The administration of the immediate former Governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Ganduje on Tuesday, denied the allegation levelled against the government on an alleged loan of N10b, for the installation of the Close Circuit Camera project, in the metropolitan area of the state.
This was disclosed in a Statement issued by the former Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Mallam Muhammad Garuba, who served in the administration.
Garba, who refuted the claim credited to a civil society organization, Coalition of Political Analysis Forum and Governance, claimed that the group was hired to discredit the legacy of the past administration, by calling for an investigation into why the project was not funded.
Describing the allegation of obtaining a loan of N10b to fund the project, as misleading and untrue, Garba challenged the group to provide concrete evidence in respect of the said loan.
“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 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.” the state explained.
Garuba explained further 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.
According to him, the court held that the case 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.
He added 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 but unfortunately, up to the end of its tenure, the facility has not been secured and therefore the project could not be executed.”
However, he stated that the Ganduje administration planned 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 in the state.
