By Michael Agbaji
Reputable personalities from Kano State, comprising academics, lawyers, industrialists, activists, journalists and others under the umbrella of Kano Concerned Citizens Movement (KCCM), have bestowed an of Award of Excellence on the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau I Jibrin, in recognition of his outstanding performance in one year.
Senator Barau, who is also the First Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament emerged as the Deputy President of the Senate on June 13th, 2023 when the 10th Senate was inaugurated.
In the first year of the 10th Senate, Senator Barau has emerged as the Senator with the highest number of private member’s bills with 21.
KCCM members were led to the office of the Deputy President of the Senate by an erudite scholar, Professor Garba Shehu, to confer the award on Senator Barau, on Tuesday.
He said they decided to confer the highest award of the movement on Senator Barau in recognition of his outstanding performance in one year in office as the Deputy President of the Senate.
A statement by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Deputy President of the Senate, Alhaji Ismail Mudashir, said Professor Shehu described Senator Barau as a blessing to Kano State and the country.
” You have done a lot in your first year as Deputy President of the Senate, not only in Kano but in the entire country, thus contributing to the growth of our country.
” Your interventions cut across all sectors, but that of the education sector is outstanding, especially in our tertiary institutions. You have done a lot through your scholarships programmes and building of infrastructure in our tertiary institutions, hence your consideration for this award. This is the highest award of our movement,” he said.
He said the Second Extraordinary Session of the ECOWAS Parliament that was held in Kano has impacted positively on the state’s economy, commending Senator Barau for facilitating the hosting of the event in the state.
Responding, the Deputy President of the Senate thanked the movement, saying the award would motivate him to do more.
“This award will serve as a propeller for me to do more in supporting all sectors of our state and country. Every award is a symbol that one is doing good, but in other words, it is a call to do more.
“We will continue to work together with associations and groups that have common goals of promoting the development of Kano State and the country at large,” he said.
Describing the state of affairs in Kano schools as pathetic, Senator Barau promised to expand his interventions to the 44 local government areas of the state to address the challenges facing the education sector of the state.
