KASSOSA President Highlights Six-Year Milestones, Inaugurates Electoral Committee

By Umar Idris Shuaibu, Kano

The President of the Kano Science Schools Old Students Association (KASSOSA), Alhaji Balarabe Nuhu Jallah Danbatta, has highlighted the achievements of his six-year administration, including youth skills acquisition, career guidance, employment opportunities and efforts to strengthen unity among alumni chapters.

Danbatta spoke at the KASSOSA National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held on Sunday at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH), Kano.

KASSOSA is the umbrella body of old students of science schools across Kano State, as well as alumni of science schools in areas that were formerly part of Kano State before the creation of Jigawa State. The association brings together former students of the various science schools under a common platform for alumni engagement, educational development and community service.

The well-attended NEC meeting brought together national executives and representatives of various graduating class chapters across the country, including the association’s Vice President I, Hajiya Mabruka Abubakar Abba.

Reviewing his administration’s achievements, Danbatta said KASSOSA had implemented several skills acquisition initiatives aimed at addressing unemployment and equipping young people with practical skills for self-reliance.

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He said the association deliberately focused on vocational training because unemployment and inadequate practical skills remained major challenges facing young people.

“Our main challenge in the country today is unemployment and the lack of vocational skills,” Danbatta said.

He explained that the skills acquisition programmes were designed to enable beneficiaries to establish sustainable livelihoods and contribute positively to their communities.

Danbatta also highlighted KASSOSA’s intervention in secondary education through career guidance programmes organised in Science Colleges.

According to him, the initiative was introduced after the association observed that some students faced difficulties in selecting appropriate subjects for competitive examinations, including the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) examination.

He said the challenge had contributed to a decline in the number of alumni entering professional fields such as medicine and engineering.

Danbatta said the career guidance initiative had improved the rate of students gaining admission into professional courses from about 40 per cent to between 70 and 80 per cent.

The KASSOSA president announced that the association has secured employment opportunities for five graduate engineers. The graduates were selected for a specialized, six-month power sector training program at the National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN), an initiative aimed at equipping members with advanced professional skills.

He said the beneficiaries would proceed to permanent and pensionable employment after completing the training.

On the association’s internal reforms, Danbatta said a Constitution Review Committee was currently working to update the organisation’s governance framework.

He explained that KASSOSA reviews its constitution periodically, generally every five years, to ensure that its rules remain relevant to the association’s growing membership and changing needs.

Danbatta called on graduating class chapters that were yet to align with the national body to integrate fully into KASSOSA.

He said greater unity among the various chapters was essential to the association’s long-term development and sustainability.

“When I assumed office, I observed that several class chapters operated in isolation due to a lack of awareness,” he said.

He added that the national leadership had been engaging such chapters, supporting their activities and demonstrating that KASSOSA remained committed to its members during both celebrations and difficult moments.

Danbatta also commended the media for highlighting the association’s programmes and developmental interventions, saying positive publicity had helped encourage greater alumni participation and strengthen confidence in KASSOSA’s vision.

A major highlight of the NEC meeting was the inauguration of the KASSOSA 2026 Electoral Committee, which has been mandated to organise the association’s forthcoming national elections in November 2026.

The committee is chaired by Engr. Auwalu Rabi’u Sipikin, with Alhaji Isyaku Usman D/Iya, Auwalu Ali Alasan, Dr. Zahara’u Rabi’u Mudi, Abdullahi Maiturare, Abdulmalik Ahmad and Hajiya Jamila Buhari as members.

Accepting the responsibility, Sipikin pledged that the committee would work to ensure a transparent and credible electoral process that would produce a new executive team to lead the association for the next three years.

He stressed the importance of integrity in the electoral process, promising that candidates would be thoroughly screened to ensure that those who emerge possess good character and credible records.

Sipikin also urged members of the committee to work together with a common purpose to successfully deliver on their mandate.