I Never Collected Kickbacks from Contractors, Ex-Kano Gov, Shekarau, Says

•State govt claims protesters carted away Ganduje’s corruption trial documents, estimates over N1bn in losses

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja and Ahmad Sorondinki in Kano

A former governor of Kano State, Senator  Ibrahim Shekarau, yesterday, boasted that he never took any negotiating percentages from any contractor, while he was governor of the state.

This was as the Kano State Government, has accused protesters during the recent hunger demonstration of carting away corruption charges documents on the former governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, who has been facing multiple charges before the state High court.

The government has also estimated about N1 billion in losses as a result of the violence that broke out during the hardship protests.

However, Shekarau, who spoke highly of his leadership as governor, challenged  any contractor, who had worked with him in the last 44 years to say openly if he ever demanded any percentage.

In 2018, an online newspaper, published a video of a Ganduje, receiving bundles of dollars from contractors, which he stuffed into his “babanriga”, a local outfit.

It was against this background that the Kano government filed an eight-count charge against Ganduje for allegedly collecting $200,000 from a contractor.

The state government also accused Ganduje of collecting $210,000 kickback from “people and entities seeking or holding the execution of Kano State Government contract and or project for the remodelling of Kantin Kwari textile market as a bribe through one of the contractors (agent).”

But speaking at a press conference on Wednesday in Abuja ahead of the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN) 70th anniversary, scheduled to commence on October 12, 2024, Shekarau, said the organisation had shaped his life spiritually and otherwise.

The former governor who is also the chairman of the organising committee said MSSN would introduce new programmes and processes that would consolidate the fostering of unity and also encourage members to participate in politics and governance.

He revealed that he had less than N100,000 in his account when he contested for the governorship election.

“When I contested the election, I had less than N100,000 in my account, and my entry into politics was not by choice but by persuasion.

“I have never taken any negotiating percentages with any contractor. I always challenge them—if any contractor who has worked with me in the last 44 years knows that I have asked him for a percentage or brought any money, let him come out and say so.

“Secondly, none of my commissioners has ever brought one naira to me in the name of feedback from a contractor. No local government chairman, during my eight years as governor, has ever given me one naira. I have never tampered with their allocations,” he said.

Shekarau added that all they did then, through the state assembly, was to create guidelines, rules, and regulations governing their operations, and they allowed them to do their jobs with their councillors.

Meanwhile, Governor Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf has paid an on the spot assessment visit to the Kano State High Court that was vandalised by thugs during the nationwide protests some few days ago.

The Governor was conducted round the court premises by the Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, Barrister Haruna Isah Dederi, Chief Registrar of the High Court, Alhaji Abdullahi Ado Bayero, and other High Court Judges of the State.

A statement by the Governor’s Spokesperson Sanusi Bature, said the hired elements destroyed properties at the high court worth N1 billion during the violent protest.

The statement described the vandalism as a master-minded and staged-managed mission in which the hired miscreants carted away corruption charges documents on former governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje who has been facing multiple charges before the state High Court.

“It is very unfortunate that enemies of Kano State hired undesirable elements to vandalized one of the historic public buildings with a mission of averting corruption charges against the Ag. National Chairman of APC and former governor of the state Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, his family and aides.

“The miscreants destroyed virtually all units of the High Court including the office of the State Chief Judge with loss accruing to more than one billion naira through stealing of office equipment, destroying offices, burning cars and other relevant materials crucial to the dispensation of justice.”

The governor however called on youths in the state to desist from being used by detractors to engage in violence, rather they should concentrate in skills acquisitions for better future emphasizing that government will not relent in securing the lives and property of people of Kano State.