I did not obtain N10 billion loan for CCTV camera, Ganduje replies CSO

Tuesday, July 18, 2023 7:07 pm

Abdullahi Ganduje

By Maduabuchi Nmeribeh/Kano

The immediate-past Governor of Kano state, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, on Tuesday, reacted to insinuations by a Civil Society Organization (CSO) that his administration obtained N10 billion loan for CCTV Camera project.

The CSO through reports in a section of the media had alleged that Ganduje’s administration collected N10 billion loan for CCTV camera installations and called for probe.

But reacting to the media reports, the immediate-past Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Malam Muhammad Garba, described the story as “misinformation and misleading” and challenged the CSO to produce evidence of the loan.

In a statement made available to journalists on Tuesday, Malam Garba, insisted that the CSO christened Coalition of Political Analysis Forum and Governance, “was hired to discredit the former government by ignorantly calling for an investigation on why the money was not spent on the project.

“To further confirm that they are fake, the so-called organisation knew nothing about the project and the hastiness with which their paymasters want them to be in the media exposes clearly their intent.

“We, therefore, challenge them to provide evidence for the N10 billion Naira loan.

“For record purposes when the last administration conceived the project, the State Executive Council and the 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.”

He recalled that, “on July 19, the same court presided over by Justice Abdullahi Muhammad Liman said that it was misled in the case by one Yusuf Isyaku Rabi’u, proprietor of another non-existing CSO by the name Kano First Forum, and therefore, discharged the restraining order.”

He said the case, according to the court, lacks locus standi to be continued and transferred it to a vacation judge in Abuja to continue with an interlocutory order before the court on the same case.

Malam Garba further stated that, “the said loan, for the CCTV camera project, despite its importance in fighting crime and effort to expand security infrastructure, the government decided to expand the project and unfortunately up to the end of its tenure the facility has not been secured and therefore the project could not be executed.”

According to him, “the Ganduje 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 at that time had passed through second reading, that seeks to compel compulsory installation of CCTV cameras in private buildings and offices.”