LEADERSHIP Governor of the Year 2024: Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf

Abba Kabir Yusuf, a Kano Prince, accomplished technocrat and political leader was born into the prestigious Sullubawa Fulani clan, the ruling class of the Kano Emirate.

Raised in Gaya Local Government Area of Kano State, Yusuf began his education under the guidance of his grandfather, Alhaji Yusuf Bashari (Danmakwayon Kano), the District Head of Gaya. He completed his primary and secondary education in Kano before pursuing a National Diploma and Higher National Diploma in Civil Engineering and Water Resources Engineering, with specialisation in Environmental Engineering at Federal Polytechnic, Mubi and Kaduna Polytechnic, respectively.

Yusuf furthered his education at Bayero University, Kano, earning a postgraduate diploma in management and a master’s degree in business administration. Throughout his career, Yusuf held various positions in the Kano State Water Resources Engineering and Construction Agency and Kano State Water Board.

He also served as chairman of the Governing Board of the National Institute for Educational Planning and Administration.

His political career took off when he worked closely with former Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, who he served as personal assistant, special assistant, principal private secretary and later as commissioner of works, housing and transport in Kano State.

In 2018, Yusuf contested the gubernatorial election under the Peoples Democratic Party; that was when he got the nick name ‘Abba Gida Gida’ as he became a household name in Kano. He was generally believed to have won against the incumbent, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, but the election was declared inconclusive, and the subsequent poll did not go in his favour.

Undeterred by many, including some members of his former political party, Governor Yusuf joined his political godfather, Sen. Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, to switch to the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and secured victory in the 2023 elections. The governor’s dedication to public service, combined with his educational background and experience, positions him as a dynamic and courageous leader committed to driving positive change and progress in Kano State.

Despite taking over the affairs of Kano State at a time of persistent political crises, where his election was upturned by the Election Petition Tribunal, a decision he challenged up to the Supreme Court where justice prevailed as he was returned as the duly elected Governor of Kano State on January 12, 2024, Governor Yusuf remains one of the outstanding governors in Nigeria and a courageous leader who never allowed himself to be distracted.

As a governor of Kano State, Kabir Yusuf declared a state of emergency on education, a situation that has provided access to education for children and hope for parents who would have lost interest in the education of their children.

Yusuf’s administration has provided modern educational infrastructure including desks and chairs, writing and reading materials as well as an upgrade of services in the schools.

His education project is set to clear the roads of Kano of out-of-school children, a state that has a major share of the over 14 million out-of-school children in Nigeria.

Similarly, thousands of young men and women have been offered scholarships to study abroad by the state government.

He is one of the only state governors in the country who have crossed the United Nations’ figure for education by offering 31 percent of the over N570 billion budget to the sector. This is a whooping N165.4 billion to be spent on the education sector.

He would always say in his speeches, “education, education, education”. This sector has been his priority and he is doing everything to set it in good place in the state.

The health sector is not left behind by the governor; a lot of services are offered free of charge by the state government.

The new underpasses and flyovers at Kofar Dan Agundi and Sabuwar Kofa are among the infrastructural facilities the governor has brought to Kano since he came on board.

He is also regular in paying salaries, pensions, and gratuities and was among the first states in Nigeria to adopt the increment in minimum wage to N71,000, which began in November.

In the area of empowerment, Governor Yusuf has initiated a monthly support programme of N50,000 each for 5,200 women from across all 44 local government areas of the state, amounting to N260 million. He promised that the programme would be sustained until the end of his tenure.

This is to empower the women in their daily micro businesses and alleviate poverty among families.

Kano streets are very bright at night as Governor Yusuf had converted all the major streetlights in the state to solar electricity, thereby beautifying the ancient city.

Governor Yusuf has also repaid debts incurred by the immediate past administration of the state: he has repaid N3.5 billion of external debts and N60 billion of domestic debts. Within the first and second quarters of 2024, he reduced the state’s overall outstanding debts to N127.8 billion.