From Desmond Mgboh, Kano

Former Governor of Kano State and National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has denied claims by the Kano State government in relation to the foreign and domestic debts incurred by the APC government.in the state

A statement issued by Mohammed Garba. Chief of Staff to the APC National Chairman and former Commissioner for Information in the state disclosed that the debt claim announced by the Debt Management office of the state government was misleading and a calculated attempt to shift attention from the myriads of political and financial scandals rocking the NNPP administration in the state.

He stated that the claim, which was credited to the Director General, Kano State Debt Management Office, Hamisu Sadi Ali, was not only deceiving to the administration he serves but also unbecoming of a public servant heading one of the most sensitive organs of government.

Garba acknowledged that while it is true that the Ganduje administration borrowed money like any other government in Nigeria, not all the debts listed by the Debt Management Office were incurred by the former government.

He stated on Tuesday that the current debt portfolios of Kano state from foreign loans listed by the DMO were secured in 1992, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2015 and 2018.

Garba added that these loans included the Multi-state Road Project 11/11/1992 XDR 26,212,376.50; Malaria Control Booster Project 10/10/2007 XDR 11,550,000; State Education Sector Project 6/11/2008 XDR 9,991,875; Third National Fadama Project 16/07/2009 XDR 4,818,310.00 and Health System Development Project II 08/04/2009 XDR 2,313,697.80.

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He also listed other loans secured not during the Ganduje administration that included Commercial Agriculture Development Project 16/07/2009 XDR 17,670,000.00; Malaria Control Booster Project (Additional F.) 21/06/2010 XDR 5,927,445.10; and Erosion and Watershed Management Project N/A USD 5,000,000.00.

The former commissioner asserted that loans signed by the APC government included the subsidiary loan agreement for the Third National Urban Water Sector Reform Project of about 64 million euros with the French Development Agency, which was signed in July 018.

Garba noted that the project was halted as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and is now set for implementation by the present administration in the state.

“Initially, the NNPP government was bragging about this project until the media traced the project to the APC administration, then they started denying securing the loan,” he lamented.

The Chief of Staff said another project for which the APC government secured a loan for their execution is the Kano State Agro-Processing, Productivity, Enhancement P. N/A USD 36,847,000.00 on which the present administration has been implementing for the benefit of the teeming populace.

He stated further that there was also Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing P. N/A EUR 3,500,000.00; Infrastructure Loan; Excess Crude Account (ECA) November 2015 N10,000,000,000 Access Bank; Salary Bail-out November 2015 N20,000,000,000 Fidelity Bank and Budget Support: N17,569,000,000.

Garba advised people holding sensitive offices to be guided by their oath of office and be mindful of the enormous responsibility on them to tell the truth and not mislead the public on issues of public interest.