Abba Yusuf, governor of Kano, has scrapped the office of the chief of staff (CoS) in a major cabinet reshuffle carried out on Thursday.

In a statement issued by Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, spokesperson to the governor, Yusuf also dropped Abdullahi Baffa Bichi, secretary to the state government (SSG), “on health grounds.”

Yusuf said the cabinet shake-up is part of his strategy to realign his administration for “optimum performance” and deliver “more dividends of democracy” to the residents of the state.

“Those affected by the major shakeup are the Chief of Staff, Alh. Shehu Wada Sagagi, whose office is now scrapped, and Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Abdullahi Baffa Bichi, who was dropped on health grounds,” the statement reads.

The spokesperson said the governor removed some cabinet members and reassigned others to enhance administrative performance and political retooling.

“Those who retained their positions are Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Barr. Haruna Isa Dederi; Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Danjuma Mahmoud; Commissioner for Health, Dr. Abubakar Labaran; Commissioner for Land and Physical Planning, Hon. Abduljabbar Mohammed Umar; Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Hon. Musa Suleiman Shannon; and Commissioner for Works and Housing, Engr. Marwan Ahmad,” the statement continues.

“Also retained are Commissioner for Solid and Mineral Resources, Sefiyanu Hamza; Commissioner for Religious Affairs, Shiekh Ahmad Tijani Auwal; Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Hon. Mustapha Rabiu Kwankwaso; Commissioner for Investment and Commerce, Adamu Aliyu Kibiya; and that of Internal Security and Special Services, Major General Mohammad Inuwa Idris Rtd.

“Those reassigned are the Deputy Governor, Comrade Aminu Abdulssalam, who was moved from the Ministry of Local Government to Higher Education; Hon. Mohammad Tajo Usman, who was moved from Science and Technology to the Ministry for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs; and Dr. Yusuf Ibrahim Kofar Mata, who was moved from Higher Education to Science, Technology, and Innovation.

“Others on the reassignment list include Hon. Amina Abdullahi, from Humanitarian and Poverty Alleviation to Ministry for Women, Children, and Disabled; Hon. Nasiru Sule Garo, from Ministry of Environment and Climate Change to Ministry of Special Duties.

“Commissioner for Project Monitoring and Evaluation Hon. Ibrahim Namadi now moved to the Ministry of Transport, while Hon. Umar Haruna Doguwa of the Ministry of Education now moved to the Ministry of Water Resources.

“On the reassigned list, Hon. Ali Haruna Makoda moved from Water Resources to the Ministry of Education, Hon. Aisha Lawal Saji from the Ministry of Women, Children, and Disabled to Tourism and Culture, and Hon. Muhammad Diggol from Transport to the Ministry of Project Monitoring and Evaluation.”

Yusuf also dropped five members of his cabinet, including Ibrahim Jibril Fagge, commissioner for finance; Ladidi Garko, commissioner for culture and tourism; Baba Dantiye, commissioner for information and internal affairs; Aliyu Yammedi, commissioner for special duties; and Abbas Sani, commissioner for rural and community development.

He also directed the chief of staff and the five commissioners, who are dropped to report to the office of the governor for possible reassignment.

Tijjani Babangida, former Super Eagles winger, has opened up on losing his family in a car accident that happened in early 2024.

The ex-footballer spoke in an emotional documentary released by Ajax Amsterdam, his former club, on Thursday.

On May 9, Babangida was travelling with Ibrahim, his younger brother, alongside his wife, his son, and his maid when the car accident occurred along the Kaduna-Zaria highway.

Ibrahim was said to have died on the spot. Fadil, Babangida’s one-year son, succumbed to the injuries from the crash a few days later. The wife lost an eye and had to undergo face reconstruction surgery, and the maid also fractured a leg.

Speaking on the incident, Babangida said he “will live with this trauma for the rest of my life”.

He said he could not “bear looking at photos and videos of my son” and his wife struggles to remember the name or “anything” about the boy.

“I think I will live with this trauma for the rest of my life. It is hard to forget about it and move on when you suddenly lose your entire family,” the Babangida said.

“This is my first time talking about the accident because I couldn’t do it. I can’t bear looking at photos and videos of my son.

“It is even harder for my wife. She is an actress in Nigeria, famous in the northern part of the country. After being married a year, we had a baby. And suddenly, he was gone.

“And my brother, who always joined me when I travelled. For me, I only injured my legs and knees. I had to assist my wife. That’s why I came here with my wife to get proper medical treatment.

“After three months in the Netherlands, I was finally able to tell her that our child was in the car when the accident took place. She starting [to] ask about his name. She can’t remember anything about him.”

In the documentary, Babangida, who was in the books of Ajax for seven years, spoke with Luis Van Gaal and other associates in the Netherlands.

Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), says no amount of blackmail will stop the demolition of illegal buildings in the nation’s capital.

In recent months, the federal capital development authority (FCDA) has intensified the demolition of “illegally” constructed estates and shanties in Abuja.

The minister said some of the recently demolished shanties posed threats to the security of the nation’s capital.

Speaking during the distribution of operational vehicles to security agencies at the FCTA secretariat on Thursday, Wike said the structures being demolished are properties illegally built on government lands.

He said the FCTA would not yield to any form of blackmail from any homeowner who built illegally on government lands.

“Let me use this opportunity to tell Nigerians and residents of Abuja, we are not afraid of blackmailing,” Wike said.

“In fact, you cannot be in this kind of position and say you cannot be blackmailed, particularly as regards this Abuja. There are so many land grabbers.

“Some of us have come to put our feet down. Let heaven fall. It is even better that heaven comes down now so that we would not be fasting again to go to heaven.

“We will stop anybody who thinks he can obtain government land for whatever reason without formal approval.

“We will not look at your face. If you like, you can be a civil rights activist; if you like, you can be a television talker. What is wrong is wrong.

“No amount of blackmail can stop us. People take government property without approval or documentation.”