The very moment the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) communicated its decision to choose Kano as venue for its Biennial Convention, one felt it was too huge an opportunity to let pass. It was the first time Kano would host the guild which was also an opportunity for the cream of professionals to visit the state and see for themselves the many accomplishments of the administration of Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje in the last six years.
The NGE’s decision to hold its General Convention and Election in Kano was premised on it being a city enjoying the most peaceful atmosphere that guarantees the safety and comfort of residents and visitors alike. In addition, the unprecedented physical development witnessed in the last couple of years has made it a first-choice destination for meetings, tourism and investment. And here they come and gone. I wasn’t a bit let down. Between May 31 to June 2, 2021, over 300 frontline editors from all mainstream and online media organisations across Nigeria stayed in several hotels in the ancient city and enjoyed warmth of the people, the friendship and humanity of the Kano people and the serenity of the business and commercial nerve centre of northern Nigeria.
The NGE’s convention, which saw the emergence of its new executive, turned out to be one of the very best of the Guild’s as attested to by many of its members. It also gave Nigerian Editors the opportunity to evaluate the performance of the host governor which came in the way of a tour of projects undertaken by and those ongoing in the state.
Many of the editors with whom I have spoken privately or during interactions with the governor, scored Kano high in the area of development projects. They were dazed by the blizzard of project execution by the administration where most other states were frazzled with salaries. They were also rapt by Ganduje’s media friendly posture, ability to grasp and interpret the state of affairs in the media industry, as well as administrative acumen to have brought the state this far in terms of development programmes. Kano offered a decent mood for the editors to assuage their hankering. From the massive road construction and rehabilitation projects and commissioning of some, to the mega infrastructure projects befitting an emerging mega city, healthcare facilities, infrastructure for educational development, it was incontrovertible that Ganduje is on a task to make a gaudy avowal on good governance.
As a fast expanding and bustling commercial city, the infrastructure development has to a large extent ease flow of traffic, accessibility to as many of areas as possible as well as give impetus for proper planning and implementation of mega structures.
The infrastructure development initiatives have been phenomenal. As convoy of the governor with visiting editors went round the state capital, anywhere one turns to, construction is ongoing. The cityscape is dominated by massive office complexes, high-rise residential buildings, and shopping malls and business ventures, vest pockets of upscale housing estates, local markets, hotels, parks etc.
The tour of projects beckoned a new pattern in the discernment of the development process in Kano. The editors were not only amusingly surprised at the level of projects delivery in the state and the quality of work done so far by the administration of Governor Ganduje, but also happy with the governor for his inspiring performance which most of them affirmed must be sustained to further advance the living condition of the people of the state. The media tour of sampled projects led the editors to many project sites spread across five out the eight metropolitan local government areas of the state namely Kano Municipal, Gwale, Nassarawa, Kumbotso, Tarauni local governments.
There are many other gigantic projects, some completed and others ongoing across the 44 local governments that were not visited that included the Independent Power Project at Challawa and Tiga Dams, ongoing Teachers’ housing project, construction new roads, bridges and rehabilitation of others, Kano Free Trade Zone at Zawachiki in Kumbotso local government among others. Critical infrastructure projects visited which are directed to aiding economic development in the state include the multi-billion naira Kano Economic City at located at Dangwauro Town along Kano-Zaria Federal Highway to re-assert the state as one of the leading economic centers in the country; construction of a multi-million naira Aliko Dangote Skill Acquisition Centre designed to train youth on dozens of trades for self- reliance.
Other projects visited were the Sabon Gari axis 3km bridge inland flyover (named after the Kano business mogul Alhaji Aminu Alhassan Dantata) along Murtala Muhammad Way, Underpass, Flyover and Roundabout at Dangi road connecting Zaria road-Zoo road; Alhaji tijjani Hashim Underpass along Katsina Road by Kofar Ruwa Road; ongoing construction of Sheik Karibullah Sheik Nasiru Kabara Flyover along Muhammadu Abdullahi Wase Road in the metropolis; underground tunnel connecting Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital with the Accident and Emergency unit of the hospital, ongoing construction Shahuchi Shopping Complex.
The rest were multi-billion naira Kano Cancer Treatment Centre and Muhammadu Buhari Specialist Hospital, Giginyu; Khalifa Sheikh Isyaka Rabi’u Paediatric Hospital, Zoo Road; Advanced Communication System Centre at Police Headquarters, Bompai and setting up of CCTV cameras in different locations in the state. No doubt, Governor Ganduje has set spectacle on creating a better and modern Kano to the admiration of editors attending the convention, particularly in the area of road construction and rehabilitation.
The governor, who predicated his administration’s policy direction in 2015 on completion of all inherited projects, unlike most Nigerian politicians, acknowledge that some of the projects were awarded by the previous government but were abandoned. The very road which official commissioning was undertaken during the Editors tour-Yahaya Gusau Road-was an abandoned inherited project but completed by his administration. The tour of projects was also a show of popularity as residents at the various project sites visited trooped out to hail and catch a glimpse of the man they fondly called “Baban Abba.”
The governor met back to back with this cream of professionals at the opening ceremony of the convention, held at Tahir Guest Palace Hotel, where he brought to fore his understanding of the media industry particularly on the expediency of journalism and nation building at this time.
In fact, Ganduje was open with the great gatekeepers and expressed the feeling that the crossing of redlines by some media organizations in recent times has impacted negatively on the nation’s unity, harmony and integration.
The Editors were also hosted to a Gala Night where Governor Ganduje used the opportunity to reecho his concern on national issues that included matters affecting the country’s corporate existence. The 40th Convention of the Nigerian Guild of Editors in Kano was a resounding success with prominent participants at the convention to include former Governor of Ogun state, Otumba Segun Osoba; Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu; Professor of Media Society and Vice Chancellor, Federal University Kashere, Gombe state; former presidents of the guild, among others. Garba is the commissioner for Information, Kano state
