By Musa Abdullahi Sufi

For almost a decade, Kano State has lived under the weight of political turbulence. Since 2015, governance has too often been overshadowed by rivalry, litigation, and power struggles that diverted attention from service delivery.

Schools stalled. Projects slowed. Institutions weakened. The cost was not abstract, it was paid daily by traders navigating broken roads, parents struggling with failing schools, and families confronting fragile healthcare systems.

Today, Kano stands at a defining crossroads. The state can either return to a familiar cycle of political tension or protect a recovery that is already reshaping lives. The choice before Kano is not ideological; it is practical. It is about whether progress should be paused or permitted to mature.

This is not an appeal for partisan loyalty. It is an argument for continuity, stability, and the safeguarding of public interest. Based on visible outcomes across education, healthcare, infrastructure, youth development, and fiscal management, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf has laid foundations that require time to fully deliver impact. Interrupting that process would be costly, economically, socially, and generationally.

Education: Rebuilding the Engine of Social Mobility

History shows that societies do not rise by accident; they rise through education. Kano’s current education reforms reflect an understanding of this truth. Across the state, dilapidated classrooms have been rehabilitated, teachers recruited, instructional materials supplied, and examination fees covered for students from low-income households.

In many communities, parents who had quietly withdrawn their children from public schools are returning them—not because of propaganda, but because learning conditions are visibly improving. Enrollment is rising, teacher presence is stabilizing, and public confidence is gradually being restored.

These are not symbolic gestures. They are long-term investments in human capital. Political disruption at this stage would not punish politicians; it would undermine students whose futures depend on consistency in policy and funding.

Healthcare: When Stability Saves Lives

In healthcare, continuity is not a luxury it is a necessity. The strengthening of primary healthcare centres, improved maternal and child health services, disease surveillance systems, and provision of essential medical equipment have begun to close long-standing gaps, particularly in rural areas.

For a pregnant woman in a remote community, the difference between a functioning health centre and a neglected one can be the difference between life and death. These systems do not thrive under uncertainty. They require steady leadership, predictable funding, and institutional learning built over time.

Frequent political upheaval weakens healthcare delivery. Stability strengthens it.

Infrastructure: Turning Roads into Opportunities

Infrastructure is often reduced to concrete and asphalt, but its real value lies in what it enables. Rehabilitated roads now allow farmers and workers to reach markets desitnatioms faster.

Improved water systems reduce disease burden. Urban renewal projects reconnect forgotten neighbourhoods to economic activity.

A trader whose transport costs have dropped, a commuter whose travel time has shortened, or a small business now accessible to customers—all are beneficiaries of infrastructure continuity. These gains compound gradually, but only if projects are completed, maintained, and expanded.

A second term offers the opportunity to move beyond repairs to modernization—planning not just for today’s needs, but tomorrow’s growth.

Youth Inclusion: Investing in the Majority

One of the quiet but consequential shifts under the current administration is the deliberate inclusion of young people in governance and economic life. Youths are being appointed into decision-making roles, trained in vocational and digital skills, and supported with grants and entrepreneurship programs.

This approach recognizes a simple reality: Kano is a young state. When youths are excluded, frustration grows. When they are empowered, stability follows. Economic empowerment programs that train a young tailor, equip a tech graduate, or fund a small agribusiness may seem modest individually, but collectively they reduce unemployment, insecurity, and dependency.

Youth development does not deliver instant headlines. It delivers long-term peace. And it demands consistency.

Fiscal Discipline: Restoring Trust in Government

Perhaps the most understated achievement of the administration is the restoration of confidence in government obligations. Clearing salary and pension backlogs has stabilized households and revived morale within the civil service. Strengthened financial management has improved predictability and accountability.

A government that pays its workers on time restores dignity. A system that honors pensions rebuilds trust. These reforms are fragile. They can easily unravel under political distraction or leadership discontinuity.

Kano cannot afford to gamble with institutional stability.

Lessons from a Turbulent Past

Kano’s recent history is instructive. Excessive politicking did not deepen democracy; it weakened governance. The result was social fatigue, stalled development, and missed opportunities.

Today, Kano has a chance to choose differently—to allow governance to mature, reforms to consolidate, and leadership to be judged by outcomes rather than noise.

A Civic Responsibility, Not a Campaign

Supporting continuity is not a declaration of perfection. It is an acknowledgment that development is a process, not an event. Institutions perform best when shielded from unnecessary disruption.

The call for Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf to pursue a second term is therefore not a campaign slogan. It is a civic responsibility to protect progress, reduce tension, and allow Kano to fully reclaim its legacy as a center of learning, commerce, culture, and leadership in Africa.

In an uncertain global environment, the world is paying attention to sub-national governments that deliver results through stability and vision. Kano has begun that journey. And It should not be interrupted.

SIDES Media