The Katsina National Talent Hunt Challenge (KNTHC) progr amme is an initiative of His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Aminu Bello Masari, the Governor of Katsina State and is the first of its kind in the State.
The purpose of the project is to encourage innovation and develop the potential talents of the youths of this great state and Nigeria as a whole, especially in this critical period of our chequered history.
The competition is organised by the KNTHC in collaboration with stakeholders from both academia and industrial sector.
From the beginning, we organized series of activities with a view to sensitizing the general public about the upcoming programme. A conference was organised at Katsina in November, 2020 where professionals, members of the academia, organized private and other relevant stakeholders were invited and they brain stormed on the proposed Katsina National Talent Hunt Challenge.
Furthermore, we had in January, 2021, visited places such as Abuja where the programme was formally launched by H.E the Governor of Katsina Rt. Hon. Aminu Bello Masari, CFR, in a press conference.
Later for administrative convenience and with directives of His Excellency, the members of the KNTHC transversed the old seven local government areas of Katsina state such as Katsina, Mani, Daura, Dutsinma, Kankia, Funtua and Malumfashi respectively where the people from other local government areas were assembled for the purpose of the sensitisation of the programme to the targeted candidates. Below is the schedule of the visits.
S/n Name of the Local Government Day/Date
1 Katsina Monday 11th Jan. 2021
2 Mani Tuesday 12th Jan. 2021
3 Daura Thursday 14th Jan. 2021
4 Dutsinma Monday 18th Jan. 2021
5 Funtua Tuesday 19th Jan. 2021
6 Kankia Thursday 21st Jan. 2021
7 Malumfashi Monday 25th Jan. 2021
By the beginning of the 2021, the website for the KNTHC competition was opened to public who are interested in contesting in the programme. It was not only limited to the website, forms were also made available at the office of the KNTHC located at B19, Khalilul Rahman Plaza, Katsina and all the 34 Local Government areas of the state. In order to accommodate our people who may not necessarily have access to internet facility or may not be computer literate, physical forms printed in both Hausa and English were made available.
In order to formalize the programme and make it in line with best practice, a special meeting was held under the leadership of H.E the governor of Katsina State, Rt. Hon Aminu Masari CFR at Kano in January, 2021 where the whole programme was finetuned and restructured to accommodate emerging developments.
Accordingly, during the Kano meeting which was also attended by Arc. Mansur Kurfi, fnia, and Alh. Faisal Jafar, Dr Basshir Ruwan Godiya among others, H.E approved the proposed prizes for the winners as well as restructuring of the categories as shown below:
Prices to be won
There will be three (3) prizes for the winners in each of the five categories.
First Position will be rewarded with Five Million Naira (N5m).
Second Position will be rewarded with Three Million Naira (N3m).
Third Position will be rewarded with the One Million Five Hundred Thousand Naira (N1.5m).
Overall Winner
The best overall winner will also be selected among the winners that emerge from the five categories by the distinguished jurists.
A Toyota Highlander Jeep will be graciously awarded to the overall winner in token of recognition of the display of his/her God given talent and for having come this far, so as not only to motivate, but to also inspire other young talents.
Categories
Also the categories for the competition was further fine tuned as follows:
Art & Design
Automotive Modelling & Product
ICT Design
Music & Entertainment
Public Presentation
By the fall of 2021, in particular, 5th November, 2021, entries were invited and over 4,000 entries were received and after screening, 250 entries were approved. Public presentations were made by each of the selected 250 candidates and a panel of 10 judges were involved in the marking of candidates after which a moderation exercise was carried out to harmonise areas of sharp differences.
Three winners emerged from each of the four categories and the best overall winner was selected thereby bringing the number of winners to 13.
Prize Award Ceremony
In preparation for the prize award ceremony, an organizing committee was set up for that purpose, while various subcommittees were formed in order to make the ceremony a success.
Organising Committee was formed comprising of highly distinguished personalities as per the list below
Members of the Organising Committee
S/n Names Designation
1 Arc. Mansur Kurfi, Fnia Chairman
2 Al
6 Babangida Pate Member
7 Alh. Tasiu Dandagoro, Hon COWHT Member
8 Alh. Faisal Jafar Rafindadi Member
9 Dr. Babangida Abubakar Albaba Member
10 Arc. Mustapha Maikudi Member
11 Engr, Surajo Yazid Member
12 Hajia Amina Lawal Dauda, S.A G.C Member
13 Alh. Mustapha M Kanti Bello Hon Com. MSIT Member
14 Alh. Lawal Muhammad Matazu PS Member
15 Eng. Abdulmalik Maiwada Member
16 Arc. Kashim Ibn Yakubu Member
17 Alh Usman Mamman SSA Security Member
18 Alh Isa Falau Duwan Dop Member
19 Dr Muhamad Bashir Ruwan Godiya Member
20 Hajiya Fatima Abbas Hassan Member
21 Alh Ibrahim Abdul Ja’afaru, Secretary
Members were proposed, created and 2022 as the date for the Prize Award Ceremony and be held at the Conference hall of the State Secretariat Complex, Katsina.
The Prize Award Ceremony was successfully organized and the occasion was graced by some highly distinguished invited guests such as Minister of Communication and Digital Economy Prof. Aliyu Isa Pantami, Representatives of the governors of Niger and Kano States, Heads of Government Parastatals, including Mr. Jelani Aliyu, DG NADDC, Prof Idris Bugaje of NBTE, Arc Ahmad Dangiwa of the FMBN to mention but a few.
Prizes were awarded to 1st, 2nd and 3rd positions in the 4 categories including a Toyota Highlander Jeep to the best overall winner at final prize presentation ceremony.
Furthermore, N100,000.00 was awarded to 100 contestants as consolation prizes.
Later in the day, special invited guests and the parents of the winners were treated to a dinner by H.E at the banquet hall of the presidential lounge, government house, Katsina.
Alhamdullilah this is the narrative bordering on the trajectory of the Katsina National Talent Hunt Challenge Programme, 2021.
It is on records that, the organisers’ including all the stake holders had worked assiduously round the clock to make the programme a success. The number of youths affected by the programme is spectacular and it positively touched the lives of many more families and households.
Therefore kudos to the administration of His Excellency, the Governor of Katsina State, Rt. Hon. Aminu Bello Masari, CFR, Matawallan Hausa and Dallatun Katsina for supporting this noble programme, prosperity will record H.E as one of those who impacted positively on the lives of the teeming population of the good people of Katsina state and even beyond.
This marked the end of the chapter of the KNTHC 2021 programme and we look forward to the commencement of the 2nd edition of the KNTHC 2022 edition.
Alh Faisal Jafar Rafindadi, ARPA, MIDAN
National Coordinator
