A civil society organisation, the Centre for Advocacy in Gender and Social Inclusion (CAGSI), has called on the Kano State House of Assembly to prioritise rural development and address long-abandoned projects in Kwajale, Tukuda and Magami communities of Sumaila Local Government Area.
The appeal was made on Friday by the Executive Director of CAGSI, Maryam Garba Usman, during the 2026 Kano State Budget Public Hearing held at the State House of Assembly.
Presenting a position paper on behalf of the affected communities, Usman lamented the prolonged neglect of critical infrastructure, particularly abandoned Primary Health Care (PHC) projects in Tukuda and Magami communities.
She said the PHCs, initiated in 2012 as a federal government intervention, were abandoned at bricklaying and roofing stages, leaving residents without functional health facilities for over a decade.
According to her, Kwajale community has suffered severe infrastructural deprivation, including lack of electricity since 1999.
She disclosed that a transformer provided by the immediate past administration has remained uninstalled for eight years, lying idle at the village head’s residence.
Maryam also raised concern over the condition of the only primary school in Kwajale, noting that it has not been renovated in over 20 years.
She described the learning environment as unsafe and unconducive, with classrooms lacking roofs, floors, doors and windows, despite the state government’s declaration of an emergency in the education sector.
She further revealed that the community’s only PHC facility is incomplete, with only three walls standing, forcing residents to use a neem tree at the village head’s house as a makeshift health centre during weekly medical visits.
The CAGSI executive director also highlighted the absence of access roads linking Kwajale to neighbouring communities and its political ward.
She explained that the lack of road infrastructure has negatively affected education, healthcare access and economic activities, especially for farmers who struggle to transport their produce.
She added that the situation has also discouraged external support from organisations and philanthropists.
In her recommendations, Maryam expressed optimism that the issues could still be addressed within the 2026 budget framework through existing government programmes without incurring additional costs.
She suggested integrating the communities’ needs into ongoing initiatives such as classroom renovation projects, PHC revitalisation, rural road construction, solar streetlight installations, solar charging hubs and public-private partnerships with the Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO).
She urged the lawmakers to ensure increased allocation of development projects to rural areas, stressing that inclusive governance would not only improve citizens’ confidence in government but also promote a sense of belonging among underserved communities.
Maryam appealed to the Assembly to treat the matter as a moral and developmental obligation, noting that addressing rural neglect would yield long-term social and economic benefits for Kano State.