The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has endorsed the industrialisation master-plan being implemented meticulously in Kano State by the current administration of Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.

In a media statement endorsed jointly by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, and the National Media Affairs Director, Miss Zainab Yusuf, HURIWA said a technical team it set up has just concluded a one week study tour of Kano State and are impressed with the legacy projects that are at various stages of execution, which have the potentials of once more restoring the past industrial and commercial glories of Kano State if faithfully implemented.

The group said from its independent analyses of some critical projects in the power and industrial sectors that the Kano State Government has signed on to execute, it is hoped that greater job opportunities would be created to ameliorate the unemployment crisis afflicting the youth population and take away the greater percentage of street kids away from the roughs and tumbles of street life.

The group has therefore urged the Kano State administration not to be distracted by political adversaries as it has set out to better the lives of the greater percentage of the population of Kano State through the revitalisation of critical infrastructures that are capable of turning the industrial, commercial and agricultural fortunes of Kano State rapidly.

“HURIWA is therefore encouraging the state administration to proceed with all the pro-poor projects that would significantly reduce the poverty index in Kano State and make its youth become wealth creators.”

Besides, the rights group said there are empirical evidence to demonstrate the increased attention being paid to the comprehensive overhaul of both the educational and health sectors in Kano State just as it urged the state government to pay particular attention to girls' Science and Information Technology education because female educational empowerment holds the key to the economic empowerment of the greater majority.

“We plead with Dr. Ganduje administration to remember the truism that to train a girl is tantamount to training a whole village and to pump in more budgetary provisions into science and IT education for the girl children.”

“Happily our team has reported that the Kano State Government is fine-tuning arrangement to evacuate power from Tiga and Challawa Independent Power Projects for distribution to the public.

“Consequently, the government would procure distributor transformers for rural electrification and augmentation/distribution network, as announced by the governor.

“Our technical team is reporting that the governor disclosed this during a meeting with the President of Skipper Group, Mr. Jitender Kumar Sachdeva in his office in Gurgaon, India. A subsidiary of the Skipper Group, SkipperSeil Nigeria Ltd., is currently executing the multi billion Naira Tiga and Challawa dams Independent Power Projects, in Kano.”

HURIWA recalled that the Kano State administration had affirmed that “all future transformer requirements will be procured from Skipper after seeking necessary clarifications from Kano Electricity Distribution Company.”

Governor Ganduje also expressed interest in setting up of a 100MW Green Economic Zone, an eco-friendly initiative, based upon hybrid model of sourcing power as well as a proposal for a 150 KW community solar system, by the company, in Kano.

HURIWA said that this policy direction will eliminate unnecessary duplication and check fraudulent misuse of public fund. This is indeed in line with the change mantra of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration, which has greater focus towards anti graft crusade.

The rights group praised the efforts of the Kano State government to have struck a deal with the conglomerate to carry the people along through corporate social responsibility projects that could benefit the people and create wealth for the greater majority of the youth population.

HURIWA said it “noted with joy that as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility, the consortium, through one of its directors, Ms. Poonam Sachdeva, agreed during the meeting, to donate 200 mechanical sugarcane extracting units to the state within the next six months, to facilitate economically viable processing.”

•Photo shows Governor Ganduje.

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