Africa Value Awards: Why we can’t remove Ganduje’s name from nominees’ list – Organisers

The organisers of the Africa Value Awards, Value Reorientation
and Development Initiative Africa have explained why, in the face
of criticisms, it cannot remove the name of the Kano State
Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, from its list of 2018 awardees.

In recent times, several video clips have been published by an
online medium, Daily Nigerian, showing the governor receiving
bundles of dollar notes in what appeared to be bribe payments from
contractors.

However, the governor made it to the list of the Africa Value
Awards 2018 for “effective leadership and economic empowerment and
development.”

The annual awards, established to honour performing African
presidents, governors, legislators and captains of industries,
among others, will hold on Saturday in Abuja.

When asked if the awards’ organisers were bothered about
allegations of bribery levelled against Ganduje, the chairman,
planning committee of the 2018 awards, Ambassador Daniel Obah, said
they had no powers to remove the governor’s name from the
honourees’ list despite the criticisms.

He explained that the governor was selected through an online
voting – just like other awardees, including Rwandan President,
Paul Kagame; Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; and the Ooni of Ife, Oba
Adeyeye Ogunwusi.

Obah said, “The truth is, we have different categories of
awardees, and in terms of youth and economic empowerment, the
governor won in the entire North. We were not even the one who
chose him as the winner; he won through an online voting that was
carried out nationwide.

“Meanwhile, we can’t go on to remove the governor’s name because
of criticisms. Many people have alleged that we collected bribe
from him, but this is a lie.

“He won through voting. We are not the court of law to say he is
corrupt. We can’t deny him the award because of that.

“We should know that no court of law has pronounced him guilty
of all the allegations levelled against him.”

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