INSIDE Looting of KANO STATE Treasury:
Kano State Governor, ABDULLAHI GANDUJE Caught on Tape Receiving $5MILLION CASH Bribe from Contractor… Inflate projects for other contractors to collect $50,000 cash per contract
*Embroiled in Corruption, Spy Camera used to record Ganduje in a sting operation
*ASO ROCK orders discreet Investigation into Graft Allegation
*Compels House of Reps candidate re-contesting to ‘settle’ Governor’s wife with a new car
* “We believe if public office holders are exposed, there will be sanity in the system. We want anti-Graft agencies to investigate this matter’-One of the Contractors
* Kano natives in Dubai calling on EFCC, Law enforcement agencies to commence immediate investigation, Requesting CCTV camera footage view in Governor’s office
* ‘We wish to state that there is no iota of truth to these allegations and if indeed there is any such alleged video, it is at best cloned’-Muhammad Garba, Kano state commissioner for information
BY YINUSA AHMED/ANTI-GRAFT REPORTER, Kano
THIS IS NOT THE BEST TIME FOR THE GOVERNMENT AND PEOPLE OF KANO STATE, as the executive governor, ABDULLAHI GANDUJE who had been living large allegedly on various ‘bribes’ cohesively collected from contractors handling various projects in the cosmopolitan city was seen on secret video collecting huge sums of funds to the tune of $5million dollar cash in governor’s office from one of the contractors.
Ganduje, the All Progressives Congress, APC party leader in the state is certainly in the eye of the storm. Since he assumed office on 25th May 2015 till date, an aide in Kano State governor’s office (who would not want his name mentioned since he was not authorized to speak) confirmed that the governor had been blowing away the state resources since he assumed office. He had mounted various pressures on contractors doing business in the state to ‘give-him-kick-backs’ by way of bribes as a per-condition to issue them (contractors) contract approval.
His words: “Kano State Government House is a house of Corruption enjoyed by the executive governor. Do you know since assumption of office, Governor Ganduje regularly collects the sum of $50,000 cash from every contract issued out as ‘settlement’. He made his won bribe settlement to him as a major condition before any project can be approved?
Corroborating this view, one of the contractors who would not want his name mentioned, explained that the governor personally receives from 15 to 25 percent kickbacks for every project executed in the state.
As such, a sting operation was launched discreetly recently ago to capture the governor on camera began two years ago when one of the contractors agreed with request to plant spy camera on his kaftan lapel while offering the bribe.
For about 10 months efforts to capture the bribe giving/taking scenes, the governor’s face and body were clearly captured in nine clips, while six others did not clearly reveal the governor’s face. About $5m dollars were delivered to the governor during the sting operation. One of the contractors who preferred not to be named said the reason he collaborated with DAILY NIGERIAN was to expose corruption and bring sanity to the country.
“If my aim is to blackmail or extort the governor, I would have used the videos get over a billion settlement or force the governor to pay the hundreds of millions of Naira the state is owing my company or force him to pay back all the money I paid him as kickbacks. We believe if public office holders are exposed, there will be sanity in the system even if I will not be the beneficiary in future,”he said.
Kano natives in Dubai calling on EFCC, Law enforcement agencies to commence immediate investigation, Requesting CCTV camera footage view in Governor’s office:
Meanwhile, Kano state natives resident in United Arab Emirates are calling for a thorough investigation of Ganduje on this matter. Jumai Rabiu, a teacher who lives in Dubai condemned the governor’s behavior and stated that Ganduje is not fit to rule the state, “That Ganduje, our governor is a thief. Can you imagine how he has been collecting various sums of money from contractors doing projects in the state? What is the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC waiting for? They should begin instant investigation.”
Mohammed Aliyu, a Comedian in Dubai was indifferent. He summed up the governor as a man without a single reputation. He explained “I used to wonder how Ganduje got into power. He connotes corruption of the elites. His behavior is an abuse of power. Law enforcement agencies in Nigeria should get to work and conduct an all-round investigation.”
For the records, in August, Ganduje signed an executive order on Open Government Partnership, OGP, directing all ministries, departments and agencies to fully implement the principles.
Ganduje says: “Kano State has joined the Open Government Partnership to deepen institutional reforms, fight corruption, and grant citizens’ right of access to public records and information and to enable citizens to effectively participate in governance. On the premise of answering the call of President Muhammadu Buhari, that Nigeria must fight corruption to a standstill, Ganduje becomes very committed in the OGP project.”
Naija Standard gathered that President Muhammadu Buhari was livid after news broke on the allegation, after which an order was handed down to two anti-graft agencies to commence immediate investigation into the matter by examining the evidential video and file in a report soon. The report, according to sources, involves analysis on the audiovisual contents of the clips, backgrounds and sequence, and then give recommendations to the president.
The many scandals of Ganduje:
The governor’s antics did not stop with contractors alone as party candidature in the state was sold to the highest bidder. Inside sources said a House of Reps aspirant who wants his ticket back on the platform of APC had to “settle” the governor’s agents and buy a new car to his influential wife.
Tax consultancy companies linked to the governor’s cronies are also milking the state dry as they make 25 to 30 percent commission on every kobo generated. The masterplan of Kano is currently under the governor’s knife as every available space for recreation or relaxation in the state had been sold to the highest bidder since the governor chose to personally be in charge of the Lands ministry.
Kano Government’s Response:
In his response, Kano state commissioner for information, Muhammad Garba, said: “We wish to state that there is no iota of truth to these allegations and if indeed there is any such alleged video, it is at best cloned. The government of Kano state is taking this matter seriously, and will exploit every appropriate and legal avenue to ensure that it gets to the root of the matter and the perpetrators are brought to book”.
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