The head of the Kano State Public Complaint and Anti-Corruption
Commission, Magaji Ramindado, has said the commission could not
probe Governor Abdullahi Ganduje’s alleged bribery scandal because
the agency was “not carried along” in the investigation by the
newspaper that reported the case.
Mr Ramindado said the governor’s immunity had also barred the
commission from taking action.
A video published by the newspaper Daily Nigerian in October
2018 showed Mr Ganduje receiving wads of dollars. The newspaper
said the governor collected $5,000 as kickback from a government
contractor.
Mr Ganduje said the clip was doctored, but video specialists
confirmed the material was not fake.
Nigerians have since called for the governor to be investigated.
He won a second term despite the scandal.
As governor, Mr Ganduje has constitutionally-provided immunity
against prosecution. But he can be investigated pending when he
leaves office.
No federal anti-corruption agency, including the EFCC, has said
it has investigated the matter.
The Kano anti-corruption agency, the state’s equivalent of the
EFCC, has also not probed the case.
Speaking on Tuesday at the opening of a two-day meeting on
anti-corruption fight in Kano, the chairman of the body, Mr
Ramindado, said the commission also failed to act because it did
not know the motive of the journalist who released the video.
The meeting, with the theme: ”Enhancing Citizens’ Effective
Participation in the Fight Against Corruption,” was organised by
Actionaid Nigeria, a non-governmental organisation and member of
ActionAid global federation.
The anti-graft agency boss was reacting to allegation that its
probe of the Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, was politically
motivated.
He said although the agency was established by the state
government, it does not was independent.
“On the issue of dollar bribery scandal and the accusation that
we have not probed the governor, people have forgotten that
governors enjoy immunity,” he said.
“And apart from this, how could you undertake sting operation
without involving us, yet you want us to be part of the probe? We
can’t, because we don’t know your motive, we don’t know whether it
is true or not. For you to have gone to the extent of releasing the
video, you could have got anti-graft agencies involved. It doesn’t
mean it should necessarily be our own agency. But EFCC and ICPC are
there and they could back the claim,” he said.
The chairman said his agency has investigated a serving
commissioner and another permanent secretary, adding that one of
the cases is currently pending at the court of appeal.
“We have investigated judiciary institutions, we have
investigated the traditional institutions. I enter government house
and I make arrest. We don’t care whether people will say we are
part of the government or not. I have investigated a serving
commissioner and even a serving permanent secretary. Google the
case of the Commissioner for Lands, Kano State, we are currently in
the Appeal Court over the matter,” he added.
Mr Ramindado also said the allegation of a gorilla swallowing
money at a zoo in Kano was not true. He said preliminary
investigations showed that there was a robbery incident at the zoo
on June 8.
He, however, alleged that the management of the zoo could be
found wanting for keeping such huge resources at the zoo in spite
of the treasury single account system being operated by the
state.
Welcoming guests to the programme, the Country Director of the
organisation, Ene Obi, urged participants including grassroots
women to be involved in the fight against corruption.
She advised parents to always query sources of wealth of their
children and raise relevant questions when necessary about
suspicious issues.
The keynote speaker at the programme was the lawyer, Femi
Falana.
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Abdulrahaman
abdulrazak
AbdulRazaq Suspends Kwara LG Councils for Six
Months
Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has suspended the 16
local government Council executive and legislative committees in
line with the earlier recommendation of the State House of
Assembly.
“Pursuant to the resolution of the Kwara State House of Assembly
dated this 18th day of June, 2019, and Section 29 of the Kwara
State Local Government Law Cap. K33, 2006, I, Mallam AbdulRahman
AbdulRazaq, the executive governor of Kwara State, hereby suspend
the executive and legislative committees of all the Sixteen (16)
Local Government Areas in the state for a period of six months or
pending the outcome of the investigations into allegations of
misappropriation of public funds by the Kwara State House or
Assembly, whichever is earlier in time,” according to a statement
signed by the Governor on Tuesday.
The suspension came hours after the House of Assembly
recommended the suspension of the local council executive and
legislative committees.
The House had, in the resolution earlier in the day, urged the
governor “to immediately suspend all the 16 Local Government
Executive and Legislative Committees in the state pending the
outcome of the investigation into the allegations of
misappropriation of public funds levelled against them so as not to
jeopardise the process of investigation”.
Section 29 of the Kwara State Local Government Law Cap. K33,
2006 empowers the governor to suspend the chief executive of the
local council for six months.
The Constitution, on the other hand, empowers the House of
Assembly to investigate the local councils for alleged infraction
and corruption.
Rafiu Ajakaye
Chief Press Secretary to the Governor