KANO State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf criticized the method the federal government adopted to distribute N500 billion in palliatives to small-scale businesses.
The use of the Bank of Industry to help microbusinesses throughout all geopolitical zones was declared by the government.
While speaking through his deputy, Comrade Aminu Abdussalam, the governor said that the allocation was excessively skewed in favor of Lagos state and the South-South zone at the expense of other states and zones.
According to him, Lagos would receive 47% of the allotment, followed by the South-South Zone with 17%, while other regions will receive proportionately far lesser amounts.
“This is unfair, unconstitutional, and illegal,” the governor said during a meeting with representatives from the Kano Cooperative Society at the state government house.
He called on relevant authorities, including members of the National Assembly to rectify the situation and take appropriate action against those responsible.
According to the deputy governor’s press secretary, Ibrahim Shu’aibu, the governor pledged the commitment of his administration to assist Cooperative Societies in their efforts to combat poverty and regain their influence.
“Committees would be established to review the activities of Cooperative Desk Officers in each Local Government Area, while desk officers would be introduced in major markets such as Dawanau, Kantin Kwari, Yan Lemo to guide and support cooperative activities,” the governor was quoted to have said.
Speaking on behalf of the group was Musa Aikawa, President of the Kano Cooperative Society, who emphasized the importance of cooperatives in improving the lives of their members.
He revealed that the majority of the state’s 2.8 million cooperative members are young people.
Aikawa asked the state government to become involved in order to create plans for lowering the high unemployment rate in the region.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Solid Minerals, Mairo Danbatta, urged the youth to adopt cooperative business initiatives in order to advance and lower unemployment in Kano.
Several dignitaries, including government leaders and representatives from educational institutions involved in cooperative initiatives in Kano, attended the gathering.
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