By Chukwuma Umeorah
Kano elders and other leaders across socio-economic, religious and political spheres have formed a united front to address the growing socio-economic challenges confronting the state.
Meeting under the aegis of the Kano State Elders Advisory Council, with coordination from the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Kano State Chapter, the leaders decried the rising cases of drug abuse, insecurity, robbery and other social vices, describing them as consequences of a collapse in family values.
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A 34-member committee was inaugurated to define objectives, mobilise members of the council, and interface with government at state and federal levels towards finding solutions. The committee chaired by Shehu Galadanchi, with Dr Faruk Umar, Chairman, Kano ACF serving as Secretary, included captains of industry, clerics, academics, traditional leaders and former governors such as Senator Rabi’u Kwankwaso, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, Senator Ibrahim Shekarau and Senator Kabiru Gaya.
In his address, Umar said the council would serve as “an unbiased, non-partisan advisory body by making useful contributions to the running of the affairs of the state.” He added that the body would focus on urgent problems, including “drug abuse, phone snatching, human rights abuses, and childtrafficking”.
President, Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, expressed “full endorsement” of the initiative in a letter, describing the resolutions of the elders as “not only timely but, also, essential to restoring principled leadership and moral guardianship in the affairs of the society.” He pledged to collaborate “as applicable, to advance the elders’ council objectives.”
Nigeria’s Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, commended the elders for setting aside political differences, assuring of his support in tackling poverty and unemployment. He urged northern elders to “unite and work together for regional development.”
Former governors Ibrahim Shekarau and Abdullahi Ganduje also pledged commitment to the council’s goals, with Shekarau noting that “it was the absence of an initiative like the elders’ council that contributed to the menace of hooliganism and robbery.” Ganduje, represented by former Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Usman Alhaji, stressed the importance of cooperation in rebuilding Kano.
The Chairman, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd), represented by Alhaji Lawan Hamisu, called for collaboration in fighting drug abuse, which he described as a major problem in the state.
Prof. Galadanchi, who chairs the committee, emphasised that the root causes of social vices, such as poverty, political instability and unemployment, could only be addressed through restoring values of honesty, respect and tolerance.
Alhaji A. A. Rano, who donated N50 million to the AKHUWAT Initiative for small businesses, pledged his continued support for poverty alleviation and employment generation.
National Chairman, Board of Trustees of ACF, Bashir Dalhatu, stressed that insecurity in the North-West can only be resolved through unity and family reorientation, warning that crimes are often linked to “breakdown in family values and home training.”
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