BY ADEYEMI AKANJI, BAUCHI – A political pressure group on the banner of ‘SAVE KANO GROUP’, has declared that it has garnered enough convincing evidences and data with which it would invite the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to Kano to probe how monies allocated to the 44 Local Governments Councils in the State were spent under the watch of Hon. Murtala Sule Garo as Commissioner for seven years at a stretch.
Coordinator of the group, Alhaji Shu’ayb Darki, who stated this in a statement issued on Sunday, explained that it is common knowledge in Kano State that under the Umar Ganduje-led administration, no Local Government in the state has ever collected the money allocated to it from the federation account on a monthly basis, adding that not even the devil can tell you what the money was used.
Darki said his organisation has concluded plans to invite the EFCC to Kano to carry out what they are known for, saying that the anti-graft agency is the only hope of the people of Kano state.
According to Darki; “The EFCC should come to Kano State to investigate the activities and expenditures of the Kano State Ministry for Local Governments and Chieftaincy Affairs.
“No Local Government in Kano State is given 15 percent of its monthly federal allocation popularly known as grant, despite the fact that Local Government being one of the three tiers of government is said to be the closest tier to the electorates and as such it’s supposed to be a source of joy to the taxpayers in those local areas but alas the reverse is the case in Kano State.
“There is nothing to show for these billions of Naira collected and frittered by the State’s Ministry for Local Governments under the former Commissioner for Local Governments, Murtala Sule Garo on the directives of his coach Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.
“There is no single Local Government in Kano where you find a capital project worth N100 million in spite of the much-talked-about billions of Naira received by the Ministry on behalf of the 44 Local Government Councils of Kano State,” it said.
The group noted that Financial records available at the Local Government have shown that no single Local Government gets less than N150 million monthly when Murtala Sule was the Commissioner in charge of the Local Governments and Chieftaincy Affairs.
“We heard from the grapevine that he resigned his position yesterday to run for the State House of Assembly to represent his Kabo State’s constituency in the forthcoming elections.
“We are waiting for the out gone Commissioner who supervised how every single kobo was spent in the ministry for these seven years to publicly declare his intention to vie for any elective position and then we will show him that the pen is mightier than the sword,” the group said.
