Suspended Chairman of Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission, Mr. Muhuyi Magaji Rimin-Gado says the alleged dollar bribe videos of Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje that went virile has led to foreign donors to withheld supporting fund from the state.
Mr. Rimin-Gado made the allegation on Sunday on a Freedom radio program in Kano.
Pointblanknews.com recall that in 2018, an online newspaper , Daily Nigerian released some video clips alleging Gov. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje collecting $5m bribe from contractors.
The governor subsequently, dragged the newspaper and its publisher, Jafaar Jafaar to court for defamation.
However, Mr. Ganduje in July, 2021 requested to withdraw the suit as the Court ordered him to pay N800,000 to Daily Nigerian and Ja’afar Ja’afar, as cost for expenses incurred in the court case.
Though the governor is yet to pay the fine as ordered by the court, Ganduje later filed another case against Daily Nigerian and the publisher, in Abuja.
Mr Rimin-Gado in the radio program said since the alleged controversial bribery videos of the governor, foreign donors have refused to support the state directly with fund due to the image problem.
When asked whether the investigation of the contract of the state cancer center under going construction could be linked to his suspension, Rimin-Gado said it could be as the commission then received a petition over contract variation on the cancer center that run into billions of naira.
” We received complaints from some petitioners over the contract variation on the cancer center and we commenced investigation into the issue. During the investigation there was allegation of illegal withdrawal of N700m cash from government coffers and deposited in a bank at Wudil from the cancer center fund’’ Rimin-Gado said.
Rimin-Gado noted that, according to the allegation, the money was withdrawn by a powerful close ally in government circle.
He noted that there was also the investigation of alleged scam in the foreign scholarship of some students in Egypt, the probe among others were ongoing when he was suspended from office , according to him, without due process.
When contacted, Kano State Commissioner for Information , Muhammad Garba denied knowledge of such, noting that his ministry does not deal with donor agencies.
”You can find out from MDAs that relate with donor agencies or you do your own findings to authenticate the allegations if foreign donor partners have abandoned the state in terms of funding, the commissioner said.