Kano: Gano’s unique vehicles stand test of time

Gambo S. Nababa, Kano

Abdurrahman Muhammad, who retired from driving after working in GANO Motors for 44 years, said the transport company had been in existence for over five decades. He said the company was known to use old American Ford vehicles to convey goods from Gano community to various parts of the country, as well as render other services.

Gano, a community in Dawakin Kudu Local Government Area of Kano State, is admired in most parts of the North, not only because of its proximity to Kano city or being located along the popular Kano-Maiduguri expressway, but for being home to a transportation company that has been consistent in using Ford vehicles manufactured in the 1960s and 1970s to render services. In fact, the town is synonymous to Ford vehicles. 

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Although Gano is an agrarian community, many of its residents also engage in trading, which takes them from one local market to another; hence the need for a strong brand of vehicles for easy movement.

Daily Trust Saturday gathered that in the past, the vehicles transported farm produce like onions, tomatoes and pepper to the southern part of the country, especially Lagos and Port Harcourt, but now, they hardly risk going that far because the vehicles are old and cannot withstand the rigors of a long journey.  

Muhammad said some of the vehicles in the company had been used for more than 30 years because even if they break down there is a garage to repair and refurbish them to maintain road worthiness. 

Driving GANO motors has been a blessing to Muhammad and many other drivers in the community. He said that through the transportation company, he was able to build a house and train his children, and now engages in repairing damaged vehicles. He also said he trained two children in the community as drivers, adding that he served as one of the agents who sold scraps. 

“We found the driving career very promising and fulfilling, that is why we trained our children to take over from us. We advised them to be committed and honest in order to be successful,” Muhammad said, reiterating that honesty and dedication are key to a successful career in the driving business.

Haladu Ibrahim also has a 27-year experience in driving the GANO old Ford buses. Through the job, he built a house, married two wives and has 12 children.

He said, “I enjoy driving the Fords because over time, our people have learnt how to repair them. We have what it takes to ensure the continued existence of the arrangement locally. 

“What makes this local transport system successful is peaceful coexistence in the community and cooperation of residents who started the business.”

Ibrahim further said the Fords were not owned by an individual as they were bought by many people in the community who were interested in the business and marked them “GANO.” Therefore, while the arrangement looks like a company, the vehicles are managed separately. Some of the vehicles also belong to businesswomen in the community.

Most of the people who now repair the vehicles are former drivers. Some of them acquired mechanical skills, some are electricians and others sell spare parts. There are also welders and a painter, and all of them congregate at a temporary garage provided by the local council at the town’s entrance point along the expressway. 

Saleh Muhammad, popularly known as Salele, is among the former drivers who now repair the Ford’s engines and gearboxes. He said the main concern in the business was that spare parts for the vehicles were scarce; hence the engines and some spare parts are replaced with those of Toyota Carina. 

Yunusa Ahmad was not a GANO Motors driver but an electrician who was trained in the neighbouring Kaduna State, where he also worked. His experience in automobile electrical works cut across more than three decades. 

Ahmad said he joined the GANO Motors garage in 2002, and since then, he had trained many people in electrical work in the garage. He called on the youth to try and learn skills that would make them useful in society.

“What is needed at the moment is a hands-on-skills training. We need youths with experiences in different kinds of skills to contribute their quotas towards the development of our community,” he said.

Also, Shehu Musa, a younger brother to the village head of Gano and his representative said there was a cordial relationship between GANO Motors’ drivers and the traditional institution. “They respect us and we stand for them whenever the need arises,” he said.     

There are still many old Ford vehicles in the GANO Motors fleet, and some of them are undergoing different kinds of repair. But the drivers seem to have accepted the new reality as they have started replacing the old Ford cars with new vehicles like Golf and Sharon, but they have maintained the GANO identity.