Sports Devlpt: Why Governor Yusuf should name facilities after Kwankwaso, 2 others

It is a common saying of our people that, “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due , especially when it is in the power of your hand to do so”.

Your Excellency Sir, I write to remind you of the urgent need to do something which most of us see as of utmost importance which can be a booster or a point of reference to present and next generation of our leaders.

Sir, this thing I want to remind you of is no other than renaming of some sports facilities in the state after some people who had contributed excellently to sports development in the state during their respective eras as sports administrators in the state.

This is due to the fact that after a thorough study and investigation of their contributions to the development during their respective times, they have been found to perform wonderfully well.

My findings have shown that there are three personalities in the state, namely, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, late Muhammad Danwawu Fagge and late Isyaku Mohammed that have performed better than any other persons in the encouragement or promotion of sporting facilities and opportunities throughout the state.

These three illustrious sons of this great state had performed magnificently well during their respective times as sports administrators on the basis of which I think naming something after them as necessary.

Sir, it should be done to honor and appreciate them because of their significant contributions to the state which many of us see as a form of recognition for their achievements, leadership, or historical importance during their times.

Your Excellency Sir, because of the chains of development and victories they brought to this state, i present the names of Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, late Muhammad Danwawu Fagge and late Isyaku Mohammed for you to rename some facilities (sports) after them.

All the three are illustrious sons of Kano state and have shared things in common, apart from Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso who was the then a Governor and Chief Executive of the state and is still alive.

Late Muhammad Danwawu was the then chairman of Kano XI(Eleven) Football Club, Kano State Sports Council and Northern Nigeria Region Sports Council between 1953 to 1985.

The late Isyaku Muhammad was the then chairman of Kano State Football Association, Kano Pillars Football Club and Kano State Sports Council from 1985 to 1999.

These two late chairmen during their eras financed their teams’ day-to-day activities, training and trips to and from various venues and took care of their official trips accordingly with their own hard earned money.

Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso had chains of achievements during his era as the governor of Kano state.

He had achieved a lot in sports especially in the area of Nigeria Premier Football League where Kano Pillars Football Club under his second tenure had recorded a number of achievements within shortest possible time.

Under Sen. Kwankwaso, the Kano Pillars Football club won and retained the Nigeria Premier League trophy Back-to-Back in 2012, 2013 and 2014 respectively. A feat that was first of its kind and have never been repeated since then.

Under Sen. Kwankwaso, Kano Pillars Football Club again won the maiden editionof West Africa Football Tournament 2012 in Niamey, Niger Republic.

Under Sen. Kwankwaso, Kano Pillars Basketball team also won and retained the Nigeria Premier Basketball League Trophy Back-toBack in 2013 and 2014.

Under Sen. Kwankwaso, Kano State Athlete, Abdullahi Saleh Trigger of Nigeria won the first African Kick-Boxing title for Nigeria at the African Kick-Boxing Professional Championship in Yaoundé, Cameroon in July, 2014.

Under Sen. Kwankwaso, Kano state athletes also won 46% of the total number of medals won by Nigeria in Taekwondo events at the All Africa Games in Maputo, Mozambique. Where Jamilu Muahammad of Kano state won Gold while Usman Sulaiman, Isha Adam Muhmd and Sunday Onofe all of Kano won Bronze.

Under the provision of sporting facilities, Sen Kwankwaso rehabilitated the Sani Abacha Stadium, Kofar Mata, Kano by spending about N119 Million for the rehabilitation and upgrading of the existing facilities and providing new ones as required by FIFA.

The scope of works for the rehabilitation of Sani Abacha Stadium Kofar Mata includes: Rehabilitation of new artificial turf, General rehabilitation of players’ changing rooms and Dressing rooms, VIP lodge, Press tribune, Commentary flat form e.t.c.,

The rehabilitation also includes the upgrading of Public Address System, General painting of the changing rooms block, VIP block and boundary wall of the stadium, rehabilitation of internal drainage system at Main Bowl and Gyadi-Gyadi Court Road Mini Football Sports Centre.

Under Sen Kwankwaso, Kano State Government constructed one Mini Sports Centre with two football pitches at Gyadi-Gyadi Court Road, in Tarauni Local Government Area Kano with a view to providing sporting facilities at the area.

Under Sen Kwankwaso, Mahaha Sports Mahaha Sports Complex Kofar Na’isa, Kano was established. The Mahaha complex consists of the following facilities with 80% complexion:- Eleven Football Pitches, Six Basketball Courts, Two Volleyball Courts, Two Handball Courts, Two Hockey Pitches, Two Rugby Pitches and Two Squash Rackets Courts, Others ate two Badminton Courts, two Tennis Courts, Cricket Pitch, one Polo Pitch, one Athletics Sports Centre, one Traditional Sports Centre, one Gymnastics (Gymnasium) Sports Centre, one Swimming Sports Centre (two pools), one Amusement Park and Children Playground and one Organized Park and Garden.

The rest are Floodlights, Streetlights, Road Networking System, One Medical Centre (Clinic), One Restaurant, One Police Station, one Hostel, Two Mosques, seven Public Convenience, six Parking Spaces, Borehole, Four High-raised Water Tank, one Fire High-raised Water Tank, one Sports College, six Existing Gates, two Security Tower, Main Water Pipe, Facilities Management Building, Administrative Building and one KVA 100 Stand-by Generator.

Under Sen Kwankwaso Kano State Sports Institute was also established. The Institute consists of the following facilities Basketball Court, Football Pitch, Handball Court, Volleyball Court, Badminton Court, Squash Racket Hall, Gymnasium, Classrooms/Lecture rooms, Staff rooms/Offices, Floodlights, one KVA 100 Stand-by Generator, Administrative Building, Parking Spaces Landscaping etc

Because of the above and many more i did not illustrate due to space, i am appealing to Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf to either rename Mahaha Sports Complex or Kano State Sorts Institute after Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.

The next person whose name needs to be immortalized is Muhammad Danwawu Fagge. Alhaji Danwawu, a well-known leather trader who resided in Fagge was the Team Manager of Kano XI.

He was passionately interested in the game of football and he spent his personal funds to promote the game and supported the team and virtually sponsored all its outings to Lagos and other provinces.

He donated an inaugural Kano State Division One League trophy in 1979 until 1986 after his death for Kano state based clubs.

He was not literate but he had an impressively sharp intellect and that made him remained an ardent supporter of football until his death on 23rd May, 1985.

Late Danwawu’s achievements in sports are also numerous as he led Kano XI winning the Challenge Cup 2-1 and taking it out of Lagos for the first time in the history of the competition.

Remembered that then, the southern teams dominated the Challenge Cup competition and for many years the cup never left Lagos because the then cream of Nigeria’s players were all in Lagos.

The teams from the north that usually made it to the quarter finals which were played in Lagos, never scaled to the semi-finals.

But late Danwawu, things took a different dimension in 1953 when Kano XI qualified for the finals in Lagos. Which after the preliminaries Kano XI and Pan Bank of Lagos emerged as the finalists.

It was quite an exciting match with Kano XI winning the Challenge Cup 2-1 and taking it out of Lagos for the first time in the history of the competition.

Since that glorious time, Late Danwawu’s Kano XI not only dominated the round leather game in the north but also in all other regions as the team had represented the Northern Region for five consecutive years from 1953- 1957.

Under late Danwawu, Kano Eleven also won the former Governor’s Cup of Northern Nigeria in 1955 and 1956 and in 1957.

And when the Russia Team came to Nigeria, it was only the Kano XI that held them to 2-2 a draw after the visiting team beat Lagos and Enugu counterparts.

And in 1964 it was late Danwawu’s Kano XI that defeated the visiting Queens Park Rangers from Scottish after which no other Nigerian team defeated against the visiting team.

Under Danwawu, the Challenge Cup was organized at the early stages on provincial knock-out basis and later on inter-provincial knock-out basis.

Under Danwawu, Kano State came second during the All Nigeria Festival Tournament (Sports Festival) held in Benin, Mid-Western State now Edo State. It was during Danwawu’s time that Kano Township Stadium, Sabon Gari was built.

He recommended the construction of Kano Township Stadium, now Kano Pillars Stadium located at Sabon Gari, Kano in 1953 to the late Emir of Kano Alhaji Abdullahi Bayero.

As the then Chairman Northern Nigeria Sports Council, he also recommended the construction of Ahmadu Bello Stadium, Kaduna located at Kaduna in 1962 to the late Sardauna of Sokoto and Premier of Northern Nigeria Sir Ahmadu Bello.

He donated an inaugural Kano State Division One League trophy in 1979 until 1986 after his death for Kano state based clubs.

At this point I am appealing to Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf to immortalize Kano Pillars Stadium located at Sabon Gari, Kano to Muhammad Danwawu Stadium.

The last but not the least person I want the government of Abba Kabir Yusuf to remember is Alhaji Isyaku Mohammed who many saw as a true sports technocrat and developer.

He was an astute businessman and well disciplined politician. He was killed on 22nd September, 2002 at his residence in Kano.

The then Kano State Commissioner of Police, Mr. J.Z Dudari announced that 3 suspected persons were nabbed for killing Alhaji Isyaku Muhammad.

He named Nura Isyaku (23), Rotimi Abe (32) and Kabiru Sule (20) as suspect and all taken to Abuja for further investigation.

The suspects according to Daily Trust, Monday 17th March, 2003 page 22 were said to have catered away with N800,000.00 and his mobile phones as well as jewelry.

Under Late Isyaku Muhammed, Kano had seen immeasurable instances in sports development.

He had the following as his achievements: Under sports activities, late Mohmmed, took Kano and won  the Maiden Edition of National NFA Under-13 NNPC Football Cup with Kano U-13 team in 1987 in Lagos.

Late Isyaku Mohammed also led Kano state to emerged second best position at the 8th National Sports Festival with Team Kano with 30 Gold, 25 Silver and 25 Bronze medals in 1998 in Owerri, Imo state.

Kano state under late Isyaku Mohammed emerged winners in Athletics, Swimming, Gymnastics, Boxing and Traditional Sports (Dambe, Kokawa and Langa) events at the National Sports Festival in 1998 in Owerri, Imo state.

Under late Isyaku Mohammed, Kano state athletes were invited and became the dominating athletes in Team Nigeria at the then International Olympic Games in 2000 in Sydney, Australia in which Nigeria won a Gold medal in 4x100m men relay event.

Late Isyaku Mohammed was the first person to introduce a Personal Athlete Rewards System (PARS) for Team Kano during the then 8th National Sports Festival in Owerri, Imo state where he gave each athlete the sum of N20,000.00 for Gold, N15,000.00 for Silver and N10,000.00 for Bronze medals instantly from own pocket.

Under Late Mohammed, Team Kano won 30 Gold, 25 Silver and 25 Bronze medals at the 8th National Sports Festival in Owerri, Imo state.

Late Isyaku Mohammed also sourced a sponsorship from Tofa General Enterprises Nigeria Limited, for the sponsorship of Tofa Premier League for Kano state Division One League competition since 1987 to date.

As the Chairman Kano State Sports Council, he initiated the establishment and construction of Oneya Shopping Complex for Kano Pillars Football Club players’ camp in 1997 at Sabon Gari Kano.

Late Isyaku Mohammed also initiated the rehabilitation of Indoor Sports Hall for hosting the 13th African Cup of Winners Handball Cup in 1997 at Indoor Sports Hall Kofar Mata, Kano.

He also initiated the construction of Fives Court at Kofar Nassarawa Sports Centre, Kano. Late Isyaku Mohammeed was the former Chairman of Kano State Sports Council and Kano Pillars Football Club for many years who had never used the club’s funds for his trips but his personal money.

At this stage, I am appealing to Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf to immortalize the late Isyaku Muhammed by renaming the Indoor Sports hall located at Kofar Mata, Kano or any other sports facility in the state.

In conclusion, three persons I mentioned above have silver wears found in football nationally, where Sen. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso had won three Nigeria Premier Leagues and Muhammad Danwawu Fagge had won two Governor’s Cups and National Challenge Cup.

Late Isyaku Muhammad won two maiden editions of National Youth Football trophies as well as he emerged second best positions at the most important National Sports Festivals for Kano state organized for 36 states and Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

Finally, I appeal to His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Kano State, Engr. Abba Kabir Yusuf to consider and approve my appeal by renaming the above mentioned facilities in recognition and appreciation of these nominees that will ginger the new generation to copy from them.