In the midst of corruption allegations, Kano State governor, Abdullahi Ganduje has been awarded the best governor in Nigeria for the first hundred days in office. The award was given to him by the African Democracy Assessment Network (ADAN), a pro-democracy group based in Senegal.
The regional coordinator of ADAN, Mr. Samson Theodore, said in a letter to the Kano State Government, that the group has decided to be rating governors at intervals based on their performances.
The group said after assessing how the governors have administered their stewardship, Abdullahi Ganduje has stood out in many sectors to be selected as the best.
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“We carefully selected these areas, education, health, agriculture, security, economy, infrastructural development and politics, with concentration on supremacy of political party or parties as the case may be.” The group said.
In the area of education, Ganduje was highly rated as one of, if not the only Governor who has fast-tracked government policies to spur education through state owned schools. It could be recalled that Ganduje has earlier declared basic education, (primary and secondary schools) free and compulsory in Kano State.
And there is a plan by the Kano State Government to establish technical college of education for women, which is considered a very bold step in encouraging girl child education, especially in the education disadvantaged North.
ADAN also rated Ganduje by his effort to integrate Almajiri system of education to be curriculum based, with the inclusion of English and Mathematics. And the state has been working hard to find the best way to push children away from the streets to schools. In a country where over 13 million children are out of school, such efforts have been keenly observed and commended by many countries who were in the summit where the ratings were conducted.
“This strategy will definitely create more rooms for checkmating street begging and over dependence of Almajiri child on hopelessness and carelessness from the parents or guardians of Almajiri children. But with this integration, that also allows for improving their quality of life, many things will change for better.” The group added.
Ganduje was also rated high in the health sector for his effort in providing medical facilities for the state. His commitment to establish 400-bed medical centers in each headquarter of the newly created 4 emirates was a yardstick to rate him high in the health category. There is also the world class cancer center that has attracted a lot of encomiums, and further efforts by Kano State Government to curtail maternal morbidity through the expansion of health facilities to rural areas in the state.
The group also noticed the efforts of the Governor in combating insecurity in the state. They noted that cases of insecurity have drastically been minimized as Kano is recording low cases of kidnapping and banditry among other criminal threats prevalent in the North.
ADAN also gave Ganduje thump up in food security, noting that his agricultural policies will yield positive results that will quell hunger crisis in the state. The same goes to his fiscal policies that were termed friendly and open for all. In infrastructural development, the group noted the Dangi Interchange flyover, as a focal point of development that will ease movement in the state when completed.
“Ganduje is taking the state to greater heights of growth and development, in the areas of education, health, security, agriculture, environmental sanitation, provision of social amenities, among others.” ADAN applauded.
It was based on these achievements that he was awarded the best governor for the first 100 days in office.