Kano Commissioner Defends Ganduje Bribery Video Saga, Says ‘Kickbacks’ Normal In Gov’t

The Kano State Commissioner for Rural and Community Development,
Musa Iliyasu-Kwankwaso has defended the state governor, Abdullahi
Ganduje, on bribery video saga, saying collecting kickbacks is
normal in government., DAILY
NIGERIAN Report^[1]

Speaking in a programme, titled: Jagoran Gwamnati a Karkara,
aired on Freedom Radio in Kano on Sunday, Mr Iliyasu-Kwankwaso
said, though it is illegal to collect certain percentage to award
contract, the practice is rampant from federal up to the local
government level.

“There is nothing new in this. Who asked the contractors to give
the money to the governor?” he asked.

The commissioner challenged the contractors to come out publicly
to claim that they paid 15 to 25% before they were awarded
contracts.

“Since the three years of this administration, the contractors
have been giving the kickbacks, why did they fail to claim that
they must pay 15 to 25% before they were awarded contracts until
now?

“I challenge the contractors to come out and say that they must
pay the percentage before they receive contracts. This is just
blackmail in the person of Ganduje.

“This kind of percentage, though it is not legal, but it is
rampant in every level of government, from federal up to the local
government level. It is nothing new,” he stressed.

He then challenged the authenticity of the clip, saying it was
doctored.

“This kind of video clip is normally doctored. Some politicians
like Ibrahim Shekarau, Bindow, governor of Adamawa State among
others, are all victims of this illicit practice. Let them continue
to release even thousand of the video clips, so what?,” he
said.

Mr Ganduje has appeared in a trove of video clips verified by
graphics experts receiving bribe, amounting to about $5million from
contractors in the state.

Multiple contractors who spoke with DAILY NIGERIAN on the
condition of anonymity said the governor personally receives from
15 to 25 percent kickbacks for every project executed in the
state.

The sting operation to capture the governor on camera began two
years ago when one of the contractors agreed with DAILY NIGERIAN
request to plant spy camera on his kaftan lapel while offering the
bribe.

During about 10 months efforts to capture the bribe
giving/taking scenes, the governor’s face and body were clearly
captured in nine clips, while six others did not clearly reveal the
governor’s face.

About $5m dollars were delivered to the governor during the
sting operation.