A recent visit by THE NORTH STAR ONLINE NEWSPAPER to the Aliko Dangote Skill Acquisition Centre along Zaria Road in Kano revealed a sad sight. The big building that was meant to train young people is now quiet and neglected.
Investigations carry out by Our reporter revealed that the premise has been taken by Weeds grown around the compound. Some of the windows are broken, and the gates are often locked.
Inside, machines and training equipment look obsolete and unused, covered in dust. However, the centre was built with a vision similar to one in Imo State. Imo centre has today been transformed into a full institutes that teaches different skills to youths from every part of the state and region.
In Kano, the same dream was started along side. The idea was to give young men and women training in tailoring, welding, carpentry, ICT, and other handiwork so they can be self-reliant.
According to people familiar with the centre, the hub is no longer working. It was abandoned mainly because there was no money to pay staff and also to give stipends to the youths for training.
Without stipends,trainers left. students also stopped coming. What was meant to be a place of learning has now become an empty building.
This is happening in a state with one of the highest youth populations in the North. Kano has more young people than any other state in the northern region, and many of them are looking for jobs and skills.l to enable them Carter for the families and also dependant.
In another development, THE NORTH STAR spoke with Nura Bala Ajingi, a political analyst and also a journalist, who expressed concern and confidence that if government could have invested in the institute heavily, it could go along way in resolving youth restrictiveness and reduced other menace of drugs abuse in the society, Nura, said he is optimistic that the situation can change, even though things look bad right now.
He noted that the way government sometimes neglects institutions in the North has created a wider gap.
“When you leave places like this to rot, you create a vacuum that will take a long time to fill,” he said.
He explained that this neglect does not only affect Kano. It affects the whole region because young people lose the chance to learn skills that can give them a future. Citing that this neglect does not only affect Kano. It affects the whole region because young people lose the chance to learn skills that can give them a future.
Mr. Ajingi added that while Kano delays, other states are moving fast. “Other states are taking advantage and exploring the opportunity attached to these kinds of centres,” he said.
He pointed to the Imo example again. That centre was once like Kano’s, but today it is busy, producing skilled youths who are earning and supporting their families.
Experts say if the Dangote Centre in Kano is revived, it can reduce unemployment and crime rate among youths. It can also help the state meet the growing demand for skilled workers. For now, the building along Zaria Road stands as a reminder of what could have been. Youths in Kano are still waiting. The question many are asking is simple: will government act before the opportunity is lost completely.
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