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Kano To Build Three New Cities – Kwankwaso
Kano State Government is building three new cities, the governor, Dr. Rabi’u Kwankwaso, has said.
Kwankwaso told newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday that government had already committed N7 billion to the provision of infrastructure in the new cities.
He said the objective was to ensure that the ever-rising population in the state does not get choked up in a particular part of the city, thereby over-stretching facilities.
The governor also said the sporting centre being constructed at Kofar Na’isa in the city capital was in the process of being fenced.
Kwankwaso allayed fears that the location of a sports centre in the area could lead to traffic gridlock and assured that Kano had adequate road networks through which such heavy traffic could be dispersed in the event of a congestion.
He said the provision of such sporting facilities would allow people of the state, particularly the youths to have a place for recreation and improve their health and well-being.
He said the state was also determined to eradicate polio to ensure that children did not suffer from the virus any longer.
The governor said that “we are rehabilitating all our hospitals, equipping them and staffing them adequately. All our hospitals now have 24-hour uninterrupted power supply”.
On agriculture, the governor appealed to the Federal Government to return to Kano State and to continue work on dams revived by the erstwhile President Olusegun Obasanjo administration.
The dams were abandoned by consecutive administrations since 1978, but were revisited for revival by Obasanjo when he returned to power in 1999, the governor noted.
Governor Kwankwaso also assured people of the state that government was not unaware of difficulties they were going though while security agencies were doing their jobs of providing security diligently.
He promised that everything would be done to ensure that the state returned to normalcy and safety.
Kenya made it a clean sweep at the Berlin Marathon with Sabastian Sawe winning the men’s race and Rosemary Wanjiru triumphing in the women’s.
Sawe finished in two hours, two minutes and 16 seconds to make it three wins in his first three marathons.
The 30-year-old, who was victorious at this year’s London Marathon, set a sizzling pace as he left the field behind and ran much of the race surrounded only by his pacesetters.
Japan’s Akasaki Akira came second after a powerful latter half of the race, finishing almost four minutes behind Sawe, while Ethiopia’s Chimdessa Debele followed in third.
“I did my best and I am happy for this performance,” said Sawe.
“I am so happy for this year. I felt well but you cannot change the weather. Next year will be better.”
Sawe had Kelvin Kiptum’s 2023 world record of 2:00:35 in his sights when he reached halfway in 1:00:12, but faded towards the end.
In the women’s race, Wanjiru sped away from the lead pack after 25 kilometers before finishing in 2:21:05.
Ethiopia’s Dera Dida followed three seconds behind Wanjiru, with Azmera Gebru, also of Ethiopia, coming third in 2:21:29.
Wanjiru’s time was 12 minutes slower than compatriot Ruth Chepng’etich’s world record of 2:09:56, which she set in Chicago in 2024.