From Maduabuchi Nmeribeh, Kano
The United Kingdom on Tuesday, commended Kano state Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, for his untiring efforts in human development, particularly in the area of education, primary healthcare delivery and agriculture.
The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Her Excellency, Catriona Liang, disclosed this during a courtesy visit to Ganduje in his office, Government House, Kano.
She commended Ganduje for his interest in human development, saying that, “we are commending the Governor for his efforts in human development. This is very encouraging.
“It is noteworthy to understand that we are strengthening our ties with African states. We are also looking at agriculture, the main stay of your state economy. Ours is to always strengthen our ties. It is known that Kano state has a long standing relationship with our country.”
Catriona further disclosed that her country has an upcoming project tagged “Mutual Accountability,” pointing out that the project would be mutually beneficial to Kano and the United Kingdom.
According to her, “areas that we want to strengthen our relationship with African states are that of governance, human development and the economy.”
Ganduje, in his remarks, expressed the intention of his administration to strengthen the sectors of education, health and agriculture.
He solicited for stronger synergy between Kano state and the United Kingdom, hinting that policies around the sectors are deeply entrenched to have great impact on human development.
Ganduje also explained to his visitors the idea behind the recently implemented Free, Compulsory Basic and Secondary Education policy, stating that, “just recently, we came up with this policy which we know is a heavy loaded policy statement which needs all hands on deck.
“We all believe that with the right education, these issues of insecurity and joblessness would become things of the past. We also understand that education is a right to each and every citizen. That is why we have a Law in place that whoever fails to take his child or children to school is committing an offence.”
He, however, urged the United Kingdom to complement his administration’s effort in propelling and supporting the education policy that would address the issue of out-of-school children with all seriousness and determination.
“The issue of the integration of Almajiri system into our conventional education system is another task that must be accomplished. That is why we are also taking this matter very seriously,” he added.
He further revealed that, “at the level of Northern Governors Forum, we have discussed the issue of Almajiri phenomenon. We have some thorough discussions at the Northern Governors Forum about the movement of Almajiris in the hands of their teachers. We are planning to see how we can control such movements. All we need is to control the situation.”
On healthcare delivery, Ganduje mentioned efforts by the state directed towards primary healthcare delivery system.
He disclosed many feats achieved by his administration in the health sector, including primary healthcare delivery and other issues raised during the just concluded Kano 2020 Primary Healthcare Summit.
According to him, efforts are being put in place by the state government in making sure that private healthcare providers are also controlled, where an agency was established by the state that would be looking at the private actors, for effective compliance with the state policies.
“In the area of agriculture, I am informing you that apart from making sure that we maximize our production, we are doing our best to also see that farmers get all the necessary support to do well in their farmlands,” Ganduje added.
