move the state to next level.

    Earlier, the INEC Resident Commissioner, Prof. Riskuwa Arab-Shehu said the commission would continue to partner with relevant stakeholders on the issue of voter education.

    Also speaking, the INEC National Commissioner in charge of Kano, Katsina and Jigawa, Engr. Abubakar Nahuce urged politicians to embrace the spirit of sportsmanship for the development of democracy in the country.
    NAN reports that the PDP state Assembly members-elect that were absent during the occasion are for Dala, Nasarawa, Kano Municipal, Gwale, Fagge and Tarauni constituencies.
    Others are for Kibiya, Kumbotso, Dawakin Kudu, Gezawa, Ungoggo, Bebeji and Rogo constituencies.

  • Kano Supplementary Poll: Investigate attack on voters, journalists, AI tells FG

    Kano Supplementary Poll: Investigate attack on voters, journalists, AI tells FG

    Human rights group, Amnesty International, has called on the Nigerian government to investigate the violent attack on voters and journalists during the supplementary governorship election in Kano State on Saturday.

    The group made the demand in a message posted on Twitter on Wednesday.

    “Amnesty International is calling Nigerian authorities @MBuhari @ProfOsinbajo to investigate allegations of widespread violence & intimidation unleashed on voters and journalists during Saturday’s re-run election in Kano.

    “The unprecedented violence in Kano also led to fatalities,” the group said through its Twitter handle@AmnestyNigeria.

    There were reports of widespread violence during the supplementary election in Kano.

    One report said some journalists covering the elections escaped being lynched by suspected thugs at Suntulma Primary School in Gama ward, Nasarawa Local Government Area of the state.

    Abdullahi Ganduje, the governor of Kano, who ran on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), won the election. But the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has rejected the election result.

    Several groups, including the European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM), said the election was characterised by violence and other irregularities.

    “Extensive electoral security problems were observed in some areas, with groups of men with weapons intimidating and obstructing the process, and security agencies ineffective at protecting citizens’ right to vote,” the EU said in its report.

    “In particular, parts of Kano were largely inaccessible to EU observers, and citizen observers and journalists were also obstructed. EU observers also witnessed increased interference by party agents and cases of vote-buying.”

  • Supplementary poll: Kano govt reacts to reports of violence, vote buying

    The Kano State Government on Tuesday dismissed reports that killings were perpetrated during the March 23 re-run Governorship Election in the state.

    The government, therefore, challenged those who made the claims come forward with a proof of such killings.

    The State Commissioner of Information, Malam Mohammed Garba, threw the challenge while addressing a news conference in Kano.

    “I want to challenge anyone with proof of killings during the election to come and give the names of those killed.

    “The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) claimed that two persons were killed in Nasarawa Local Government Area but we went to the area and Nasarawa Hospital as well, but we were not able to get report of any death.

    “So, if there is any person who witnessed killing of somebody in Nasarawa local government or anywhere, let him or her come forward and say so,” Garba said.

    He also debunked the rumours that there was protest after the election results were announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    According to him, there were a lot of fabricated stories during the election which were the handiwork of those he described as desperate members of the opposition who wanted to discredit the election at all costs.

    “The desperation of the opposition to discredit the election was the reason why they continued to spread all sorts of rumours and lies on social media platform to misinform the public,” he said.

    The commissioner said that the supplementary election was generally peaceful besides two incidents which were quickly addressed by the security agents in the affected areas.

    He said the State Government would continue to ensure the security of lives and property in the state and urged all residents of the area to remain law abiding.

    “Kano is very peaceful because people are going about their normal businesses since the declaration of the election results by INEC, contrary to the rumours being peddled on social media platform.

    “I commend journalists for their adequate coverage of the exercise and call on them to continue to use their various media to promote peace in the state,’’ Garba said.

  • Kano supplementary polls characterised by widespread violence, vote-buying – EU

    Kano supplementary polls characterised by widespread violence, vote-buying – EU

    The European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) on Monday in its report said that the supplementary election held in Kano on 23 March 2019 was characterised by widespread violence and vote-buying across the state.

    The mission said it was disturbed that both the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies did little to address the violence and malpractices, which spread to many parts of Kano State.

    Also in the statement, the EU said its deployed observers, some of whom were prevented from accessing some polling units, witnessed widespread interference and vote-buying by party agents during the supplementary poll.

    “Extensive electoral security problems were observed in some areas, with groups of men with weapons intimidating and obstructing the process, and security agencies ineffective at protecting citizens’ right to vote,” the EU said in its report sent to PREMIUM TIMES on Monday afternoon.

    “In particular, parts of Kano were largely inaccessible to EU observers, and citizen observers and journalists were also obstructed. EU observers also witnessed increased interference by party agents and cases of vote-buying,” the major foreign observers’ group found.

    Recall that supplementary governorship elections were conducted in five states – Adamawa, Bauchi, Benue, Kano, Plateau and Sokoto — where results from the March 9 initial ballot were declared inconclusive as the margin of victory was less than the cancelled votes.

    Notwithstanding the violence across Kano, INEC on Sunday declared Abdullahi Ganduje of the All Progressives Congress winner of the governorship supplementary election, handing the scandal-ridden governor a second term.

    Ganduje was initially trailing Abba Yusuf of the Peoples Democratic Party by about 26,000 votes before the March 9 first ballot was declared inconclusive, but INEC said additional figures from the supplementary election put the governor ahead of his main challenger.

    The EU Mission acknowledged general improvements in the supplementary polls, but said these were overshadowed by apparent disregard for ballot secrecy, inability to access some polling units, amongst other issues.

    “Throughout the day, INEC did not comment on electoral disturbances, despite its overall responsibility for the
    election and security arrangements,” the observers said. “In the polling units that could be fully observed, there were improved logistical arrangements and procedures were mostly followed, although there were problems with secrecy of the ballot.”

    The mission identified suspected political thugs, who patrolled Kano streets with machetes and other deadly weapons as largely responsible for the brutality — which neither police nor INEC could do anything about.

    “In some areas the environment was intimidating and not conducive to voters’ free participation in the election.”

    “Party leaderships locally and centrally did not appear to take any steps to rein in supporters and prevent evident violence, intimidation or other misconduct.”

    “In Nasarawa local government area (LGA) in Kano, which accounted for approximately one-third of all registered voters for the supplementary governorship election, EU observers witnessed organised intimidation of voters.”

    “Groups of youths with clubs and machetes patrolled the streets, and people with party agent tags harassed voters. During collation in Kano, EU observers saw that several INEC polling staff had been attacked.Large groups of men with weapons were not contained by the police.”

    Due to intimidating crowds and disturbances, EU observers in Kano could not access or continue observation in polling units in Dala and Nasarawa LGAs.”
    The observers also noted previously reported cases of violence against media practitioners on election duty.

    “The electoral process in Kano was further compromised by the harassment and obstruction of citizen observers, and journalists from BBC Hausa, the Nigerian Television Authority, and TVC. This compromised scrutiny of both polling and collation of results in the affected areas,” the reports said.

     

  • PDP rejects Kano governorship result

    PDP rejects Kano governorship result

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has rejected the results of the Kano State governorship election which declared Abdullahi Ganduje as winner.

    The party said candidate, Abba Yusuf, was the rightful winner of the Kano state governorship election, stating that any declaration that did not reflect such could not stand.

    A statement issud by its spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, said Yusuf, won the Kano state governorship election since March 9, 2019, having fulfilled the constitutional requirement of securing the highest number of votes and the statutory 25% in two-thirds of the state.

    However, the supplementary governorship election in Kano overturned what would have been for them a victory.

    Hence, the party described the supplementary polls as “a national disgrace” and a mere figure allocating exercise by compromised INEC officials, who collaborated with power drunk politicians in the All Progressives Congress (APC) to award results to the APC candidate”.

    The party cautioned INEC against any attempt to alter figures, noting that that will be a clear recipe for anarchy and a serious crisis in the state.

    The party said the people of Kano had a long history of firm resistance against corrupt and oppressive forces, adding that the will of the Kano people must not be stretched in this election.

    According to PDP, no amount of machination could cow or force the Kano people to abandon their resolve for a new governor in Abba Yusuf.

  • #KanoRerun: APC’s Ganduje regains marginal lead in tight race

    #KanoRerun: APC’s Ganduje regains marginal lead in tight race

    Results of the Kano supplementary election from 26 local government areas so far collated indicated that the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) scored 34,969 votes while the main opposition party the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) polls 6,602.

    The difference at the moment stance at 28,367 votes against the previous PDP’s 26,655 as the difference of 1,712 votes stand out as APC votes.

    At the time of filing in this report, two local government areas, Gama ward in Nassarawa and Kibiya local government areas are still being awaited.

    The INEC collation officer for the Kano rerun election, Professor Bello Shehu is expected to announce the final results for the two awaited local government areas in due course and subsequently declare the winner.