Kabiru Danladi Lawanti

As the Independent National Electoral Commission lifted the ban on the 2023 elections campaigns, attention has now shifted to analysing candidates’ policies and programmes. In Gombe, like in many states, the state governors seek a second term. Governor Inuwa Yahaya of the All Progressive Congress (APC) is facing a tough battle with People’s Democratic Party’s Alhaji Jibrin Barde (Danbarde), a former banker turned politician. Danbarde was the first runner-up in the 2018 APC primary and was defeated by the incumbent Governor, Inuwa Yahaya. However, he defected to PDP in 2021, ascribing his action to bad governance in the state. As the 2023 elections fast approach, the two leading candidates are gearing up to face each other again, not at primaries, but in the murky waters of campaigns and the general election in 2023. Already political permutations and predictions have started flowing from those in support or against the two candidates. With the reconciliation between the Governor and hi...

  In the last 40 years, the Nigerian public universities (both states and federal) have seen a gradual decline in terms of output quality and infrastructure, despite huge billions that accrued into them through TETFund and other sources. The declining output quality and infrastructure became the reason for the over four decades of industrial disputes between the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the federal government. In these years, ASUU had down tools more than 10 times from 1978. It had several altercations with military governments which led to its proscription and seizure of its property in 1988 and dismissal of many of its members at different times. Since 1976, there were attempts by the Nigerian government to change its role as the provider of education as a public good, to the regulator of higher education to commodify university education or make it a “private affair”. This is another way of removing its hand from funding public universities. These attempts...

  E very October 1 is a very special day for the people of Gombe. Nigeria is celebrating its independence from the British colonialists.  On the other hand, we are celebrating the day Gombe State was created.  On October 1, 1996, the then military Head of State, General Sani Abacha, announced the creation of more states, Gombe inclusive. What was on the minds of the founding fathers and the people of the region was the yearnings for development, self-reliance, peace and unity. Today we celebrate these founding fathers as heroes, for it was their sacrifices, selflessness, and their commitment that actualised the 1979 dream in 1996. Today, Dr Suleman Kumo, Mr A.J Filiya, Alhaji Ali Gombe, Alhaji Abubakar Habu Hashidu are all smiling in their graves for the giant strides made by people they handed the state to. Also, Alhaji Danjuma Goje and Alhaji Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo have written their names in the state book of history. From 2019 to date, Alhaji Inuwa Yahaya is also do...

In my life, I experienced about five strike actions by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). I lost almost four years of my academic life to ASUU strikes, from my diploma to undergraduate studies. I also had experiences during my master’s degree and now PhD programmes and I believe the person reading this also has his own share of experience of the altercations between the Federal Government of Nigeria and ASUU from 1980s to 2020.  There is no need therefore, to over labour over the pains strikes put on students or their parents of the over three decades’ crises in the public university system. It is also irrelevant to continue repeating the way, in these three decades that government reneged on agreements it signed with the union. The present strike, which came at a time the world is facing the novel coronavirus pandemic, is seen by some people as insensitive on the part of ASUU, and therefore they deserve no pity, (as if they enjoyed that pity in their previous enga...

The Centre for Information Technology and Development as part of its contribution to stop the spread of Covid19 in the country use to organize Twitter charts on every Tuesday and Thursday to enlighten the general public about Covid-19 pandemic; safety measures, government and citizens’ efforts, giving recommendations to government and ensure citizens needs are being catered for during the lockdown. These charts are being held with different professionals from various fields to sensitize the public about the novel coronavirus. This week the Centre hosted Mr. Kabiru Danladi Lawanti, a communication specialist who has years of experience in teaching communication in the Department of Mass Communication, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria (ABU) as Discussant. On today’s chat, Mr. Danladi discussed on “Gaps in Media Campaigns against Covid19”. The discussant spoke on the gaps, misinformation, fake news, media bias, and complicity in misleading the public and feeding them with much-unwanted ...