Renowned Kano Politician Ahmadu Haruna Zago Dies

Alhaji Ahmadu Haruna Zago, a prominent Kano politician and Managing Director of the Kano Refuse Management and Sanitation Board, has passed away.

Multiple sources confirmed to Nigerian Courier that the politician died after a prolonged illness.

Zago was an active participant in the politics of the Second Republic, where he was a member of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN).

He also played a role in the National Republican Convention during the aborted Third Republic.

Following Nigeria’s return to civilian rule in 1999, Zago joined the defunct All Peoples Party (APP), later serving as the party’s acting chairman in Kano State.

He played a key role in the APP’s victory in the 2003 general elections, which saw Malam Ibrahim Shekarau elected as the Executive Governor of Kano State.

Zago was subsequently appointed as Political Adviser to Governor Shekarau’s administration.

A fearless politician, Zago was known for his willingness to engage in any political conflict without fear or favour.

The Northern Online Media Reporters and Publishers (NORP) elected its national executive members on Saturday.

The election, held in Kaduna at Arewa House, Kaduna, was supervised by the Electoral Committee of the Union.

Comrade Musa Mohammed from Kaduna State emerged as the new Executive National President in a keenly contested election.

He polled 287 votes to defeat his rival, Comrade Lynn Adda, the former NUJ chairman, of Taraba State, who got 138 votes.

Comrade Femi Adi from Kogi State emerged as the Executive National Secretary with 210 votes.

He defeated Comrade Rayyan Al-Hassan, who polled 207 votes.

By the constitution of the Union, the Deputy National Secretary and National Assistant Secretary Positions are reserved for persons who come second in both.

Therefore, Comrade Lynn Adda and Comrade Rayyan Al-Hassan emerged as Deputy National President and National Assistant Secretary accordingly.

Others who emerged unopposed are Comrade Zaharaddeen Ishaq Zailani – National Financial Secretary; Comrade Abraham Suleman – Asst. National Financial Secretary, and Comrade Abbas Yusha’u Yusuf – National Treasurer.

In his acceptance speech, Comrade Musa Mohammed urged members of the group across the 19 northern states to take advantage of social media platforms to fight fake news and promote good governance.

According to him, social media platforms can only be reliable for information dissemination when professional journalists take over and use them professionally.

“Our greatest headache is the citizen journalist problem, where anyone can post anything online without verifying the source or authenticating such stories.

But the good thing is that professional journalists are taking over now,” he said.

While urging members to work within the ethics of the profession, he expressed commitment to ensuring the unity and progress of the Union within the three-year term of office.

He, however, thanked the members who turned out for the election and prayed for their safe return to their destinations.

Fifty-three people narrowly escaped death when a Max Air aircraft, with registration number 5N-MBD (B733), crash-landed at Malam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) on Tuesday night.

The incident occurred as the aircraft, carrying 53 passengers and 6 crew members, arrived in Kano from Lagos. According to one of the passengers, the front tire of the plane burst into flames around 10:19 p.m.

“Immediately the tire burst into flames, smoke filled the cabin, and we had to evacuate through the emergency exit,” the passenger said. “As we were exiting, the fire service was already spraying the plane with water to contain the flames.”

Confirming the incident, Kano Station Manager of Max Air, Malam Bello Ramalan, said all passengers and crew members were safely evacuated. He expressed gratitude for the safety of everyone on board and apologized for the inconvenience caused.

“I would like to apologize for the inconvenience and thank God for the safety of all on board. The safety of our passengers and crew is always our primary concern,” he said.

Ramalan explained that the aircraft had overshot the runway during the emergency landing, and standard safety protocols, including the evacuation of passengers, isolation of the pilots, and coordination with investigation authorities, were immediately followed.

“We are working with the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) and the Aircraft and Equipment Department (AED) to investigate the incident. Preliminary reports suggest that a tire issue caused the incident.”

Max Air’s Kano Station Manager reiterated that safety remains the airline’s top priority and the company is fully cooperating with authorities to determine the cause of the incident and implement necessary corrective actions.

“Once again, I apologize for the inconvenience caused,” he concluded.