The Kano State Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Comrade Ibrahim Abdullahi Waiya, has inaugurated the Kano Intellectuals Forum, urging academics and intellectuals across the state to deploy their knowledge and expertise towards addressing socioeconomic challenges.
Waiya inaugurated the Forum at the Aminu Kano College of Islamic and Legal Studies, where he stressed that the responsibilities of tertiary institutions extend beyond producing graduates and awarding academic certificates.
According to him, higher institutions have a critical role to play in generating knowledge, conducting research and providing practical solutions to challenges confronting society.
The Commissioner said academic communities possess the technical knowledge, research capacity and professional expertise needed to conduct evidence-based studies and develop innovative solutions to problems affecting their host communities.
He urged members of the Forum to use the platform to provide research-based advice, policy recommendations and technical support to government.
Waiya said the Forum would strengthen collaboration between the academic community and government in areas including education, economic development, social welfare, innovation and human capital development.
He added that the initiative would support government efforts to improve the wellbeing and living standards of residents of Kano State.
The Commissioner said the administration of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf had demonstrated commitment to placing the interests and welfare of the people at the centre of its development agenda through the Kano First Agenda.
He therefore called on members of the Forum to develop practical and implementable recommendations capable of assisting government in formulating policies and programmes for sustainable socioeconomic and political development.
Earlier, the Provost of Sa’adatu Rimi University of Education, Dr. Kabiru Gwarzo, said the Forum was designed to ensure broad and inclusive representation of the academic community across tertiary institutions in Kano State.
Gwarzo explained that each tertiary institution would have four representatives drawn from different segments, including academic and non-academic staff, students and women.
He said the inclusive structure was intended to provide the Forum with diverse perspectives, experiences and areas of expertise in addressing developmental challenges confronting the state.
Also speaking, the Acting Provost of Aminu Kano College of Islamic and Legal Studies, Dr. Ali Tamasi, said Kano’s tertiary institutions were endowed with highly knowledgeable and experienced professionals who had provided consultancy services to organisations and institutions within and outside Nigeria.
Tamasi stressed the need to create opportunities for such experts to deploy their knowledge and experience towards solving local challenges and contributing to the development of Kano State.
He said the establishment of the Forum would provide a structured platform for engaging intellectuals in the state to complement government efforts in policy formulation and implementation, particularly under the Kano First Agenda.
According to him, the Forum would advise and support government in areas including education, socioeconomic development, research and policy formulation, among others.
The Acting Provost expressed optimism that the initiative would strengthen the relationship between government and tertiary institutions while promoting greater utilisation of academic research and professional expertise in addressing developmental challenges.
A key area of focus for the Forum, he added, would be the dissemination of the government’s achievements in tertiary institutions to enable members of the academic community and the wider public to appreciate the level of investment being made in the sector.
