By Ibrahim Kaula Mohammed —
There is an old saying that your reputation arrives before you do. In March 2026, Katsina State did not need to introduce itself. Its reputation had already done the talking.
For the cultural activities lined up for 2026 Eid-el-Fitri celebration in Katsina, seventeen foreign diplomats touched down at the Umaru Musa Yar’adua International Airport. Arguably, it was not their first time hearing about Katsina. For some, it was not even their first time coming to see it for themselves. They arrived from Belgium, Egypt, the Netherlands, Spain, Poland, Switzerland, Slovakia, Belgium, Argentina, Congo and Italy.
Other top leaders are UN International Commission for Peace and Good Governance to Ghana, and the American based Investor doubled as the CEO/Founder, NewGlobe Inc., Mr. Kay Kimmelman. The United Nations Resident Coordinator in Nigeria, Mr. Mohammed Malick Fall, was also in the mix. These are not men and women who travel on sentiment. They move on intelligence, reputation, and confidence.
And what difference does Katsina make this year? Last year, ten diplomats made the trip to Katsina’s Eid-el-Fitri cultural fiestas . This year, seventeen showed up. That is not a coincidence. That is a verdict.
Katsina is so blessed with Dikko Radda—governor who does not send others what he can do himself. He did not delegate reception to receive the August visitors that marched-in in March. He showed up himself at the airport, alongside his Deputy, Hon. Faruk Lawal Jobe, and personally led the delegation to the palace of the Emir of Katsina, His Royal Highness Alhaji Abdulmumini Kabir Usman. In the world of diplomacy, that kind of gesture speaks a language. It implies, ‘a leeader who walks with his guests is a leader who values what they represent.’ Radda did not just open the door — he walked them through it, and what he chose to show them was no accident.
The Katsina Durbar is not entertainment. It is identity in motion. Horse riders from 28 districts paraded in full regalia, carrying centuries of history on their backs. The beats of the kalangu and algaita drums echoed across Kofar Soro as royal contingents moved with a grace that no rehearsal could manufacture. This is tradition that has survived empires, colonial rule, and the noise of modernity — and it still stands.
When Governor Radda stood before those seventeen envoys at the Hawan Sarki and told them that their presence reflected growing global confidence in Katsina State, he was not flattering his guests. He was stating a fact. And the Emir of Katsina, His Royal Highness Alhaji Abdulmumini Kabir Usman, sharpened that point when he said that peace and development depend on cooperation, mutual respect, and collective responsibility. That was not ceremony. That was the blueprint of a society that has chosen to move forward.
Beyond the spectacle of culture and diplomacy, the delegation was taken to places where governance speaks in practical terms. At the Katsina Agricultural Mechanization Centre, the envoys witnessed firsthand the scale of investment in modern farming, from tractor deployment to mechanized support systems designed to boost productivity across the state.
They also visited the state-of-the-art Dialysis Centre, where the government’s commitment to saving lives and strengthening healthcare delivery was on full display.
The reaction was immediate and telling. The diplomats were visibly impressed by what they saw, not as a showpiece, but as working systems with real impact on ordinary people.
They commended Governor Radda for his innovative drive, noting that such forward-thinking investments in agriculture and healthcare are the kind that translate vision into measurable progress.
The diplomats then moved to Daura for the Hawan Magajiya, where royal horsemen paid homage to the Emir of Daura in a procession that left the visitors visibly moved. A Cultural Night featuring dambe wrestling, kokowa, algaita, and kakaki performances added another layer to the rich experience. By the time the week was over, Katsina had not just hosted a festival — it had hosted a masterclass in cultural diplomacy.
A Quick Stop at Katsina Smart Schools
One of the quietest but most powerful moments of the entire visit came at Dumurkul Smart Secondary School in Dora. The school was not yet commissioned. Paint was still drying in some corners. But what the diplomats saw was enough to make the Netherlands Ambassador, Amb. Bengt van Loosdrecht, stop and speak. He commended the Katsina State Government openly for its investment in quality education and modern learning infrastructure.
Diplomats from nations where education is treated as seriously as national security do not distribute praise like handshakes at a wedding. When one pauses at your unfinished school and calls it impressive, something genuine is going on. You could recall Governor Radda’s vision for these schools is clear. It exists for children from rural and disadvantaged backgrounds, completely free of charge, equipped with 24-hour electricity, ICT classrooms, hostels, and internet access. Three such schools now stand across Katsina’s three political zones.
This is the kind of investment that does not show results in the next budget cycle. It shows results in the next generation. And that is precisely the point.
Now to A Well That Has Outlived Empires
From the classroom, the delegation walked into history at the ancient Kusugu Well in Daura — approximately 2,005 years old, standing quietly like an elder who has seen everything and forgotten nothing. Governor Radda understands that history is not a relic to be locked in a museum. It is a living asset, and a state that knows where it came from walks with far more confidence towards where it is going.
The Egyptian Ambassador, Amb. Mohamed Fouad — a representative of one of the oldest civilisations on earth, a nation that has guarded the Pyramids for thousands of years — paused at that well and nodded in respect. When Egypt looks at your heritage and approves, you have passed a test that no committee can set.
Now to what made everything else possible — security. None of the Durbar, none of the diplomacy, none of the school and heritage visits happened by luck. Seventeen diplomats moved freely from airport to palace, from school to ancient well, from Katsina to Daura, without a single incident. In a region that the national headlines have not always been kind to, that is not a footnote. That is the headline.
