Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf has approved the immediate scrapping of the Kano State Ministry for Higher Education in a move aimed at strengthening coordination and accelerating reforms within the state’s education sector.

With the dissolution of the ministry, the Deputy Governor of Kano State, Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo—who also served as Commissioner for Higher Education—has been relieved of that additional appointment.

In a statement issued on Sunday by the governor’s spokesperson, Sunusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, the government said the responsibilities of the scrapped ministry would now be consolidated under a single entity.

According to the statement, the new structure will operate under the Kano State Ministry of Education, with a specialised Directorate of Higher Education established within the ministry to oversee tertiary education activities.

The directorate will be headed by a Permanent Secretary and supported by the necessary personnel to ensure effective management and supervision of higher education institutions in the state.

“Under this restructuring, all agencies previously under the defunct Higher Education Ministry, including the Scholarship Board, will return to the Ministry of Education, while state-owned universities and other higher education institutions will be supervised by the new Directorate under the merged ministry,” the statement said.

It added that the move forms part of the government’s broader reform agenda in the education sector aimed at repositioning the system, eliminating duplication of responsibilities, improving policy coordination across all levels of education, and reducing the cost of governance.

Governor Yusuf said the reform was designed to enhance efficiency, accountability and the overall quality of education administration in the state.

He reiterated that his administration remains committed to implementing far-reaching reforms that will revitalise the education sector and secure a a brighter future for the younger generation.

Consequently, the Office of the Secretary to the State Government and the Office of the Head of Service have been directed to ensure the immediate and seamless realignment of the affected ministries and departments.

Before the restructuring, the former Ministry for Higher Education had been under scrutiny over allegations of misappropriation of resources and financial impropriety. A former commissioner, Yusuf Kofar-Mata, had earlier been accused of fraud linked to the state’s foreign scholarship programme.

However, there is no record of misappropriation during the tenure of the deputy governor at the ministry. His removal from the position may not be unconnected with ongoing investigations at the Kano State House of Assembly.