By Comrade Tukur Hassan Dan Ali
The Kanwan Katsina Usman Bello Kankara’s first contact with the Media was in 1975 after completing his Secondary Education, following which he picked up an appointment with Radio Nigeria Kaduna as a News Reporter, under the guidance of Abdulaziz Oladimeji who was the News Manager.
In 1976 Usman Bello Kankara, mni left the Services of the FRCN Kaduna in pursuit of higher education and in the year 1990 while in the employment of the Nigerian Customs Service he was appointed as the Public Relations Officer PRO of Apapa Port Command Lagos. However the experience he gained while working in the News Room of the FRCN Kaduna assisted him greatly in the discharged of his duties as the Public Relations Officer .
Following visionary leadership at repositioning the PR unit at the Apapa Port, he was given another appointment at the Tincan Island Port to showcase his PR resourcefulness.
Tin Can Port
At the Tin can Island, Usman Bello Kankara took over from the current Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adewole Adeniyi to build on what he met on ground.
Within the ten years that Usman Bello Kankara manned the PR Unit of the two busy Port Commands in Lagos, Apapa and Tincan Island respectively, he supported Journalists Covering Port activities to establish an Association known as Maritime Reporters Association of Nigeria.
In a bid to maintain balanced and update reporting of issues affecting the Ports, Usman Bello was known to always engage the Association by holding monthly press briefings on Customs activities and Federal Government’s Policies on Import and Export.
At that time, Usman Bello Kankara mni popularly known as U K Bello was always available and ready to attend to Journalists in his office for any follow up or investigation on any new development.
Nicknamed Mr. Welfare by Journalists covering the Maritime beat in Lagos when he was the PRO, the Kanwan Katsina won an award as the best PRO in the Nigeria Customs Service at the Nigerian Custom Service annual conference held in Port Harcourt in 1999.
Besides, his open door policy paved the way for the Tincan Island Port Command, Lagos to also win the award of the most covered and reported Customs command by the media in those years.
After retirement, the Kanwan Katsina continued to support the activities of the NUJ especially in his home state of Katsina, a reason why the State Council made him one of the Patrons of Union.
No wonder, Usman Bello Kankara, mni was honored by the Katsina State Council of the NUJ in 2019 and was also recognized with an Award as the Mirror of the Katsina State Radio and in 2020 he was again presented with an Award for Humanitarian Service development by the FRCN Kaduna NUJ where he once served.
To cap it up, the National Body of the NUJ also recognized the Kanwan Katsina as Media Supporter of the Union at an event organized to celebrate 70 Years of NUJ’s Existence in Nigeria.
Kanwan Katsina being honoured by NUJ
It must be noted that the Kanwan Katsina, Alh. Usman Bello Kankara mni was born in Kankara, Katsina State on 1st September, 1957 to the Famous Nadabo Family in Katsina State which has produced five District Heads under the Katsina Emirate Council.
The District heads are: Sarkin Pawan Katsina, District Head of Kankara; Makaman Katsina, District head of Bakori; Sarkin Kudun Katsina, District head of Danja; Jarman Katsina, District head of Tsiga and the recipient of numerous NUJ awards, the Kanwan Katsina, District head of Ketare.
Kanwan Katsina attended the Central Primary School, Kankara from 1963 to 1969 and thereafter, attended Government Secondary School, Malumfashi, from 1970 to 1974.
He later gained admission into Katsina College of Arts and Science for his Advanced Studies, after which he enrolled into the Famous Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where he obtained a Degree in Political Science in 1981.
Usman Bello served the mandatory NYSC in the old Bendel State and there after enlisted in the then Department of Customs and Excise now Nigeria Customs Service as Cadet Assistant Superintendent of Customs, from where he rose to the Apex Rank of Comptroller of Customs in the year 2009.
He served as Comptroller of Customs in Kano/Jigawa Command, FCT, Abuja Command, Sokoto/Kebbi, Zamfara Command and Eastern Marine Port Harcourt which covers Rivers, Bayelsa, Edo, Delta, Cross River and Akwa Ibom States.
Onne Port
It is on record that the award winning former PR guru excelled in Revenue Collection in all the Commands he served, surpassing the revenue target given to him, a feat that got him Letters of commendation from the Customs Headquarters.
The NUJ awardee attended so many courses while in Service both within and outside the country, worthy of mention among the numerous courses are the one he attended in the United State of America on Ethical, Good Governance and accountability and that of valuation on imported goods organized by the World Customs Organization in Brussels, Belgium.
Immediately the course attended at Brussels, Belgium, Usman Bello Kankara was appointed as the Comptroller in charge of Valuation Unit at Customs Headquarters Abuja.
NCS Headquarters Abuja
In Nigeria, the NUJ award winning Usman Bello Kankara also attended the prestigious National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) Kuru, Jos and became a Member National Institute mni.
After retirement, the Kanwan Katsina has continued to support the activities of NUJ Katsina State Council as one of its Patrons and attended all functions organized by the Union.
Worthy to note, he renovated the Mosque located at the NUJ Secretariat to ease the five daily prayers for working Journalists in Katsina. He additionally provided Religious Books in the Mosque and initiated Free Feeding programme during Fasting of the Holy Month of Ramadan each year as Welfare to Journalists.
Recalled also that Alh. Usman Bello Kankara mni was Honoured with an award by the Katsina State Council of NUJ in 2019, he was also honoured with an award for humanitarian service development by the FRCN Kaduna NUJ Chapel in the year 2020, the Katsina State Radio also presented him with an award in the year 2020 as the Mirror of the Station and today the National Body of the NUJ is Honoured the Kanwan Katsina as Media Supporter as the Union celebrates 70 Years of its Existence in Nigeria.
Comrade Tukur Hassan Dan Ali is the Chairman, Katsina State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists
