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•Challenges CSO to provide evidence
From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
Immediate past governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has opened up on the controversy surrounding allegation that he obtained N10 billion loan for installation of Close Circuit Camara Television(CCTV) project in the metropolitan area of the state, describing it as misleading and untrue.
Ganduje, in a statement issued in Abuja by former Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs in his administration, Malam Muhammad Garba, rebutted the story credited to a Civil Society Organisation (CSO).
He claimed that the said Coalition of Political Analysis Forum and Governance was hired to discredit the former government by ignorantly calling for an investigation on why the money was not spent on the project.
According to Garba: “To further confirm that they are fake, the so-called organisation knew nothing about the project and the hastiness with which their paymasters want them to be in the media exposes clearly their intent. We, therefore, challenge them to provide evidence of the N10 billion loan.”
Making clarifications on the loan, he said: “For record purposes, when the last administration conceived the project, the State Executive Council and the Assembly formally granted approval bearing in mind the importance of the project in enhancing security in the state. Unfortunately a Federal High Court in Kano, on July 1, 2022 granted an injunction restrained the government from obtaining the loan.”
The former commissioner also recalled that on July 19, the same court presided over by Justice Abdullahi Muhammad Liman said it was misled in the case by one Yusuf Isyaku Rabi’u, proprietor of another non-existing CSO by the name Kano First Forum, and therefore, discharged the restraining order.
“He said the case, according to the court, lacks locus standi to be continued and transferred it to a vacation judge in Abuja to continue with an interlocutory order before the court on the same case.
“That the said loan, for the CCTV camera project, despite its importance in fighting crime and effort to expand security infrastructure, the government decided to expand the project and unfortunately up to the end of it’s tenure the facility has not been secured and therefore the project could not be executed,” he noted.
He further explained that the Ganduje administration intended to carry out the project in appreciation of its importance and considering that there is even a bill before the National Assembly, which at that time had passed through second reading, that seeks to compel compulsory installation of CCTV cameras in private buildings and offices.
