Former governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Ganduje, has refuted claims that his administration obtained a N10 billion loan for the installation of Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras in the state’s metropolitan area.
Ganduje’s media aide, Muhammad Garba, dismissed the allegations in a report attributed to a Civil Society Organisation (CSO), as baseless and the product of his adversaries’ imagination.
According to Garba, the Coalition of Political Analysis Forum and Governance, responsible for the report, was contracted to undermine the credibility of the former government by demanding an investigation into the alleged misappropriation of funds earmarked for the CCTV project.
“To further confirm that it is fake, the so-called organisation knew nothing about the project, and the hastiness with which its paymasters want them to be in the media exposes clearly their intent. We, therefore, challenge them to provide evidence for the N10 billion loan.
“For record purposes, when the last administration conceived the project, the State Executive Council (SEC) and House of Assembly formally granted approval, bearing in mind the importance of the project in enhancing security in the state. Unfortunately, a Federal High Court in Kano, on July 1, 2022 granted an injunction restraining the government from obtaining the loan.”
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The ex-governor recalled that on July 19, the same court headed by Justice Abdullahi Liman said it was misled in the case by one Yusuf Rabi’u, proprietor of another CSO, Kano First Forum, and discharged the restraining order.
According to the court, the case lacks locus standi to be continued; hence, he transferred it to a vacation judge in Abuja to continue with an interlocutory order on the same case.
He added: “On the said loan for CCTV camera project, despite its importance in fighting crime and effort to expand security infrastructure, the government decided to expand it and, unfortunately, till the end of its tenure, the facility was not secured and the project could not be executed.”
Ganduje explained that his administration intended to carry out the project in appreciation of its importance and considering that there is even a bill before the National Assembly, which had passed through second reading, that sought compulsory installation of CCTV cameras in private buildings and offices.
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