By Abdullahi Alhassan, Kaduna
The Kano State Government has approved an N1.4 trillion budget, the biggest in its history and in northern Nigeria, with more than N1 trillion earmarked for capital projects in infrastructure and essential services.
Speaking at the North-West Conference on Community Security Management in Kaduna, Commissioner for Information and Internal Security, Comrade Abdullahi Ibrahim Waiya, who represented Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, said the spending plan links security governance to development.
He described an award from the Institute of Security and Strategic Studies as “a call to action and more action,” adding that Kano, a “mini-Nigeria” and one of the world’s most populous cities, needs massive investment to serve its diverse population.
To curb crime, the administration has deployed about 2,000 trained youths under a new Neighbourhood Watch covering all 44 LGAs, launched the Anti-Phone Snatching Corps, and reinforced community policing under a Special Adviser.
The Safe Corridor programme, the first of its kind in northern Nigeria, has profiled 340 ex-political thugs with over N500 million released, while 1,000 more youths are being readied for a 40-day rehabilitation and empowerment camp. The government has also strengthened the Hisbah Board, supports community-led security initiatives, and plans to inaugurate a forum of the eight metropolitan LGAs to assist conventional agencies.
Security experts at the conference stressed that regional unity is key to lasting peace. Hon. Dr. Muhammad Ali said the seven North-West governors can end banditry, kidnapping and cattle rustling within four months if they “agree never to disagree.” He described the region as the “Killing Fields of the North” and noted that while Kano and Jigawa enjoy relative stability, nine Kano LGAs bordering Katsina, including Bagwai, Gwarzo, Kabo and Rogo, remain vulnerable.
Dr. Ali credited Kano and Jigawa’s stability to strong traditional institutions, economic opportunities and proactive policing, but warned no state is fully immune. He proposed an integrated framework with Early Warning and Early Response systems, harmonized vigilante groups working with police, NSCDC and military, and stronger traditional dispute resolution for land and farmer-herder clashes. He also recommended unified commands, oversight boards and sub-national security trust funds backed by law to address funding gaps and operational friction.
Waiya pledged continued scale-up of security and development, saying “it is not about spending money on ourselves as government officials but rather dedicating such resources to providing essential services.” Dr. Ali urged policymakers to institutionalize community security partnerships, enact laws on the status and welfare of local outfits, and invest in youth empowerment, education and rural infrastructure. “Community security partnerships must be a formal leg of sub-national governance,” he said, adding that sustainable peace demands a shift from kinetic operations to governance, accountability and prevention.
