Kano govt denies borrowing $6.6m, says ‘we’re still servicing loans obtained by Ganduje’
The Kano State Public Debt Management Office has denied borrowing $6.6 million within two years of administration of Governor Abba Yusuf.
Reports that an APC group, APC Patriotic Volunteers, had accused the state government of borrowing a whopping sum of $6.6 million.
The group, led by a former secretary to the state government, Usman Alhaji, alleged that it had on record that the report from the Debt Management Office, DMO, revealed that the administration of Governor Abba Yusuf had taken the external loan within two years.
Reacting to the allegation, Hamisu Sadi-Ali, director general, Kano State Public Debt Management Office, in a statement on Kano on Thursday said since its inception, the current government did not contract or sign any fresh external or domestic loan.
Mr Sadi-Ali said: “Rather, we are still trying to service the excessive external and domestic loans that Abdullahi Umar Ganduje led-APC regime borrowed, for the State during his wasted 8 years of administration.”
The DG challenged the APC group to make public, clear evidences from the Debt Management Office, DMO, where the state government took the external loan.
“Our attention has been drawn by a publication of Wednesday 11th June 2023 that, one APC Patriotic Volunteers Group accused Kano State Government of contracting a new loan of $6.6M (USD) within two years of NNPP administration.
“To our dismay and surprise, the leader of the group who happened to be the Secretary to the State Government when the law that established Kano State Public Debt Management Office 2021 was signed, by his principal former Governor Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, shows a sign of ignorance and lack of understanding of the law, or he is selfishly blind to achieve a mere political goal.
“If Usman Alhaji, the leader of the group, as the then Secretary to the State Government claimed ignorance of the law that established Kano State Public Debt Management Office, let us educate and remind him about section 4(b) of the Kano State Public Debt Management Office Law, which clearly states that the State Debt Management Office shall “subject to the provision of the act, borrow on behalf of the Government, from any individual or institutional bodies.
“It is important to note that by the power vested on the State Public Debt management Office, the Government will not borrow a single penny without the knowledge of the State Public Debt Management Office,” the statement reads.
“However, since APC Patriotic Volunteers group claimed that they went to the Federal Debt Management Office Abuja and realised that we contracted a new external loan, they should please provide the public with the following documents that serve as regular documentation for every external loan, be it multilateral or bilateral; name of the creditor, loan subsidiary agreement, purpose of the loan, loan amortization, schedule of the loan tenor,
loan natures it multilateral or bilateral loan negotiation documents, etc,” he added.
Mr Sadi-Ali pointed out that Governor Abba Yusuf would not be distracted by any form of propaganda, adding that he would “continue to focus on providing necessary dividends of democracy to the good people of our dear State”.
He, therefore, urged people of the state and Nigeria at large to disregard and ignore what he described as malicious, baseless and false claim “that has been politically inclined.”
