Youth and Women Development & Advancement Forum, yowdaf - Kano State

20/07/2025

LET REASON PREVAIL: AN OPEN LETTER TO H. E. ENGR. ABBA KABIR YUSUF, EXECUTIVE GOVERNOR OF KANO STATE
With all humility, we bring you the greetings & felicitations of the Youth and Women Development & Advancement Forum, YOWDAF - Kano State.
YOWDAF is a registered non profit, non partisan, non religious and active organization founded as a proactive response to the high rate of illiteracy, ignorance, poverty & inadequate life skills amongst many women, youth and the children in our society. Our main objective is to build a new set of young leaders empowered with the education and leadership skills required to make positive change in Kano State & Nigeria as a whole.
We have followed with great admiration not only your great personal & moral courage in defending good governance and peaceful co - existence but also your indefatigable efforts and immense contributions to Kano State quest for Educational development, youth & women empowerment, community development, health revolution, employment, your outstanding patriotism, philanthropy, selfless and dedicated service to God, Humanity, State & Country.
It is in recognition of all this accomplishments that we embarked on a 5 Months tour of the 44 LGAs of the State as part of our corporate responsibility to gather information for collective action in order to contribute our quota in the socio economic development of our state through effective governance, job creation, educational enhancement, skill development & human capital enhancement aimed at equipping youth, women and our children with future - ready skills and enhancing employability to support the state's sustainable growth.
Your Excellency, we meticulously compiled, designed and produced 3 Strategic Documents to equip you with the necessary tools and knowledge to navigate complex challenges and make informed decisions. This 60 Pages Strategic Documents or Roadmap is not just about acquiring knowledge; it is about harnessing that knowledge to drive positive change in our communities and the state as a whole. We believe addressing the challenges facing our youths is not the sole responsibility of the government. Individuals, communities and the Civil Society Organizations also have a role to play in addressing these challenges. (ATTACHED HEREWITH ARE THE COVER PAGES OF THE SAID DOCUMENTS).
Your Excellency, we felt saddened that after completing the project, we humbly wrote a letter to you seeking for audience to afford us the GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY to present this Strategic Documents and little contribution to the successful accomplishment of your Government 's policies, programs and good deeds to the good people of Kano State. The letter was delivered at the Government House on the 20th of February, 2025, collected, signed & acknowledged. (ATTACHED HEREWITH IS THE ACKNOWLEDGED COPY).
It is disheartening and bearing in mind that Your Excellency have continued to receive and grant audience to several organizations or associations, both within & outside the state; the rich and the poor; the strong and the weak; disables, destitute, as it is your nature as a People & Action Oriented Leade. But unfortunately, YOWDAF despite our sincere efforts was shunned and left in the cold, which we least expected from a humble, humane ,simple, , committed, dedicated, trustworthy and selfless public leader. Moreover, we want to ascertain and believe that our letter was not delivered to Your Excellency.
Finally, Your Excellency, we know you are a person of magnanimous disposition and we have no doubt that your benevolence to grant listening ears with an open door policy will inspire you to kindly grant us audience which we shall remember with a lot of pride.
We pray that Almighty God continue to grant Your Excellency wisdom, guidance, protection, proper understanding, a continued good health, long life and elevate you beyond human comprehension, Amen
Accept Your Excellency, our Warmest & Highest Respect, Regards & Esteem.
Suleiman A. Muhammad
President, YOWDAF - Kan State
07065748665

23/02/2025

09/02/2025

YOWDAF - Kano State: ... Voice of the Children, Women & Youths!

21/01/2025

ASSESSMENT OF YOUTH IMPACTS IN KANO STATE:
The usurp increase of youths engaged in crime rates such as stealing, drug or sexual abuse, r**e, kidnapping, banditry, armed robbery, trafficking of arms & ammunitions & exposing to all forms of human exploitation and abuse call for an imperative necessary, refocused and redirecting measures and policies by our government. Every child is endowed with some kind of talent in which if nurtured and directed would contribute to the development of the society instead of allowing them to rot away with gifted talents.
Against the grain of millions of unemployed youths in Nigeria thousands in Kano State, Nigeria's most productive segment is wasting away. From college graduates, to skilled professionals and artisans, Kano State has its share of the unemployed waiting on the civil service for employment or for the next big politician who will engage them as bodyguards or political thugs.
Given the ever increasing unemployment rate and the apparent lack of a grassroots based employment initiative from the State Government to tackle this problem and create jobs, Kano State risks a revolt of the unemployed youths & adults. The onus is therefore on the State Government to conceive programs that can get the youths off the street and engage them in viable ventures. This pool has to be engaged somehow.
The impacts for the improvement of the Skills Acquisition Scheme include the expansion of channels and a clearer enrollment procedure into the scheme through collaboration with educational institution, maintenance of the already existing and established skills vocational training centers; the creation of linkages with social groups and the adoption of Public Private Partnership, (PPP) Developmental Strategy in the scheme. With regard to the skills acquisition program, components like youth values should be incorporated into the program to cater for the participants/beneficiaries in the post - empowerment employment period. Thus, these conceptions that influence a person's readiness or likelihood of learning skills or performing successfully, based on the values they hold.
When more youths are empowered to lead, everyone benefits. Decades of studies show youth leaders help increase productivity, enhance collaboration, inspire organizational dedication and improve fairness. The role of youth in sustainable development is multi - dimensional and their voices need to be included at every forefront. This interactive forum is a critical opportunity to reflect on progress made to date and agree on a way forward to tackle the significant risks being faced at this midway juncture.
The challenges facing Kano youths are numerous, but they can be overcome with the right solutions. Skills Development, Entrepreneurship Innovation, Education Reform, Good Governance and investment in infrastructure are key to unlocking the potential of Kano Youths. By working together, the government, private sector and civil society can create a brighter future for Kano Youths. Moreover, it is important to note that addressing the challenges facing Kano youths is not the sole responsibility of the government. Individuals, communities and civil society organizations also have a role to play in addressing these challenges.
One - way individuals can contribute is by volunteering in their communities and supporting initiatives that provide opportunities Kano youths. Civil Society Organizations can also play a crucial role in advocacy and holding the government accountable for its actions. It is essential that the government, private sector, civil society and individuals work together to create a brighter future for KANO YOUTHS!

17/01/2025

Challenges & Problems of Youths in Kano State:
Kano State have a vibrant youth population. Although, they account for more than 50% of registered voters in the state. Kano State like many of it's counterparts in Nigeria is challenged with the problem of a high number of it's young population not having access to employment opportunities. The State Government having recognized the enormousness of the problem has to evolved under the Community Reorientation Council, (CRC), several skills acquisition programs as a strategy aimed at empowering the youth toward reducing the unemployment in the state
Assessing the impact of any of these programs is an instrumental component required in policy making processes. Thus, the study is to examine the influence of individual youth values, using the Kano State Economic & Social Empowerment Schemes as a case study. The results obtained revealed that many factors have inhibited the continuity of the programs to flourish toward achieving the desired objectives.
The State Skills Acquisition Scheme was characterized by problems ranging from inadequate funding; ineffective monitoring & supervisor y mechanism couple with the coordination amongst relevant government agencies, more especially after changing government; excessive distribution of empowerment opportunities; & politicization of programs to assuage the anger of the youth, without any intention to guarantee sustainability.
The major challenges facing the youths in Kano State are:
1. High Unemployment Rates: Kano youths are faced with high unemployment rates, with over 40% of the youth population being unemployed. This a result of a lack of job opportunities, poor educational standards, & a growing population.
2. Poor Education Standards: The education system in Nigeria is in dire need of reform. The quality of education is poor & many youths are graduating without the necessary skills & knowledge needed to succeed in the job market & this includes Kano youths.
3. Political Instability: Kano State has a history of political instability, with corruption & nepotism being rampant in government, mostly during the past immediate government. This has led to a lack of trust in the government & a sense of hopelessness among Kano youths.
4. Lack of Opportunities: There is a lack of opportunities for Kano youths, especially in the rural areas. This is due to a lack of infrastructure & investment in these areas