All praise and gratitude is to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. May the blessings of Allah be upon our exalted Prophet, the Messenger of Allah, Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wassalam.

I will first crave the indulgence of my good friend, the Governor of Jigawa State, to welcome the noble members of the reputed All Nigeria Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS) to Jigawa State - our closest neighbor, political associate and partner-in-progress.

It is indeed my singular honour and privilege, to once again find myself in the midst of my bosom friends, colleagues and comrade-at-arms, to share views and exchange pleasantries. As I speak to you now, I recall with nostalgic feelings the over ten years I spent as a member of the National Executive Committee of this prestigious Conference.

Like I mentioned in the past, I consider it pertinent to remind you, here and now, that members of this great Conference should forever remain grateful to their past leaders, who introduced the idea of rotating the Conference’s meetings from one state to another. But for this rotation, some of us who have ceased to be active members of the Conference would not have had this kind of opportunity to talk to, and socialize with their contemporaries.

Conversely therefore, the greatest thing members of this Conference will do to these past leaders is to keep the flag flying high. I am happy to note that since I left you in 1992, the Conference has maintained the rhythm with which it has been known to execute its programmes, and has infact improved on many of them.

I am made to understand that the Conference has made remarkable advances by amending constitutional provisions to allow for the broadening of their activities to include such ventures as Mandatory Training Programme for Principals. I understand too that the Conference is now a full pledged member of two international organizations - The African Convention of Principals (ACP) and The International Confederation of Principals (ICP). These are remarkable feats that deserve commendations.

You will remember that in my valedictory speech at the April 1992 Conference in Ibadan, I told you that ANCOPSS had permanently become a part of me. I also assured you that I would forever remain a very good and loyal friend to the Conference. This declaration still stands, and my presence here today is a humble testimony to this. I will use this opportunity to gratefully acknowledge that the Conference has further cemented my relationship with it by honoring me with its Medallion Award - “Principal Emeritus of Nigeria” (PEN) at the 1994 congress in Port Harcourt.

On my election as the Executive Governor of Kano State, I was paid a personal visit by some members of the Executive Committee of the ANCOPSS led by its National President. I also received good-will messages from a good number of colleagues, notably the former Deputy Governor of Cross River State and the past National Editor-in-Chief of ANCOPSS, Her Excellency, Mrs. Cecilia Eyo. I must say that these incidents were heart-warming, and they opened another chapter in our collective struggle for the survival of education in Nigeria. I am grateful to you all.

The All Nigeria Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools has been known to have, as its primary objective, the promotion of academic excellence. Since I assumed office as the Executive Governor of Kano State, the Kano State Government has tenaciously pursued this lofty objective of ANCOPSS by, among other things, granting top priority status to education. We do this, and intend to sustain it through according the sector adequate provision in our annual budgetary allocations. In addition to the formulation of policies and programmes towards the general improvement of the education industry, the Kano State Government has achieved feat in the secondary school sub-sector of education in the following respects:

Mr. President, Ladies and gentlemen, to further manifest our resolve in uplifting the quality of secondary education, I will use this opportunity to join the ANCOPSS in calling on the Federal Government to, as a matter of urgency and fairness, establish National Secondary Education Commission (NSEC). It is only through NSEC that efficient and effective delivery of secondary education can be realized. The Federal Government must by now understand that the secondary school sub-sector of education is about the only one in the education industry that is not managed by an autonomous commission.

The issue of Teachers Salary Scale (TSS) is another thorny area that has still not seen the light of the day. Mr. President, noble colleagues, you will remember that I spear-headed the quest for Teachers Salary Scale when I was National President of ANCOPSS in 1990. It is my obligation to, once again, call on the Federal Government to address this issue with the urgency and seriousness it deserves.

At the closure of this address, it is pertinent that I remind my noble colleagues of the expectations of the general public on them.  We must always try to live above board, by being exemplary in every respect. The School Principal must provide vision, leadership and direction for his staff and students, and must ensure that his school is organized and managed to meet the aims and targets set by the Conference. The Principal should be a quality-controller and a standard-raiser as regards the education of his students. He is the implementer of government’s policies on education. Finally, the Principal should be able to create a conducive teaching-learning environment in his domain, and should ensure effective day-to-day management of men and resources. These are the only surest ways to prove to the larger society that school administrators are a force to reckon with.

Mr. President, noble colleagues, I wish you happy deliberations and Allah’s blessings.

Wassalamu Alaikum Warahmatullah.