The Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin, on Monday, stated that the All Progressives Congress, the people of Kano and the northern region will reciprocate the good gestures of President Bola Tinubu, come 2027.
Barau spoke during his annual undergraduate scholarship programme at the newly renamed Yusuf Maitama Sule Federal University of Education, Kano.
The Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development, Yusuf Ata, the state APC Chairman, Prince Abdullahi Abbas, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Abdullahi Kadage and the Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Ado Abdullahi, all showered encomium on Tinubu.
Senator Barau said, “I would like to thank Mr President, the president of our country, the president that we are all proud of, the president who loves Kano, who loves Northern Nigeria, and who loves Nigeria.
“He graciously approved our long-standing request to upgrade this institution to a university, and for that, we remain deeply grateful.”
He noted that the struggle to actualise the upgrade had lasted nearly ten years, adding that President Tinubu’s swift approval demonstrated his administration’s commitment to human capital development.
“The rain that beats you is the real rain,” Barau said metaphorically. “We have never asked or canvassed for anything from Mr President, and he said no. Why shouldn’t we love Mr President? We have to reciprocate, and we are waiting for the time to do that, come 2027.”
He continued, “Whatever we ask him to do, he says, ‘I’ll do it for you.’ When he approved the upgrade of this university, we expressed our sincere gratitude. Human capital, not natural resources, is the number one factor of production in the world today. If you get it right in education, you have succeeded. That’s why we place great value on the educational development of our people.”
Senator Barau also commended President Tinubu for approving the renaming of the institution after the late Alhaji Yusuf Maitama Sule, a former minister, diplomat, and one of Kano’s most revered elder statesmen.
Barau, who described the President as the grandfather of the institution and himself the “father of the university,” pledged continued support for the institution’s growth and development.
“It was painful when the present administration in Kano annulled the decision by the former administration of Dr Ganduje to name a state-owned institution after Alhaji Maitama Sule.
“When I presented a request to President Tinubu to name this institution after our elder statesman, he immediately approved it. This is how he continues to demonstrate love and respect for Kano and our heroes,” he said.
He further reaffirmed his commitment to educational advancement by announcing scholarships for 1,000 students from Kano North Senatorial District, with a promise to extend the gesture to other parts of the state.
“I urge all students to remain focused on their studies. Education is the bedrock of every society. If I, as a grandfather and a PhD student, can continue to pursue learning, then there is no reason for any young person to relent,” he said.
He stressed that investing in education remained the most sustainable path to community empowerment and long-term progress.
The Chairman of the APC in Kano State, Prince Abdullahi Abbas, commended President Tinubu for the conversion and renaming of the institution.
On his part, Ata hailed the President for his numerous interventions in Kano and the North.
Speaking, Professor Abdullahi Tukur Kadage, the Vice Chancellor of Yusuf Maitama Sule Federal University of Education, praised Senator Barau for his “visionary leadership and unwavering support” for the institution.
He recalled that the university’s establishment stemmed from a bill sponsored by Senator Barau at the National Assembly.