On April 26, 2020, Balarabe Maikaba, a scholar and former Head of the Department of Mass Communication at Bayero University Kano, died.
He died at a private clinic in Kano metropolis after a brief illness, at a time the city was recording a wave of deaths widely believed to be linked to COVID-19.
Maikaba played a key role in the restructuring of the Mass Communication Department at the university, including its unbundling into separate departments and its elevation to a faculty. He served in various capacities, including Head of Department and Dean.
Outside the university, he contributed to the development of digital broadcasting in Kano and Jigawa states, and was involved in the growth of the Hausa film industry, known as Kannywood.
His death was among several recorded in Kano during the period, reflecting a difficult phase in the city’s history.
