Passionate governor who is steadfast and dedicated to delivering good governance to the people of Kano, Abba Kabir Yusuf, an engineer, has been selected as Governor of the Year 2024 by LEADERSHIP Newspapers Group Limited.
Governor Yusuf came into the saddle of leadership from his experience as a distinguished technocrat with a princely reputation and a magnificent character, which he unleashed as a governance style and culminated in the impressive performance being witnessed in all sectors of Kano state.
Yusuf’s political journey is replete with courage and consistency. It was widely believed in Kano that he was denied his well-deserved victory at the 2019 governorship election. Still, he bounced back in 2023 and won the governorship election under the New Nigeria Political Party (NNPP), which has become the toast of the Northwest under the guardianship of the former Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and his vigorous Kwankwansiyya movement.
Some reactionary forces in the state tried to snatch his well-deserved mandate through devious means, but the resilient governor stood his ground and fought the Supreme Court, which delivered his mandate to him.
Governor Yusuf has made the revival of education in the state a cardinal objective of his administration with a declaration of a state of emergency government, with an unprecedented desire to eradicate the despicable menace of the out-of-school children in the state. The out-of-school children phenomenon prevalent in the north is 18 million by the United Nations. This crisis has instigated Governor Yusuf to improve the state’s educational infrastructure.
The quintessential governor invested massively in education with a 31% budgetary allocation to this sector, which implementation he has promised to pursue vigorously. This feat meant that an unprecedented N165.4 billion out of a total budget of N570 billion will be committed to the education sector in Kano, which will include digital literacy.
The governor is reported to have opened up partnerships with government agencies and international organisations to procure more funding for education to ensure the sustainability of the infrastructure, which he intends to leave as a legacy of his administration. Part of his investment in education is the scholarship which he has offered, particularly to needy students, which makes his priority in education a flagship for the North West region and, indeed, the entire country.
When he emerged as governor, the state was trapped in massive debts, but the governor’s fiscal discipline led to his government repaying the debts and focusing on infrastructure development. His background in water resources engineering and construction became the renewed energy for constructing infrastructure such as roads and overhead bridges.
He has put smiles on the faces of the state with an increment of minimum wage to N71,000 and also initiated a monthly support programme of N50,000 each for 5,200 women from across all 44 local government areas of the state, amounting to N260 million.
He has also taken steps to improve SMEs in the state by supporting micro and small businesses in growing and adding value to the state’s economy while providing the needed jobs, especially in this period of high unemployment in Nigeria.
Yusuf and 25 other distinguished individuals and organisations who have made exceptional contributions to governance, business, social impact, and public service in Nigeria were nominated by the LEADERSHIP Newspapers’ Board of Editors after extensive deliberations at a meeting held in November 2024 at the company’s headquarters in Abuja.
Yusuf and other nominees will be celebrated for their outstanding leadership, vision, and commitment to national development at the LEADERSHIP Conference and Awards ceremony scheduled to be held next year.
Alhaji Aliko Mohammad Dangote, Nigeria’s foremost industrialist and philanthropist, won the Person Of The Year Award for his immense contributions to the nation’s economy. His philanthropic efforts make him a deserving recipient of this highest honour.
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barrister Nyesom Ezenwo Wike won the 2024 Quinquennial Award For Governance and Infrastructure, a rare recognition by the LEADERSHIP Group Limited.
Also, for the year 2024, apart from Yusuf, five other state governors were jointly nominated for the award of Governor of the Year. They are Bala Mohammed of Bauchi; Pastor Umo Bassey Eno of Akwa Ibom; Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah of Enugu State; Mallam Umar A. Namadi of Jigawa State and Ademola Nurudeen Jackson Adeleke of Osun state.
The governors were recognised for driving sustainable growth, infrastructural development, and policy innovations in their respective states.
Adams Oshiomhole (CON), former Governor of Edo State, won the Politician of the Year award for his political influence in Edo State where he frontally led the campaign that led to the emergence of Governor Monday Okpehbolo as the governor, and advocacy for democratic growth in Nigeria.
The Business Person of the Year award was won by Benedict Peters, Founder and CEO of AITEO for massively investing in mining and hydrocarbons sector in Africa while Dame (Dr) Adaora Umeoji, GMD/CEO of Zenith Bank Plc, clinched the Banker of the Year award for her role in transforming the banking industry.
Alhaji Bashir Adewale Adeniyi (MFR), Comptroller-General of Customs, emerged as the Public Service Person of the Year for his exceptional leadership in improving the efficiency of Nigeria’s Customs Service (NCS).
Other remarkable business leaders, including the CEO of NORD Automobiles Ltd, Oluwatobi Ajayi won the CEO of the Year award for thePrivate Sector) while Bamanga Usman Jada, MD/CEO of the Oil & Gas Free Zone Authority clinched CEO of the Year award for the Public Sector.
In other award categories, AVSATEL Communications Limited won the Company of the Year award, while ARCO Engineering Limited is the Oil & Gas Local Content Champion of the Year.
The Social Impact Person of the Year award will be presented to Olori Ivie Atuwatse III for her tireless efforts in championing education and healthcare initiatives. OPAY won the Fintech Company of the Year award for promoting financial inclusion in Nigeria, while Alternative Bank clinched the Most Innovative Bank of the Year award for its pioneering work in digital banking.
Minister of Environment Balarabe Abbas Lawal will be honoured as Environmental Impact Person of the Year for his leadership in advancing environmental policies and addressing climate change.
The Outstanding Young Person of the Year 2024 award will go to ENACTUS team from Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University, Makurdi. They are recognised for championing innovation and sustainability. Terra Cube will receive the Product of the Year award for its innovative solutions in sustainable living.
