News

Kano Deputy Gov, Ganduje Differ Over N300bn Debt

Published

2 years ago

November 4, 2023

The Kano state Deputy Governor, Aminu Gwarzo, has disclosed that the New Nigeria Peoples Party-led administration inherited over N300 billion from the immediate past government of Dr Abdullahi Ganduje.

According to Gwarzo, Ganduje’s government left nothing but huge debt on the ground for the incumbent governor, Abba Yusuf.

He also added that the state government’s debt management office was still in the process of assessing the debt profile of the state under the former governor, who is now the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress.

This was disclosed by the deputy governor at the North-West zonal meeting of the NNPP which was held in Kaduna.

Gwarzo further noted that on Yusuf’s assumption, the governor had to tackle the issue of unpaid salaries, adding that he cleared the full salaries of the workers in the state’s workforce, as he addressed other challenges bedeviling them.

The deputy governor assured party members and supporters at the event that the NNPP would not disappoint the good people of the state.

He also highlighted the efforts of the current state government in managing available resources judiciously in the state.

He said, “Upon assuming office, Governor Abba Yusuf ordered the full payment of salaries. Prior to our administration, people’s salaries were severely deducted.

“Furthermore, due to Governor Yusuf’s compassion, starting this month, the state will be disbursing retirement gratuities, especially the death benefits to families of deceased retirees. The first beneficiaries will be those from levels one to six, as they are junior staff who have suffered the most.

“We have allocated N6 billion for this purpose. The screening process is underway, and by the end of this month, many people will receive their death benefits and gratuities. This initiative will continue, and our goal is to clear all outstanding gratuities within the next two years.

“We came into office inheriting a government that left us with nothing but debt. Initially, it was N300 billion, but now it is approaching N500 billion and we are still counting. Once we complete the assessment, we will inform Nigerians especially our fellow Kano residents about the total debt left behind.”

Reacting to the statement made by Gwarzo, Kano’s former Commissioner for Information, Mohammed Garba, stated that borrowing was not a crime.

Garba, in an interview with one of our correspondents, stated that he could not confirm if such an amount was borrowed by the previous administration.

He said, “I cannot say for a fact if we did take that but the issue of loans is normal and not a crime. So, if we took a loan of N300 billion, even if it is way more than that, as far as the money was utilised for the state, there should be no problem.

“You can see the infrastructure that they met on the ground when they got into power. All that infrastructure was put in place by our administration.

“They are also taking loans of billions now. They just got approval for some loans and that tells you that they are already in debt.

“With the way Nigeria’s economy is going, before the end of their administration, I can assure you that they’ll take loans over N1tn.”

News

JUST IN: Court Orders IGP To Arrest Mahmood Yakubu, Ex-INEC Chairman

Published

3 hours ago

October 8, 2025

Editor

Despite his exit as the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, the Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, has again ordered the Inspector General of Police, Mr Kayode Egbetokun, to arrest the former INEC chairman, Prof Mahmoud Yakubu, for an offence relating to contempt of court.

The Court order came a few hours after Yakubu left office as the INEC chairman.

The Action Alliance, AA, had instituted a case before the court challenging INEC and its former chairman, Prof Yakubu, over their non-compliance with the judgment of the Court delivered by Justice Funmilola Demi-Ajayi in suit number FHC/OS/CS/194/2024.

In the said judgment, the court ordered INEC to put the names of the National Chairman of the Action Alliance, Adekunle Rufai Omoaje, and other members of the party’s National Executive Committee, NEC, on the INEC portal.

The Court also held that the names of all the state chairmen of the party be uploaded on the INEC portal.

The court held that the elective convention of the party held on the 7th of October, 2023 which produced Omoaje as the national chairman of the party and other NEC members of the party was authentic as it was properly monitored and supervised by officials of INEC in accordance with the party’s constitution and the electoral acts.

However, INEC claimed to have complied with the court judgment, but the party disagreed with the commission, as the name of Omoaje was yet to be uploaded on the commission’s website despite the orders of the Court.

Although the names of the state chairmen of the party under the leadership of Omoaje and those of the NEC members are already on the INEC portal, Omoaje’s name is yet to be uploaded as of press time, a development that the court frowned at.

The court order obtained by our correspondent dated 7th October, 2025, and signed by Mr O.M. Kilani on behalf of the Court Registrar reads in part, “it is hereby ordered that the Inspector General of Police shall cause the arrest and shall charge the defendant/judgment debtors for contempt and committal proceedings within seven days of this ruling.”

The court also awarded a cost of #100,000 against the judgment creditors.

News

Lagos Closes Adeniji Adele–CMS Lane For Six Weeks Of Repairs

Published

4 hours ago

October 8, 2025

Editor

The Lagos State Government has announced a partial closure of the Adeniji Adele Interchange Junction to CMS for six weeks to allow for rehabilitation works by the Federal Government.

According to a statement issued on Wednesday by the Commissioner for Transportation, Oluwaseun Osiyemi, the repair works will run daily between 11:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., starting Sunday, October 12, and ending Sunday, November 23, 2025.

Osiyemi explained that only one lane of the road will be closed during the period, while the remaining lanes will remain open to traffic to minimize disruptions.

He assured motorists that traffic management officers will be stationed along the corridor to ensure smooth vehicular movement and reduce inconvenience during the rehabilitation.

“Motorists are implored to be patient, as the lane diversion is part of the traffic management plan for the rehabilitation of the road by the Federal Ministry of Works,” the commissioner said.

He also urged drivers to comply with the directives of traffic officials on duty to ensure safety and efficient traffic flow throughout the repair period.

News

JUST IN: Tinted Permit Enforcement Placed On Hold Due To Court Order – Police

Published

5 hours ago

October 8, 2025

Editor

The Nigeria Police Force said on Wednesday that the enforcement of the vehicle tinted glass permit has been suspended following a court order halting the exercise.

Spokesperson for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command, SP Josephine Adeh, disclosed this during an interview on Africa Independent Television, AIT.

She said the decision to halt the enforcement came after the police officially received the court order.

Adeh said, “Information reaching me from the office of the PRO is that the order has been received and the enforcement of the tinted permit is now on hold pending the court’s verdict”.

Disclosing that the directive to suspend enforcement would remain in place pending the outcome of the ongoing legal process, Adeh said, “We are waiting for the verdict. We are not against the courts, and we will continue to wait until we get a verdict”.

Speaking on public concerns about the purpose of the tinted glass regulation, Adeh explained that it was introduced for security reasons, noting that some criminal activities had been carried out using vehicles with darkened windows.

“The law was not made by us. We are enforcers. The policy was purely security-driven. Some criminals were using tinted vehicles to commit offences, making it difficult for law enforcement to identify suspects,” she said.

She dismissed claims that the policy was designed for financial gain, noting that all payments related to tinted permits are made directly into the Federal Government’s Treasury Single Account (TSA), not to the police.