By Aminu Dahiru
Kano state was created in 1967 from the then Northern Nigeria by the Federal military government. The first military police commissioner, Audu Bako, is credited with building a solid foundation for the progress of a modern society. Most of the social amenities in the state are credited to him.
Alhaji Muhammad Abubakar Rimi was sworn in as the First Civilian Governor at the Kano Race Course on 1st October, 1979. He scored three major goals during his tenure as Governor. They are the abolition of poll tax (Haraji) and cattle tax (Jangali) taxes, the introduction of Ministry of Rural and Community Development (both in 1979) and the declaration of May 1st as public holiday in recognition of the legitimate contribution of workers to national development. The latter which was declared in 1980, has since become a national event while Haraji and Jangali have remained abolished in the state. He also made to his credit the establishment of the Agency for Mass Education which has since won international acclaim.
Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje OFR is the current Governor of Kano State who was elected into office in 2015; He previously served as deputy governor twice between 1999 to 2003 and 2011 to 2015 both under his former boss Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
Ganduje was born in Ganduje village of Dawakin Tofa local government area of Kano State in 1949.
He started his early education in Qur’anic and Islamiyya school at his village Ganduje where he became trained in Islamic knowledge. He later moved to headquarters of his local government where he attended Dawakin Tofa Primary School from 1956 to 1963. Ganduje attended the Government Secondary School Birnin Kudu from 1964 to 1968.
Ganduje attended Advanced Teachers’ College, Kano between 1969 and 1972. He then attended Ahmadu Bello University, located in Zaria, Kaduna State, where he graduated with a Bachelors in Science Education in 1975.
In 1979 he obtained master’s degree in applied educational psychology from Bayero University Kano and later returned to Ahmadu Bello University from 1984 to 1985 for a Master of Public Administration degree. He got his doctorate in Public Administration from University of Ibadan in 1993
Ganduje’s passion to serve his people took him into politics, he joined now-defunct National Party of Nigeria (NPN) during the Second Republic and served as Kano State Assistant Secretary from 1979 to 1980. He contested the House of Representatives election in 1979 under the NPN but lost the election.
He joined the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and aspired to be the party’s gubernatorial candidate but lost the primaries to Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso. Ganduje was later picked as the deputy to Governor Kwankwaso in 1999 elections.
In assumption into office as the Executive Governor of Kano State, Ganduje experienced a number of challenges, which include more than three thousand abandoned and uncompleted projects from previous administrations; he also experienced poor revenue generation and lack of sufficient funds from the Federal Allocation. His Excellency Governor Ganduje swung into action by appointing the State Executive Council, which in no time started recording positive effects in every angle; these results is however guaranteeing his chances to be elected for the second (4 + 4), because of the giant stride he employ.
I would like to mention some of the great achievement of His Excellency Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje’s administration before I go into detail in my subsequent articles, include the following:
- Construction of the longest Flyover in West Africa at Murtala Muhammad Way
- Construction of a Model Underpass at Sabon Titin Panshekara
- Construction of a Model underpass at Kofar Ruwa
- Construction of Flyover and Underpass at Dangi, Zoo Road, which is almost completed
- Construction of Kantin Kwari Flyover, which was just awarded to a Contractor
These projects have tremendously reduce the traffic log in the Kano Metropolis and also contributed to the economic wellbeing of the State.
Aminu Dahiru is a Senior Reporter with Taskira Magazine.
