Business Day Newspaper Honours Gov Yusuf As 2026 Governor Of The Year

Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf, has been named the Business Day Newspaper Governor of the Year 2026 in recognition of his administration’s achievements in governance, economic development and investment readiness.

The award was presented on Thursday at the Business Day 14th Annual CEO Forum held at the Eko Hotel, Lagos.

According to a statement issued by the governor’s spokesperson, Sunusi Bature, while presenting the award, the Publisher and Chief Executive Officer of BusinessDay, Frank Aigbogun, said Yusuf emerged winner under the States Competitiveness and Investment Readiness Awards (SCIRA) for his administration’s commitment to good governance, economic transformation and creating an enabling environment for investment.

The governor’s deputy Murtala Garo, received the award on his behalf at the event which attracted senior government officials, business leaders and key public and private sector stakeholders, including the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Taiwo Oyedele, and the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

In an acceptance speech, Yusuf described the honour as a recognition of the collective efforts of his administration in pursuing people-centred governance and reforms aimed at repositioning Kano for sustainable growth.

He said the recognition by BusinessDay reflected the impact of the state’s investments in education, healthcare, infrastructure, agriculture, commerce, industrial development and social welfare.

He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to strengthening Kano’s position as the commercial hub of Northern Nigeria through policies that encourage investment, support small and medium-sized enterprises, modernise markets, boost agricultural value chains and create employment opportunities for youths.

The governor dedicated the award to the people of Kano State, members of the State Executive Council, the legislature, judiciary, traditional and religious leaders, civil servants, development partners and the private sector for their support toward the state’s development.

He added that the recognition would spur his administration to sustain transparency, accountability and inclusive governance while delivering more projects aimed at improving the lives of residents.