Former media aide to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, Bashir Ahmad, has criticized the Kano State Governor over his recent handling of an incident involving two children abandoned by their parents and found sleeping on the streets of Kano.
Ahmad, in a post shared via his official X (formerly Twitter) account, acknowledged the governor’s initial gesture of compassion in rescuing the children and allowing them to spend the night at the Government House. However, he condemned the subsequent decision to invite the children’s parents for a photo session, describing it as a “dangerous precedent.”;
“The right moment to send a strong message to negligent parents was lost,”; Ahmad wrote. “Instead of holding them accountable for abandoning their responsibilities, they were seemingly rewarded.”;
He warned that such actions could unintentionally encourage other parents to abandon their children near the Government House, hoping for similar treatment from what he sarcastically called a “very kind”; governor.
Ahmad also decried attempts to silence critics of the governor’s decision, noting that public accountability is essential for addressing deep-rooted social issues like child neglect, particularly across northern Nigeria.
He emphasized that only firm policies, political will, and the courage to enforce consequences can effectively tackle the rising menace of child abandonment in Kano and the broader Arewa region.
