Kano Govt Sets Up High-powered Advisory Council, Warns Against  Parallel Arewa Consultative Forum

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

The Kano State Government, on Wednesday September 3, 2025, announced that plans are at an advanced stage to formally inaugurate the State’s Advisory Council, to be made up of eminent and accomplished Kano citizens.

This is as it warned against the establishment of parallel organization to rival  or duplicate the duties of the already existing Arewa Consultative Forum ACF.

The Source reports that Governor Abba Kabiru Yusuf had last year announced plans by the State to set up Kano Elders Advisory Council, EAC, as a non-partisan platform to assist in guidance and providing leadership direction in the state.

The Forum, which is to be populated by past Governors and their Deputies, Senate Presidents, Speakers of House of Representatives ,and other top  former or serving members of the three arms of Government both at the State and National levels, as well as religious and community leaders, is to serve as both a think-tank and advisory body to the Government of the day for the purpose of effective governance.

However, in a statement on Wednesday from the State  Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs , Ibrahim Abdullahi Waiya ,the Kano State Government expressed its aversion to any plans to leverage the initiative to set up a Kano Elders Council/Forum as being conceived by some persons.

According to the State Government , establishing a parallel Kano Elders Council will amount to duplicating the already exiting structure of the Arewa Consultative Forum ACF.

Further speaking, Comrade Waiya informed that efforts are underway to institutionalize the structures of the State’s Advisory Council, ahead of its formal launch.

When fully operational, the  Council, which according to the Commissioner, will also include former Heads of State, retired top judicial officers , business leaders and retired Top Civil Servants, will offer valuable guidance and advice on how to move Kano forward.

According to the State Government, the main purpose of setting up the Council is to draw from the wealth of experience of some of the most accomplished Kano citizens.

” It is anticipated that the processes of formalizing the Council’s structures, will soon be concluded, after which Governor Abba Kabiru Yusuf will officially inaugurate the Council.

“The Council was deliberately conceived as a neutral body without any political connotations, standing, instead, as a collective forum for guidance, collaboration and inclusive development”, Waiya added .

While appreciating the zeal and readiness of the ACF to make its contributions to the overall  growth and development of Kano state, the state authorities however urged those behind the planned Kano Elders Council/Forum to rather align their activities with the already existing ACF so as to avoid duplication of efforts.

The statement further reaffirmed the unwavering commitment of the State Government towards partnering and collaborating with well meaning individuals and groups in the task of moving the State forward .